Posted by Tim Britton on January 18, 2014, 10:30 pm
Received copy of father service record. It list the ships he served on as SS SAMUEL ASHE,SS MYRON T. HERRICK, and the SS ARIZONAN. I can not find any info for the Arizonan. Served Jan. 1943 to Mar 1946. Britton, Bill GM 2/c SV6 USNR
I worked briefly on the SS Nortuna in 1957, a couple of years before it was scrapped. While researching a reflection on that adventure I found a picture of the ship online by googling SS Nortuna. Good hunting.
SS ARIZONAN was a cargo ship constructed between September 1919 and March 1920 by the Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Chester, PA, originally named CONSHOHOCKEN. In 1921 she was renamed WILLHILO and in 1929 was renamed ARIZONAN. In 1946 she was renamed again to NORTUNA, before being scrapped in 1959. See http://shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/2large/inactive/sun.htm and scroll to hull number 15.
If you are interested in obtaining photographs of the ships in which your father served, see this web page for sources of photographs of World War II-era merchant ships: http://www.usmm.org/photosource.html. For SAMUEL ASHE and MYRON T. HERRICK, your best bet is Mr. Hultgren, the second source listed, since his collection specializes in Liberty ships. Both ASHE and HERRICK were Liberty ships. I know enough about his collection to say that he apparently has images for both ships. I understand Mr. Hultgren charges $10 each for an 8x10 print. He has no e-mail or Internet access so you will have to send a letter. Mr. Hultgren is quite elderly but at last report was actively managing his collection.
As to ARIZONAN I don't know what source might be best. She was not a Liberty so Mr. Hultgren may not be able to help but no harm in asking. You might also try the Mariners Museum library in Newport News, VA. You might further try each of the names under which she sailed.
Good luck.
Ron Carlson, Webmaster Armed Guard / Merchant Marine website www.armed-guard.com
Thank you Mr.Carlson. I found the Ashe,Herrick in the Liberty resistry but could not find the Arizonan listed anywhere. You have been a great help. My father served on the Arizonan from 1-11-45 to 2-20-46 in the Pacific after serving on the Ashe in the Atlantic. Although he never spoke of his war service we all knew he was proud of his time as a member of Naval Armed Guard Service. Thanks again Tim Britton