The Stories

Follow the links below to find stories of the men and of the ships of the Navy Armed Guard and the Merchant Marine. These accounts capture battles, rescues, ship logs, and the voices of those who served at sea.

Navy Armed Guard Stories

The collection features first-hand Navy Armed Guard stories from sailors who stood watch on convoys and fought under relentless threat. Their memories reveal the daily courage behind every mission from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

WWII Merchant Marine Survivor Accounts

Among these are rare WWII Merchant Marine survivor accounts, preserving testimony of men who endured sinkings, lifeboat ordeals, and treacherous convoys. Their words honor the resilience of civilian mariners who risked everything to keep supply lines open.

Armed Guard Convoy PQ-17 Narrative

One of the most compelling episodes is the Armed Guard Convoy PQ-17 narrative, recounting the disastrous Arctic convoy to Murmansk. These records highlight the sacrifice of those who faced icy seas, Luftwaffe attacks, and U-boat wolfpacks.

Abandoned Convoy, PQ-17

Armed Guard Reports, examples

Armed Guard Reports, many ships

• SS O.M. BERNUTH, courtesy Mike Allard
• CS RESTORER
  • Third voyage report
  • Eleventh voyage report

Bari, Italy

Tragedy at Bari, Italy

Tragedy at Bari – Disaster in the Italian Campaign

Battle of the Atlantic

Beyond the Call of Duty

Concrete ships

Convoy PQ 17

Convoy to Murmansk

Convoy to Murmansk – PQ 15

Drawings for EC2-S-C1 Liberty ship

Last of the Gallant Liberties

Life boat stories requested

The Mediterranean

Merchant Marine Radio Operators

Missing in Action in the North Atlantic

The North Atlantic, 1943, by Harry Staton

The Pacific

Remembering “The Suicide Run” to Murmansk

Ship Logs, Reports and Publication Extracts

The Great Generation

The Legend of Gallups Island

The Men Who Remember War

Operation Pedestal, the rescue of Malta

Press Releases, War Shipping Administration, United States Maritime Commission

Stories and photographs of many ships

Survivor Stories: SS ATLANTIC SUN, SS JACKSONVILLE, SS PUERTO RICAN, SS WILLIAM C. GORGAS, SS WILLIAM F. HUMPHREY, SS MASSMAR

Veterans History Project, Library of Congress, includes a search capability for the stories of merchant marine and U.S. Navy veterans

World War II Navy documents, Armed Guard officer reports for ships in which Tom Bowerman served

Louis Cafiero, his travels and pictures, wartime and postwar

• Cafiero’s Travels
• More of Cafiero’s Travels
• Still More of Louis Cafiero
• Even More of Louis Cafiero
• You Guessed It, More of Louis Cafiero

