• Chief Radio Operator
    Louis Taix

    In 2012, Louis Taix's sister, Lorraine Taix McCaslin spoke with The National WWII Museum.
    "I want everybody to remember him and what he did."
  • Gift of Lorraine Taix McCaslin, 2000.267
    Gift of Lorraine Taix McCaslin, 2000.267

    Merchant Marine Louis Taix of New Orleans, Louisiana, was lost at sea when the SS Nicarao was sunk by a German submarine U-751 on the night of May 15, 1942, in the Bahama Islands. Louis was the Chief Radio Operator for the ship. The torpedo hit approximately five feet below the water line and the ship sank quickly in rough seas. Of the 39 crewmen, 31 survived and were picked up by the tanker Esso Augusta on May 16, 1942.

  • Obituary for Louis Taix. Courtesy of the family of Louis Taix.
    Obituary for Louis Taix. Courtesy of the family of Louis Taix.

    According to his sister, Lorraine, the family was visited by the Captain who told them, " [Lou] told one of the officers that he must go back into the radio shack and send another message for help … Louis managed to get into the radio room and sent the S.O.S." The Captain stated that he saw the radio room collapse. Lou, trapped inside, went down with the ship.

  • A tribute to Louis Taix written by his father. Courtesy of the family of Louis Taix.
  • Taix’s fellow officers aboard the Nicarao gifted his family with an engraved silver tray, a tribute to their lost shipmate. Gift in Memory of Louis Taix, 2012.201.001.

  • Louis Marcel Taix was 25 years old. He was survived by his parents Mr. and Mrs. Louis F. Taix, his brothers Lucien and George and his sister Lorraine. Both Lorraine and George are longtime Museum volunteers.


    The city of New Orleans honored Mrs. Taix with a brooch representing the “Order of the Golden Heart,” a local distinction, similar to the national Gold Star Mothers. Established by New Orleans Mayor Robert Maestri in May 1942, it was a token of appreciation for the mothers, widows, and nearest of kin of servicemen killed in action. The award was designed in the shape of a heart and, like the Purple Heart, was inscribed with the serviceman’s name in the event of mortal wounds. A ceremony was held on Flag Day 1942 in City Park Stadium, during which the relatives of the servicemen were presented with the awards. Sixty grieving families, including the Taix family, were represented. According to her family, Taix’s mother would wear the heart pin on her aprons and housedresses until her death.


    The heart-shaped brooch presented to Mrs. Taix by the city of New Orleans to honor Louis’s service. Courtesy of the Taix family, 2012.201.002.

    Taix is now part of the Dog Tag Experience, which tailors the Museum experience like never before, creating an unforgettable personal connection to history. It begins in a recreated train station, where visitors use a digitally enabled "dog tag" to select one of 49 WWII participants whose story they will follow. With a tap of the digital dog tag, that individual's story begins to unfold—first in the train car, then throughout Campaigns of Courage, where video kiosks highlight pivotal moments in the war through the eyes of that servicemember, nurse, or Home Front worker. Along with the next chapter of the personal story, each kiosk also contains a wealth of related information—including digital artifacts, archival images, and oral histories—that users can tag and collect to access later from home, creating an interactive experience that continues long after the Museum visit is over.

This Memorial Day, Honor Chief Radio Operator Louis Taix

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