The FReeper Foxhole Remembers the U.S. Merchant Marine in Vietnam - Jan. 2nd, 2003

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[SAMWolf]

U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues

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are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.

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The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans.

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In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support.

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Click on the pix

Military Sea Transportation Service
(MSTS)

In February 1951 the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) aircraft carrier Windham Bay, was the first large ship to navigate the Long Tam River since 1925. While the ship was docked at Saigon (French Indochina) 17 hand grenades were tossed at the ship by terrorists.

The Military Sea Transportation Service was established in 1949 to provide sea transportation to the military as a successor to the Army Transportation Service. MSTS operated a fleet of ships and had charter agreements with commercial shipping firms. MSTS was succeeded by Military Sealift Command.

In 1954, after the partitioning of Vietnam, MSTS evacuated Vietnamese refugees from North to South Vietnam. USNS Howze was one of many MSTS ships involved in "Passage to Freedom" bringing 300,000 refugees and 200,000 tons of Cargo from North Vietnam.

The Military Sea Transportation Service had the job of bringing war supplies to Vietnam -- 10,000 miles from the Pacific coast. MSTS had four separate customers to serve: the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. MSTS ships were staffed by "civilian" crews, but carried 95% of the supplies used by our Armed Forces in Vietnam including bombs and ammunition into combat zones under fire. Crew members were given Navy grades and rank identification in event of enemy capture. During Vietnam, MSTS first utilized roll-on/roll-off ships and container ships which speeded loading and unloading.

SS Overseas Rose with landing barges lashed across her deck

MSTS took about 100 Victory ships out of the National Defense Reserve Fleet (mothball fleet), repaired them, and assigned them to private companies for operation to carry ammunition across the Pacific. MSTS carried guns, tanks, trucks, trains, riverboats, barges, helicopters, bombers, fighters, reconnaissance planes, food, fuel, and medical supplies. By 1965 MSTS had 300 freighters and tankers supplying Vietnam, with an average of 75 ships and over 3,000 merchant mariners in Vietnamese ports at any time.

Early in the Vietnam War, troop ships such as the USNS Upshur, Geiger, and Gordon carried two thirds of U.S. troops to Vietnam; later, most American troops traveled by air. However, Korean troops were transported by MSTS throughout the war, with the first 2,000 coming on the MSTS Mann in March 1965. In August 1966 USNS Patch and Darby carried troops 12,500 miles from Boston to Vietnam, the longest trooplift in U.S. military history. In October 1966 the converted Liberty ship SS Benjamin Chew and the SS Meredith Victory were added as troop carriers. Men and equipment of the Army 1st Cavalry Division went to Vietnam aboard the baby flattops USNS Kula Gulf and Point Cruz which were taken out of mothballs to transport the 434 aircraft and other equipment. Other escort carriers which saw WWII duty included the USNS Core, Card, Croatan, and Breton.

Da Nang harbor was the home of the Marine Amphibious Force Logistic Command which handled the gear necessary to support 81,000 Marines. MSTS brought 96% of their war materiel including tanks, airplanes, ammunition, and food -- including ice cream.


USNS Point Cruz loaded with CH-47 helicopters, F-5 fighters and truck trailers in 1968

Between 1965 and 1969, MSTS carried 7.6 million tons of supplies for the Air Force, about half going directly to Vietnam, the rest to staging areas in the Pacific. MSTS delivered the goods "Special Express" and kept some of its 19 ammunition ships anchored offshore near combat areas as floating warehouses to ease storage problems experienced by the Air Force. SEA Express was the name of the program which delivered other Air Force supplies from Oakland, California to Saigon between 1965 and 1967, in an average of 23 days.


Damaged SS Baton Rouge Victory under tow

In 1965, US Coast Guard Squadron One, composed of 17 patrol boats was sealifted to the Philippines for Vietnam duty on the SS Pioneer Myth, SS Transcaribbean, SS Aloha State, and the SS Ocean Cloud. MSTS delivered bulldozers, cranes, steel and cement for use by Navy Seabees. MSTS and the Merchant Marine transported oil and aviation gas to support Navy fleet operations.

In 1968 MSTS sealifted 19 million tons (39 billion pounds) of cargo to Vietnam for the Army at a cost of $570 million. The MSTS Corpus Christi Bay, which housed an Army aviation-maintenance battalion, was positioned as necessary along the coast of Vietnam to provide aircraft maintenance facilities.

MSTS and chartered ships delivered to many ports in Vietnam during this "War Without a Front." The following were among the 46 precautions to be taken by the crew of the SS President Garfield (and other ships) during the particularly hazardous 35 mile river transit to Saigon:

• Bridge personnel in helmets and flak suits.
• Sandbags around bridge. Wheelhouse doors and windows open.
• Grenade screens secured on portholes.
• Engineers to go to full engine speed at first indication of attack without notifying bridge.
• Only necessary persons on duty in Engine Room or on open deck. Off duty crew spread out in alleyways.
• Purser standing by with medical kit.
• Fire fighting equipment ready.
• Bilge and ballast pumps warmed up, ready to use.
• Towing wires ready for tow without assist from ship crew. Both anchors ready for dropping.
  

Security for arrival of the USNS Core in Saigon, whose sister ship, USNS Card, was sunk in 1964 by a mine placed by skin divers

Just as in World War II and Korea, merchant mariners in Vietnam were subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Effective December 1966, the military was granted authority to take disciplinary action against merchant mariners.