Audio and video interviews

• Armed Guard veterans, Cleveland, Ohio – video interviews
• George William Adkison, merchant mariner, video interview
• Carroll Tom Allen, merchant mariner, video interview
• John Ara, merchant mariner, audio interview
• John Dillard Arms, merchant mariner, video interview
• Ellis Barklow, Armed Guard, audio interview
• J. O. Beals, merchant mariner, audio interview
• Charles W. Bellinger, merchant mariner, audio interview
• John Joseph Boros, merchant mariner, video interview
• Walter J. Botto, merchant marine officer, audio interview
• L. Arthur Burton, merchant marine officer, video interview
• Clyde D. Carpenter, merchant mariner, video interview
• William Scott Chambers, merchant marine officer, audio interview
• Arnold DeHeus, merchant marine officer, audio interview
• Angelo Dematti, merchant mariner, video interview
• Earl Lee Dickey, merchant mariner, video interview
• George Allen Dow, Sr., merchant marine officer, audio interview
• Alfred Elam, Armed Guard – video interview
• John F. Fox, Jr., merchant mariner, video interview
• Harry C. Gebhart, merchant mariner, audio interview
• Paul Francis Goercke, merchant mariner, audio interview
• George Green Goodner, merchant marine officer, video interview
• Paul E. Granquist, merchant mariner, video interview
• Albert J. Gundy, merchant mariner, audio interview
• Roger Hanson, merchant mariner, video interview
• Cecil Elmer Harrison, merchant mariner, video interview
• Stephen J. Heck, merchant mariner, video interview
• Nelson J. Hedderman Jr., Armed Guard – two video interviews
• Richard Heinicke, Jr., merchant marine officer, video interview
• Clarence W. Hessell, merchant marine officer, video interview
• Kenneth Calvin Hoots, Armed Guard – video interview
• James Alvin Jolly, merchant mariner, video interview
• Carl Ward Jones, merchant mariner, audio interview
• Sven Eugene Keinanen, merchant marine officer, video interview
• George J. Kost, Armed Guard – video interview
• Andrew B. Lenhart, Armed Guard – video interview
• John James Landaiche, merchant mariner, video interview
• Melvin Edwin Lewis, Armed Guard – audio interview
• Mendall H. Long, merchant marine officer, video interview
• Wilmer Chalmers McCall, merchant mariner, video interview
• Dave McDowell, merchant marine officer, video interview
• Mike McHugh, merchant marine officer, video interview
• Harold S. Miller, merchant mariner, video interview
• Michael Louis Molinari, Armed Guard – audio interviews
• Paul Norman Moltane, Armed Guard – video interview
• J. O. Nelson, merchant mariner, audio interview
• Richard Lee Newman, merchant marine officer, audio interview
• Gordon T. O’Brien, merchant mariner, audio interview
• Joseph O’Leary, Armed Guard – audio interview
• Charles O. Olsen, merchant marine officer, video interview
• Michael E. Parker, merchant mariner, video interview
• Jess Sanford Perryman, Armed Guard – audio interview
• Arnold L. Peterson, merchant marine officer, video interview
• Charles Jesse Phillips, merchant mariner, audio interview
• Donald F. Prior, merchant mariner, video interview
• Paul Reffstrup, merchant marine officer, video interview
• Howard Bruce Richard, merchant mariner, video interview
• Alan G. Rollins, merchant mariner, audio interview
• William W. Romack, Armed Guard – audio interview
• Herman Eric Rosen, merchant marine officer, video interview
• John T. Roshto, merchant mariner, video interview
• William Harvey Scharrer, Sr., merchant marine officer, video interview
• Robert David Scheible, merchant marine officer, video interview
• Louis Tullio Schiavon, merchant marine officer – audio interview
• Lloyd T. Smith, merchant mariner, video interview
• James Harding Stancil, merchant marine officer, video interview
• James A. Swann, merchant mariner, audio interview
• Seymour Warshaw, merchant marine officer, video interview
• Frank Anthony Weber, merchant mariner, audio interview
• SS AMERICAN VICTORY: “In Their Own Words” – four oral histories
• SS AMERICAN VICTORY – audio file, memories of retired seamen

