Ahoy!
US ARMY SMALL SHIPS SECTION
UNITED STATES ARMY SERVICES OF SUPPLY (USASOS)
IN AUSTRALIAN WATERS DURING WWII
After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, a group of specialists were assembled in the USA and sent to Australia to scour all the harbours between Adelaide and Cairns and identify and commandeer every small ship they could find that could support the war effort. Their mission was "Mission X.”
Many Australians served with the US Army Small Ships Section of the US Army Services of Supply (USASOS) in the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA) during WWII. They generally signed contracts, which lasted for typically 6 - 12 months. The list of ships also contains some US Army Transport Service (ATS) ships, which were manned by Small Ships men. US Army Transport Service later changed its name to the US Army Transportation Corps.
Many of the Australian crew members of the US Small Ships were aged as young as 15 years old. Some were as old as seventy years old.
A list of such ships is at http://www.ozatwar.com/usarmy/usarmysmallships.htm
The US Army Small Ships Association Inc became a Chapter of the American Merchant Marine Veterans Association, to be known as “The Small Ship Mariners” as from the 25th September 2005,
The only Chapter of the American Merchant Veterans Association, outside of the United States.
www.usarmysmallships.asn.au/html/association.html
There is a great interview about the plight of the remaining sailors - http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2006/s1664296.htm
I sailed on one of these former ships, an 80-foot timber schooner now called Flying Cloud built in 1934. These ships served around the coast of PNG and supported coast watchers. They were part of the US Army; McArthur was in charge from his HQ in Brisbane. The ship I sailed had 'Property of US Army' chiselled into the main beam.
Cap'n Dan Van Blarcom, Airlie Beach, Town of Whitsunday, The Heart of Australia's Great Barrier Reef
http://waterfront.blogspot.com/
reply
share