Posted by Lowell Silverman on September 13, 2020, 8:37 am
I'm researching all 29 men on the Newark, DE World War II memorial. One was S1c Robert James Donovan. He was killed when the Panamanian-flagged S.S. El Almirante sank after a collision as part of convoy H.X. 235 in April 1943.
Since he died aboard a merchant ship, my assumption is that he was part of a U.S. Navy Armed Guard crew. However, there are some things I'm a bit unclear on. I notice his name did not appear on the list of USNAG casualties on this site. Also, would USNAG even be used on foreign-flagged ships?
The only training location mentioned in a form filled out by his father for the Delaware archives is Newport, not the three sites mentioned as USNAG training centers. The form is interesting but a bit of a mess. It states he was "Assigned originally to Company 357 Barrack C" at Newport, but then it says he was "Transferred to: Company 357 S.S. El Almirante" on April 20, 1943 (even though the ship sailed two days earlier). Would that "Company 357" make any sense in the context of training or USNAG crew designations? (https://cdm16397.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15323coll6/id/18489)
I know the best bet would be to request his records, but with so many names my budget is limited (and with the pandemic, it will be a long time). Thanks for your help.
Thank you for your inquiry. I can offer some additional insight and context to the information you have, which you may find beneficial.
First, U.S. Navy Armed Guard personnel in fact were often assigned to foreign-flagged ships, particularly Panamanian ships but also those of other Allied nations (excepting the British, which used their merchant seamen in roles similar to that of the Armed Guard). In fact, following is a link to a list of 67 Panamanian and Honduran ships lost or damaged during the war that had U.S. merchant marine and/or U.S. Navy Armed Guard personnel aboard; note that EL ALMIRANTE is not one of the ships mentioned, for whatever reason: http://www.armed-guard.com/panama.html.
Two sentences in the above-linked page jumped out at me: “I have listed the names of all those American Merchant Seamen [and Armed Guard sailors] who were lost or wounded on these ships. These men were never listed as lost by the U.S. Coast Guard as they were crew members on a foreign flag vessel.” If the United States did not recognize the loss of merchant marine or Armed Guard sailors because they died or were injured while on a foreign-flagged ship, this may explain the lack of information concerning the death of Robert James Donovan. However, I will say that while I can somewhat understand the Coast Guard’s reasoning in the case of the loss of merchant sailors, I would be astonished if the Navy did not fully document the death of Robert Donovan.
Since the information on the form you found originated with Donovan’s father rather than from U.S. Navy records, one should treat the information cautiously, as you have. Newport, Rhode Island, was a Navy basic training base, not specific to the Armed Guard. Typically men entering the Navy took their boot camp training at one of a number of basic training sites, and then volunteered for the Armed Guard. Thereafter they would attend specialized Armed Guard training, most often in gunnery, less often in signals or radio. Then they would be assigned formally to one of three Armed Guard Centers (Brooklyn, New Orleans or Treasure Island/San Francisco) and from their Center would be assigned to a ship. From what I have seen, assignment to a ship was somewhat random, often apparently grouped alphabetically by name, rather than as a specified company.
While in basic training, and I assume again while in Armed Guard-specific training, men were organized formally into companies, going through training together on a given schedule. However, it would be very, very unlikely, to the point of impossibility in my opinion, that a company going through basic training would be assigned en masse as an Armed Guard unit on a merchant ship, without having been through specialized Armed Guard training. By that point, the original boot camp company would have been scattered to the winds. I am quite confident that Donovan’s official military record would show several other assignments between Newport and EL ALMIRANTE. And as you realize, that would take a request on your part for those records. At least you seem to be familiar with how to do that.
I hope this information is useful.
Ron Carlson, Webmaster Armed Guard / Merchant Marine website www.armed-guard.com
Thanks so much. It's enough of a mystery that I'm probably going to request his records when it becomes possible to do so, though at this rate it sounds like it will be a year or two.
I noticed another line on the link you included which may explain the absence of El Almirante: "The following is not a complete list of the foreign flag ships lost or damaged during World War II that were under the control of the War Shipping Administration. There were many others lost that did not carry any Americans in the merchant crew but did have U.S. Naval Armed Guard aboard. Data on these ships was not available."
Based on the information you provided, it seems that Company 357 probably referred to his initial class at Newport. If Seaman 1st Class Donovan subsequently attended USNAG training, his father must not have noted it on the form.
Two questions if I may: 1) Does a total training period of five months from entering the U.S. Navy to being aboard a ship as a member of USNAG make sense, or would it be too brief? 2) Assuming he was not USNAG (say, if he were simply being shipped to England for other duties as a passenger), is it likely that he would have ended up on a a Panamanian cargo ship as opposed to a transport or U.S. vessel? Thanks.
Newport was a Navy basic training (boot camp) station. The Company 357 Barracks C was his basic training assignment. His company would have had over 100+ sailors to a company. This was the Navy's way of keeping track of all its new recruits. He would not use this company designation again. After completion of Navy basic training the sailors would be sent to the 4 corners of the earth depending on the needs of the Navy at that time. Some sailors volunteered for the NAG as they were promised immediate combat action. Others were assigned to the NAG simply due to the need for more NAG. In most scenarios Seaman Donovan would have been sent to additional schooling after basic training. Examples- gunnery, signals, radio school, machine, etc... which were located all over the USA. This info should be listed on his full military record.
Hi, My dad also received his basic training in Newport. Before he passed last year he was a member of an Armed Guard group in North Carolina. In recent months I have slowly uncovered a great deal of information. The Armed Guard received little recognition for their outstanding service. I highly recommend the several books regarding personal experiences. There is a fountain of information but one has to do a great deal of research because records don’t always tell the entire story. Good luck!