Personal Stories

• 11 Against the Sun
• 13 Days Adrift
• 60 Hours on a Raft, Henry Thomas von Vange, Armed Guard
• 83 Days: The Survival of Seaman Izzi
• Frank Ambrosy, merchant mariner
• Ross Helmer Apland, Armed Guard
• Robert Arata, merchant marine officer
• Howard Arnold, Armed Guard
• ENS William T. Bailey, Armed Guard officer
• Moses Barker, Armed Guard
• Charles Bernard Barry, Armed Guard officer
• Ed Barta, Armed Guard
• John Baumer, merchant mariner
• Julius Bellin, Armed Guard
• Robert W. Blake, merchant mariner
• Harold Bogigian, Armed Guard
• John Brambora, merchant mariner
• Carl “Kak” Caccese, Armed Guard (very large file, may be slow loading)
• Spurgeon Camp, merchant mariner
• Lyle H. Cate, Armed Guard
• Ralph Chamberlain, merchant marine officer
• Louis D. Chirillo, merchant marine officer
• Bertram O. Christensen, merchant mariner
• Harold Clark, merchant marine officer
• Richard Allen Cooper, merchant marine officer
• Joe C. Cox, merchant mariner
• Ellis W. Diggs, Sr., Armed Guard
• Nicholas DiSano, Armed Guard (very large file, may be slow loading; click on link “Dad’s WWII Diary.pdf”)
• Matthew Drag, merchant marine officer
• Rev. Buck Donaldson, Armed Guard
• John Matthew Edgar, Armed Guard
• Don Ellwood, merchant mariner
• Henry Elrod, merchant marine officer
• John Patrick Fedelen, Armed Guard
• Donald Fellows, merchant mariner
• Warren Fike, Armed Guard
• Bob Firchau, merchant mariner
• Robert “Dick” Fitz, Armed Guard
• Harold E. Flockhart, merchant mariner
• Roy Everett Frazier, Armed Guard
• Phillip William Garrett, Armed Guard
• Howard Catton Gilbert, Armed Guard
• William Goodness, Armed Guard
• Al Gosselin, Armed Guard
• James Philip Grant, merchant marine officer
• John Calvin Graves, Armed Guard
• Friends and Time, wartime memories of a girl from Russia
• Earl F. Haferbecker, Armed Guard
• Joseph August Halerz, Armed Guard
• Bernie Harris, merchant mariner
• Charles J. Hayes, Armed Guard
• Ray H. Higgins, merchant mariner
• Albelo Hilginio, Sr., Armed Guard
• Roy Hoglund, merchant mariner, and Jean Hoglund, U.S. Navy
• E. O. “Eddie” Humiston, merchant mariner
• Joseph Hutson, merchant mariner
• Warren Johnson, Armed Guard
• Harold R. Jones, Armed Guard
• Melvin Kahn, Armed Guard
• Francis Phillip Klataske, Armed Guard
• Dale H. Kuhlman, Armed Guard
• Vincent Philip Kuleski, Armed Guard
• Larry LaFontaine, Armed Guard
• William Leigh, merchant mariner
• Joe Locker, Jr., Armed Guard
• Richard Lowe, Armed Guard
• Emery Maddox , Armed Guard
• James C. Marshall, U.S. Army Transport Service
• Richard G. Matthiesen, merchant mariner
• Bill Mazzoleni, merchant mariner
• Theodore “Ted” McConley, Armed Guard
• John H. McDonald, Armed Guard
• Frank J. McIntosh, Armed Guard officer
• Michael J. McIntosh, Armed Guard officer
• Joseph J. McKenna, Jr., Armed Guard
• John J. Murray, Armed Guard
• William F. Nesser, merchant mariner
• Kendall E. Niebuhr, Armed Guard
• George Normoyle, Armed Guard; first transcript, second transcript
• Gerald (Jerry) Norton, Armed Guard
• Paul J. Olsen, Sr., Armed Guard (very large file, may be slow loading)
• Louis R. Padula, Armed Guard; personal diary from sinking of SS SAM HOUSTON; contributed by his son, Louis S. Padula
• Thomas N. Parlon, Armed Guard officer
• Joseph Pauro, Armed Guard
• Henry B. Rehder, merchant mariner
• Herman W. Reuss, merchant mariner
• Donald Maurice Reynolds, Armed Guard
• George Ringer, Australian Merchant Navy
• Howard Stanley Rivet, merchant mariner
• Miles Raymond Sawyer , merchant marine officer
• Russell Schramm, Armed Guard
• Walter Schwartz, merchant mariner
• Percy Ray Sharp, Armed Guard
• Letter to ENS J.W. Sharpe, Armed Guard commanding officer, SS WASHINGTON IRVING, from the ship’s officers
• Donald Shaul, Armed Guard
• Clyde A. Shomper, merchant marine seaman and officer, U.S. Navy officer
• John Simms, merchant mariner
• Kevin Smith and SS SORRENTO
• Ben Stephenson, Armed Guard
• John Stokes, Armed Guard
• Art Stolt, Armed Guard
• Dave Swan, merchant marine officer
• Otto W. Thiele, merchant marine seaman and officer
• Topeka Armed Guard veterans
• Leonard Eaton Varnam, merchant mariner
• ENS Kopl Kay Velsole, Armed Guard officer
• Jesse I. Vicera, merchant mariner
• Vignettes From a Sailor – World War II
• Paul Wasinger, Armed Guard
• WAVES Gunnery Instructor, Lorae Compton Anderson
• Ralph Weir, merchant marine officer
• Albert Wilder, merchant marine officer
• Stanley Willner, merchant marine officer
• Howard V. Wilson, merchant mariner
• World War II Vets Discuss [Armed] Guard Duty
• Cyril J. Wyche, merchant mariner
• LT(jg) Carl F. Zeidler, Armed Guard officer; see page 1, page 2

