APPENDIX I

PERSONNEL ASSIGNED TO ARMED GUARD FROM 7 DEC. 1941 TO 30 SEPT. 1945:

OFFICERS ENLISTED GRAND TOTAL
Officers, Gunnery 8,587    
Officers, Communications 803    
Petty Officers and Seamen   119,811  
Radiomen and Signalmen                      15,769                   
  Total 9,390 135,580 144,970   
  ========= ========= ==========

PERSONNEL TRANSFERRED OUT OF ARMED GUARD TO OTHER DUTY AND WAR LOSSES:

OFFICERS ENLISTED GRAND TOTAL
Officers, Gunnery 5,517    
Officers, Communications 379    
Petty Officers and Seamen   71,811  
Radiomen and Signalmen                      8,491                   
  Total 5,896 80,302 82,198   
  ========= ========= ==========

NET ARMED GUARD PERSONNEL AS OF 30 SEPT. 1945:

OFFICERS ENLISTED GRAND TOTAL
Officers, Gunnery 3,070    
Officers, Communications 424    
Petty Officers and Seamen   48,000  
Signalmen and Signalmen Strikers 5,864
Radiomen and Radiomen Strikers                      1,414                   
  Total 3,494 55,278 58,772   
  ========= ========= ==========

The Naval Armed Guard reached a peak of 106,661 enlisted men and 5,447 officers for a total of 112,108 on 1 November 1944.


APPENDIX II

Status of Merchant Ship Disarming
The records of the Arming Merchant Ships Section indicate the following progress in disarming merchant vessels as of 30 August 1946:
FLAG Armed Lost Trans.  
To Navy
Subj To
Disarm  
Disarmed
To Date  
Percent 
Disarmed
To Be  
Disarmed
U.S. 4870 482 126 4262 4161 97.6 1011
U.S. Owned, Foreign  244  87   9  148  146 98.6    2 
  5114 569 135 4410 4307 98.0 103
BELGIAN 8 1   7 7 100.0 0
BRITISH 233 13 122 198 182 91.4 16
BRAZILIAN 32 3   29 293 100.0 0
CANADIAN 5 1   4 4 100.0 0
CHILEAN 4 0   4 4 100.0 0
 
CHINESE 3 1   2 2 100.0 0
DUTCH 165 33   132 94 71.2 38
FRENCH 39 3   36 29 80.5 7
GREEK 15 1   14 14 100.0 0
ITALIAN 1 0   1 1 100.0 0
MEXICAN 7 1   6 6 100.0 0
 
NEW ZEALAND 1 0   1 1 100.0 0
NORWEGIAN 350 62   288 263 91.3 25
PANAMANIAN 3 0   3 3 100.0 0
POLISH 15 3   12 12 100.0 0
RUSSIAN   251    19         232     17    0.73 215
  6236 710 147 5379 4975 92.5% 404
1 Note: Includes 62 towing and other miscellaneous small type vessels armed for Army.
2 Note: Transferred to HM Navy
3 Note: Ships disarmed in Brazilian ports and guns retained by Brazil for lend lease account.


APPENDIX III

U. S. NAVAL ARMED GUARD PERSONNEL WHO HAVE BEEN CLASSIFIED AS DEAD, MISSING, OR PRISONERS OF WAR FROM 7 DEC. 1941 TO 30 SEPT. 1945


  STATUS OFFICERS ENLISTED TOTAL
DEATHS Enemy Action 76 1,250  
  Other causes  29   328          
    105 1,578 1,683
 
MISSING Enemy Action 5 118  
  Other causes    2       2          
    7 120 127
 
TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,810
====
 
PRISONERS OF WAR (as of 26 June 1945) 2 25 27
PRISONERS OF WAR (prior to 30 Sept. 1945) 1 13 14


APPENDIX IV

COMMENDATIONS

The records of the Arming Merchant Ship Section indicate that the following commendations or awards were conferred upon Armed Guards up to 27 June 1946.
  Navy Crosses 5  
  Legion of Merit Awards 2  
  Silver Stars 75  
  Navy and Marine Corps Medals 24  
  Bronze Star Medals 54  
  Commendatory Letters from SecNav 563  
  Commendatory Letters from Chief of BuPers 2778  
  Suitable Entries in Service Records 4533  
    8033 8033
  Operation and Engagement Stars (Approx.)   36240
 
  Philippine Liberation Ribbons (Approx.)   9882
  Engagement Stars on Philippine Liberation Ribbon (Approx.)     4031
      58186

 

The following Navy vessels were named for Armed Guard personnel during World War II.
 
Destroyer Escorts
Ship                                      Named for                       Served on                        
USS BORUM Lt. (jg) John R. Borum SS BRILLIANT
USS BRENNAN Ens. John. J. Brennan SS OTHO
USS HERZOG Lt. (jg) William R. Herzog SS PAN NEW YORK
USS HUNTER MARSHALL Ens. Hunter Marshall SS MERRIMACK
USS WILLETT Ens. Kenneth M. Willett SS STEPHEN HOPKINS
 
Destroyer
USS VESOLE Ens. Kay K. Vesole SS JOHN BASCOM
 
Transport
USS WALSH Lt. (jg) Patrick J. Walsh SS PATRICK J. HURLEY
 
All of the 144,970 Officers and enlisted men who served in the Armed Guard were authorized to wear from one to three Area Service Ribbons. It is estimated that approximately 75% of the Armed Guard earned two Area Service Ribbons and approximately 25% were entitled to all three Area Service Ribbons.


