James Harvey Tomb-- Part 2: An Educator and the Naval Order of the United States

He retired from the Navy in  in 1925 and was named the head of the New York State Nautical School (layer renamed State University of New York Nautical College in the Bronx).

He then served as Superintendent of the New York State Merchant Marine Academy from 1927 to 1942.  During that time he was instrumental in moving the school from a ship tied up to a pier to Fort Schuyler in the Bronx.

In 1942, he was appointed the first Superintendent of the United States Merchant Marine Academy and oversaw the physical construction of the academy at Kings Point, New York.  He relinquished command on October 16, 1943, just  two weeks after the school was dedicated.

He retired to private life as served as Commander General of  the Naval Order of the United States from 1943 until his death on September 2, 1946.

The football and lacrosse field at Kings Point, inside the Academy's  track is named for him.

--DaCoot

James Harvey Tomb-- Part 1: U.S. Navy and U.S. Merchant Marine

In my Running the Blockade:  Civil War Navy blog I have been writing about a Confederate naval officer by the name of James Hamilton Tomb, who had quite a career in submersibles and torpedoes as well as the Brazilian Navy.  While looking for information on him, I came across the names of two more U.S. naval officers with the last name of Tomb who I thought perhaps were the sons of him.

It turns out that they were.  But since their service was not in the Civil War, I will write about them in this blog.

From Wikipedia.

JAMES HARVEY TOMB  (September 2, 1876 - September 23, 1946)

Served as Superintendent of the New York of the New York State Merchant Marine Academy and was appointed the first Superintendent of the United States Merchant Marine Academy in 1942.  He was also a U.S. Navy officer for 27 years.

He was a USNA graduate and an excellent marksman.  During World War I, he commanded the destroyer USS Hull in 1907 and USS Chauncey from 1908 to 1909.  Of interest to my War of 1812 readers, both of these destroyers were named after War of 1812 naval heroes, Isaac Hull and Isaac Chauncey.

During World War I, he commanded the former coastal liner Aroostook during the laying of the North Sea Mine Barrage that bottled up the German fleet.

--Cooter

Merchant Mariner Serves as Grand Marshal

From the May 30th Saginaw (Mi) News "World War II merchant mariner is Saginaw's first Memorial Day grand marshal" by Eric Joyce.

Louis LePan, 83 will take his place as first-ever grand marshal in the annual parade in Saginaw, Michigan, today. Every year, he places flags on the graves of veterans in local cemeteries, but this year, he will get an honor.

LePan served as a member of the Merchant Marines who were tasked with delivering the supplies of war so necessary for the eventual victory on the battlefield and at sea. Unfortunately, the Merchant Marine is just beginning to receive the honors they earned.

Many people don't know about the U-boat war that took place off the US Atlantic and Gulf coasts where many cargo vessels were lost. It was bad enough to be in a ship carrying supplies, but even worse if it had ammunition or fuel aboard. Definitely one of the last places you'd want to be when a torpedo struck or a surfaces U-boat opened fire.

According to Mr. LePan, "Wherever they needed supplies, the Merchant marine carried them."

At age 16, LePan joined in December 1944, near the end of the war. he had been a deckhand on Great Lakes freighters before that (kind of young). He first sailed aboard the tanker Gulfwing transporting aviation fuel from New York City to New Orleans. Later, he was on the Liberty Ship Thomas Rusk carrying airplane equipment and ammunition from Seattle to Pearl Harbor and then to Chile for a load of zinc nitrate for fuel oil.

He served in the galley and was a member of a gun crew at battle stations. But, he admits "We didn't get shot at 'cause the war was about over when I got into it.

For his service, he received three awards and commendations and an honorable discharge.

However, the Merchant Marine, until fairly recently, was not considered to be active duty veterans and as such were not eligible for many services and honors accorded to other veterans.

It's About Time. Congratulations Mr. LaPan. --Cooter

S. S. Emidio Memorial, California

The December 30, 2009, Crescent City (CA) Daily Triplicate.

On December 5th, the St. George Reef Lighthouse Preservation Society hosted the American Merchant Marine Veterans Association and raised the American Merchant Marine emblem at the SS. Emidio Memorial.

