Posted by Steve Bonnette on June 16, 2015, 7:25 pm
My father, Rhodom Rhett Bonnette, served aboard the SS Benjamin Ide Wheeler, during the period from 29 August 1944 to 7 January 1945. I am searching for any information of his shipmates. His service aboard the Wheeler is included in his Letter of Commendation, dated June 14, 1946.
Re: SS Benjamin Ide Wheeler
Posted by Ron Carlson on June 17, 2015, 2:32 pm, in reply to "SS Benjamin Ide Wheeler" Edited by board administrator June 17, 2015, 2:35 pm
Steve,
S.S. BENJAMIN IDE WHEELER was a Liberty ship, one of more than 2,700 virtually identical cargo ships (and in some cases troop transports as was BENJAMIN IDE WHEELER) built before, during and immediately after World War II. She was constructed in 50 days between October 28 and December 17, 1942, at the California Shipbuilding Corporation (“Calship”) in Los Angeles. See http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/4emergencylarge/wwtwo/kcalifornia.htm and scroll to hull number 100. She was named after Benjamin Ide Wheeler (1854-1927), the president of the University of California 1899-1919.
BENJAMIN IDE WHEELER was sunk in shallow water while at anchor in Leyte Gulf, Philippines, in a kamikaze attack on October 26, 1944, during the time your father served in her. The attack caused a fire in her stern holds, which contained gasoline in drums. (The ship had also carried troops and vehicles that had largely been off-loaded before the attack.) Determined efforts brought the fire under control and avoided an explosion. Her crew was kept aboard, both to attempt to repair the ship and to provide air defense for it and other ships in the vicinity. She was damaged again on November 18 from a bombing attack. Reports of casualties are inconsistent but at least one Armed Guard sailor were killed in the first attack, named Billy McNeely. From various sources I have determined that other Armed Guard crew mates of your father included Lou Brenner, Edward J. Fowler, Robert K. Norling, Frank Zawisa, and a man identified only with his last name of Corbin, plus possibly a John E. Durham and a James Boren. The Armed Guard commanding officer was LT. Earle Douglas Woodring. I have not found a crew list.
In late December 1944, with the ship too damaged to be repaired, there was a decision made to abandon the ship to be used as a warehouse. The Armed Guard crew was removed on January 7, 1945, and transported to a base at Hollandia, New Guinea, where they were assigned to Armed Guard crews of other ships as the need arose. Eventually BENJAMIN IDE WHEELER was refloated, repaired, and even made several more wartime voyages, beginning in April 1945. The ship was scrapped in 1948.
Your father’s letter of commendation, and the referenced dates of August 29, 1944 – January 7, 1945, seem to apply to the ship’s activities before, during and after the invasion of the Philippines at Leyte Gulf, up to the point the Armed Guard crew left the ship. (The Armed Guard crew members aboard the ship were awarded battle stars for their participation in the Leyte invasion, for the specific period of October 24 – November 29, 1944, the official dates of that operation. See http://www.usmm.org/battlestar.html and http://www.usmm.org/battle-a-f.html.) It is almost certain that your father’s service aboard BENJAMIN IDE WHEELER began prior to August 29, 1944. I have found a reference for the ship departing New York on July 3, 1944, so it is quite likely that your father was aboard at least as of that date and possibly earlier. (BENJAMIN IDE WHEELER’s cargo on the outbound voyage included tens of thousands of cases of beer, which made the ship exceedingly popular upon her arrival at her destination of Hollandia, New Guinea.) As noted above, no doubt your father was subsequently assigned to another ship after leaving BENJAMIN IDE WHEELER, and may have served in one or more other ships prior to his assignment in BENJAMIN IDE WHEELER.
As to any additional information about your father’s time in the Armed Guard, including other ships to which he was assigned, you may be able to obtain your father’s complete military service record by contacting the National Archives. His service record should list all of his shipboard or shoreside assignments and applicable dates, training, awards and decorations, medical records, etc. For information on obtaining his service record, see this page on the Armed Guard website that I maintain: http://armed-guard.com/searchmil.html. In particular, see section II.A.1, Records of Individuals – U.S. Military. You will need to contact the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri, which is a facility maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), providing as much identifying information as you have. The Records Center likely charges a fee for researching, copying and mailing information. I would expect that the Records Center will advise you of any fee prior to beginning work on your request.
Good luck.
Ron Carlson, Webmaster Armed Guard / Merchant Marine website www.armed-guard.com
My Father was on the Benjamin Ide Wheeler, Lucio A. Palacio who was a gunner,Dad is no longer with us but he survived the war and made it to 91 years old!
Melinda, Thank you for posting this. My father was also a gunner. I have requested his complete military records but have not yet received this, due to the pandemic. My father was from Orangeburg, SC. Where was your father from?