Earnest Boudreaux US Navy and his Brother Clarence J Boudreaux
Posted by Michelle Boudreaux on October 20, 2013, 7:56 am
Clarence was my Grandfather. He was a career Merchant Marine from Baton Rouge La
During WWII, Clarence sailed as both A.B seaman , and later, as A Bosun's Mate. Some of the ships he was know to have sailed on are : S.S Geo H Jones S.S John Worthington S.S.Cacique 3 Rio Mendoza Sieur De Lasalle S.S Sebastian Vizcanio He sailed from U.S ports in New Orleans, Baltimore, New York,And Seattle.
Clarence was said to have been on two ships that sank during the war, and had been both times in the water for many days before being rescued. These instances changed the course of his life long term. This is the story we seek to know.
Clarence was born Dec 14, 1906 and died Dec 22 1955. After his serving his Country as a Merchant Marine in WWII , Clarence was hospitalized in 1947 Until his death. Clarence left behind two small children, and a wife. I can't even find an Obituary on him. We think there may not have been one, due to the time of year. Or because of his long term hospitalization .
Clarence's younger Brother Earnest Boudreaux was a decorated war hero in WWII having served in the U.S.Navy.
Will you please help us find my grandfather and give legacy to his life which was cut short so long ago? Thank You
Re: Earnest Boudreaux US Navy and his Brother Clarence J Boudreaux
JOHN WORTHINGTON - U.S. tanker, built 1920. Torpedoed and damaged May 27, 1943, off Brazil by U-154. 56 survivors, no casualties. Despite extensive damage, the crew sailed the ship first to Trinidad, then to Galveston, Texas, where it was determined she was damaged beyond repair. The ship was eventually allowed to sink near Corpus Christi, Texas. See http://www.aukevisser.nl/inter/id114.htm for information and photographs. I have found information that Clarence Boudreaux sailed in this ship in 1930. Later he was reported as having deserted this ship in Baltimore in February 1931.
CACIQUE - U.S. cargo ship, built 1918 under a different name, renamed CACIQUE in 1935, survived the war, scrapped in 1946. There were a number of ships named CACIQUE (hence possibly the reference to CACIQUE "3") but this seems the best match. Cacique means "chieftain" in Spanish.
RIO MENDOZA - This was a Danish merchant ship, built in 1936 and named BRAZILIAN REEFER, which was in port in Buenos Aires, Argentina, when Denmark surrendered to the Germans in early 1940. (A ship with "reefer" in the name suggests a refrigerated food transport vessel.) The Argentine government interned the ship and later purchased it from its Danish owners, renaming her RIO MENDOZA. Although Argentina was neutral for most of World War II, it is possible that non-Argentine seamen sailed in her during the war. She survived the war and was scrapped in 1976. See http://www.histarmar.com.ar/BuquesMercantes/ListadoR2/Rio-Mendoza-1941.htm (which is in Spanish) for photographs. You could copy and paste the text at www.translate.google.com to translate.
SIEUR DE LA SALLE - U.S. Liberty ship (cargo ship), built 1944. Survived the war and was scrapped in 1966.
SEBASTIAN VIZCAINO - U.S. Liberty ship, built 1942. Survived the war and was scrapped in 1961. Note correct spelling, although there is conflicting evidence that she may have been named SEBASTIAN VISCAINO.
I cannot verify your grandfather's information that he survived the sinking of two ships, if those incidents were among the ships you name. Considering the above ships, at most he may have survived one sinking (GEO. H. JONES) and one other attack in which the ship was not sunk (JOHN WORTHINGTON). But even with those two ships, I have serious doubts that he was aboard either ship at the times they were attacked. He sailed in those two ships in the 1930s from information I found. It is very typical for merchant sailors to sail aboard multiple ships over time and not necessarily remain on a single vessel for repeated voyages. It would be somewhat more unlikely, from what I have seen, for a seaman to return to a ship in which he had sailed earlier, particularly during the war during which there were so many available ships. It seems to me the odds would be against his later chancing to find positions on two ships in which he had sailed 10-12 years earlier, although not impossible.
