THE FABULOUS FIGHTING "SEABEES"

THE "CAN DO" NAVY!!!!!

Construimus, Batuimus

"We Build, We Fight"

Most of us that bounces around in the nautical research hobby....or better yet...the history of the U.S. Navy...are aware of the "Seabees," but I myself I always wondered to myself, "How in the world did a 'sea going outfit' develop....and accept a construction outfit?"  Hmmmmm...it does make one roll that thought around in the ole gray matter for a tad of time.....so I decided I was going to put down some facts about this "Can Do" part of the U.S. Navy, and to add some frosting to the cake I wanted to give an 'over-sight' of what they accomplished in WW II.

So...this is what this "Two Part" article is all about.   Lengthy???  yep...sure is...about 27 + pages worth of history and data.  So if your looking for "Seabee" info for a particular area....or time period you "may" find some to that info in this long and I suppose sometimes boring article of data....  But, and yes I will say "but"...for those of you that may happen onto a thread of data that you've been searching for in connection to the subject of "The Seabees"....well that will make this article all the more worth spending the time in banging it out.

Ok...I said it was a "Two Part" article....  Just click on this Link: THE "CAN DO" NAVY and this will take you too "Part One"....at the end of "Part One" is a link to "Part Two."

[Just in case you wish to "by-pass" Part one....and go directly to Part Two...click on this: PART TWO ]

Hope you find  the article informative and interesting.

OLD LIBERTY SHIPS AND LUMBER GOES TOGETHER LIKE MILK & COOKIES

Some of you that prowl these articles are looking for ships, that a family member was associated with...a merchantmen...or Navy Sailor that roamed the seas on the many Liberty & Victory ships that criss-crossed the oceans during the war years.  Well if you care to donate a tad of your time in reading a little tad of 'history'..of how a lumber company got started....you just may run into an answer to that question you always had of,..."I wonder whatever happened to that ship he was on?"

I don't know about you but I'm always astonished at how the history of one common thing seems to inter-weave into events that had an impact upon the war years...specifically the "nautical" impact that it played.

Now I can't set here and say this article is of a huge interest to the masses, but it is short and sweet and too the point....plus imbedded into the article is several ships names...Liberty & Victory ship names ...that was purchased by the Weyerhaeuser Lumber Co. to move there product from point A to point B.  So this is why I think there is value to my time of banging it out on this ole keyboard ....hopefully someone can find just where that "Long lost Ship ended up."

Anyway folks if you'd care to give this short run through of an article a 'going over' you can link up to it by just clicking on this: 

WEYERHAEUSER LUMBER'S UNKNOWN FLEET

I hope the article is interesting and useful to you

cshortridge73@gmail.com

MYSTERY OF THE MISSING MARINER

What happen?........How did a PBM Mariner just vanish?

Oh yes...things disappear all the time .....as each of us has looked many times for a set of car keys that we "Knew" we laid on the table just last night....now they are "gone!"......hmmmmmmmm....strange!!!!

It gets alot more serious when five TBM Avengers ...known as "Flight Nineteen" just ups and disappears....yes indeed it did happen.  Then to add salt to this unexplained event....a search plane....a pretty good size 'dude' herself..........................

She just up's and disappears as well

Now wait just a minute here...what the heck is going on?.....well folks that is just what this next article is all about....trying to make some logical sense of how all this took place back in December of 1945.

There was "nothing" ever found of the five Avengers....the pilots...nor of the PBM Mariner...or her crew...but get this....21 days after these planes and there crews disappears off our Southeast coast...what is now called "The Devil's or Bermuda Triangle" ..one of the familes received a telegram........it read: "You have been misinformed about me.  (I) Am very much alive. George."

Talk about making you 'shake in your boots'....that sure would.

The U.S. Navy did do an investigation....and many things were discussed...mulled over...looked at in different angles.....

Well tell you what....if your interested I'll just refer you to the article itself...and you can give it all a going over and make your own judgement at just what did take place....but before I put down the "link" to the article...I will say this.....  "Yes" one would think that logic must prevail....things like this just can't happen without it somehow being explained.....and just when you think you've read about that 'logic aspect of it all"...then a "curve" is throwed into the mix....

I'll let you the reader determine your own conclusion

Hope you enjoy the article

Just click on this title to go to article: MYSTERY OF THE MISSING MARINER

cshortridge73@gmail.com

YANK SAILOR'S ON FOREIGN SHIPS

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We all think that 'Just because your a U.S. Navy Sailor' that you'd serve aboard U.S. Flagged vessels.  Well folks...."I hate to burst your bubble" on this particular thought....if you were in the U.S. Navy Armed Guard that was not always the 'norm.'

And not only was this true for the U.S. Navy Armed Guard....but it was also true of the guys that joined the Merchant Marine Cadet Corps.   They as well were placed aboard Allied Ships.

Now I'm sure your setting here reading this and wondering " Well what the heck, what is the problem???  A ship is a ship and a gun is a gun.  So what is the big deal?"  Well folks it really was a "BIG DEAL!!!"  Reason being alot of those foreign flagged ships were only armed with ineffective weapons......most of these weapons on these foreign flagged ships was of the WW I era....

So you see...when some 'buzz happy Jap or German' came bearing down on the ship you were on....and they was 'throwing lead at you like there was no tomorrow' you wanted to at least have equipment that you "give as well as take" with this "buzz happy" enemy air-dale...and hopefully send his butt to land in the 'sea.'

