Posted by Brian Hunt on December 11, 2013, 12:04 am
Greetings,
Does anyone know where the merchant ships like the SS Cape Fairweather would have docked upon arrival in Manila Bay (or Cavite) on Dec 4, 1941? An uncle was on that ship as a Navy RM2 and was listed as killed on Dec 10. Cavite was bombed that day. The ship survived until 1980.
I'm curious as to how naval personnel attached to merchant ships would have been stationed when in a port.
I don't know if anyone can say where CAPE FAIRWEATHER would have been located in Manila Bay/Cavite between December 4 and December 10, 1941. Depending on many factors (how busy the port was, what other ships had arrived earlier, what cargo she was carrying, what docks were available), the ship may have been docked anywhere in the harbor or even anchored in the harbor.
While in harbor, whether docked or at anchor, at least part of the ship's crew would remain on board to stand watch and carry out normal in-harbor duties. Other crewmen would likely be able to leave the ship on liberty for periods of time. Naval personnel on merchant ships in harbor during the war (meaning specifically Armed Guard crew) would have been aboard their ship to stand watch and would have manned the ship's defensive guns in the case of attacks or alerts. But again off-duty crew would likely have had some shore-side liberty. You do not state specifically that your father was in the Armed Guard, only that he was a navy radioman, but if he was in the Armed Guard he would have had to have been among the very earliest, since Armed Guard crews were placed aboard ships beginning only in November 1941.
One might have thought that in the first few days of World War II, confusion and concern would have led to ordering most crew to be back aboard their ships ready for any eventuality. But as I recall the Philippines were very unprepared for war in those early days. The Japanese air force attacked and destroyed many U.S. Army Air Force planes with impunity in the hours shortly after Pearl Harbor was attacked. And the Japanese army invaded the Philippines beginning on Dec. 22, 1941, encountering little effective resistance.
Curiously I can find no record of Armed Guard deaths or injuries anywhere or at any time in 1941 (see http://www.usmm.org/armedguard.html) nor can I find an indication that CAPE FAIRWEATHER was damaged while in the Philippines on December 10, 1941 (see http://www.usmm.org/sunk39-41.html#anchor447877). Of course it is possible that your uncle was killed in unusual circumstances, including perhaps being temporarily aboard a different ship or at a location ashore, that did not involve damage to CAPE FAIRWEATHER.
I am sorry not to be able to help you any more than the above.
Ron Carlson, Webmaster Armed Guard / Merchant Marine website www.armed-guard.com
Thanks for your response. He was attached as an AG on the Cape Fairweather. He was later officially noted as being killed on Dec 10 but my mother (his sister) was not notified until 1943 through POW reports to the Red Cross.
Since the ship survived until 1980 and did not indicate damage while in Manila, perhaps he was onshore.
Thinking about your inquiry some more, here are some additional suggestions for you, depending upon how much effort you want to put into it.
The various logbooks maintained by World War II-era merchant ships were the property of the shipping company that operated a given ship. Most shipping companies from that period have gone out of business, with the result that the companies' logbooks have likely been destroyed. However, at the conclusion of a voyage, the "official log" for that voyage was turned over to the Coast Guard. Later the Coast Guard turned over those logs to the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), to be stored at the NARA regional facility closest to the port at which the voyage ended. Other sources indicate that CAPE FAIRWEATHER began her 1941 voyage in San Francisco, and there is a good chance the voyage terminated there as well. Another possible termination port would have been Seattle, with Los Angeles a less likely possibility. So it is possible that the ship's official log is to be found in the NARA facilities in San Francisco, Seattle, or Riverside, CA. See http://www.archives.gov/locations/ for additional information on these facilities.
The point is, of course, that the official log of this voyage might shed some light on the period December 4-10, 1941, while the ship was in Manila, and possibly even mention your uncle. The official log, which is less interesting than you may think, dealt primarily with the merchant marine crew, as opposed to the Armed Guard crew, but an event as serious as the death of a member of the Armed Guard crew might have been recorded in the official log. The log might also indicate the exact location of the ship within the harbor, by pier number for example.
NARA also maintains the original copies of Armed Guard officers' reports. These reports were filed by the commanding officer of the Armed Guard unit aboard a ship at the end of the voyage, listing the Armed Guard crew, recording drills, disciplinary actions, damages and repairs, any unusual events, attacks, etc. (Commanding officers were always relatively junior officers: ensigns, lieutenants junior grade (LT.j.g.) or full lieutenants.) Unlike official logs, Armed Guard officers' reports are kept at a major NARA facility in College Park, Maryland, just outside of Washington, DC. The officer's report for the voyage of CAPE FAIRWEATHER would certainly have noted any injuries or deaths among the Armed Guard crew during the voyage. The reports vary greatly in quality and detail, depending upon the diligence of the officer in question. I'm also unsure whether officers' reports were required at this very early point, or became a standard requirement only later. But if an officer's report exists for this voyage, almost certainly there would have been mention of your uncle.
One can do research at NARA facilities in person free of charge, other than photocopying expenses, but obviously that is feasible only if you reside near the facility or can travel to the facility. If located at a distance, you may be able to obtain research assistance from NARA staff in locating, copying and mailing relevant records, for a fee of course.
If you pursue officers' reports at the NARA facility in College Park, you should specifically contact the Modern Military Records Unit at this address:
Modern Military Records Unit National Archives at College Park 8601 Adelphi Road College Park, MD 20740-6001
Good luck.
Ron Carlson, Webmaster Armed Guard / Merchant Marine website www.armed-guard.com
I can't thank you enough for this wonderful information. I will definitely pursue it further, starting with the Sand Point Seattle facility across the lake from me. I'll let you know what I find out.