From records I have been able to find, Clarence J Boudreaux may have begun sailing as early as 1924. His record from 1930 aboard JOHN WORTHINGTON indicated he had six years of sailing experience at the time, and I found him aboard SIEUR DE LA SALLE in late 1944. So he may have sailed as much as 20 years. In that time I would expect he might have been aboard many more ships than the six you identify, and perhaps among those other ships were the two incidents of being adrift after the loss of his ships.
So I would suggest a way to find additional information is to contact the United States Coast Guard to request your grandfather's merchant marine service record. The Coast Guard was and is responsible for maintaining records on U.S. merchant mariners, including the ships in which they served. Therefore, see this page of the Armed Guard / Merchant Marine website that I manage for information on contacting the Coast Guard's National Maritime Center: http://armed-guard.com/searchmil.html. In particular see section A.2. Records of Individuals - Merchant Marine. You will need to provide as much identifying information as you have.
Be aware that since you are not next of kin to your grandfather, it is possible that not all portions of his service record will be available to you. Therefore if someone who is next of kin is still living (presumably your father or another child of your grandfather), that person should make the request rather than you. Of course you can do the legwork but the next of kin should actually sign the request. If there is nobody still living who is next of kin to your grandfather (next of kin = parent, spouse, sibling, child), go ahead and make a request on your own and hope for the best.
Good luck and I hope the above information is useful.
Ron Carlson, Webmaster Armed Guard / Merchant Marine website www.armed-guard.com
Re: Earnest Boudreaux US Navy and his Brother Clarence J Boudreaux
Thank You Mr. Ron The Cacique 3 was formerly the Garfield and the Nosa shiek.
I have a few questions perhaps you can answer . First l, he deserted a ship .. What does this mean? Is it a bad thing? Why would one desert a ship? My grandpa's z card Id has him entering Merchant Marines Nov 7,1942.. You are correct , he sailed a lengthy career. His Z number has always remained the same. Did they renew this periodically, or could this have been a replacement ID? I long to know who he was terribly. Only months ago, I learned he was a nice guy .. For the first time in 43 years...Only months ago, my dad learned he was one of his cousin's hero. First, because he married my dad's Mom ( she was really a beauty) and second , because he was a Merchant Marine who had survived two ship sinkings in the war. My Dad had never known this .. He will be 69 Oct 28. My Father was 11 when his Dad, My grandfather passed away. Imagine the Joy this brought to him. Responses like yours brighten my day, and his . Thank You for taking the time. Sincerely, Michelle
Re: Earnest Boudreaux US Navy and his Brother Clarence J Boudreaux
My sources with respect to CACIQUE (3) indicate the ship was constructed in 1918 by the Bethlehem Steel Co. in Elizabethport, New Jersey, with the name GARFIELD, was renamed NOSA CHIEF (rather than NOSA SHIEK) in 1929, and renamed CACIQUE in 1935. See http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/2large/inactive/bethelizabethport.htm and scroll to hull number 2116. But her name between 1929 and 1935 is, of course, immaterial for our purposes.
As to deserting a ship, it could mean a number of things. In this context desertion means only that a merchant seaman wasn't aboard his ship when the ship left the pier. It could have been unintentional or accidental. He left ship, ended up in a bar, had too much to drink, and wasn't conscious when the ship departed. He found female companionship and couldn't tear himself away soon enough. He left the ship to take overnight lodgings and overslept. He got lost on his way back to the ship. He lost track of the time. He forgot where the ship was berthed and went to the wrong pier. The ship departed earlier than he expected. (These are all theoretical possibilities; I don't mean to cast aspersions on your grandfather.)
