THE BASHFUL BILLIONAIRE TANKER BUILDER

Yes Sir.....Mr. Daniel K. Ludwig....he made his mark as a "Super Tanker" builder, and he was darn good at doing what he knew best.

Actually Daniel Ludwig started at a very young age in his first nautical enterprise....at the age of nine he bought a sunken 26-ft boat....raised that darn thing...repaired it....and chartered it for twice what he paid for it.

As he got older he broadened his scope of business ventures as far as the shipping trade goes.  He had a few ships in and around the 1920's that were hauling lumber and barrel staves....which he was doing "ok" at...but he heard that hauling oil was where the money was really at....so he got involved in hauling oil for the U.S. Navy.

Well one thing led to another....more oil needed to be hauled, so bigger ships needed to be leased or acquired somehow.....so why not build them?

So Daniel Ludwig got involved in building tankers....and he also studied the 'system'...and got to understand the Merchant Fleet Corp. (MFC)..which was a division of the U.S. Dept. of Commerce...once he done his 'homework' Mr. Ludwig knew how to "play" the system to purchase ships, sell them, and how to take parts from one ship and apply to another...  Believe me Mr. Ludwig took advantage of every 'corner' to enhance his companies...which all were connected with 'building tankers.' 

At the height of his career...Mr. Daniel K. Ludwig had an estimate wealth of $1.2 billion dollars....and it was all due to his "Knowing How to Play the System" of Government and his own Private Shipping Company.

So if you'd care to get some insight on how the government and the private shipping companies 'wheeled and dealed' this would be an excellet article to take a gander at, and the leader of these guys was Mr. Daniel K. Ludwig.

If you 'click' on this title:  MR. DANIEL K. LUDWIG  it will take you right to the article....

Hope you enjoy!!

THE BOOM BOYS FROM THE NET NAVY

"YES"..YOU READ CORRECTLY..
             "THE "BOOM BOYS"
          THE UNSUNG HEROES!!!  

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Few knew what they did and even fewer knew why.  They labored around the clock performing the most underrrated of all wartime tasks - protecting warships at anchor by keeping the harbor defenses secure.

These guys on thse 'funny' looking ships ...the ships with the "horns" coming out of the bow.....they were the men of the "Net Navy"...a select group of rugged individualists whose sole unheralded purpose was to open, close, rig, and maintain the underwater steel nets....that kept out the subs....and torpedoes.

Laying these 'nets' so as the protected ships and her crews could 'rest easy' was not a light hearted task....to an outsider....or to a new recruit 'net laying' was a mystery....it took seamanship and a "marline-spike" type of sailor to work with the blocks, tackles, knots and splicing of this whole involved task.

Actually anti-submarine nets were used in WW I.  The British strung 600-mi of steel netting across 85 of their harbors and bases all over the world.  The British called them "Boom Defenses"....and the word "Boom" in British terminology includes protection both surface adn underwater attack.  Those men in England that tended the highly efficient nets were affectionately known as "Boom Boys."

This article provides you with some insight into just what these vessels and there crews could do....history of the "Booms" or "Net Laying"....also a tad of info on where they trained the sailors that kept the ships safe from those underwater "tin-fish."

If I've generated some interest ....well you may wish to give this 13 page a going over.  If you click on this red title: THE BOOM BOYS OF THE NET NAVY   it will take you right to the article....hope you enjoy the read....and if you'd care to comment....please do!!!

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AIR "TRAINING" SCHOOL..."NAVY STYLE"

ONE-A-DAY IN TAMPA BAY

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One minute I was as free as a bird weaving through a bank of puffy clouds. The next I was scared witless, upside down, drowning in the cockpit of cockpit of a sinking airplane fast plunging to the bottom of Tampa Bay! This is it, I remember thinking, Norm boy, you’ve had it. You’re going to die!”

