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| U.S. Navy Binnacle & Engine Order Telegraph from the bridge of the Liberty Ship "JOSEPH PULITZER" |
From the previous owner-
"The telegraph and binnacle were a gift from the captain of the Polish
salvage tug that towed the liberty ship "JOSEPH PULITZER" (the vessel
from which they came) to the salvage yard in 1973. Her hull number was
#0644, her keel was laid August 1942 and she was delivered in September
1942. She was active throughout the war in Europe and was laid up in the
James River idle fleet after decommissioning at the end of WWII. I was
the pilot that piloted the salvage tug towing the Joseph Pulitzer from
the ghost fleet in the James River to Cape Henry, Virginia in 1973. Captain L.D. Amory III"
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| A typical Liberty ship crosses the ocean carrying cargo to a foreign destination. Photo from the Library of Congress. |
As published in the book "THE LIBERTY SHIPS from A (A.B. Hammond) to Z
(Zona Gale)" written by Capt. Walter W. Jaffee, the Liberty ships were
the backbone of the Allied supply lines in World War II. Millions of
tons of war material were needed on battlefronts around the world. The
full might of U.S. industrial power was brought to bear and, “built by
the mile and chopped off by the yard,” 2,710 Libertys sailed out of
American shipyards to deliver the goods. From Murmansk to the great
D-Day invasion; in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters of war; from Iwo
Jima and the Leyte landings to the invasion of Okinawa, Libertys were
the “bridge of ships” that helped the Allies win the war. Only two
operational Liberty ships, the SS John W. Brown and the SS Jeremiah O'Brien, remain.
Merchant Marine Heroes:
Meritorious Service Medals Awarded "for Conduct or Service of a Meritorious
Nature" during World War II
Bramble, Walter W. [H] Able Seaman, SS Joseph Pulitzer
In 1943, the SS Joseph Pulitzer, in which Bramble (then able seaman) was
serving, transported troops, vehicles and Army supplies from a North
African base to Gela, Sicily. This vessel, and others in the convoy,
were subjected to many strafing and bombing attacks by enemy planes and
also to bombardments from shore based artillery. During one of these
attacks fragments from an anti-personnel bomb wounded all eight of the
crew of the after three-inch gun, some so seriously that it was
necessary to transfer them to a naval vessel for treatment. In this
emergency, Bramble, who had some previous gunnery experience,
volunteered and received permission to form a new gun crew composed of
merchant seamen and Army personnel. For four days and nights this
amateur crew performed valiant service in driving off enemy planes. It
was credited with one plane shot down. Bramble's fine spirit, leadership
and skill contributed materially to the safety of the ship and were in
keeping with the high standards of the United States Mrchant Marine.
[Bramble was from Baltimore, MD] Sep. 12, 1946. http://www.usmm.org/msm.html
Also noted:
A couple of hours after the Robert Rowan sank, four German planes
attacked with fragmentation bombs, one of which wounded eight men inthe
Joseph Pulitzer's 3-inch gun crew. The Pulitzer had a former Navy gun
pointer in her civilian crew, so Captain Kingdon S. Thomas made him gun
captain of a merchant seaman gun crew which "did some fine shooting."
The new gun crew was drenched by water that night when raiding
dive-bombers gave them some near misses. The third mate merely ended the
log for the 8-to-12 watch with, "Army stevedores discharging cargo
between bombs, bullets and barges." Walter Bramble.
Follow the link U.S. Navy Binnacle & Engine Order Telegraph From the Liberty Ship "JOSEPH PULITZER" for a complete description and images of these exceptional surviving instruments.
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