Oh Sam, before I forget. Thanks for the post about the Merchant Marines. My grandpa had a brother who joined them and they never heard from him again. I guess he took off or something. I've always been curious about them. Thanks for the history lessons everyday.
A lot of people don't realize that in wartime, the merchant and troop ships are mostly crewed by civilians.
Read about the Murmansk or North Atlantic convoys. Those men went through a lot to make sure the supplies got through.