What is a merchant ship in ww2?
On those ships were not military personnel but merchant mariners — civilian volunteers with the U.S. Merchant Marine, hauling vital war cargo for the Allies. Merchant mariners were the supply line that provided virtually everything Allied armies needed in order to survive and fight on foreign battlefields.
What were the ships in ww2 used for?
They were used to hunt other ships and to hunt submarines. Additionally, they could lay down minefields just outside of enemy waters. They also escorted bigger ships, such as carriers, and protected them. They could act alone, but often moved in a group of ships called a flotilla.
What did the Merchant Marines do during ww2?
The mariners—or private seamen whom the US government could use for defense measures during times of conflict—supplied Allied operations in all theaters of the war with troops and crucial supplies including fuel and ammunition, “never knowing when a torpedo might smash the hull above [them] and send thousands of tons …
What were Liberty ships used for?
Cargo ships were needed to ferry supplies to allies if the United States entered the war. The United States decided to modify the English design being used for the Lend-Lease ships. The new emergency cargo ships came to be known as the Liberty ships.
What were merchant ships for?
merchant marine, the commercial ships of a nation, whether privately or publicly owned. The term merchant marine also denotes the personnel that operate such ships, as distinct from the personnel of naval vessels. Merchant ships are used to transport people, raw materials, and manufactured goods.
Are merchant Marines veterans?
Summary. Although merchant mariners have supported the Armed Forces in every war fought by the United States, they generally are not considered veterans for the purpose of eligibility for federal benefits.
What was the biggest ship in World War II?
Launched in 1942 alongside its sister ship, the Yamato, the Musashi became the flagship of the main fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy the following year. The two ships were among the largest and most powerful ever built, measuring 862 feet (263 meters) long and weighing in at 73,000 tons.
What was the most important Navy vessel for the United States in World War II?
Aircraft Carriers
The “Big E” as she was known, was the most decorated US ship in the whole of World War II. She served in nearly every major campaign of the Pacific War, from the earliest days just after Pearl Harbor, to Guadalcanal to Midway to Iwo Jima.
What was the best ww2 battleship?
Widely considered the most capable battleship in the Atlantic during World War II, Bismarck sank the battlecruiser HMS Hood, pride of the Royal Navy, with a single round from her main battery.
What is the difference between a Merchant Marine and a Marine?
The merchant marines are not a part of the military. Some of them work on ships that support the U.S. Navy, but aren’t active members of the military. The Merchant Marine receives support from the U.S. Maritime Administration, an agency of the Department of Transportation.
Is there a Merchant Marine flag?
The Merchant Marine Flag Program loans USMM flags and authorizes the use of USMM logos to qualifying institutions for public display alongside other flags of the United States Armed Forces.
Do Merchant Marines have ranks?
Left to right: Commodore, Captain, Commander, Lieutenant Commander, Lieutenant, Lieutenant (Junior Grade), Ensign, Chief Warrant, Warrant Officer.
Which ship sank the most ships in ww2?
the USS Tang
With 33 ships sunk, the USS Tang sank the most tonnage of shipping in World War II for the United States. Its tonnage was revised from the Joint Army–Navy Assessment Committee (JANAC) report, which initially credited Tang with fewer sinkings.
Which battleship saw most action in ww2?
For several years – more than her three sisters combined – she was the world’s only operational battleship. USS New Jersey also saw more combat in World War II than any other Iowa-class battleship.
What was the deadliest battleship in ww2?
Naval Expert: The USS Missouri Was the Most Dangerous Battleship Ever | The National Interest.
Could a destroyer sink a battleship?
In large fleet actions, however, destroyers and torpedo boats were usually unable to get close enough to the battleships to damage them. The only battleship sunk in a fleet action by either torpedo boats or destroyers was the obsolescent German pre-dreadnought SMS Pommern.
Which was bigger the Bismarck or the Yamato?
The Bismarcks carried about nineteen thousand tons of armor, albeit in an archaic configuration by World War II standards. The Yamatos, on the other hand, displaced about seventy-two thousand tons, armed with nine 18.1” guns in three triple turrets and capable of twenty-seven knots.
What is the most feared ship?