Or desertion could be deliberate. He didn't like one of his shipmates or officers to the point he decided he did not want to continue the voyage. He believed the ship was unsafe or unseaworthy. He felt he was being taken advantage of or wasn't being paid the amount he expected. He decided to stay ashore in the city in which the ship had docked for whatever reason. There may be many other reasons, all of which again are theoretical.
A merchant seaman, upon first arriving aboard a ship, signs "articles" with the company owning or operating the ship. That is to say he signs a contract for the duration of a voyage, specifying the length and destination of the voyage (if known), the shipboard position he will hold, his pay, and other conditions of employment. (At the end of a voyage a merchant sailor is "paid off," drawing his pay and receiving documentation of his employment for that voyage, the contract is terminated, and the seaman is literally unemployed until he "signs on" another ship.) So by deserting, a merchant sailor is guilty only of breaking a contract, a civil violation. (By contrast deserting a ship on the part of a U.S. Navy or U.S. Coast Guard sailor would be treated much more harshly, since it would be considered a criminal offense under military law. Navy and Coast Guard personnel do not sign articles but instead are assigned to a ship by direct order.) At least in peacetime, desertion is probably not a good thing for a merchant seaman, of course, if only because it might come back to haunt him later. On the other hand it is probably not be a career-ending action. (Desertion is wartime might be considered much more serious but that was not the situation with your grandfather.) Since we don't know the particular reasons behind your grandfather's desertion on the one occasion, it's impossible to judge the matter. Clearly, since your grandfather sailed for many more years and held positions of responsibility aboard ship, it may not have significantly affected his maritime career.
You are fortunate to know your grandfather's Z number, since that would be an invaluable piece of identifying information if you contact the U.S. Coast Guard to obtain his service record, as I mentioned in my earlier message. Since the card you have indicates his service began in November 1942, and since we know he had was a merchant sailor at least by 1930 and probably as early as 1924, the 1942 card may be a replacement card. Nowadays merchant seamen must renew their documents every five years but I don't know what was required in the 1930s and 1940s. But it may suggest a break in his service as a merchant mariner.
Interestingly, I find a Clarence Boudreaux in the 1940 U.S. Census, age 34, living with his wife Mae (age 32) and children Rose Mary (age 10) and Clarence Jr. (age 3) at 2028 Palmyra Street, New Orleans, where the family had lived since at least 1935. His occupation is listed as a mechanic for a bus company. If this information matches what you know of your grandfather's family, it may indicate that he had shore-side employment for some period of time and therefore a break in his merchant seaman career.
You have learned that your grandfather was a nice guy and someone's hero. He was also, during the war, a brave man. They all were.
Best wishes.
Ron Carlson, Webmaster Armed Guard / Merchant Marine website www.armed-guard.com
Re: Earnest Boudreaux US Navy and his Brother Clarence J Boudreaux
Mr. Ron , Your conclusion of your letter about my Grandpa being a good guy, someone's hero, and a Brave Man brought tears to my and my Family's eyes. That Recognition in itself means more than you know.
My grandpa suffered terribly after the war, holding much within privately , suffering extreme pain and physical Torture during the last six years of his life.
Younger generations have a Responsibility to keeping the history and sacrifices of Men and women who serve this great Country in any service capacity, in any War. This will help us learn how not to repeat the same mistakes of evil doers gone by. It is our Greatest Legacy for our Nation and the World that we can uphold. As, the Sacrifices they have given for Justice, and Freedom are the Costliest.
Michelle
Re: Earnest Boudreaux US Navy and his Brother Clarence J Boudreaux
Mr. Ron My grandfather was the sailor of which you speak, however the one from the 1940 census was the other Clarence.. He was born August 1906. Clarence J Boudreaux , my grandfather, was married 1933 to Eunice Frances Stampley, and then to Margaret Clayton in the 1940'S( my dad's mom) Clarence briefly apprenticed with the times picayune , and at some point owned a liquor store . Thank you for taking the time w/us.. Will keep you posted
Re: Earnest Boudreaux US Navy and his Brother Clarence J Boudreaux