[MV] RE: Sunken Treasures

Ron (rojoha@mediaone.net)
Mon, 07 Dec 1998 17:41:26 -0500

A W.W.II Coast Guard Vet I used to work with 15 years or so ago
brought in some pictures after I drove my M38A1 to work one day and I
took him for a ride. He enlisted in the CG after Pearl figuring he
would hang out in the states. He was trained as a harbor master and
sent to England then Italy after the invasion and spent the rest of
the war on the west coast of Italy in the main point of entry harbor
supervising the unloading of Merchant Marine ships -- mostly ammo
handling, vehicles and safety issues. His mother's family was from a
town 15 miles outside the city ,so it was no hardship. His unit
consisted of 20 rated men and Commodore of the port ( I believe a
Navy Captain ) Any ways everybody had their own jeep and life was
good and typical of REMF's they wanted for nothing and creamed the
merchies in poker games , war souvenirs and " Clean Companions...
wink, wink, nudge, nudge, know what I mean, Eh ,Eh?)
He said It was like McHale's (sp?)Navy but no grass skirts. However
, I digress.
The most interesting pictures were taken in late 45, after it all
ended when there were over 100 ships at anchor and more enroute from
the states full of stuff that needed to be unloaded so the ships
could take the troops back home. It was decided that the ammo and
vehicles would be taken 10 miles offshore and put over the side. Each
Coastie was given a list of ships and told to go to it. While the
ships steamed up and down the coast the deck cargo was started, put
in gear and... splash. Then the cargo booms went to work on the holds
and ...
The Coasties got into a competition to see who could unload a ship
the fastest with local talent being the incentive for the fastest
Merchie crew. He said he thought the winner was something like 700
vehicles by one Coastie in one day. Joe had pictures of fighters
,tanks , trucks , half tracks, trailers , artillery pieces and sedans
in various stages of flight. Entire cargos of crated supplies were
pushed over the side by half tracks rigged with make shift plows.
Stuff that didn't sink fast enough got an assist from the AA guns and
an Army P-38 squadron that was stationed nearby.. An Army film crew
recorded two full days worth of this fun.
The funniest part about this is Joe got to go before a Captains Mast
for having misplaced a borrowed old Army jeep while imbibing in the
Vino in Rome 1 week before he left for home -- He figures he probably
was responsible for signing off on the destruction of probably 15
Liberty ships worth of stuff and gets tanked for a well beaten
veteran vehicle going missing.
Gotta love that anal retentive attitude!
Ron

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