Navy Killers: 5 Deadliest Warships Ever (Early 20th Century…
- Essex Class Aircraft Carrier, United States.
- Queen Elizabeth Class Battleship, United Kingdom.
- U-31 Class Submarine, Imperial Germany.
- Kagero Class Destroyer, Imperial Japan.
- Town Class Cruiser, United Kingdom.
- Conclusion.
What is the greatest battleship of all time?
the Yamato
air raids but also the Yamato, the greatest battleship in the world (72,000 tons, with nine 18.1-inch [460-millimetre] guns), which was sent out on a suicidal mission with only enough fuel for the single outward voyage and without sufficient air cover.
What is the greatest warship in history?
The best battleships and warships of all time
- HMS Victory. Despite its age, the HMS Victory might be one of the most well-known warships of all time. …
- German battleship Bismarck. …
- Zumwalt Class Destroyers. …
- HMS Hood. …
- USS Midway. …
- Sea Shadow (IX-529)
What is the largest U.S. battleship ever built?
USS Missouri (BB-63)
| History | |
|---|---|
| United States | |
| Class and type | Iowa-class battleship |
| Displacement | Standard: 48,110 long tons (48,880 t) Full load: 57,540 long tons (58,460 t) |
| Length | 887 feet 3 inches (270.4 m) loa |
Can USS Missouri still sail?
Missouri’s final operational mission occurred on December 7, 1991, when the battleship led a contingent of ships into Pearl Harbor as part of the commemoration to mark the 50th anniversary of the attack that thrust America into World War II. Missouri was decommissioned for the second time.
What was the last battleship ever built?
HMS Vanguard
HMS Vanguard was a British fast battleship built during the Second World War and commissioned after the war ended. She was the biggest and fastest of the Royal Navy’s battleships, the only ship of her class and the last battleship to be built.
Why was the USS Utah not raised?
The attack at Pearl Harbor lasted nearly two hours, but for Utah, it was over in less than 12 minutes. Sailors had started raising the colors on the ship’s fantail, but never finished their task. The first of two torpedos crippled the ship, sinking it just off its berth at F-11.
Which battleship remains at the bottom of the harbor still today?
battleship U.S.S. Arizona
The sunken battleship U.S.S. Arizona has lain in the “oily waters of Pearl Harbor” for decades now — a historic relic, a sacred open grave and an environmental dilemma.
Are there bodies on the USS Utah?
In all, 30 officers and 431 men survived the sinking of the Utah. But six officers and 52 sailors perished, either trapped inside the ship or as they tried to swim ashore. Only four of their bodies were ever recovered and identified.
How many bodies are still in the USS Utah?
The correct answer is 58 men died on the Utah. That number includes officers. Four of the 58 men were buried on land, but 54 of them are still entombed inside the ship.
Did they retrieve bodies from Pearl Harbor?
Three years later, on Dec. 7, 1941, they were killed when their ship, the USS Oklahoma, was sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. For 78 years, they rested among hundreds of the ship’s fallen who were recovered but never identified, buried as unknowns in a cemetery in Hawaii.
Are there still bodies in the ships at Pearl Harbor?
According to DPAA, laboratory analysis and circumstantial evidence have established the remains unable to be matched with individual sailors. These remains – 33 in total – are designated as group remains, which will be buried at the Punchbowl on December 7, 2021, the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Is the USS Oklahoma Still in Pearl Harbor?
On the way to California, the hull began taking on water and finally sank to the bottom of the Pacific about 500 miles east of Hawaii. Today, there is a memorial to the USS Oklahoma and the 429 sailors and marines lost on December 7, 1941, located on Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Are there still bodies in the USS Oklahoma?
After years of planning, an announcement was made by DPAA that all Oklahoma remains would be exhumed and DNA tested for identification. This operations was known as the Oklahoma Project. As of September 2021, out of the remaining 394, 346 sailors and marines already have been identified and buried under their names.
What ship turned upside down at Pearl Harbor?
The USS Oklahoma
The USS Oklahoma capsized at 8:08 A.M., approximately 12 minutes after the first torpedo hit. Hundreds of men were trapped below her decks. They found themselves in a bizarre world turned upside down, in pitch-black darkness, as compartments filled with water.