Merchant Marine Casualties in World War II

This week we have a guest columnist, my brother Joe, with a column I wish I had written. In his words…

When men from our neighborhood perished while serving in the military during World War 2 and the Korean War it left a lasting impression on me.  Since 2005 I have been involved in five projects that honor men and women who served our country in  the military. In 2011 I published the book, “Almost Forgotten” which commemorates 116 men from the Bridgeville and South Fayette Area who perished while serving in the military. Now I have developed an interest in another area, namely the US Merchant Marines.

In recent years it has become a common practice during concerts for  bands to honor the Army, Navy, Marine, Air Force, and Coast Guard  veterans in attendance by playing the Armed Forces Medley. When their particular military hymn is played they are asked to stand and be recognized which they proudly do. This is so very appropriate and heartwarming, but I always wonder shouldn’t merchant marine veterans be similarly honored. The merchant marines who perished during WW2 are especially forgotten.  

Homer Hickham’s book, “Torpedo Junction”  discusses Germany’s brutal attack on US merchant marine ships during the first six months of 1942. As they traveled up and down the east coast of the US, German submarines used the light of the east coast cities as a backdrop as, uncontested, they sank one ship after the other, tankers in particular. It was a contest to see which German submarine could return to port having sunk the most tonnage. At the time the US Navy was shorthanded in men and destroyers and was more interested in supporting the war effort in North Africa and supplying our European Allies. On October 31, 1941, before the US had officially entered WW2 a German submarine sank the US destroyer Reuben James off of the coast of Iceland with one hundred men perishing and only 44 surviving. One of the survivors was officer Hamilton Howe who commanding another destroyer gained revenge when finally in June 1942 it sank the first German submarine off of the coast of the US.

William Geroux’s book,  “The Mathews Men”, tells the story of a plethora of merchant marine men from Mathews County, Virginia, who served and in some cases died during WW2. This book confirms what is recorded in “Torpedo Junction” regarding the first six months of 1942. After reading it I decided to look into the merchant marine casualties during WW2 and attempt to commemorate these men who lost their lives in the war effort just like the men who served in the armed forces. I went to the internet site www.usmm.org/casualty.html and this is the profound information that I discovered. During WW2  243,000 men served in the Merchant Marine with 9,521 perishing in the process. Their casualty rate was higher than any of the branches of the military with percentages as follows: Merchant Mariners 3.9%, Marines 2.94%, Army 2.08%, Navy 0.88%, and Coast Guard 0.24%. This was a huge surprise to me. More eye opening was the fact that 67 men from Western Pennsylvania lost their lives. I don’t know whether you can call it fortunate or not but only one man from the South West Suburbs of Pittsburgh lost his life, that being Frank Tinnion Wilson from Oakdale.  Seventeen of the 67  men from Western Pennsylvania perished during the deadly first six months of 1942.

I acknowledge that this is a feeble attempt to honor the merchant marines, particularly those who lost their lives, but it is a beginning. The merchant marines contributed mightily to the WW2 victory and they need to be given more credit than they ever received. Fortunately, some of the injustices which the WW2 merchant marines experienced regarding government benefits were corrected by the Veterans Program Enhancement Act of 1988 and the HR 154 Act of 2017.

The 67 WW2 casualties are listed  as follows:               

Name                           Ship                            Date                             Title                       Hometown

August Anderson        Caddo                         11-23-42                      Messman              Kane                                  

George Lewis Bittel    Meriwether Lewis      3-2-43                         O.S.                      Pittsburgh

Robert Harry Black     Robert Gray               4-22-43                       Oiler                      New Kensington

Francis A Broslet         Malanta                      3-9-43                         Radio Officer        Coudersport

Fred West Brown        Samuel J Tilden          12-2-43                       Messman              McKeesport

Dixie Burton               West Portal                 2-5-43                         Chief Steward       Pittsburgh

Stephen Paul Byers     Azalea City                 2-21-42                       Radio Officer         Indiana

James Paul Campbell  American                    6-11-42                        F/W                       Aliquippa

Harry Davis Chase      Henry Knox               6-16-43                       Steward                 Homewood

Robert John Craig       Fort Lee                      11-2-44                        F/W                       Fredonia Pa

George E Curma         Robert Gray               4-22-43                       Oiler                      North Braddock

Ray E Davis                E A Bryan                   7-17-44                       F/W                       Cresson

Thomas J DeCesare    Wichita                       9-19-42                       Messman               Swissvale

Raymond W Enlow     John A Poor               3-19-44                       F/W                       Washington

Charles J Fisher          Liberator                     3-19-42                       F/W                       Pittsburgh

Paul Richard Geyer     Jacksonville                8-30-44                       Pumpman              Pittsburgh

Theodore R Gibson     Samuel Heintzelman   7-9-43                         Utility                    Fredonia Pa

Gilmore G Gifford      Pan New York            10-29-42                     Chief Engineer       Munhall

