My brother-in-law, Keith called to see if I would like an envelope of documents and papers that belonged to my father during World War II. Later that day, my sister, Marsha, gave me the envelope at a family dinner. They had been buried in old boxes.
Over Saturday morning coffee I looked at the cards, certificates, and information. The most important elements were a small ledger from 1944 and his merchant seaman identification card.
My dad was a pharmacist mate and officer in the Merchant Marines. He was aboard tankers delivering oil to ships in the South Pacific. I knew that he had visited Hawaii, Pitcairn Island, New Guinea, and Saipan. He grew up in Missouri and graduated from Nevada High School in Nevada, Missouri. He went to school with my mom (Mary Lavinia Cummins) and her twin sister, Netta Virginia Cummins). Nevada is about 90 miles south of Kansas City. My dad’s favorite relative was his aunt who lived in nearby Shell City. I knew my dad studied accounting in Kansas City before signing up as a merchant seaman. The dates were vague, however.
The ID card showed me that he signed up or was processed on October 1, 1943. He was twenty-one, weighed 154 pounds and was six foot one . . .
His log book tells the tale in short comments. Although the printed log begins on January 1st, 1944, there are pencil notes from earlier.
He signed in on October 22 on board the S.S. Alan Seeger. The Alan Seeger was a Liberty Ship built as a tanker. It was launched on October 5th. It began it’s first voyage on the 27th of October. It made three trips to Pearl Harbor that year. The third trip arrived in Pearl on Christmas Eve. The ship logged 7800 miles from October through December in 1943. He delivered oil from San Pedro to Pearl and return.
The ship was named for American poet Alan Seeger, who died at the Battle of the Somme in World War I. His most famous poem was “I Have a Rendezvous with Death.” The poem was a favorite of President John F. Kennedy.
The poem begins . . .
“I have a rendezvous with Death
At some disputed barricade,
When Spring comes back with rustling shade
And apple-blossoms fill the air—
I have a rendezvous with Death
When Spring brings back blue days and fair.”
The poem is still popular today. It was quoted by the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, in a speech in April 2018.
“According to the War Shipping Administration, the U.S. Merchant Marine suffered the highest rate of casualties of any service in World War II. Officially, a total of 1,554 ships were sunk due to war conditions.” My dad told of watching torpedoes rushing towards his ship. None scored, however.
1944 Entries:
San Pedro (Home port)
Enewetak (Marshall Islands)
Kwajalein (Marshall Islands)
Transferred and signed articles for Grande Ronde (U.S.M.C.) – The Grande Ronde was built in December of 1943 in Portland, Oregon. Dad signed in on February 20, 1944.
Pago Pago, Samoa
Espiritu Santo (Between the Solomon Islands and New Caledonia
Enewetak (Marshall Islands)
Kwajalein (Marshall Islands)
Hurricane – 120 knot wind
Tarawa (Gilbert Islands)
Auckland (New Zealand)
Milne Bay (Papua, New Guinea)
Townsville (Queensland, Australia)
Pitcairn Islands
Balboa, Canal Zone
Christabel
Las Piedras (Venezuela)
Chesapeake Bay
Baltimore
Kansas City
Nevada
Shell City
Shawnee
“Tied knot” – Left for Oklahoma City
Nevada
Shell City
Assigned to ship, Sub-Tender Elk Basin
This was an interesting surprise. Submarine Tenders (S/T)) were U.S. Navy vessels, common throughout World War II, stationed in remote areas of the oceans to service submarines assigned to them. Such service would include providing fuel, food, potable water, spare parts, and some repair of submarine equipment and minor hull components. I could find no information on one named Elk Basin. Even more interesting is the trip to Seattle and dry-dock.
Espiritu Santo
Guadalcanal
Florida Islands (Saw Bob Hope Show)
San Pedro
Noumea (New Caledonia)
Arrived Seattle
San Pedro (Lin here) – Dry Dock
Finschhafen (Papua New Guinea)
Biak (Papua New Guinea)
Mios Woendi (Forward base for United States Navy during World War II. Code name:Stinker)
Morotai – “The Battle of Morotai, part of the Pacific War, began on 15 September 1944, and continued until the end of the war in August 1945.” (On alert for invasion. Japanese bombed island . . . plane crashed ahead of us . . . escort rescued pilot)
December 25, 1944 – Merry Christmas – What’s so merry about it? At Sea (Damn it.)