Since 2007, the Society has been working for improvements on the historical marker at the site, hull restoration for the ship and interpretive panels. This is a part of the hull of the merchant ship SS Emidio which was shelled and torpedoed off Cape Mendocino south of Eureka on December 20, 1941, by the Japanese submarine I-17 which hit the ship with five shells.

The crew abandoned the ship, but it remained afloat and drifted into Crescent City harbor before running aground. It lay have submerged for ten years before being sold for salvage, but a section of the bow was saved and turned into a memorial for the five men on board who died.

Always good to see the US Merchant Marine get some recognition for their brave service during World War II. It still amazes me that they are not accorded the same benefits and recognition as the other armed services.

Without their actions, we could not have won the war.

A Salute to the Merchant Marine!! --Cooter

A Night to Remember: The Sinking of the John D. Gill-- Part 5

The submarine that sank the Gill, the U-158, was sunk itself west of Bermuda on January 30, 1942 with no survivors.

The hospital staff at Southport worked 20 straight hours. "We didn't think that even half of them hardly could live," said Josephine Laughlin, 80, a volunteer Red Cross nurse, as the 11 survivors were being treated.

Sixteen bodies were brought in. "They were burned so bad their flesh would come off in your hands," said Joseph Laughlin, then 15 and whose father was hospital manager.

Tingzon was among the dead. Efforts were made to find his family in the Philippines, but they failed, and he was buried in Southport's cemetery.

And, some believe that the US Merchant Marine doesn't deserve credit for their service in World War I. How could they not?

The John D. Gill is loacted in 70-90 feet of water about 25 miles off the Cape fear River's mouth.

Let's Honor These Brave Men as Well. --Cooter

A Night to Remember: The Sinking of the John D. Gill-- Part 4

"We really wanted to get at least one shot off, but the sub would have come up outside the fire and we wouldn't have seen it anyway. The fire was too bright,: said Gary Potts.

Flames from the burning ship came ever closer to the ammunition box which began to bubble. Their officer said, "Let's get the hell out of here."

Lifeboats were in flames, so they they jumped overboard into the fire.

Potts did not jump as was the prescribed method. He dove. Had he jumped straight down, he would have broken both feet on the hull of an capsized lifeboat. As it was, his toes clipped it.

The ship's propellers were still turning and Gardner watched two men get pulled into them.

Most of the survivors had at least third degree burns.

The Gill sank at 9 AM and the men spent all night in a lifeboat until picked up by Coast Guard cutter USCGC-186 at 7:05 AM.

A Story of Valiant Men. More to Come. --Cooter

A Night to Remember" The Sinking ofthe John D. Gill-- Part 3

The Story of the Sinking

The night of March 11, 1942, the Gill put into Charleston, SC after planes spotted a sub tailing it. At 12:45 the next day, they were given the all-clear to continue on to the Atlantic Refining Company in Philadelphia.

Herbert Gardner, 22, a wiper on the Gill, was sitting in the mess about 10 PM and wondering what he would do if the Gill were ever torpedoed. At 10:15, he got his answer. "When it hit, it was like it picked the chair up and moved it out from under me. We knew what had happened."

Outside, someone had thrown a life preserver into the oil slick. It was equipped with a self-igniting carbide flare, which burst. "When this happened..., we started burning. That was West Texas crude; it had a very high gasoline content, said Floyd Ready.

Ready, Gardner, and Potts made their way to the stern where a 5-51 breech-loader gun was and met the rest of the crew. They stayed at their post 15 minutes after the rest of the crew had abandoned the ship.

Sailing on board a ship loaded with potentially explosive oil through U-boat infested waters is not my idea of something I would like to do.

Continued. --Cooter

A Night to Remember: The Sinking of the John D. Gill-- Part 2

The HMdb, Historical Marker Database had a Marker of the Week located in Southport, North Carolina. The article said that World War II markers in the US, other than memorials are rare because with few exceptions, the war didn't reach our shores.

But, there is a marker here for a Filipino mess boy and others who died in the 1942 sinking of a US Merchant Marine tanker off Fort Fisher and the Cape Fear River by a German U-boat.

