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SSWest Nohno

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West Nohno had design and measurements similar to West Shore, a sister ship from the same shipyard seen here c. 1918.
West Nohnohad design and measurements similar toWest Shore,a sister ship from the same shipyard seen here c. 1918.
History
United States
NameWest Nohno
OwnerUSSB
Builder
Yard number24[2]
Launched12 February 1919[3]
CompletedMay 1919[2]
IdentificationOfficial number: 217936[1]
FateSunk as part of "gooseberry"breakwateroffNormandy,11 June 1944[4]
General characteristics
TypeDesign 1013 ship
Tonnage
Length
  • 409 ft 9 in (124.89 m) (LPP)[1]
  • 423 ft 10 in (129.18 m)[5]
Beam54 ft 2 in (16.51 m)[1]
Draft23 ft 11 in (7.29 m)[5]
Propulsion1 ×steam turbine[1]
Speed11.5 knots (21.3 km/h)[1]

SSWest Nohnowas acargo shipof theUnited States Shipping Board(USSB)launchedshortly after the end ofWorld War I.The ship was inspected by theUnited States Navyfor possible use asUSSWest Nohno(ID-4029)but was neither taken into the Navy nor evercommissionedunder that name.

West Nohnowas built in 1919 for the USSB, as a part of theWestships, a series of steel-hulledcargo ships built on theWest Coast of the United Statesfor the World War I war effort, and was the 24th ship built atNorthwest SteelinPortland, Oregon.Completed too late for that conflict, she operated for a number of years as a merchant ship sailing to African ports for theAmerican West African Line.

In November 1941,West Nohnobecame the first American merchant ship to be armed prior to the United States' entry intoWorld War II.Shortly after the U.S. entry to that conflict, she was employed for one roundtrip to theSoviet Unionin March 1942. After her return, she sailed mainly between the United States andUnited Kingdomports. In 1943, a civilian crewman aboardWest Nohnowas convicted ofseditionfor trying to incite a rebellion among members of the ship's crew andNaval Armed Guard.In February 1944, she sailed from the United States for the final time, and wasscuttledin June as part of the "gooseberry"breakwateroffUtah Beachduring theNormandy invasion,earning abattle starfor the ship.

Design and construction

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TheWestships werecargo shipsof similar size and design built by several shipyards on theWest Coast of the United Statesfor the USSB for emergency use duringWorld War I.All were given names that began with the wordWest,likeWest Nohno,[6]the one of some 40Westships built by theNorthwest SteelofPortland, Oregon.[2]West Nohno(Northwest Steel yard number 24, USSB hull number 1080)[2]waslaunched12 February 1919 and completed in May 1919.[2][3]

West Nohnowas 6,186gross register tons(GRT), and was 409 feet 9 inches (124.89 m) long (between perpendiculars)[1]and 54 feet 2 inches (16.51 m)abeam.She had a steelhulland had adeadweight tonnageof 8,580DWT.[5][7]Sources do not giveWest Nohno's other hull characteristics, butWest Cheswald,asister shipalso built at Northwest Steel had adisplacementof 12,200 t with ameandraftof 24 feet 1 inch (7.34 m), and ahold29 feet 9 inches (9.07 m) deep.[8]West Nohnopower plant consisted of a singlesteam turbinethat drove a singlescrew propeller,which moved the ship at up to 11.5 knots (21.3 km/h).[1]

Early career

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West Nohnowas inspected by theUnited States Navyafter completion for possible use and was assigned the identification number of 4029. Had she beencommissioned,she would have been known as USSWest Nohno(ID-4029), but the Navy neither took over the ship nor commissioned her.[7]

Information onWest Nohno's early career is incomplete, but through the end of 1920 the cargo ship sailed on a New York –Glasgowroute.[9]By early 1922,West Nohnowas sailing for the USSB-ownedAmerican West African Line.The principal ports visited by American West African ships wereDakar,Freetown,Monrovia,andLagos.[10]News items reported thatWest Nohnoalso visitedTeneriffe,[11]Accra,[12]Las Palmas,[13]Grand-Bassam,[14]Seccondee,[15]andSaint Vincent.[16]West Nohnowas still on African routes as late as 1928, when the USSB began accepting bids for the purchase of the American West African Line.[10]

From 1928 to 1941, little is known aboutWest Nohno's activities. At some point during this period, she was laid up as part of areserve fleet,in which she remained as late as 1939. By May 1941, now under ownership of theUnited States Maritime Commission(USMC) (a successor to the USSB),[5]the ship had been reactivated and was scheduled to sail inRed Seaservice under the operation ofAmerican Export Lines.In this Red Sea service, ships would carrymaterielfor the British to Red Sea andGulf of Adenports and carrystrategic materialsneeded by the United States on return journeys.[17]

World War II

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USSWichitacollides withWest Nohnoin Hvalfjörður, 15 January 1942, damaging the cruiser.

