Storekeeper 3rd Class Frederic Burkner Golding, USN

Frederic Burkner Golding was born November 1896 in Silver City NM to Robert and Felicita Golding. He was raised in Silver City where his father was a liquor salesman. Both of his parents were born in Mexico. He was the oldest child in the family. In 1914 he was enrolled at NMAMC in the First Preparatory and Trades Course. While there he was Vice President of his class. On February 23, 1915 he enlisted in the US Navy in Dallas TX. Three years later in the spring of 1918 we know him to be aboard the USS Cyclops, one of four Proteus Class Colliers built for the US Navy shortly prior to the First World War. A collier was built to carry coal which at that time was the primary fuel source for the fleet. After convoys across the North Atlantic she was sent to South Atlantic waters to refuel British Naval ships. She put into Rio de Janeiro for replenishment and departed on February 16, 1918 bound for Baltimore with a load of manganese ore. This load was significantly greater than her maximum capacity and shortly before departure the captain wired that her starboard engine had a cracked cylinder. She made into Barbados for an unscheduled stop due to water being above her plimsoll line but then put back out to sea on March 4, 1918. She entered the waters of the Bermuda Triangle and was never heard from again. The loss of the ship with her 306 crew and passengers remains the greatest loss of life in US Naval history not involving combat. Fred Golding was 21 years of age at the time of his death in service to his nation.