Dad's old pictures....

[Frank]

I remember seeing these as a boy many years ago. Just a few minutes ago I was cleaning out an old chest and found a felt bag with my dad's service medals in it. Tucked between them were the pictures....
Now I understand when he would tell me "you haven't seen big seas my son"
He was a merchant marine and the pictures were from an Altantic crossing in 1940. He was 22 then.

Gives creadance to the notion that even ships feel very small out there....

[Jim_ME]

Thanks for sharing the photos of the medals and big seas, Frank.

My initial thought was that 1940 was just before the war...but then remembered that, of course, Canada was in WWII well before the US and the attack on Pearl Harbor...

I see that in the right medal with the (British) Lion stepping on the (German?) eagle the dates shown are 1939-1945...the war years for Canada.

[Frank]

You're more observant than I Jim :)
I knew it was 1940 because the pictures were in with discharge papers from that tour. He had 2 tours....another in 1941.
I remember him telling me about "black out" periods when the German Subs were hunting. No engines running, no lights, no talking and no smoking above decks. Said they were stressful periods.

[Jim_ME]

My grandfather (I believe starting in the late 30s) worked in the shipyard here in South Portland where the Liberty ships were built.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_ship

The US was using these to send supplies to England before we got into the war. I've head that they were building the ships as fast as they could, since they were being sunk by U-Boats at a high rate.

Here's an article on the shipyard after a couple existing yards merged, and includes ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England_Shipbuilding_Corporation

When John R came up with his children and we sailed out to Eagle Island in Casco Bay, he launched his trailer-sailer at a ramp near where this photo was taken. He will recognize Fort Gorges in the distance in between the row of ships on the right and the crane. The gray steel ribs of a ships bow behind me in my member photo is part of a monument to the Liberty ships, the shipyard, and those who built and served on them--I believe.

One of these Liberty ships is still active as a museum ship in San Francisco...
http://www.ssjeremiahobrien.org/