This past Sunday the Rhode Island Genealogical Society (RIGS) held a virtual meeting using Crowdcast online in order to have a continuation of operations during this ongoing Corona virus pandemic. The meeting included two excellent presentations-- one by Thomas and McEntee and the other by Kathleen Kaldis. During her presentation, Kathleen mentioned almost parenthetically that her father had served in the Merchant Marine during World War II. She added that while the losses suffered by those serving in the Merchant Marine during the war accounted for the highest per capita loss of any uniformed service, those in the Merchant Marine were not considered "veterans." This is partially true.
As previously covered in other posts on this blog, recognition of the service of those who served in the Merchant Marine during WWII was slow in coming and in some ways incomplete (see the earlier posts here, and here). President Franklin Roosevelt had promised mariners of the U.S. Merchant Marine and the Army Transport Service that they would be granted veteran status and a Seamans Bill of Rights for their WWII service . . . but the promise died with the President. It was not until many years later that mariners of the U.S. Merchant Marine who served in WWII were granted some limited benefits and official recognition. For example, they were granted the honor of WWII service medals and the qualification to be buried in a national cemetery (other than Arlington), but they were not allowed health or other benefits.
The Battle of the Atlantic during WWII has been called the longest continuous military campaign of World War II and as Winston Churchill later stated, "The Battle of the Atlantic was the dominating factor all through the war. Never for one moment could we forget that everything happening elsewhere, on land, at sea or in the air depended ultimately on its outcome." During this period, the Allied naval forces attempted a blockade of Germany while at the same time the merchant ships were doing their utmost to move cargo across the Atlantic to keep military forces supplied with weapons and other materials needed to sustain Allied efforts. Germany responded to the blockade and to the supply efforts with a concerted and continuous attack against Allied naval and merchant ships. They used U-boats (submarines), surface vessels and Luftwaffe aircraft. From 1942 onward, German forces were especially directed at preventing a build-up of equipment and supplies that would support any Allied attempt to invade mainland Europe. While ultimately the blockade of Germany failed, the Allies were able to win the "war of tonnage" by keeping Allied forces supplied with what was needed to bring the war to Germany and the Axis powers.
Few people realize the terrible cost of winning the tonnage supply battle that raged in the Atlantic. There were 3,500 merchant ships and 175 warships lost during the Battle of the Atlantic, while Germany suffered a loss of 783 U-boats. Some 3.1 million tons of merchant ships were lost during World War II and 1 in 24 merchant mariners died -- making the fatality rate of the Merchant Marines the highest casualty rate of any uniformed service during the war!
Just days ago I came across a "V-Mail" letter written by my late father (Arnold G. Tew, Jr.) during his WWII service in the U.S. Merchant Marine. V-Mail was the process developed during WWII as the primary and secure method for correspondence with those serving abroad. It was intended to reduce the cost of transmitting an original letter through the military postal system. An original letter was first reviewed by a censor and copied to film after which it was printed back onto paper when it arrived at its destination and before delivery.
The V-Mail letter shown above was sent by my father to his Aunt Edna in Wallingford, Connecticut. It bears the censor's stamp in the upper left corner and the obvious marks where material was blacked out as too sensitive to allow (the date and locations and arrvials of my father's ship no doubt). Edna was the older sister of my father's father and like a second mother to my father and his siblings. I myself have very fond memories of my [grand] Aunt Edna.
P.S. The dot-dot-dot dash in "V . . . – Mail" is the Morse Code for the letter V and as we all know, V is for Victory; hence, V Mail was short for "Victory Mail."
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Copyright 2020, John D. Tew
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Images are of the original paper V-Mail letter in the personal collection of the author.
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Thanks for sharing your story John.
ReplyDeleteMy grandfather was a Canadian serving in the merchant marine out of Brooklyn, New York when WWI broke out. He had to become an American citizen in order to keep working during the war, carrying supplies and other important work as you mention here. As a citizen, he was able to marry his long-time sweetheart from Nova Scotia and bring her to Brooklyn in 1920. They eventually moved to Cranston, Rhode Island and his career went well. Just as he was promoted to Captain of his ship, and before his first voyage as such, he died from an infection in his 30's leaving Nana, the strongest woman ever, facing the Depression with 4 children under 7.
Thanks for this post which got me thinking about the Merchant Marine again.
Thank you for your comment Diane! Interestingly, my father also lived in Cranston and graduated from high school there before he went to Kings Point, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Great Neck, Long Island, New York. He served as an officer on merchant ships during WWII and at age 26 earned his Master Mariner papers meaning he could command any size ship anywhere in the world; but he was so young no insurance company would insure a ship he commanded and so he never got his own ship. He left the Merchant Marine right after I was born and had a career with Sears. So sad your grandfather died before he could exercise his first command.
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