by Mehlo, Noel
Ranger James R. Copeland described that they had hit a freighter requiring the ship to return to the dock for repairs that took a day. He also indicated that concrete had been used to patch the ship. He said in his biography that the Rangers all thought the Captain was amusing. “We all laughed our asses off – we were told how the ship’s captain was the best – but he found the only other ship within a thousand square miles to run into.”17
General Raaen described the incident this way. He said that about the time they would have been or had passed by the Statue of Liberty, he came up on deck. He told me that to this day, he has yet to see the Statue of Liberty. He had come on deck on the port side of the ship. He recalled watching the tanker from about one mile away. He told me that the tanker was approaching from port at about a 90 degree angle. He said that he remembered seeing the green light from the tanker and that the Mauretania was showing a red light. He watched as the two vessels closed the distance. Neither turned the wheel and then collided.
When considering the layman’s term right-of-way for sailing vessels, it is properly described accordingly. Vessels at sea do not actually have any "right of way". A vessel is either in the position as the "stand on vessel" or the "give way" vessel. At no time should any vessel actually navigate its way into a collision. No one in command of a vessel may assume a "right of way" up to a point of collision. When two ships intersect the ordinary rule is that the ship on the left must give way. The stand on vessel to the right sees the green light on the starboard (right) of the vessel approaching at the intersect course. The give way vessel sees the red light on the port (left) side of the stand on ship approaching from the right. If the courses are intersecting, the helmsman usually gives way to the red light by reducing speed and going around the stern (rear of the stand on vessel. This would safely take the vessel through the wake of the stand on vessel. Another rule is that all vessels are to give way to powered vessels that are constrained by their draft or restricted in their ability to maneuver. By maritime tradition the application of the saying "If to starboard red appear, tis your duty to keep clear" should be followed by all helmsmen. Figure 125 illustrates this.
Figure 125: Navigation lights (Seaman's Pocket-Book, 1943)18 I will not take the time to assign blame for this collision as I am unqualified to do so. I have spent this time discussing this part of the story because had there been a maritime disaster, I might not exist to write this work. The Rangers eventually made it to sea. The following are excerpts from the Company Morning Reports from B Company:
7 Jan 44: Embarked HMS Mauretania at 1915 hrs for secret destination
8 Jan 44: HMS Mauretania departed NYPE at 0700 hours enroute to secret destination
8 Jan 44: HMS Mauretania collided with freighter at 0900 hrs
8 Jan 44: HMS Mauretania returns to NYPE at 1100 hrs.
9 Jan 44: HMS Mauretania left NYPE at 1700 hrs. 1st day at sea, morale excellent
10 Jan 44: HMS Mauretania 2nd day at sea, enroute to secret destination, morale excellent
11 Jan 44: HMS Mauretania 3rd day at sea, enroute to secret destination, morale high.
12 Jan 44: HMS Mauretania 4th day at sea, enroute to secret destination, morale excellent
13 Jan 44: HMS Mauretania 5th day at sea, enroute to secret destination, morale excellent
14 Jan 44: HMS Mauretania 6th day at sea, enroute to secret destination, morale excellent
15 Jan 44: HMS Mauretania 7th day at sea, enroute to secret destination, morale excellent
16 Jan 44: HMS Mauretania 8th day at sea, enroute to secret destination, morale excellent
17 Jan 44: HMS Mauretania 9th day at sea, enroute to secret destination, morale excellent
18 Jan 44: HMS Mauretania arrived Liverpool England at 0800 hrs, distance travelled by water transportation 4000 miles.
19 Jan 44: Disembarked HMS Mauretania at 0405 hrs, left Liverpool England at 0600 hrs. Arrived at Leominster England at 1030. Distance travelled by rail 150 miles.
The HMS Mauretania II was more than capable of making the voyage from New York to Liverpool in 5 days and twelve hours. This particular voyage took ten days. According to Dr Parker, the voyage was very rough. He indicated that when they hit the rough seas, many plates from the galley broke as they hit the floor from the tossing about. This resulted in multiple reports of sea-sickness on the voyage. Reports of the lack of the English food sitting well with American troops did not help matters. He recalled that the voyage used lookouts and that he did not recall ant issues.