Ok....so if you didn't know of this "situation"....and I've stirred the juices of 'wanting to know more'....well you can link to my article about this......just click on this link:

YANK SAILOR'S ON FOREIGN FLAG SHIP'S

Hope the article is informative and a good read for you

cshortridge73@gmail.com



USS WEST POINT (AP-23)

An Elegant Lady.....as well as....A Naval Wonder

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Over a period of many years I've banged out of this ole keyboard a good number of 'ship articles,' and one of the things that seems to sadden me the most is what happens to what was once a gallant vessel....a vessel that has served the war effort with awesome strenght.....to become an old decrepted rust bucket, and pushed to an unforseen corner of a backwater bay. 

In other words...."we don't know what to do with 'them' so put them somewhere we can't see them and hopefully they'll just rust away"....yep, saddly that is what takes place.

One such example of that is what happen to the USS West Point (AP-23).  Started out to become the "Knight in Shinning Honor" named the "SS America" of the United States Lines.  I mean to tell you folks she was a beauty....or "one hot dude" as they would say.  She could pamper....in extreme comfort, in three classes...1,202 passengers .....and carried a crew of 600 as well.

So...what started out as a "fairy tale"....didn't last long....  Along came WW II....and this "Ship of Dreams" was all dressed up with "no place to go."  Her Atlantic route was just plain "Unsafe" due to this rumbling of War that seemed to be on everyones mine....  Well the war became real....and in due course...the SS America was taken over by the U.S. Navy.  Converted to a large transport....renamed the USS West Point (AP-23)....  And let me tell you folks she done her job with pride...at one time she hauled .....are you ready for this?....9,305 people....including her crew.

Ok....enough said...if you are interested in the "Whole Story" of the USS West Point (AP-23) ...what she was involed in....what happened after the war....and how she ended up....which includes pictures of her in recent years.....(which is not a pretty site)....all you need to do is click on this link:
THE LIFE AND FATE OF THE USS WEST POINT (AP-23)

Hope you enjoy the article
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THE USS SQUALUS (SS-192)

THE TASK:
LET'S BRING EM UP ALIVE

If you are somewhat of a naval history buff, as I am, you become aware of the era that is most interesting and informative to your reading pleasure.  I myself I like to read and research what I call the "Development years."  This era of interest to me is early to mid 1900's.  This is where I can come upon the development of new weapons, how they were tried and tested.....ideas on tactics of engagement, as well as new ships for more or less "tools of the trade."

Well folks "new" and "modern" are good 'words' to broadcast to other countries that our Navy is "on top of our game."  But whenever new "things" or "items" are introduced into this vast warfare system....alot of us forget that these "tools of the trade" must actually be tired.....and we also have to realize ...sometimes they work....sometimes they don't.  When they "don't"....loss of life can be an unfortunate and tragic aside......which is not easy to swallow.

This is what took place when a new attack submarine USS Squalus (SS-192), one of five of the Sargo Class, built over a 2 year perios from 1937 to 1939, doing a 'test run'....made a 'fast dive' test of the Isle of Shoals.....and she failed to surface.

This article/story involves one to the most amazing rescues in U.S. naval history.....also if you choose to read this article you'll see that it entails somewhat of a "story within a story" of a diving bell that had never been used berfore......and the U.S. Navy was bound and determined to get them sailors of the Squalus up and out of that potential water tomb that they were now in.

Ok....if you'd care to let the ole eyes dance over this article I really do believe it will hold your interest....as well as possibly enlighten you on what these men of the sea was going through to 'rescue' their buddies....with equipment that had never been used before...  That is scary in anyone's way of thinking.

The article can be read by clicking on this link: THE TASK: LET'S BRING EM UP ALIVE

cshortridge73@gmail.com

U.S.NAVY GUNNERY AND THE PLYMOUTH

Alot of research has been done on U.S. Navy ships, and their crews, where they been, when did they arrive, when did they leave a certain area...who boarded....who jumped ship....and on and on....but not much is ever written about what ships was involved in developments of material that was inter-connected with these "Man of War" vessels.

After all these ships that was first developed was pretty much designed to "fight" so this involved "gunnery"....and "ordnance".  Oh Yes, guns, cannons, cannon balls had been around many, many years ....but when the U.S. Navy decided to float their own "fleets of corks" on the sea's of the world.....the "Head Brass" suddenly realized....fleet gunnery as well as ordnance had to under go modernization....that was just not a "fleeting thought" with them guys...."It was a must."

Ok...so as I said above...ship history has been looked into in great depths.....but what ships were involved in these much needed improvements of gunnery & ordnance?  Well the Sloop-of-War Plymouth ...in 1857 was just such a ship....and  that is where our story begins.

So...if you'd care to enlighen yourself in this particular subject matter...you can do so by just clicking on this title: U.S. NAVY GUNNERY AND THE PLYMOUTH  and this link will take you right to the article...

Hope you enjoy the article

cshortridge@comcast.net

BIZARRE SHIP GRAVEYARDS

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You know most of us don't really give a hoot just where 'things' go....or end up...when we toss them away due to "just not being useful anymore"....as long as they are out of sight...well I guess that is sufficient.  This is pretty much the way it is with 'ships.'  We really don't know, or care, where them ole rust buckets 'go' after they are passed around from one shipping company to another, but for those of us that research these 'beasts of the sea'...we soon learn that there sure are many dumping grounds for all these 'rust buckets.'

So...that brings me to this next article that I am 'throwing out' to y'all.  It kind of gives you an overview of just where these 'graveyards' are....and also just how do these 'graveyards' come about.

Oh yes I've presented past articles about the same subject matter...in fact if you look in the archives of this site there are at least one or maybe two articles on "Ship Dumping Grounds".  This one just has a slightly different approach to the subject of "Ship Graveyards" ...and I thought y'all may interested to read about these dumping grounds...and there orgin.

So...my suggestion is fill the ole coffee cup up, grab that last mouthful of morning coffee cake...and click on this title: BIZARRE SHIP GRAVEYARDS  and I think you'll find this resonably short article somewhat interesting.

Hope you Enjoy the article