SS GEORGE H. POWELL

This particular Liberty ship was named after.... GEORGE H. POWELL....(1872-1922) whom made a career as a horticulturist whereas the U.S. Department of Agriculture sent him to California in 1904 to study citrus fruits that were rotting in transit....and actually became an authority in the preservation of fruit.  He also became general manager of the California Fruit Exchange (1912-1922),

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The SS George H. Powell was built by Permanente Metals Corporation, Yard No.1, as a freighter. and was assigned the Emergency Hull No. 2126.  Her keel was laid on November 16, 1943, and her hull greeted the water [launched] on December 4,1943.  She was delivered to her 'operator': McCormick Steamship Co.on December 16, 1943.  Following her stent in the WW II she entered the Astoria Reserve Fleet on October 3, 1946 and was withdrawn shortly after that on February 7, 1947.

1947 (Feb) she was sold to Det Dansk Franske D/S A/S and displayed the Denmark flag and was renamed Gronland.

1951 she was sold again to Cia de Commercia y Vapores, S.A. and displayed the Liberia flag and again her name was change to Barka

1957 she was sold again to Cia Oceanica de Nav., S.A. and continued to display the Liberia flag under her name as Barka (no name change)

1958 sold  to "Siracusano" S.p.A di Transporti Transoceanici and this time she displayed the Italy flag and her name was changed to Siracusano.

1962 sold to Shipbreakers, Vado, Italy and arrived for scrapping on August 8.

[Note: If anyone has any pictures of this vessel and would like to share to this post please feel free to contact me]

Author: Bud Shortridge

cshortridge73@gmail.com 

AIRSHIPS AGAINST THE SUB'S

This article is about a subject that has not generally been discussed a great deal.  Oh yes if you've viewed WW II pictures of invasions you would see the (LTA's)....which stands for 'Lighter-Than-Air' components of the U.S. Navy....better referred to as "blimps."

There were and probably still is many miss-conceptions about how the performance of the LTA's benefited the Navy in the all out effort of invasions and having a "helium umbrella" over the Merchant Marine that was so important in supply to our friends and fighting men on other shores.

I'd have to say...this is an interesting article...so if your up for a short read....and wish to know a tad about these "LTA's".....well you can click on this: AN EFFECTIVE UMBRELLA

Hope you enjoy the article

SS CHARLES J. FINGER

This Liberty ship was named after..... Charles J. Finger (1869-1941) whom was an author of juvenile books.  His book Tales from Silver Lands (1924) won the 1925 Newbery Medal.   Some of Finger's other works include Tales Worth Telling (1927), Courageous Companions (1929), and A Dog at His Heel.  Finger was an accomplished musician. He directed the San Angelo Conservatory of Music in Texas, from 1898 to 1904.[4] Among his piano students in San Angelo was David Wendel Guion, who would later achieve notability for arranging and popularizing the ballad "Home on the Range."

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The Liberty Ship freighter SS Charles J. Finger was built at Todd Houston Shipbuilding Corp. with emergency Hull No. 2909.  Her Keel was laid on December 8th, 1943.  Her hull kissed the water [launched] on January 28th, 1944, and was delivered to her 'Operator" Overlakes Freighter Corp.  After her postwar duties she entered the James River Reserve Fleet on October 20th, 1945 and was withdrawn on February 24th, 1947.

SS Charles J. Finger

1947 March the Charles J. Finger was sold to Det Ostasiatiske Kompagni and was to display the Denmark flag.....her name was changed to St. Thomas.
1951 she was sold again to Aragon Cia. Nav., S.A. and this time she would display the Panama flag with a name change to Cavostaras.

1953 she was sold again to Cia Europa Comm. y Maritima, S.A. and she would display the Panama Flag with a name change to Despina.

                                                                       SS Despina


1959 Re-flagged to display the Greece flag....and she was renamed Amfithea.
1963 she was sold to Chogule Steamships, Ltd. and was to fly the India flag....and to be renamed Maratha Explorer.
1966 she was sold to Pent-Ocean Steamships Ply., Ltd. and was again to display an India flag, and her named changed to Samudra Vijay.
1970 August. she was purchased by Shipbreakers, Bombay, India to be scrapped.

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Author: Bud Shortridge                                                      

THE "AgR's"

America's Forgotten "COLD WAR" Skywatcher's

Completing an early-warning ring of radar sites around the United States in the pre-satellite Cold- War era was a fleet of 16 Specially modified Navy-manned Liberty ships spotted in mid-ocean to alert America’s East and West Coast of impending air attack.

This article entails the era of the "Cold War"....when tensions seemed to escalate between the United States and the Soviet Union....this was in the mid- 1950's.  Well what took place was the U.S. and Canada were somewhat concerned that an attack from over the North Pole could be a possibility.  So in light of  this concern it was conceived that and "Early Warning System"..had to be put into place...they call this the "Distant Early Warning Line" or better known as The 'DEW' Line...across the Arctic border.

The article gives you some input on how we came up to monitor this "DEW LINE"...and what ships were involved....

If you would like to give this article a glance....you can link to it by

 clicking : HERE

MISFORTUNE AT CORAL SEA

Many of us don't have a clue on how 'we' would react if we were on a warship...involved in a major sea battle....and being attack by many enemy planes....  So in many of these articles that I publish on this blog I attempt in my merger manner to put the reader in the thick of the battle...and what the crew was going through.

Well this is what this article is all about....the USS Sims (DD-409) as well as the USS Neosho (AO-23) while being engulfed in the battle at "Coral Sea."  

This article is pretty much based on one of the few survivors of the USS Sims.  Most if not all the survivors do not agree with the Captains decisions or non appropriate decisions at the time of the attack.  By reading about this incident you'll read that the survivors feel is the appropriate evasive moves would have been made with the USS Sims...many more....in fact many, many more of the crew would have survived.

So...this is the story...there are parts that are not real entertaining to read about...so I warn you NOW!!!  If you care to give this accounting of this event a go....

Just click: HERE