APPENDIX V

Deck Strengthening and Gun Foundations

Deck strengthening and gun foundations were installed on armed merchant ships and troop transports during World War II, centering on frames as follows:

 

Type of Ship For 3"/50AA Guns For 20mm Guns For 5"/38
D.P. Guns
Cargo Guns#1 #2 #3 #4 #1 and 2 #3 and 4 #5 and 6 #7 and 8 #1
 
FRAME NUMBERS
C1-A 7a       39b 90d 101e 164b 174a
C1-B 7a       39b 90d 101e 164b 174a
C1-M- 145f       16g 106‡d 123h    
C1-ME- 145f       16g 106‡d 123h    
C2-S- 13b 13b 167b 167b 41b 99d 113h 141b 180f
C3-S- 13b 13b 180b 180b 47b 99d 130i 150b 195f
C4-S- 11g 11g 191g 191g 51d 54d 156j 161j 208f
EC2-S- 6a       40b 83d 101e 163e 174k
ZEC2-S- 5a       53b 83d 100‡e 162e 172‡k
R2-S- 15b 15b 164b 164b 41b 95d 115‡h 141b 181f
VC2-S- 8a       35g 76‡d 93‡h 142e 156k
N3-S- 1k       62h 41‡i      
 
Tankers
T2-SE- 96a       63æd 63ºd 43m 15m "B"n
T2-SE- 85‡a       63æd 63d 20l 17l 5n
 
Troopships
C1-A 14b 14b 164c 164c 39b 90d 101e 134b 174a
C1-B 14b 14b 164c 164c 39b 90d 101e 134b 174a
EC2-S- 9b 9b 162c 162c 40b 83d 101e 134b 174k
C2-S- 13b 13b 167b 167b 41b 99d 113h 141b 180f
C3-S- 13b 13b 180b 180b 47b 99d 130i 150b 195f
VC2-S- 13b 13b 141c 141c 35g 76‡d 93‡h 122b 156k
C4-S- 11b 11b 191g 191g 30e 51d 54d 90e 208f
 
#9 and 10 #11 and 12 #13 and 14
120e     156j     161j    
Notes:
a Platform 8' high on center line h On bridge deck Stbd and Port
b Platform 8' high Stbd and Port i On boat deck Stbd and Port
c Platform 16' high Stbd and Port j Platform 12' above boat deck Stbd and Port
d Bridge wings Stbd and Port k On aft house center line
e House top Stbd and Port l Platform 8' above boat deck Stbd and Port
f On deck center line aft m Platform 8' above house top Stbd and Port
g On deck Stbd and Port n On boat deck center line aft


APPENDIX VI

 
TOTAL GUNS ISSUED FOR ARMING MERCHANT
VESSELS AND U.S.A.T. SHIPS FROM 7 DECEMBER 1941 TO 1 OCTOBER 1945

 

    NO. INSTALLED ON         GUNS LOST ON      DISARMED 
GUNS U.S. FLAG
U.S. OWNED
FOREIGN
FLAG SHIPS
FOREIGN
OWNED
FOREIGN
FLAG SHIPS
TOTAL
INSTALLED
U.S. FLAG
U.S. OWNED
FOREIGN
FLAG SHIPS
FOREIGN
OWNED
FOREIGN
FLAG SHIPS
TOTAL
LOST
U.S. FLAG
U.S. OWNED
FOREIGN
FLAG SHIPS
TOTAL
REMAINING
AFLOAT

5"/51 SP 528 12 540 71 2 73 62 406
5"/50 SP 45 7 53 15   15 6 31
5"/38 DP 1,826   1,826 32   32 86 1,708
4"/50 DP 1,279 195 1,474 296 31 327 171 976
3"/50 DP 6,122 357 6,479 315 34 349 533 5,597
3"/50 SP 92 97 189 12 19 31 47 121
3"/23 DP 56 31 87 17 6 23 13 51
6 pdr SP 108 20 128 19 8 27 37 64
40mm DP quad   2 2       2  
40mm DP twin   8 8         8
40mm DP single 18   18 2   2   16
1" 1 DP quad 1   1         1
37mm Army 3   3         3
1 pdr SP 3   3         3
20mm DP 33,925 4,621 38,546 2,004 488 2,532 2,353 33,661
.50 CAL DP 921 741 1,662 414 117 531 112 1,019
.30 CAL DP 1,249 1.011 2,260 676 209 885 222 1,143
TOTAL     53,278
=====
    4,827
=====
3,644
=====
44,807
=====

 


Table of Contents ** Previous Chapter (4)


Transcribed and formatted for HTML by Rick Pitz for the HyperWar Foundation.