Posted by John Deppen on November 11, 2014, 9:26 pm
I am saddened to report that USN Armed Guard veteran Robert K. Mertz of Pennsylvania died on Friday morning, November 7th. Mr. Mertz served aboard the SS Stephen A. Douglas during World War II. He later served aboard LCS 30. Mr. Mertz was very proud of his service in the Armed Guard, and wore a baseball cap with "We Deliver" on it until the last weeks of his life. We are burying him tomorrow in Northumberland, Pennsylvania. He was my stepfather, and my daughter's cherished "Pappy" Mertz.
Re: Robert K. Mertz
Posted by John Deppen on November 14, 2014, 10:48 am, in reply to "Robert K. Mertz"
If anyone has or knows of photos of the SS Stephen A. Douglas, please let me know. Thank you.
Re: Robert K. Mertz
Posted by Ron Carlson on November 17, 2014, 12:00 pm, in reply to "Re: Robert K. Mertz"
Dear John,
SS STEPHEN A DOUGLAS was a Liberty ship, the most famous and numerous of cargo ships that were built immediately before, during and after World War II. She was constructed by the Oregon Shipbuilding Company in Portland, Oregon, in 183 days between September 1941 and March 1942. She survived World War II and was scrapped in Beaumont, Texas in 1966. It is possible that she never sailed after the end of the war except to be laid up and later scrapped. See the following.
For a photograph of the ship, please see this web page: http://usmm.org/photosource.html. I refer you in particular to Mr. Hultgren, the second source on the list, as his collection specializes in Liberty ships. I know enough about his collection to be able to say that he apparently has an image of STEPHEN A DOUGLAS. My understanding is that Mr. Hultgren charges $15 for an 8x10 photograph. Mr. Hultgren is quite elderly but at last report he was still actively managing his collection. He does not have e-mail or Internet capability, so you will need to call him or send him a letter.
Good luck.
Ron Carlson, Webmaster Armed Guard / Merchant Marine website www.armed-guard.com
Mr. Hultgren
Posted by John on November 25, 2014, 9:57 am, in reply to "Re: Robert K. Mertz"
Hello Ron,
I spoke to Mr. Hultgren on the phone this morning, and he asked me to relay the message to everyone that he is no longer responding to requests for photos from his collection. He is 88 years old, and is facing the many challenges that come with advanced age. I told him that I would share his plea.
Re: Mr. Hultgren
Posted by Ron Carlson on December 2, 2014, 2:18 pm, in reply to "Mr. Hultgren"
John,
That's very unfortunate news but thank you for sharing it.
I wonder what will become of his collection now. It's invaluable and irreplaceable.
As it happens, I know my way around a photographic darkroom pretty well ...
Ron Carlson, Webmaster Armed Guard / Merchant Marine website www.armed-guard.com
Re: Robert K. Mertz
Posted by John Deppen on November 17, 2014, 1:07 pm, in reply to "Re: Robert K. Mertz"