Merchant marine survivors of World War II : oral histories of cargo carrying under fire / Michael Gillen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gillen, M. (Michael), author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

World War, 1939-1945--Naval operations, American.

World War, 1939-1945.

Merchant marine--United States--Interviews.

Merchant marine.

Sailors--United States--Interviews.

Sailors.

Merchant marine--United States--History--20th century.

Armed merchant ships--United States--History--20th century.

Armed merchant ships.

Shipwrecks--United States--History--20th century.

Shipwrecks.

Shipwreck survival--Anecdotes.

Shipwreck survival.

World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (216 p.)

Place of Publication:

Jefferson, North Carolina : McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2015.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

World War II could not have been fought and won without the U.S. Merchant Marine. Crewed by civilian seamen in peacetime and carrying much of the nation's ocean-borne commerce, the Merchant Marine is often considered the ""fourth arm of defense"" in wartime. As such, it provided vital logistical support for beachheads in all theaters of operation during the war. The 20 World War II Merchant Marine veterans featured in this oral history served in all theaters of war. Most had at least one ship torpedoed, bombed, shelled or mined out from under them--some of them two. Some became prisoners of th

Contents:

Cover; Table of Contents; Acknowledgments; Preface: The Ship; 1. William J. "Bill" Bailey: "I just couldn't take it any longer"; 2. Howard Bethell: "No longer bums, they were heroes"; 3. Daniel J. Bradley: "I've been on borrowed time"; 4. Rexford Dickey: "He died from a broken heart"; 5. Stanley E. Gorski: The Minefields of Manila Bay; 6. Jack A. Holt: "We all piled out on deck"; 7. Paul J. Jarvis: "Okinawa was absolute hell"; 8. Eric H. Johanson: "We were scared to death"; 9. Ruel N. Lawrence: "The ship pulled me down"; 10. John M. Le Cato: "Norluna, you're supposed to be sunk!"

11. Edward A. MacMichael: One Step Ahead of the Japs12. Edward C. March: Torpedoes and Molasses Don't Mix; 13. John S. "Jack" McCusker: "Did you ever hear a ship die?"; 14. Harry A. Morgan: Walnuts and Bauxite for the War; 15. Dennis A. Roland: A Prisoner of the Japanese; 16. William J. Shearer: "She was there, and all of a sudden it wasn't"; 17. Henrik E. "Hank" Sievers: Cargo for Pearl and Nawiliwili; 18. Robert B. Smolen: "Captain, they're gonna machine-gun us!"; 19. John H. Tiencken: "I hated to see her lost"; 20. Donald E. Zubrod: 42 Days in a Lifeboat; Appendix A: Glossary

Appendix B: The Crew of a Typical Liberty (Dry Cargo) Ship During World War IIChapter Notes; Bibliography; Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-4766-1887-9