The most important entry was for June 27th “Tied knot.” My dad came home to Missouri and my mom and dad were married. The second important entry is October 25th in San Pedro. My mom was waiting there for him. It’s too bad we don’t have the log for 1945. Dad must have been in San Pedro for Valentine’s Day. I was born nine months later in November.
What a great find! I have obtained all my dad’s available records from the Navy (he was a SeaBee), and his battalion published a “yearbook” of their service that I remember looking at often as a child. I’d still like to know more to put the whole story together. I wasn’t interested enough as a child to ask all the questions I have now! What I do remember, along with the information/pictures in the yearbook, made my visit to Hawaii richer.
Always enjoy your pieces!
Patty,
I think the only bad way to handle records and stories is to not use them. The Fighting Seabees was one of my favorite John Wayne movies of WWII. You might consider videotaping the stories as you remember them and then have the video transcribed. You could do it yourself or have it done. I’m still kicking myself for not recording my dad and mom when they were living.
Thanks for reading and sharing.
Don – Here’s another article you might find interesting about personal stories: https://thesubtimes.com/2019/03/14/old-stories-lost-connections-and-disappearing-opportunities/
Thanks for sharing. The article sparked my imagination for a few minutes. I’ve heard of most of the loactions mentioned, and will need to search google maps for those uncommon ones.
PRose,
Sparking for a few minutes is good . . .
Somewhere we have cloth maps of the south Pacific from his time in the Merchant Marines. Cloth doesn’t fall apart like damp paper at sea. I haven’t seen the maps since I wrote a story in the seventh grade at Hudtloff. I should have included a photo of a souvenir from Saipan. It’s a Japanese cigarette holder. I think my dad traded for it with a Marine. He also traded for a Japanese rifle. When he landed in San Pedro, the FBI wanted to speak with him . . . so he and my mom drove around throwing bits and pieces of the rifle away. In his letters home, he would start off each paragraph with a letter of the island he was at. This actually sounds like something my wife and I would do. Oh, well . . . fun and games wherever you find them . . .
Thanks for your continued readership.
Don
What a wonderful treasure you have! Not many of these brave young men are still with us, and we owe them so much. My dad fought in Okinawa, an uncle in the Philippines and another uncle who was a paratrooper and died in the Battle of the Bulge. I would have loved knowing more about their service, but they’re all gone now. My Dad never talked about his experiences as was the case with so many. Thank you for sharing what your Dad’s journal with us.
Pat,
Thanks for reading. Exactly. I have been advocating video recording of history for over twenty years . . . and yet, I didn’t record my father until the week he died.
Five couples went to Tuscany about twelve years ago. While we were there we saw the shops were closed during the week. We finally saw a poster and talked to the waitress near our rented villa. It was Liberation Day (April 25) for Italy when the Nazi’s were finally driven out by our soldiers. We sat, drank wine, and told stories of our fathers and World War II. It’s still one of my favorite days in Italy.
Thanks for reading my article. I hope it sparked memories of your dad and relatives.
Don
What a neat story! Thanx for sharing!
My Dad served in the Navy as a surgical tech at the 5th Marine Division’s hospital located at the west end of Airfield #1 during the battle for Iwo Jima. He turned 20 while there.
My Mom was a “Cadet Nurse” (they actually wore uniforms) and served in Evansville, Indiana. Their mission was to continue acquiring nursing skills and, importantly, allow more experienced nurses to go to the Pacific and European theaters of war.
My wife’s Father was a pharmacist mate serving on a variety of warships in the Pacific, including the Missouri.
Her Mom was a real-life “Rosie the Riveter” and went from Lebanon, OR to work at Seattle with Boeing building B-17, Flying Fortress, bombers. She was small enough to work inside the wings.
My Uncle was a Marine Corps officer serving at a forward Supply Base somewhere in the South Pacific, and could very well have been the one your Dad stopped at – Mios Woendi. Now I need to find out where the heck that is!!!
Like Pat, and I am sure many other “boomers”, we would have liked to know more of our parents’ experiences, other than I was at…..
Eric and Jen,
Thank you for reading and remembering . . . and sharing.
We are blessed to live here in the Pacific Northwest. Two of my favorite people in Rotary were Ernie Brazil and Chuck Matthaei. Ernie came from Georgia to work in the Bremerton Ship Yards during the war before moving to Tacoma and becoming a pastor. Earnest S. Brazil Street in Tacoma is named after him. Chuck’s family owned Roman Meal Bread, but he met his wife, also in the Navy, while in New York City. He served proudly on the Mighty Mo, like your wife’s father. Was her dad on board in Tokyo Bay when the surrender was signed, also? My parents and I came to Tacoma to visit my aunt and uncle who moved here after the war from Missouri, also. My uncle was in the army and served in Italy. Yes, we should have demanded stories from our parents . . . not matter what. Thanks for reading and writing. Don
Then there is World War ONE.