Stories of ships

• HMS ACTIVITY
• SS ADONIRAM JUDSON
• SS ALAMAR
• SS ALASKAN
• SS ALICE PALMER
• SS ARTHUR MIDDLETON
• SS ATLANTIC, a story of the Murmansk Run
• SS_ATLANTIC_SUN
• SS_AUSTRALIA
• SS BENJAMIN SMITH
• SS BLACK POINT, the last U-boat victim
• SS BLACK POINT
• SS BLACK POINT
• SS BLACK POINT, The Battle of Point Judith
• SS BUSHRANGER
• SS CAPE SAN JUAN
• SS SS CASTILLA
• SS EL COSTON
• SS EAST INDIAN
• SS FORT LEE, Never Seen or Heard from Again
• SS GULFBELLE and SS GULFLAND, not identified by name but these are likely the ships involved; October 21, 1943
• SS HAGAN
• SS HENRY BERGH
• SS HENRY R. MALLORY
• SS HENRY R. MALLORY
• SS JAMES EAGAN LAYNE
• SS JEAN NICOLET, a story of Japanese atrocity
• SS JEREMIAH M. DAILY
• SS JOHN BURKE
• SS JOHN D. GILL
• SS JOHN DAVENPORT, contributed by Ann Phillips, daughter of Walter Pudelkiewicz, who was aboard at the time
• SS JOHN G. WHITTIER
• Wreck of the SS JOHN P. GAINES
• SS JOHN LYKES
• MV LAKE OSWEYA
• SS LEOPOLDVILLE
• SS MANUELA
• SS MARCUS DALY
• SS MASSMAR (sinking)
• SS OKLAHOMA
• SS ONEIDA
• SS OTSEGO
• SS OURANG MEDAN, Mystery Ship
• SS PATRICK J. HURLEY
• Loss of SS PAUL HAMILTON
• SS PETER SYLVESTER; for other accounts of the loss of this ship and the rescue of its survivors, see HMS ACTIVITY; Cyril Kohl Conway; and Boley M. Szewc
• SS PRESIDENT COOLIDGE
• USAT PRESIDENT FILLMORE
• SS RACELAND
• SS RACELAND
• SS RAPHAEL SEMMES
• SS R P RESOR, The Death of a Tanker
• SS ROBERT E. PEARY – The Liberty Ship Built in World Record Time
• SS ROBERT NEIGHBORS
• SS SAM HOUSTON; page 1; page 2; page 3; contributed by Louis S. Padula
• The Sinking of the SS SAMUEL HEINTZELMAN
• SS SCAPA FLOW
• Torpedoing of the SS SCOTTSBURG
• SS STEPHEN HOPKINS – Duel to the Death
• SS SUMNER I. KIMBALL
• SS SWIFTSCOUT
• The Sinking of SS TJINEGARA
• SS TJISALAK, a story of Japanese atrocity
• SS TOPA TOPA
• SS WILLIAM H WELCH
• SS WILLIAM L. MARSHALL
• SS WILLIAM W. LORING
• SS ZAANDAM