Hello, My father-in-law was Michael Cropley. He died February 2005. Since I do a lot of research, I sent away, and received, quite a few pages of information from Nat'l Archives (I think). Anyway, I was wondering if anyone remembered him and what he was like as a young man. He enlisted 4/11/1944.
He served on SS Esso Buffalo (6/25/1944-3/7/45) USS Albermarle (3/10/45-3/17/45) SS Alexander Martin (4/23/45 - 10/11/45) USS General CG Morton (10/17/45 - 11/05/45) USS General CG Morton 12/26/45; 2/26/46; 4/46; 5/15/46;
He operated a 20 millimeter gun pointer.
Thanking you in advance for any information you might have about him.
And thank you all for being there for me, even if I wasn't born, but you protected my future.
Re: Michael Cropley
Posted by Ron Carlson on July 26, 2009, 11:31 pm, in reply to "Michael Cropley"
Marilyn,
As you can imagine, many if not most of the men with whom your father-in-law sailed have passed on by now. And of those who may still be around, many may not know of the Armed Guard website or even have an interest in or ability to use the Internet. On the other hand, you never know. Maybe someone who sees your message knew your father-in-law.
You might read through the older messages on this message board since some of them include recollections from other former Armed Guard sailors. From them you can learn some of the experiences your father-in-law may have had. And read through the various pages of the website, some of which likewise include information on what Armed Guard sailors went through.
I made a search of Ancestry.com, which is more commonly used for genealogical research but which includes the names of crewmen of ships arriving in various ports of entry over many years. I found a record of a Michael F. Cropley, one of 28 men of the Armed Guard unit on SS ALEXANDER MARTIN, which arrived in San Francisco on September 4, 1945, having sailed from Okinawa. He and the rest of the Armed Guard crew had joined the ship in Baltimore in mid-April. He is described as a gunner, age 19, 5’5” tall and 140 lbs. For what it is worth, here is a list of his Armed Guard shipmates:
Caizza, Carmen Collins, Harold B. Deer, Lloyd Royal Faies, Harold L., Jr. Foley, George R. Guiliani, August A. Harris, Bennie E. Harrison, James W. Malinowski, Walter D. Manley, James A. Mattingly, Dan Odell, Verbal S. Pearson, Benjamin J. Pendley, Louis A. Prince, Betrand B. Lieut., officer-in-charge Rice, James T. Ridley, Charlie E. Servantee, Joseph Shunway, Richard O. Siegel, Milton F. Virgil, James E. Viscusi, Mario Visnauskas, Michael J. Walker, Frank J. Weinberg, William F. Weinder, Paul E. Wilks, James L.
Unfortunately I do not know whether any of these men are still living, nor do I have contact information for any of them.
Walter D. Malinowski is listed on the Armed Guard website as a member of the Armed Guard Veterans Association. You may wish to contact the Chairman of the Veterans Association to see if he knows whether Mr. Malinowski is still living and, if so, how to get in touch with him. The person to contact is:
C.A. Lloyd, Chairman U.S.N. Armed Guard World War II Veterans Association 115 Wall Creek Drive Rolesville, NC 27571 Telephone: 919-570-0909 E-mail: clloyd@nc.rr.com
Given your interest in research, it is possible to get detailed information, again from the National Archives, on the operational history of each of the ships in which your father-in-law served. These details may include such information as where the ship sailed and when, any unusual events during voyages, names of crew members, etc. Please see this page from the Armed Guard website, http://www.armed-guard.com/searchmil.html, and see part IV. Researching Ship Records. You will most likely be interested in the Armed Guard logbooks and reports, movement report cards, muster rolls/personal diaries, and records of individual convoys. You will need to supply the names of the ships in which you are interested and the applicable dates, information you already have.
Good luck and thank you for your interest in the Armed Guard.
Ron Carlson, Webmaster Armed Guard website www.armed-guard.com
Re: Michael Cropley
Posted by Al Burnham on July 28, 2009, 7:13 pm, in reply to "Re: Michael Cropley"
Marilyn, I do have your father-in-law's name on a officer's log report that I received when requesting it for the Alexander Martin. It lists a Michael F. Cropley aboard with 27 other names. Also it shows 11 other names including mine getting off which was a full crew getting off. So none of us would have met Michael. The aboard date and remove date is 4/24/45. The list aboard names for Baltimore that I have differs by 16 names then what Ron has. So they must have changed some of the crew before the ship came back to San Francisco. Walter D. Molinowski has passed away, according to his daughter. Who returned my call that I left on his recorder in o5. You should still contact C. A. Loyd as Ron suggested as A.G. crew members do show up and they may be somebody that can answer your question. I was able to locate and talk to two A.G. shipmates and one merchant marine shipmate with the help of Tom Bowerman. But so much time had passed it was difficult remembering except for the bad stuff. I also have the ship's port of call log book made out by the Captain. This covers from 12/14/44 to 9/4/45 when it made port in S.F. As Ron pointed out this is all available by following his directions. Give it a try and if not I can send you copies of what I have that pertains to your father-in-law. Reading whats on this web site as Ron suggested will also give you a good idea of what your father-in-law did and experienced. Small example is my post on the visit to the Red Oak Victory. Just put the Alexander Martin in place of liberty ship and it briefly describes our exchange of crews and different routes to the Pacific and different staging areas for the invasion of Japan. The liberty ship I refer to was the Alexander Martin. Thanks for your interest in the A.G. ---Al
Re: Michael Cropley
Posted by marilyn cropley on August 10, 2009, 3:33 pm, in reply to "Re: Michael Cropley"
Thank you so much for your information. I will see what I can find out and if I find anything, I'll let you know.
I'm sorry that your friend Walter passed away.
Again, thank you for being there for me and protecting the freedoms I now enjoy.
Re: Michael Cropley
Posted by Marilyn on July 27, 2009, 3:24 pm, in reply to "Re: Michael Cropley"
Thank you for your response. I appreciate the information.
Most sincerely,
Marilyn Cropley
Re: Michael Cropley
Posted by Al Burnham on July 31, 2009, 6:41 pm, in reply to "Re: Michael Cropley"
Marilyn, I did come across James L. Wilks name on a list of names that Tom Bowerman sent me when I was looking for shipmates that was on the Alexander Martin. As noted his name is on Ron's list. I did make a call in 05 or 06 and talked to his wife. He was out working on his farm when I called. Daylight to dark. I do have his address and phone number and at your request will send it to you. Al
