The Role of Merchant Marines During WW II

If asked which branch of the armed forces lost the largest percentage of servicemen during WW II, what would you answer?

The United States Marines immediately come to my mind, as I think of all the islands of the South Pacific, such as Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima.  Never would I have guessed the United States Merchant Marines had the highest rate of losses of any military branch.

First of all, I knew nothing about this group, but just the name seems pretty safe, kinda like a store on water. However, according to various sources,  1 in 4 Mariners lost their lives during the war. (source)

Seeing pictures of my Uncle Willie in uniform, I always thought he was in the Navy.  During a  visit with my cousin, Duane Bergkamp, I learned that his dad, Willie joined the United States Merchant Marines on May 24, 1944.

During the war, Uncle Willie served as a gunnery officer on the SS Elk Hills,  a US Merchant Marine vessel.  These vessels were built for commerce, not war. They were slow and hard to maneuver, making them hazards in the water.

During Uncle Willie’s service on the SS Elk Hills, the ship passed through the Panama Canal 38 times.   During the war, the ships had no air conditioning at all.  Years later, my  friend, Bill, took a cruise through the canal and said it was one of the hottest experiences he had, more so than India, where Bill had been stationed during the war.

The humidity from the water and the jungles along Gatun Lake connecting the canals made the Panama Canal passage formidable.

By 1944,  most Merchant Marine vessels were traveling  without a convoy or military escort for protection as they were involved in action. The danger was heightened as vessels attempted to deliver supplies to places where the action of the war was hottest. In addition to sailing all the way to Australia, Willie helped bring supplies to  Saipan, Formosa, and Guadalcanal, islands notorious for some of the most brutal fighting in the Pacific theatre.

The constant threat of submarine attacks added to the danger. If the noise of submarine screws (propellers) were detected, the tanker had to sit dead in the water. No one could make any noise, for fear of detection. Once, because a submarine was detected nearby and did not move, Willie’s tanker and all on board had to be motionless for more than 36 hours. It was a game of cat and mouse; both had probably heard something at the same time, so all on both ships spent long miserable hours playing it safe. Those caught below deck at that time were especially miserable.

Another time,  the tanker was offloading aviation fuel near an island when a valve burst on a connection of the huge ship-to-shore hose. Willie and a buddy jumped into the sea to reconnect the hoses. A submarine was detected before Uncle Willie and his buddy made it back onto the boat.

The men had to hang onto the hose and try not to move for over six hours.

Can you imagine the blazing Pacific sun shining on you in that oily mess? This was just one example of the bravery exhibited by my uncle and other of the Merchant Marines on the USS Elk Hills. [This ship was renamed after the fighting ended, and it performed on the seas until 1965 when it was ironically scrapped by a Japanese company.] (source)

After the war, Uncle Willie was sent to New Orleans in the fall of 1945 to complete his service. Here,   he dismantled ships and chauffeured navy personnel. Two months after discharge in May of 1946, Willie and my Aunt Anna were married, on July 17.

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