“It was quite cold in January on the North Atlantic, but we were forced to go out onto open decks during the day. We huddled out of the wind. One day the Captain said over the loudspeaker: "I say, some of you must move around to the other side of the ship! You're making it list until I can't steer it!" Besides the cold, there was the food, or lack thereof! We had to go down into a smelly, hot area to eat. A lot of people were seasick, and they couldn't be too choosy where they were sick. The food didn't do anything to entice you not to be sick! I have always wondered how much our Government paid the British to haul us to England to save them. I am sure it was far more than the service and food we received. I did feel sad when I read the Mauritania was sent to be cut up for scrap 11/20/65 at the age of 26.”
Victor J. "Baseplate" Miller, Sgt., Co. E, 5th Ranger Battalion, U.S.A.
Figure 126: Cramped troop accommodation on the MAURETANIA
The conditions for the enlisted men were cramped as illustrated in Figures 126 through 129.
Figure 127: Cramped conditions in the MAURETANIA's first-class dining saloon for some of the 6,500 troops the ship could carry. According to the biography of the 54th Replacement Battalion, the passage was described as uneventful. It was reported that some of the ship’s crew had indicated that this trans-Atlantic crossing was the slowest the Mauretania had ever taken. The great ship had been forced far off course to escape suspected enemy submarines. It was known that the HMS Mauretania was one of Germany’s most desirable targets for the U-boat commanders. In another unrelated account of a crossing of the Atlantic, it was said that the Nazis attempted to keep tabs on the whereabouts of the vessel. In one instance, a U-boat had reported her position to other nearby submarines, and the HMS Mauretania had to pour on speed along with evasive maneuvers to avoid the trap being laid for her on all sides. It is unknown if this attempted trap was associated with this particular voyage, but it might have been considering the length of the voyage. Mr. McLain reported that the crossing on January 8 was made without an escort as were many of her voyages, due to her speed. A plane flew overhead for the first two days of the eastward trip. Robert S Butcher indicated that the ship ran into such foul weather on the crossing that he became so sea-sick that he swore never to sail again, but his grandson was unsure if this recollection applied to the voyage to England or the voyage home after the war. “The waves were so large that the huge ship seemed to flex and that the spray would freeze in the air before reaching the back of the Mauretania” according to Mr. McLain
Dr. Parker’s quarters on board were in a stateroom that had been converted. He indicated that the room had been shored up for some reason. He went on to say that 4x4 timbers had been installed as the framing for bunks. The room held a total of eight officers.
Figure 128: Typical enlisted mens sleeping quarters aboard ship
Figure 129: Typical entertainment aboard ship provided by the soldier’s themselves The key to successful troopship administration was the competence of the transport commander, requiring sound administrative skill in controlling the activities and conduct of a large number of troops under difficult circumstances. The transport commander was assigned by, and exercised his authority as a representative of, an Army port commander. Before each voyage he made a thorough inspection of his ship and prepared a plan for utilizing the facilities in a way that would best serve the troops and other passengers who were scheduled to embark.
The transport commander was in command of all personne
l on board except the ship's crew and the naval armed guard. He was the chief of the permanent military complement on the vessel, and in matters affecting the administration of the ship his authority was superior to that of the officers who were traveling as passengers, even though they might outrank him. His relationship with the unit commanders was that of a station commander to the commanders of units bivouacked at his station.2
There were problems in integrating the British and American forces and naval systems in terms of procedures and customs. This included seemingly simple things as food and facilities requirements of personnel from each nation involved. The two governments reached agreements as to minimum standards to be provided for personnel traveling aboard each others vessels.
Troops were often fed two full meals per day aboard ship, with the ships cooks working around the clock in some cases in order to feed the thousands of personnel aboard. The sales commissary aided the morale of the troops as they provided the soldier an opportunity to purchase cigarettes, candy, soft drinks, and other comfort items. The transport services attempted to maintain morale by providing opportunity for sports, theatricals, movies, and other forms of entertainment. The troops were provided with books, magazines, phonograph records, and Army News Service broadcasts. Some soldiers carried their own musical instruments and the ports solicited donations of instruments to be place aboard ship.