When amendments to the U.S.Neutrality Actsin late 1941 allowed United States merchant ships to be armed for service in the Atlantic,West Nohnobecame the first vessel so equipped when a large deck gun and threeanti-aircraftgun emplacements were installed by workers at theTietjen & Lang DrydockinHoboken, New Jerseyin late November.[18]Navy officials, citing secrecy concerns, would not reveal the size of the gun, but allowed that theborewas between 3 and 6 inches (76 and 152 mm). While at the shipyard,West Nohno'swheelhouseand radio shack were reinforced with thick walls of concrete to protect againstmachine-gunbullets, and the ship was repainted "battleship gray".[18]

After her guns were installed,West Nohnohad made her way toSydney, Nova Scotia,by 27 December when she sailed as a part of transatlantic Convoy SC 86. With her destination set forMurmansk,West Nohnopeeled off from the convoy and headed toReykjavík,Iceland.While at anchor in Iceland,West Nohnoexperienced a winter storm from 15 to 19 January 1942. On 15 January, the storm, packing winds of 80 knots (150 km/h) and gusts of up to 100 knots (190 km/h), droveWest NohnointoUSSWichita,damaging theheavy cruiser.[19]Apparently suffering no major damage herself in the collision,West NohnojoinedArctic convoyPQ 9, which sailed on 1 February and arrived at Murmansk nine days later.[20]Though the convoy had arrived at its destination, the danger ofGermanattack was still present. The nearest German airfield was 35 miles (56 km) away—about 7 to 10 minutes flying time—which gave almost no advance warning of air raids. German dive bombers would silently glide in below Soviet anti-aircraft fire, drop their payloads, and fly away.[21][Note 1]Despite the fact that Murmansk had limited port facilities and typically slow unloading of cargo, sometimes requiring ships to remain in port for weeks or months,[21]West Nohnowas ready to sail in Convoy QP 8 on 1 March, returning to Reykjavik on 11 March. She sailed forHalifaxeleven days later and arrived on 7 April.[20]

West Nohnohad made her way toHampton Roads, Virginia,by 29 May, when she sailed forKey West, Florida.After her 4 June arrival at Key West,[20]she began a nine-month journey toAlexandria,Cairo,and other ports.[22]During this extended voyage, three crewmen entered one ofWest Nohno's fuel tanks to clean it while the ship was atSuezon 29 September 1942. The crewmen did not use gas masks and were soon overcome by fumes. Thesecond mateof the NorwegiantankerBritannia,Henning Vaagsnes, entered the tank and removed all three men. Two ofWest Nohno's men survived but the third, despite two hours of attempts to revive him by Vaagsnes, did not. For his efforts, Vaagsnes received a pair of binoculars from U.S. presidentFranklin D. Rooseveltand a gold watch from the ship owners.[23]He was also awardedSt. Olav's medal with Oak Branch,[23]a medal awarded for personal courage and bravery by the Norwegian government.[24][Note 2]

In February 1943, theWest Nohnocompleted her nine-month journey when she arrived atMobile, Alabama,[22]after sailing viaGuantánamo Bay,Cuba,and Key West.[20]TheChicago Daily Tribunereported that during this voyage, seaman James Orville Couchois had incited subordination and disloyalty among the crew. The head of theNaval Armed Guarddetachment aboardWest Nohnoreported Couchois' activities, as well as comments from other crew members on the ship. After the ship had docked at Mobile, Couchois was removed from the ship and ultimately faced a trial forsedition.[22]Couchois, who was thedeck managerfor theNational Maritime Unionof theCongress of Industrial Organizations,was convicted and sentenced to a prison term of five years.[25]

West Nohnosailed in several transatlantic convoys, like this typical one, seen in 1942.

