Joseph T. Poncurak Gunners Mate May 1944 MT Hunter
Posted by Susan Poncurak on April 18, 2009, 9:39 pm
Hi, I just found this web site, and I was wondering if anyone remembers Joesph T. Poncurak (Pancurak) from Yonkers, New York. He served as a Gunners Mate on the MT Hunter second world war. I'm Susan J. Poncurak, Joseph's daughter, I would appreciate any information and pictures if available. I found one of him with the crew on line. I realize, that time has passed, and there may be very few of the crew left. He had many friends, like his son Raymond, who was killed in Vietman in 1966. They look exactely alike and I look like him too. Please contact me, with any information you might have. I have heard of many interesting stories of Casablanca & Morocco. My father was quite a character, and fun to be around. Joseph died in 1947, jumped, robbed and beaten by six men, as he stepped off the base, after being mustered out!in 1945. It caused a blood clot & he had a convulsion and died,two years later 1947.
Best regards,
Susan Poncurak
Re: Joseph T. Poncurak Gunners Mate May 1944 MT Hunter
As you realize, it is unlikely that anyone reading this message board would have known your father, but you never know.
I have found some information about your father that you may find interesting.
The ship that you identify as M T HUNTER was probably named ROBERT M. T. HUNTER, one of the many Liberty ships built during World War II.
The website ancestry.com is more often used for genealogical research but shows the arrival of passengers and ship's crews in various U.S. ports, especially New York City, from about 1820 through about 1957. On ancestry.com I found a record of your father, Joseph Poncurak, service number 816-38-86, seaman 1st class, arriving in New York aboard ROBERT M. T. HUNTER as a member of the Armed Guard crew. The ship arrived on 11 May 1944 from Casablanca, from which it had sailed on 25 April.
In addition to your father, these are the names of the men in the Armed Guard crew on ROBERT M. T. HUNTER:
Balfour, William Bapties, Clarence Edward Bloter, David Charles Bodo, Eugene Frank Boulay, Adelard Joseph Cherish, Nicholas Chrysler, Dale Leonard Cranford, Leon Booker Davies, Jonah A., LT (senior officer in charge) DeFino, Anthony Dunn, John William Eichstaedt, Herbert Fredrick Farmer, Leatrio Lesmon Fava, Leo Joseph Herbert, Melvin Holt, Robert Lewis Jone, Wallace Martin Kowalik, Henry LaLiberte, Roger Joseph McCaffrey, Edward James McCarter, Willie McKonn, William Mark McNamara, James Francis Miller, Wade Violith Mitchell, George Terry Newshan, Edwin George Prenell, William Prizer, Nathan Proper, Robert Emmit Quinn, Edward Rostonski, Benjamin Semple, Royer D., ENS (communications officer) Stapleton, Carl Edward Stones, Vincent Joseph Travena, Edward William Turner, Thomas Edward VanVoorhis, Gale Francis Versak, Michael Waller, Russel B., LT (junior officer in charge)
This is an unusually large Armed Guard crew for a Liberty ship; the usual size would have been about 28 men, including one officer. The large size of this crew suggests ROBERT M. T. HUNTER operated as a troopship, which would have meant it carried more defensive guns and therefore needed a larger Armed Guard gun crew. Indeed, this page from the excellent website, American Merchant Marine at War, confirms that ROBERT M. T. HUNTER was a troop ship: http://www.usmm.org/troopships.html.
The ship itself was built by the Southeastern Shipbuilding Corporation, Savannah, Georgia. The keel was laid 11 December 1942, she was launched 28 March 1943, and was completed for service on 11 May 1943. She apparently had a rather uneventful wartime career as I can find nothing of interest on the internet about her, until she was scrapped in 1971. See http://shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/4emergency/wwtwo/southeastern.htm and scroll to hull #8.
I can't thank yoiu enough for the wonderful information! It is amazing, that you have all this knowledge! I will definitely, look at all the links and look for pictures. Were youi on the ship? or a relitive who served with my father? On the wonderful age of computers!!!!! My mother died twenty five years ago, however she would have been extremelly happy to get the information youi send. Thank youi for taking the time to research and respond to my message. Do youi know if any of the crew is still alive? Please feel free to contact me any time. Best regards, Susan J. Poncurak
Re: Joseph T. Poncurak Gunners Mate May 1944 MT Hunter
No, I am much too young to have been in World War II.
I am carrying on as webmaster of this site, continuing the work of a good man who put all of this information together but who has passed on. He was eager to help others who inquired about the Armed Guard and, like him, I am delighted to be able to help. I have found a few other websites that are often goldmines of information when trying to answer inquiries such as yours.
Regrettably, I do not know if any of your father's ship mates are still living, nor do I have contact information for any of them.
Ron Carlson
Re: Joseph T. Poncurak Gunners Mate May 1944 MT Hunter
I and many others, I'm sure, are almost as delighted as you are, Ron, that you're able to help those who inquire about the Armed Guard. It's almost painful to see someone looking for answers to questions about a long-dead father or grandfather who never spoke of his wartime experience. And it brightens the day for everyone when you provide some personal history they were unable to find on their own. Tom Bowerman made a wise decision when he turned this site over to you. -- Fran
Re: Joseph T. Poncurak Gunners Mate May 1944 MT Hunter