Once underway, the transport commanders would issue debarkation schedules and appropriate instructions in order that they might be studied at the unit level. The expectation was that plans be made to accomplish debarkations smoothly and quickly. These instructions were drawn up in accordance with the established practices of the ports. Sometimes revisions were required to the plan based on special orders issued by the port commanders.
Research indicates the vessel arrived in Liverpool, England on January 18, 1944 after a ten day voyage at sea based on the B Company Morning Reports. Liverpool is located almost due east of Dublin, Ireland. Victor Miller reported that they approached England to the north or Ireland. “Ireland was off to the south as we sailed through the green Irish Sea to land at Liverpool. We gazed at the British workers with stubs of cigarettes hanging from the middle of their lower lips as they worked the docks.” Rob Gorrell’s work indicates that the HMS Mauretania reached the mouth of the Mersey River on January 17 by sailing from the north between Scotland and Ireland. He further wrote that the vessel lay in the harbor overnight. I found elsewhere that the conditions were not appropriate for mooring at the time of arrival. The outer harbor minefield reportedly had not been properly opened wide enough to account for the ship. A minesweeper was brought in and then the following day the vessel docked. The troops were greeted by a British military band.
Further confirmation was received from the National Museum of Liverpool England. Mr. John Winrow of the museum was kind enough to provide me with a copy of the picture of the Mauretania docked at Liverpool through the mail. Figure 130 shows the main dock offices. Figure 131 features the main Princess Docks where the passenger liners could berth. The HMS Mauretania II is featured in Liverpool in Figures 132 through 134.
Figure 130: Princess Dock, Liverpool, England looking northward (Public Domain)
Figure 131: Princess Dock, Liverpool, England looking southward (Public Domain)
Figure 132: The HMS Mauretania berthed in the Mersey River at the north end of Princes Landing Stage, Princess Dock, Liverpool, England. Ahead of her is the hospital ship ORANJE (Liverpool Museums, UK).
Figure 133: The MAURETANIA backing off Princes Landing Stage, Liverpool, on her way to join another convoy. Her escort is taking up position. (Liverpool Museums, UK)
Figure 134: Troops crowded on to the MAURETANIA's foredeck. Note the 'de-gaussing' cable, which neutralized the ship's magnetic field, and so helped in stopping magnetic mines being attracted to the ship (Liverpool Museums, UK)
According to information provided by the National Museum of Liverpool, next the troops boarded trains at Riverside Station in Liverpool located very near the docks. “The American troops had probably travelled in comfortable Pullman trains from their base camps to New York’s Grand Central Station (or other stations) en route to the troopship. One wonders what they made of this scenario as, after getting off the boat, they trudged along the platform of Riverside station trying to find a seat in one of the vintage non-corridor coaches of a British train. If this was also their first experience of overseas service, this station’s shattered roof was their first sight of a bomb-damaged structure. Evocative scenes for all ex-servicemen.”
Liverpool & the Mersey, Maritime Heritage, National Museums Liverpool The Liverpool Riverside Train Station was located three to four blocks from the Princess Docks to the east on the west side of Bath Street. It was constructed by the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board on December 6, 1895. It was constructed to service the Trans-Atlantic liners that sailed from Liverpool to New York City and other ports of call. The station was built specifically to service the Princess Landing Stage along the Mersey River. On the railroad side, the Liverpool Riverside Station was at the end of a branch line connecting the London North Railway (LNWR) at the Waterloo Goods Station. From there, the line ran through two tunnels up to Edge Hill where mainline connections could be made on the LNWR. The Liverpool Station had three platform faces. There was a single roof covering all of the platforms. There was an adjacent walkway adjacent to a roadway leading to the port referred to as the Princess Parade. This walkway was covered to shelter passengers from the weather.19 Mapping and a photo sowing the railway station are shown in Figures 135 and 136.