In late March,West Nohnobegan the first of threeBoston–Liverpoolround trips.[20]On the Halifax–Liverpool leg of this first trip, she had some unspecified problem that required her return to Halifax,[26]but it must have been a minor problem since she sailed again for Liverpool a week later. The cargo ship returned to Boston on 3 June and began her second voyage to Liverpool on 30 June. While in the UK she called atLoch Ewe,Methil,andObanin July and August before her 6 September return to Boston. Her third journey was an extended one that began by sailing from Boston on 3 October. She arrived at Liverpool three weeks later. During the next seven weeks, she made her way toMilford Haven,from which she began her last westbound transatlantic crossing on 13 December.West Nohnoarrived in Boston on 5 January 1944.[20]

Final voyage

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West Nohnohad been selected to become one of theblockshipsfor theAllied invasion of France,then in the planning stages. Though the specific modifications performed onWest Nohnoare not revealed in sources, modifications for other ships do appear. In November 1944,The Christian Science Monitorreported that blockships dispatched from Boston, likeWest Nohno,had been loaded with "tons of sand and cement" and had been rigged with explosive charges before departing the port. Further, existing antiaircraft weapons had been moved higher up on the ship and supplemented by additional guns.[27]An account by Cesar Poropat, chief engineer aboardWest Honaker,another blockship dispatched from Boston, mentions that transversebulkheadsaboard that ship were cut open to facilitate sinking.[28]

A view of the "gooseberry"breakwateratSword Beach,showing the partially submerged ships.West Nohnowasscuttledto help form the "gooseberry" atUtah Beachshortly after theNormandy landingsin mid-June 1944.
Gooseberry line of ship used as artificial harbour breakwater in June 1944
Mulberry artificial harbour in Normandy in September 1944, used to block the incoming wave

West Nohnodeparted Boston on 24 February and arrived at Halifax two days later. Departing from that port on 29 February, she sailed in Convoy HX-281 and arrived at Milford Haven on 15 March. She departed there forPortsmouththe same day.[20]West Nohno's whereabouts and movements through early June are not recorded. Other ships that had been selected as blockships assembled in a "corncob" fleet atOban,[28]though it's not clear ifWest Nohnodid or not. The "corncob" fleet was the group of ships intended to be sunk to form the "gooseberries",[29]shallow-water artificial harbors forlanding craft.[30]Poropat reports that once the ship crews were told of their mission while anchored at Oban, they were not permitted to leave the ships.[28]

Three "corncob" convoys, consisting of what one author called the "dregs of the North Atlantic shipping pool",[31]departed fromPooleand reached the Normandy beachhead the next day, shortly after theD-Day landings.[32]Poropat reports that the corncob ships traveled under cover of darkness and, stripped of all unnecessary equipment, carried no radios, having only a signal lamp (with a spare bulb) for communication.[28]Once at the designated location, the ships were put into position and scuttled over the next days, under heavy German artillery fire.[33]Naval Armed Guardsmen manned the guns on all the gooseberry ships to protect against frequent German air attacks;West Nohno's gunners assisted in shooting down several planes on 10 June.[34]All the while, harbor pilots—about half of the New York Bar Pilots Association, according to one source—carefully positioned the ships.[35]West NohnoandWest Cheswaldwere the last two ships sunk offUtah Beachwhen they went down on 11 June.[4]Even though she had been sunk,West Nohnocontinued to serve as an antiaircraft platform manned by Navy gun crews until 18 June, and by Army crews after that date.[34]West Nohno's naval gunners were awarded abattle starfor participation in the Normandy Landings.[7]

Awards

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Harold T. Andrews was an ordinary seaman on the SSWest Nohnoon 15 September 1942 when the ship was inSuez, Egypt,There an engineer officer had been overcome by gases in a forepeak tank. Andrews lost his life trying to rescue the engineer. He was given theMerchant Marine Distinguished Service Medalby The President of the United States. For the President the award was given by AdmiralEmory S. Land.[36]

Notes

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  1. ^There is no record of any specific attack onWest Nohnowhile at Murmansk, butYaka,another American cargo ship, experienced 48 air attacks in a nine-day period in April. See: Morison, p. 372.
  2. ^Vaagsnes'St. Olav's medal with Oak Branchwas awarded posthumously in 1989. See:Lawson, Siri (12 August 2008)."M/T Britannia".Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945.WarSailors.com.Retrieved6 November2008.