My Grandfather was part of the American Expeditionary Force in France, serving with the Engineer Corps. More specifically he worked on the railroads, travelling all over France, hauling everything imaginable necessary for the US forces to defeat the Kaiser’s Army. Fortunately I have a few documents of his for that time-frame, but it is still very difficult to find more information concerning his service.
My Great Uncle was a 2nd Lieutenant in the Artillery…which unit I don’t know, nor have I been able to determine if he actually went to France. I do have a picture of him in his officer’s uniform. I also have his campaign hat and boots w/spurs. Beyond that, nothing.
Unfortunately On July 12, 1973, a disastrous fire at the National Personnel Records Center destroyed approximately 16-18 million Official Military Personnel Files. That included records for the time-frames 1912-1960 US Army, and 1947-1960 US Air Force.
This sad event has made it extremely problematical and time-consuming to track down details about ancestors who have served.
Eric,
History and memories . . . memories and history. I wish everyone could save their histories and archive them, but then we also see what can happen to files. Perhaps, it comes down to just telling and re-telling family stories like people have done for thousands of years. It makes our ancestors look like gods, perhaps, but then . . . so what. Maybe they were gods and maybe we will be gods to our future selves. I wouldn’t mind being thought of as a benevolent god.
Thanks for reading and sharing.
Don
p.s. Can you send me a photo of the campaign hat, boots, and spurs for a follow-up article? – trainingmedia@yahoo.com
D
Amen….email follows….ekc
Eric,
Thank you for the kind words. I would love to see your collection of items from WWI. I love history, especially with a connection. Touring the battlefields sounds both touching and insightful.
Thank you for reading, commenting, and sharing.
Don
What a wonderful article from the past. Attics are great places to find history. There must be many undiscovered trunks with their own stories to tell. You are fortunate that your father put his story in writing. Re. the Elk Basin: The Elk Basin was a T-2 oil or gasoline tanker completed in April,1944 and put into service in May. It was built in Portland, Oregon. The T-2 was the workhorse tanker for the US Navy, but was built for the US Maritime Commission. Thus, SS Elk Basin rather than USS Elk Basin. About 500 of them served the navy all over the world during the war. I’m not sure why your father referred to the ship as a submarine tender. I can find no reference to a submarine tender named Elk Basin in S. E. Morison”s History of US Naval Operations in WW2 (Supplement and General Index.) All of the sub-tenders are listed, but none of the T-2 tankers. I guess we will never know and mysteries are great.
Thank you again for your story. If you have more to tell, please share it with us. I will keep looking for more information on your father’s ship.
Larry,
Thanks for the details on the SS Elk Basin. I was thrilled to find the image of his first ship. Little tidbits on information are the spice of historical searches. Take a look at the other comments from readers as well as an additional story I shared with PRose this morning. My uncle wrote privately with a story about him and my dad, so this has been a wonderful day for me. Thanks for reading, researching, and sharing.
Don
Hello,
I volunteer for the American Merchant Marine WWII Veterans organization known as AMMV. In the past four years I have learned so much about these men. First, the bible of the USMM WWII is the website called usmm.org and the first thing they point out (heard dozens of veterans say the same thing). NEVER call them “merchant marines” with an “s'” on the end. “What do you call people who are in the Merchant Marine? Mariners. Seamen. Seafarers. Sailors. Never marines! Mariners is the preferred designation, just like the Seattle professional baseball team. The term Merchant Marines is incorrect.” -usmm.org
Secondly, the AMMV is very proactive working with WWII Veterans and getting legislation passed in the 116th Congress in favor of awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to these men. If you are not aware of this bill, please visit their website at: ammv.us to see the legislation or call your congressman and senators in support of HR550 & S133 Congressional Gold Medal Act WWII USMM. We just had a convention in Tampa FL in March and over 21 WWII USMM were present. Famed author and reporter Rita Cosby attended our event and even went on the SS American Victory Ship with us. She is a huge advocate for the USMMWWII. Next year we will be in Baltimore and visiting the SS John W. Brown.
Hopefully some of you sons and daughters of WWII USMM will get involved as many of our members are children of these brave men.
