Dorsch - Denton, TX
N 33° 12.407 W 097° 08.309
14S E 673500 N 3675754
A cenotaph to Leroy Vail Dorsch and his wife, Vala, stands in the Fullingim family plot in historic I.O.O.F. Cemetery, Denton, TX, noting that this couple were lost at sea when their ship went down in the Persian Gulf in 1961.
Waymark Code: WM12C94
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 04/25/2020
Views: 0
Mrs. Dorsch was the daughter of Dr. Matthew D. Fullingim, a prominent area physician, and his wife, Mamie. All are buried together in the Fullingim family plot in Section Q. The cenotaph is made of gray granite, with the family name, "Dorsch", across the top, and the inscription reads:
In Loving Memory of
Vala Fullingim
Nov. 13, 1903
Leroy Vail
July 1, 1903
Who were lost at sea Apr. 8, 1961 in the
"S.S. Dara" disaster in the Persian Gulf.
Employed by the Caltex Oil Co., Mr. Dorsch was one of the businessman that the MV Dara transported regularly between the Persian Gulf and the Indian subcontinent. This ship was owned and operated by the British India Steam Navigation Company, and had just returned from Bombay. While unloading both cargo, passengers, and visitors in Dubai, a storm blew up, and the captain decided to take the ship out of the harbor until the weather calmed. The unloading operation was halted, with both cargo and unplanned travelers going along. As the ship returned to the harbor on April 8, an explosion occurred around 0430. Fire spread quickly, and the captain ordered the evacuation of the ship. Lifeboats were launched in rough conditions, and rescue efforts were a combined effort by British, German and Japanese vessels in the vicinity, as well as by any ships passing through that could be mustered. A total of 238 out of 819 persons were lost, including some of the crew. Suspicion was raised that the incident was caused by insurgents, but there was never any sufficient documentation to pursue the matter further. While being towed back to port on April 10, the Dara capsized and sunk: It now sits on the ocean floor forty-nine feet below the surface.
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