The marker is dedicated to the memory of Catalino Tingzon who was on the tanker SS John D. Gill which was torpedoed and sunk off the Cape Fear by the U-158, March 12, 1942. The citizens of Southport cared for the survivors.

This article got me to researching more into the sinking.

More to Come. --Cooter

A Night to Remember: Sinking of the John D. Gill in WWII-- Part 1

Three survivors, then in their 70s, returned to Southport, NC, in 1994, to commemorate the sinking of the tanker ship John D. Gill, torpedoed by a German U-boat during World War II off the North Carolina coast.

The ship was hit amidships and Texas crude came from the hole. Within a minute, an oil slick coated the sea and an instant later, it erupted in an inferno. Fifty-eight men scrambled for their lives. Only 26 made it. Eleven were brought to Southport to recuperate at Dosher Memorial Hospital.

Sixteen bodies were brought ashore and one, Catalino Tingzon, was buried at Northwood Cemetery where a monument was dedicated March 12, 1994, to him and the crew of the Gill.

This is just one story about the largely forgotten, but extremely dangerous war played out off the eastern coast of the the United States during World War II. Many merchant ships were sunk and sailors killed in the effort to keep our troops supplied with weapons and supplies.

Sadly, even to this day, those Merchant Marine sailors and officers who risked their lives are still having to fight for the recognition they so rightfully deserve.

From "SS John D. Gill: A Night to Remember."

It's Time to Give the Credit They Deserve. --Cooter

Southport, NC, WW II Marker

Last year, the good folks at HMdb featured a marker of the week located in Southport, NC, located near the mouth of the Cape Fear River, which flows from Wilmington.

It said that World War II markers on US soil are rare, because with few exceptions, the war did not reach our shores.

But, there is a marker in town for a Filippino mess boy and others who died in the 1942 sinking of a US Merchant Marine tanker off the Cape Fear by a German U-Boat. It is dedicated to the memory of Catalino Timgzon of the SS John D. Gill, torpedoed and sunk by the U-158 March 12, 1942.

The citizens of Southport cared for the survivors.

Definitely don't think I'd like to be on board a torpedoed tanker.

The Greatest Generation. --Cooter

Good News for the Merchant Marine-- And, About Time

On May 12th, Associated Press reported that the US Merchant Marine of World War II may finally be getting their just-financial thank you, even if it is way too late. Of the 250,000 who served bringing supplies and troops overseas, only around 10,000 are still alive.

The US House of Representatives passed a bill (H.B. 23) providing these veterans who survived German and Japanese attack, with $1000 a month.

However, Representative Steve Buyer of Indiana brings up a good point. There are 28 other groups, including the Flying Tigers and Women's Air Force Service Pilots, that were passed over. And they are deserving as well.

These men carried 95% of the tanks, supplies, and troops overseas at great personal risk, especially from German U-Boats. Then, there were those men in freighters carrying oil and ammunition, one of the worst places to be when hit by torpedo.

During the war, more than 800 US merchant ships were sunk and 9,500 sailors died, a higher casualty rate than any other branch of service.

They were excluded form the 1944 GI Bill of Rights and have, for the most part, been overlooked. In 1988, three Merchant Marine sailors sued successfully for Veteran status.

About TIME!!! --Cooter

World War II Merchant Marine Experience

All to often, the role the United States Merchant Marine played in the final victory in World War II is overlooked. Very simply put, without them, we couldn't have won it. They are the ones that carried the supplies, equipment, munitions, and men to where they were needed. They faced dangers from submarines, mines, armed raiders, destroyers, aircraft, and the elements. In fact, one in twenty-six on average died for their efforts.

Beverly Brand had an entry in the November 12th Quincy Remembers World War II Blog-a look back at the war years in Massachusetts' City of Presidents.


Beverly Brand accounted of her step-father First Mate John J. Diehl and his 36-ship Liberty ship convoy's Murmansk run carrying Lend-Lease supplies to the Soviet Union. This was the most-dangerous run of all. They were attacked constantly by German U-Boats operating in wolf packs.

In July 1942, only 11 of 36 merchant ships in Convoy PG17 made it. First Mate Diehl was one of the lucky ones. He later became a captain after the war.

http://quincyww2.wordpress.com

A Very Unappreciated Branch of the Services. --Cooter