George M Hamilton    Puerto Rican               3-9-43                         Jr 3rd Mate             Sewickley 

Thomas L Hoffman     West Portal                 2-5-43                         F/W                       Sharpsburg

James Arthur Hope     Edward B Dudley      4-10-43                       Engine Cadet         Pittsburgh

John M Hotochen       Harry Luckenbach      3-17-43                       Wiper                     Monessen

Milford K Hallihen     Halo                           5-20-42                       Messman               Bradford

George W Hutton        John Harvey               12-2-43                       Utility                    Jeannette

Martin D Irvin             Esso Gettysburg         6-10-43                       F/W                       State College

Adam Koket                Robin Goodfellow     7-25-44                       Cook                      Meadville

Henry Joseph Krupa   Samuel J Tilden          12-2-43                       F/W                       Etna

George J Kulonis        Coama                        12-9-42                       Pantryman             Mt Oliver

Edward B Lafferty      Harry Luckenbach      3-17-43                       O.S                        Elizabeth

Homer R Landefeld     Jacksonville                8-30-44                       Wiper                     Irwin

John E Lawton            Connecticut                4-23-42                       O.S.                       Erie

Andrew C Liskay        West Lashaway          8-30-42                       O.S.                       Duquesne

William E Loucks        Sun Oil                       4-5-43                         Wiper                     Youngwood

Robert E McCaffrey    Henry R Mallory        2-7-43                         F/W                       East Pittsburgh

James N McDonough Louisiana                    8-17-42                       F/W                       Charleroi

Walter F Meisner         Meriwether Lewis      3-2-43                         Messman               Pittsburgh

Stephen Mihalik          Henry R Mallory        2-7-43                         F/W                       Pittsburgh

Wayne B Miller           C J Barkdull               1-10-43                       Messman               Beaver Falls

Jacovas Monios          Mary Luckenbach      9-13-43                       F/W                       Monessen

Fabian D Moore          Halo                           5-20-42                       Wiper                     Bradford

Joseph P Molchan       W D Anderson           2-22-42                       A.B.                       Unity

John Mrvan Jr             John Harvey               12-2-43                       F/W                       Braeburn

Steve John Paulo         Gulfpenn                    5-13-42                       Wiper                     Sharon

James L Pennell           Steel Age                    3-7-42                         Oiler                      Warren Area

John Quinlan               Yorkmar                     10-9-43                       1st Engineer            Pittsburgh

John J Radosh             J N Pew                     2-21-42                       Pumpman              Trafford

William V Robbins      Jacksonville                8-30-44                       Wiper                     Pittsburgh

James G Ropose         Joseph M Cudahy      5-5-42                         F/W                       Johnstown

Frank Peter Sage         Dan Beard                  12-10-44                     A.B.                       Holsopple

William J Secunda       John Straub                4-19-44                       3rd Engineer           Butler

Edward H Shearer       John L Motley            12-2-43                       3rd Engineer           New Kensington

Joseph H Steinberg     Syros                          5-26-42                       Messman               Pittsburgh

John Supancic             Atlanta Sun                2-17-43                       O.S.                       Boswell

Herman W Swogger   Dorchester                  2-3-43                         A.B.                       Brownsville

Steve J Sikora             Coama                        12-9-42                       Wiper                     St Benedict

Richard W Todd          Kahuka                       6-15-42                       A.B.                       Meadowlands

Philip Turi                   Quaker City                5-18-42                       A.B.                       Scalp Level

Joseph C Turzak         Robin Goodfellow     7-25-44                       O.S.                       Braddock

George A Urpin           Charles Pinckney       1-28-43                       Deck Engineer       Gallitzan

Charles M Vickerman Velma Lykes               6-4-42                         Radio Officer         Farrel

James E Walker           Harry F Sinclair Jr     4-11-42                       O.S.                       Franklin

Eugene W Walters       Louise Lykes              1-9-43                         Dock Cadet            Brownsville

Edwin C Ward             Mary Luckenbach      9-13-42                       Radio Officer         Espyville

Francis H Weber          Samuel Huntington    1-29-44                       Cook                      Pittsburgh

Frank T Wilson            Jacksonville                8-30-44                       Messman               Oakdale

Clifford L Wilson         Sun Oil                       4-5-43                         Junior 3rd Mate      Blandsburg

George L Zeis              Lake Oswego             2-20-42                       Messman               Smock

*footnotes

A.B.   Able Bodied Seaman

O.S.   Ordinary Seaman

F/W   Fireman/Water Tender

My thanks to Joe for this information and for his continuing commitment to memorializing our local members of “the Greatest Generation”. The original, longer version of this column, including a tabulation of Western Pennsylvania mariners who died in World War II, will be archived on “bridgevillehistory.org” under menu heading “Water Under the Bridge” and on my blog site, mywutb@blogspot.com.

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