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 Author  Topic: African-Americans and PT boats
Jeff Sherry

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Jeff Sherry  Posted on: Oct 31, 2006 - 2:11pm
My Dad was a torpedoeman aboard PT 342 of Davis's Ron 24. He has an enlarged copy of that photo in his home. He says the man in the photo was named Scott (Scotty) and was N. Burt Davis's steward and that he went on those raids, at least one Dad went on.


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victorkchun

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: May 23, 2009 - 5:06pm
Hi Glenn, I read your message board dated Oct. 15, 2006 about
locating African Americans served on board PT boats. Please
advise your latest information.
Victor

Victor K Chun

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Glenn Knoblock

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Glenn Knoblock  Posted on: May 23, 2009 - 9:42pm
Mr. Chun,

Contrary to popular thought, African Americans did serve aboard PT boats under combat conditions, during missions, though probably in very limited numbers, and most likely in the last years of the war. This information was hard to find, but information was kindly supplied by one crewmember of PT-331, James Darby (who is white) and subsequently verified by National Archive muster rolls dating from January-June 1944 when PT-331 was operating out of New Guinea. George Washington was carried on the roles as a "cook", though Mr. Darby recalls that he was also a loader on the stern 40mm, and that he was a good kid, very young, and a good shipmate. A photo supplied by Darby of PT-331 crew clearly shows Washington. My feeling is that, where there is one, there were probably others (see the posts on the RON 24 unit with a steward known as "Scotty"). FYI, my previous post several years ago on Vesper Stuckey is incorrect...he is the only AA to be KIA during the war, but was servlng aboard a tender at the time. All documented AA wartime casualties came about while serving on tenders where, as other posts allude to, they often served in battle-station positions as gunners.

All this information and more is contained in my work documenting African American sea casualties (by name and ship) during WW II in the Navy, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine, due out in about a month (McFarland Publishing...their catalog is on the web). Please advise if you'd like to make personal contact to discuss the issue more in-depth.
Hope this information is of use. Glenn Knoblock


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Jeff D

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Jeff D   Send Email To Jeff D Posted on: May 24, 2009 - 6:46am
They were deeply involved in their construction as shown at the Higgins plant:






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Glenn Knoblock

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Glenn Knoblock  Posted on: May 24, 2009 - 7:38am
Jeff, you're absolutely correct about African American involvement in construction, and not just at PT boat yards. They were also heavily involved in constructing the larger Navy ships, as well as Liberty and Victory ships used by the men of the Merchant Marine. Don't forget, it was not just men in construction...women were also widely employed, including African Americans.


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Jeff D

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Jeff D   Send Email To Jeff D Posted on: May 24, 2009 - 8:53am
Yep!:



This is a great site for America's wartime images:
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/fsachtml/fsowhome.html


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victorkchun

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: May 24, 2009 - 11:45am
Hi Glenn, Thanks for the information concerning African American served on PT 331. I also have the same picture (I think) except his name was
Walter Reuhu (MoMM2C). I was told the picture was from Kauhu"s widow in 2001. I wonder which name was the correct one.
Do you have any information on another African American Oneal J. Joshua of Ron 12.
Victor

Victor K Chun

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Glenn Knoblock

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Glenn Knoblock  Posted on: May 24, 2009 - 12:30pm
Victor...I'm not sure what photo you're referring to, but I'm not sure it is of PT-331, as Walter R.'s name does not appear on the boat's muster rolls with George Washington. So, perhaps this is another boat?

I don't know anything about O'Neal, but he may be the man pictured pouring coffee for an officer aboard PT-110


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QM

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: May 24, 2009 - 7:22pm
Glenn: I have a roster that has Oneal Joshua assigned to Ron 12. I do not have a boat assignment. Do you have any additional info on him?

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Glenn Knoblock

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Glenn Knoblock  Posted on: May 24, 2009 - 7:54pm
QM...I have no information on O'Neal. The PT Boat's Inc photo of him serving coffee identifies the boat he is aboard as PT-110. You would need to get archive muster rolls for this boat to find out if he was actually assigned as a crew to that boat, or was assigned to a PT tender whose stewards served squadron boats while in port. My roriginal equest for information was to find out if African Americans served aboard PTs in combat, as we already know that many were assigned to tenders and shore facilities. With help from PT members and archive records, despite some thoughts to the contrary, we now know that stewards did serve as combat crewmembers in some cases. Sorry I can't help any further.


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