jaedev6 t1_iwekrwf wrote
My father served in ww2. I remember him saying, he didn't think the Merchant Marines got the respect they deserved.
FourOff t1_iwf2pyw wrote
My great uncle served in the merchant marines then wrote a book about it (“Sea War”). 570 merchant ships lost during the war.
bocaciega t1_iwi62sf wrote
My gpa was in the merchant marines. Didnt talk much about it.
Riccma02 t1_iwguz3s wrote
Yup, the US strategy was literally to launch ships faster than the Germans could sink them. A disturbing number of the surviving war built liberty ships failed catastrophically right after the war. Merchant Marines were torpedo fodder.
Jaggedmallard26 t1_iwhkdxh wrote
It didn't help they did what America did in every other aspect of both world wars and ignore the lessons its allies had learned from already fighting the war for 3 years. The Americans were slower to adopt the convoy system the brits had been refining that made it significantly safer.
SteveThePurpleCat t1_iwikdmj wrote
US admirals were famously Anglophobic, they actively rejected any advice from the British rather than just ignored it.
Convoys? Anti-sub escorts? Zig-Zag? Turning lights and radios off? Pfft, that's just for the weak English.
Hang on, where did all of our Merchants go? Oh, to bits you say...
Halvus_I t1_iwijwao wrote
> liberty ships
Wow, 2710 made, only 4 left.
ru_empty t1_iwitp66 wrote
Got to tour one. It was surprising they turned them out in such high numbers
firebat707 t1_iwhwjfx wrote
Well when you make a ship injust over a month, there are going to be some corners cut.
MrchntMariner86 t1_iwiwk0n wrote
Accurate.
pinkfootthegoose t1_iwf294p wrote
that's because they took the money up front.
Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments