WAR Comes to Apalachicola! The Sinking & Rescue of the Empire Mica

The Apalachicola Area Historical Society (AAHS) will be hosting a special program, “WAR Comes to Apalachicola! The Sinking & Rescue of the Empire Mica,” featuring Grayson Shepard on Tuesday, November 10, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. ET at the Raney Museum Carriage House, 126 Market Street in Apalachicola. The program is open to the public, although seating is limited. There is no charge and donations are warmly welcomed.

On June 29, 1942, the British tanker Empire Mica, carrying fuel for the Royal Air Force during World War II, was torpedoed by a German U-boat approximately 21 miles south of Cape San Blas. In response, Apalachicola fishing boats rushed to the scene and rescued the survivors, demonstrating the courage and compassion of the local fishing fleet during wartime. Grayson Shepard’s presentation will explore the sinking, the dramatic rescue, and current efforts to memorialize the valiant actions of Apalachicola’s fishing fleet.

An offshore charter captain and avid scuba diver in Franklin County since 1999, Shepard has a longstanding interest in military history and the Empire Mica story. He has visited the wreck site dozens of times and helped secure its designation as an underwater archaeological site on the Florida Panhandle Shipwreck Trail.

This program is part of a popular series by the Apalachicola Area Historical Society. AAHS is a member supported 501(c)3 dedicated to advancing understanding of the cultural history of Apalachicola and its surroundings. Funded in part by the Franklin County Tourist Development Council. For details, email AAHS.Raney@gmail.com, leave a message at (850) 653-1700, or go to www.apalachicolahistoricalsociety.org.