As we honor those who fought and dies for our freedom do not forget those who supplied them and made sure they got there. And who had the higest lost rate during WWII.
{mod} This isn’t a General Question. It’s not really mundane or pointless, but it’s something that you must share. So I’m moving it to MPSIMS, which is where these sort of posts go.{/mod}
Lynn
My Pops.
He was in the Pacific.
He’s still quite the guy, at 87 years old.
And there was WW1 too. My grandfather was sunk several times. I have a letter from him to my grandmother relating how his ship was mined off the coast of Africa.
My dad got in during the waning days of WW2 (so he wasn’t all that vulnerable to a U-boat).
My dad was a merchant sailor, but I’m not sure how exposed to danger he was.
Walt
[Was typing post #5 with one hand while a pizza was in the other]
Basically, your odds of being sunk by a German sub decreased substantially past May 1943. Even before then, if you consider all the Allied merchant ships in the world plying all trade routes, you probably were no worse off, and likely quite a bit better (than) , than just about any other branch of the armed services (not to minimize the sacrifices and bravery involved). The Japanese were almost completely uninterested in commerce raiding, and any such sinkings were due to almost pure serendipity.
They had the highest rate of loss. And to make matters worse is how they were treated if injured or their ship was sunk. And yes after 43 the happy times were over for the U boats.
Mine too. Maybe they knew each other.
He was quite the guy until he died last year, at 87. Yesterday would have been his 88th birthday.
Cheers, Dad.
Roddy
Apparently so: big ol’ page o’ stats.
My Dad was US Army infantry, 69th Division. I don’t know if he was exactly grateful for the ride Over There, but he was grateful to arrive intact.
Don’t forget that MMs weren’t treated well at home either. The relative danger or loss of life didn’t matter to the public: if you were not under arms, you were some kind of coward. That attitude was even stronger in the armed services - so much so that MMs were long denied any benefits for their war service.
The MM also had been accused of Communist infiltration during labor disputes in the '30s. This only reinforced the idea that they were less likely to be loyal Americans. Now, belatedly, we can salute their bravery and dedication. For many years, though, it had to be kept quiet.
I want you to know that my Scouts marched out with the Merchant Marine flag during Monday’s Memorial Day ceremonies. The MC also discussed the Merchant Marines and their contribution to the war efforts. (My Scouts also had the Air Force, Navy, Army, Marine Corps and Coast Guards flags as well).
Random literary notes (from the side of the commerce raiders / attackers of Merchant Marines):
- The Wolf - new book on a WW1 German commerce raider that attacked Merchant Marines.
- Operation Drumbeat - older book on the German submarine forces operating off the coast of the US during WWII.
- The Last Shot - book on a Confederate commerce raider.
Heinlein has a scene in Starship Troopers where Rico and his buddies get jumped by some Merchant Marines who don’t like the regular military due to how the Merchant Marines are regarded BY the military.