References

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  1. ^abcdefgh"West Nohno".Miramar Ship Index.R.B.Haworth.Retrieved12 September2008.
  2. ^abcdeColton, Tim."Northwest Steel, Portland OR".Shipbuildinghistory.com.The Colton Company.Retrieved12 September2008.
  3. ^ab"Shipbuilding Notes".Shipping: A Weekly Journal of Marine Trades.VI(8).New York:Shipping Publishing Company: 28. 22 February 1919.OCLC8414304.
  4. ^abStanford, p. 149.
  5. ^abcdeJordan, p. 433.
  6. ^Crowell and Wilson, pp. 358–59.
  7. ^abcNaval Historical Center."West Nohno".DANFS.
  8. ^Naval Historical Center."West Cheswald".DANFS.
  9. ^See:"Shipping and mails"(PDF).The New York Times.16 August 1919. p. 14.Retrieved12 September2008.Also:"Shipping".The Times.17 March 1920. p. 2."Mail and shipping intelligence".The Times.26 April 1920. p. 24."Mail and shipping intelligence".The Times.17 December 1920. p. 17.
  10. ^ab"African line bids to be opened today".The New York Times.29 May 1928. p. 51.
  11. ^"Shipping and mails"(PDF).The New York Times.8 September 1922. p. 23.Retrieved12 September2008.
  12. ^"Shipping and mails"(PDF).The New York Times.12 December 1922. p. 39.Retrieved12 September2008.
  13. ^"Shipping and mails".The New York Times.3 January 1923. p. 14.
  14. ^"Shipping and mails".The New York Times.19 January 1923. p. 35.
  15. ^"Shipping and mails".The New York Times.9 March 1923. p. 19.
  16. ^"Shipping and mails".The New York Times.7 November 1923. p. 35.
  17. ^"U.S. Gets 40 ships for defense pool".The New York Times.14 May 1941. p. 8.
  18. ^ab"First U.S. cargo ship is armed amid both secrecy and fanfare".The New York Times.27 November 1941. p. 1.
  19. ^Cressman, p. 69.
  20. ^abcdefg"Port Arrivals/Departures: West Nohno".Arnold Hague's Ports Database.Convoy Web.Retrieved12 September2008.
  21. ^abMorison, pp. 370–71.
  22. ^abc"CIO seamen plan a revolt, court is told".Chicago Daily Tribune.5 August 1943. p. 1.
  23. ^abLawson, Siri (12 August 2008)."M/T Britannia".Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945.WarSailors.com.Retrieved6 November2008.
  24. ^Lawson, Siri (12 August 2008)."Norwegian War Medals".Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945.WarSailors.com.Retrieved6 November2008.
  25. ^"CIO aid gets 5-year term as seditionist".Chicago Daily Tribune.7 August 1943. p. 1.
  26. ^"Convoy SC.126".Arnold Hague Convoy Database.ConvoyWeb.Retrieved12 September2008.
  27. ^Stone, Leon (18 November 1944). "Bay State ship sacrificed to Normandy aid".The Christian Science Monitor.p. 5.
  28. ^abcdPoropat, Cesar (2000)."The Corncob Fleet on D-Day".Beyond the Palisades.Bruce Poropat.Retrieved12 September2008.This webpage consists of excerpts from Cesar Poropat's privately published 2000 book,Beyond the Palisades.
  29. ^Richard,Glossary of U.S. Naval Code Words: C.
  30. ^Richard,Glossary of U.S. Naval Code Words: G.
  31. ^Howe, p. 1.
  32. ^"Convoy CORNCOB.1","Convoy CORNCOB.2","Convoy CORNCOB.3".Arnold Hague Convoy Database.ConvoyWeb. Retrieved 12 September 2008.
  33. ^Howe, p. 3.
  34. ^abAskew, pp. 179–80.
  35. ^Crichton, Tom (4 April 2004). T. Horodysky (ed.)."The Useful Death of the MV Galveston".American Merchant Marine at War.T. Horodysky.Retrieved12 September2008.
  36. ^usmm.org Heroes

Bibliography

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