Next, as indicated by the unit records and by the account by Victor Miller, the 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion travelled 150 miles by rail to Leominster England arriving at 1030 hours on January 19, 1944. They spent about a month in Leominster conducting rigorous training. 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion Medic Richard “Doc” Felix indicated that Leominster was a place of intense training for the Rangers after moving there by train from the port.20 It was between this chapter and the medical aspects of SSG Herbert Hull’s evacuation and treatment discussed later that proved the most challenging things to research.
Figure 135: Map showing Princess Dock and Liverpool Station (unknown author) Figure 136: Liverpool Riverside Station (Courtesy Nick Catford, From the John Mann collection)
10 LEOMINSTER, HEREFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND
Leominster is located in the County of Herefordshire, England. It is located 12 miles north of Hereford and 11 miles south of Ludlow. It is approximately 80 miles south of Liverpool and 50 miles north of Bristol. In exploring the town on the internet through various sources, it is very much like portions of central Pennsylvania that are characterized by rolling hills intermixed with farmlands and woodlands. By this I mean parts of Pennsylvania not in the Appalachian Mountains. From what I could determine, Leominster dates back to at or before 1000 A.D. A priory was established in the town in 1121 A.D. under King Henry II. The main street is shown in Figure 137.
Figure 137: Historic Postcard of Broad Street in Leominster, Herefordshire, England (Public Domain) A good book on Leominster’s role during World War II is The Friendly Invasion of Leominster by Fran and Martin Collins. It describes how many units; including the 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion “invaded” the town for the purpose of winning the war in Europe. The landmark known as Barons Cross became home to the 76th and 135th U.S. Army General Hospitals. In addition to the Rangers, it played home in England to the 90th Infantry Division, 7th Armored Division, 736th Field Artillery Battalion and others.1
Figure 138: Picture of soldier taken at Leominster Station in England (Collins). Arriving at the train station in Leominster at 1030 hours on January 19, 1944, the Rangers were billeted in and around the town. A wartime photo of the station is in Figure 138. Ranger Miller described living “in Quonset huts in a little enclave in the town.” General Raaen described to me that he had lived in a private home with a family. Some folks were said to have billete
d in the grounds of Berrington Hall. Rangers Copeland, Glassman and Miller all described the training cycle at Leominster to be very similar again to that conducted at Camp Forrest, with more intensity.2 They hiked through the countryside. The country was described as having fields bordered with hedges, not unlike parts of France. On January 22, 1944, the 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion was assigned from ETOUSA to VIII Corps.
The photo in figure 139 shows a view of the 76th General Hospital clearly shows the terrain and surrounds typical of the Leominster area. The map in Figure 140 is from what are referred to as the New Popular Edition (NPE) which is a complete set of 1-inch-to-the-mile mapping of England and Wales, published by the Ordnance Survey in the 1940s and is now out of copyright.3 These maps are the equivalent to the U.S.G.S. topographic maps. A key to these maps is shown in Figure 141.
Figure 139: Aerial view of the 76th General Hospital, Leominster (NARA)
Figure 140: Location of Berrington Hall in relation to Leominster. (A Vision of Britain Through Time – Public Domain) Figure 141: Key to English Ordinance Survey Maps.4 After arriving in Leominster, the records of the 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion and Sgt Hull proved most interesting when compared against certain pieces of evidence held by the family for decades. After arriving in Leominster on January 19, the Company Morning Reports detail that the unit conducted normal camp duties. This invariably means training. Sgt Hull showed up on the January 28, 1944 Morning Report as being ill. The report stated: Hull, Herbert S. 35597467, S/Sgt, Taken Sick on 1/28/44 in line of duty, disposition – Quarters. On January 31, 1944, the report stated: Hull, Herbert S. 35597467, S/Sgt, Taken Sick on 1/28/44 in line of duty, disposition - Return to Duty. The NARA St Louis location also maintains Company Sick Logs. It verified his illness on those dates.
February 4, 1944 brought his third promotion since he joined the 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion in just a few months. He must have performed well for this to occur over that short a period as I had stated in an earlier chapter. This was corroborated in a conversation with Ranger James R. Copeland in a phone call on August 7, 2013.