Today, more than 60 years later, former WW II Navy pilot Norm Galler grins when he reflects on the incident that saw him unceremoniously dunked into the Gulf of Mexico during a 1943 solo training flight in a Navy SNJ trainer. One of thousands of military pilots hurriedly taught to fly during the war, Galler still vividly recalls the emergency ditching in Tampa Bay, Florida, which very nearly put an end to his flying career. “That engine just packed up and quit cold. Miles behind me was the shore - too far to stretch the glide of the 3-ton advanced trainer - leaving no choice but to bail out or ditch. At that moment, the broad expanse of the azure blue Gulf never looked more ominous. I was going for a swim whether I like it or not.

 

Yep....ole "Flight Training" was not a "walk in the park".....as some would lead you to believe....  This article offers you some 'insight' into just what these young pilots went thru to learn what eventually became second nature to them.....and we all are grateful that they honed there flying skills well.

 

So...if you'd care to give this one a read...just click on this red title: ONE-A-DAY IN TAMPA BAY  and I think you'll enjoy an interesting read.

 

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SCOURGE OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC

FOCK-WULF

CONDOR

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On April 9th, 1940....the Germans invaded and quickly conquered Norway and Denmark.....well if you know just a tad about history you'll remember that along about this same time Great Britain's Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain resigned, and then along came Winston Churchill.

Prime Minister Churchill immediately had alot of problems to deal in his attempt to lead his nation through a really tough times, but the toughest of them all was "How to protect British merchant shipping at sea against formidable German U-boat forces."

You see Britain is and was an island nation, and it required massive imports of food and other raw materials to support its citizens and burgeoning war economy.  In fact before the war Britain had imported over 59 million tons of food and raw materials a year, including about 'all' its petroleum....most all of this came across the North Atlantic. 

The German U-boat commander Grossadmiral Karl Donitz established submarine basses on the French Atlantic coast.....which was an ideal location in which to 'control' the North Atlantic.   But, Donitz also succeeded in gaining operational control from the Luftwaffe over a group of four-engine, long-range Focke-Wulf Fw 200C "Condors".  This my fellow readers is where this story begins.

The "Condors" would fly out into the North Atlantic.....spot the incoming convoys laden with supplies to Britain...they would communciate their location to the U-boats and then they would move in and take care of business.

So this is the beginning of how Britain came into designing "CAM" and "MAC" ships.....developed from the FCS vessels......as well as how the Sea Hurricane plane became a part of all this......

Interesting????....oh my yes!!!  A tough fight, but Britain did in fact conquer in the long term

Ok if your into learning just a tad of history....just click on this title and you are in for one excellent military history tale...click here: SCOURGE OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC   

Hope you enjoy the read.

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LOSS OF USS BENEVOLENCE (AH-13)

THE DETAILS OF A HOSPITAL SHIP "LOST" JUST OUTSIDE OF THE GOLDEN GATE

   The USS Benevolence (AH-13) entering the channel of San Francisco Bay

Yes, many of you don't remember this unfortunate incident....but it did take place on August 25, 1950, and the 'Hospital Ship' did in fact sink.

As I stated above this 'sinking' took place on the above date when the USS Benevolence (AH-13) was coming into the San Francisco Bay channel....and so was the freighter 'Mary Luckenbach.'

Now this particular area of the channel in the Bay has it's problems...that is just a given to the captions of any vessel that used this channel on a regular basis....and especially so to these two skippers.  But on this day there was heavy fog in the Bay area....and this increased the danger ten fold.

In any regard the Mary Luckenbach rammed the Hospital ship...not only once but twice.

As the data shows there was over 500+ aboard the USS Benevolence (AH-13) at the time of the sinking.....
Ok....so you now are aware of scant detail of what took place...if I tickled your interest you can read the entire document, which includes pictures, of this entire incident by clicking this title: LOSS OF USS BENEVOLENCE  

This is not a long drawn out article....but it is interesting that such events take place and few individuals actually know of it.....
Anyway...hope you enjoy the article
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