We need you to sign this message to get the word out to your congressmen and women. We have three Facebook groups as well that are all about WWII USMM. Please sign and share this link from the United States Transportation Department which oversees the USMM. I will be going to D.C. next week with three WWII USMM to lobby Congress on these bills. Please sign and share and hopefully you will check out our website and join or buy a $32 membership to our organization, a non profit 501 (3)c. Email me with questions if you wish: shesova2015@gmail.com Signed a #ProudDaughter of a WWII USMM and Army Korean War Veteran. Sheila M. Sova
The website from the Transportation Department is here:
Honor our WWII Heroes!
New bills will award a Congressional Gold Medal to the American merchant mariner of WWII.
New bills would bestow a Congressional Gold Medal to the American merchant mariners of World War II in recognition of their dedicated and vital service. Tell Congress you want them to give these heroes the recognition they deserve!
http://cqrcengage.com/transportationinstitute/app/write-a-letter?0&engagementId=495357&fbclid=IwAR3L7zkjCpedsuJYzSxK1OS9fcBnD9HqGSbkK_ww-16JA26yYZyZ9KwIF0A
Sheila,
Thank you for reading and commenting, Unfortunately, my Merchant Marine WWII Veteran father never really talked about his experiences. I have learned so much from you and others. I will follow up with a letter to congress and perhaps another article about the responses that other people have shared.
Thank you.
Don
Thank you Don. I personally wish to educate the public of the critical role of the USMM in WWII. No one sings their song “Heave Ho My Lads” or flies their flags on Veterans Day or Memorial Day. No one places them on monuments but they were indeed given Honorable Discharges in 1988 because a group of USMM WWII, formerly POWs, sued to get veteran status. FDR promised these men benefits but when he died, the bill in Congress died as well. They went for 43 years without any help for their war wounds, burns from mustard gas…yes mustard gas. Did you know they lost more men in WWII than any other branch of service per capita? Many were torpedoed, hit by kamikaze planes, taken prisoners and some were tied to the side of Japanese subs, blindfolded and bayoneted while the sub went back under water. If the sharks did not eat them alive, they drowned in the icy waters. Many were severely burned by hot oil once the tankers blew up. They were in harms way without any protection until a small crew of about six US Navy Armed Guard (now defunct) was put on these merchant ships to protect them. All of these ships were unprotected for the first year of the war. So many merchant ships were blown to pieces off the coast of FL, Cape Hatteras NC and NY and RI. NOAA has been researching the waters off Cape Hatteras and discovered over 80 merchant ships and 2 U Boats with their sailors still entombed inside. This is how close they were to our coastline. I have so much more information from NOAA but don’t want to tie up your reply section. Let me know if you ever want to write more about the USMM WWII Veteran.
Sheila,
I was going to write a part two because of the comments I received from other with similar stories of relatives who served, but perhaps I should do one just about the Merchant Marine. I didn’t know they had their own anthem. “Damn the submarine! We’re the men of the Merchant Marine!” That says it all (except now they have women). I would like to use some of your comments if that is okay with you.
Don
p.s. Check out the glee club.
Heave Ho! My Lads! Heave Ho!
VERSE
Give us the oil, give us the gas
Give us the shells, give us the guns.
We’ll be the ones to see them thru.
Give us the tanks, give us the planes.
Give us the parts, give us a ship.
Give us a hip hoo-ray!
And we’ll be on our way.
CHORUS
Heave Ho! My Lads, Heave Ho!
It’s a long, long way to go.
It’s a long, long pull with our hatches full,
Braving the wind, braving the sea,
Fighting the treacherous foe;
Heave Ho! My lads, Heave Ho!
Let the sea roll high or low,
We can cross any ocean, sail any river.
Give us the goods and we’ll deliver,
Damn the submarine!
We’re the men of the Merchant Marine!
© Leeds Music Corporation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3X2YAGqnoBI
Please do use any of my comments. Yes the song is amazing and should be played everywhere. Did you know that there were several women who never got recognition in WWII? Clara Gordon Main was the FIRST AMERICAN POW in WWII! We never hear about her either. She was a merchant mariner stewardess about the SS President Harrison taking passengers and Army supplies to our troops. The ship was taken over by the Japanese Imperial Navy and she was taken prisoner along with 160 crew members. She spent two years in a POW camp and went right back to sailing into her late 60s. Found records in ancestry of her ship crew lists. Read about her in the Women Offshore article below.
https://womenoffshore.org/clara-gordon-main-heroic-efforts-merchant-marine-wwii/
Sheila,
Incredible story. I love it. I am so glad I wrote my article. It’s paying off in great information and possibilities.
Thanks, again for commenting and feeding me more background details.
Don