In 1975 MSTS helped evacuate refugees from Da Nang and later, Saigon. On March 28, 1975 the Pioneer Commander, the Pioneer Contender and the Navy's U.S.S. Miller evacuated about 10,000 refugees each. Returning the next day when the Communists had already overrun Da Nang, the ships evacuated thousands more.

On May 12, 1975, the SS Mayaguez was seized by Kmer Rouge. US marines suffered heavy casualties during the attempted rescue of the 39 seamen and the ship. Six mariner volunteers from the USNS Greenville Victory received Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal for their role during the action.
Capture and Release of SS Mayaguez by Khmer Rouge forces in May 1975.


Harbor at Cam Ranh Bay

A Special Thanks to Dan and Toni Horodysky,
Who so graciously allowed me permission to use the information on their Site.

[SAMWolf]

Memorial to Mariners who died on the SS Baton Rouge Victory

Vietnam action and casualties (names of dead or missing mariners)

USNS Windham Bay 2-51	17 hand grenades thrown at ship while docked in Saigon
SS Bunker Hill 3-7-64 *	Tanker exploded, burned , and sank. Old Navy sunken bomb suspected.	Capt. M. J. Abraham R. H. Blake, Harold Schmidt, Ronald Lockwood, Robert Smith killed
USNS Card 5-2-64	Baby flattop sunk by mine near Saigon
SS Bengal Mail 9-22-65	Saigon	George Bogdanovich
SS Express Baltimore 12-65	O'Laughlin and Bailon went ashore in Qhi Nhon or Da Nang in order to fetch the Captain, as the ship had received orders to shift to another location. They were apparently captured. O'Laughlin's remains were found in a grave at Hon Gan Point. Bailon is still listed on the Library of Congress database as a POW/MIA. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pow/powquery.html	Ruben Bailon Stephen O'Laughlin (Third mate)
SS Lorinda 2-66	Ambush
SS Baton Rouge Victory 8-23-66	Limpet mine placed on hull by swimmer and detonated from riverbank near Saigon killed engine room crew. Left 12 by 45 foot hole	Raymond Barrett John A. Bishop Earl Erickson James W. McBride Timothy N. Riordan Robert J. Rowe Charles B. Rummel
SS Eugene Lykes between 6-66 and 9-66	Sniper fire during passage up the Saigon River
SS Young American 10-11-66	Riding in a jeep that hit a land mine while ashore	Daniel J. McConalogue*
SS Enid Victory 12-20-66	Explosion in engine room of ammunition ship en route to Vietnam	(name of second assistant engineer unknown)
SS Margaret Brown 2-67	Explosion in engine room while at Qui Nhon harbor	Charles R. Sandino
SS Berea Victory 10-25-67	Bombs placed in hold and in "Mike" boat by Vietnamese civilians while docked at Qui Nhon. Explosion and fire kill 12 in LCM and 5 Army on ship. 10 Army and 10 mariners wounded.
SS President Buchanan 11-18-67	"Considerable" damage from gunfire in Long Tau River
SS ----- 12-1-67	Saigon	Isiah Harris
SS Seatrain Texas 12-67	Damaged by "floating explosive device" while anchored at Nha Be near Saigon
SS Cornell Victory 1967	Saigon	---- Findley ---- Ripp
SS U.S. Tourist 2-14-68	Ammunition ship hit by 9 shells at Cat Lai. Minor injuries and damage
SS U.S. Explorer 2-18-68 SS Neva West	Guerrillas hit both ships with 75mm shells
Tug Michael 4-7-68	En route to Vung Tau	James Almony Wallace Prous
SS ----- 5-2-68		Larry Kelly
SS Whittier Victory approx. 3-68 to 6-68	Mortar and rocket attack while in harbor at Newport, upstream from Saigon
SS Transglobe 8-30-68	Saigon River. Captain awarded Meritorious Service Medal for outstanding action while under repeated attacks 1968-1969	Ernie Goo
SS U.S. Defender 11-17-68	Da Nang	Jack Bernard
SS Empire State 11-68?	Explosion and fire in engine room en route Da Nang killed Third Engineer	Eugene Green [or Greene]**
USNS Geiger 11-68?	First Officer was lost overboard while carrying Republic of Korea troops from Pusan to Qui Nhan and Na Trangh	name not known
33 attacks on merchant ships including SS Robin Grey 1-1-69 to 5-17-69	33 attacks on shipping between Saigon and Vung Tau. These attacks were of rocket, rocket grenade, mine or MG fire. On 12 May 69 Five Merchant ships and two US Navy supply ships were attacked in three major rivers in IV Corps. Five of the ships were attacked on the Long Tau with only SS Robin Grey being hit causing minor damage and wounding one merchant seaman. The Navy ships were hit on the My Tho and Bassac rivers causing minor damage and wounding two seamen.
USNS Truman Kimbro 8-11-69	Rocket hit ammunition ship near Cat Lai in the Saigon river
Dredge Davidson 11-17-69		Willie Williams
Swarthmore Victory 1969	Several direct hits from an ambush
SS Badger State 12-26-69	Explosion among 8,900 bombs and rockets while en route to Vietnam. Crew forced to abandon ship in gale, bomb rolled out of hole created by explosion, capsizing liferaft.	Mohamed Al-Muwallad Gilbert Baker Sam A. Bondy, Jr. (third mate) Bennie Brown Joseph Candos Leonard Cobbs Nelson Fabre Ali Abda Gazaly Richard D. Hughes Edward Hottendorf John Jenkins Edwin Jones John Kaleiwahen Richard Murray Francisco Nunez Raymond Reiche Floyd Rilling Jose Rodriguez Calvin Smith Leonard Scypion Kinnie Woods Robert Ziehm
USNS Petrarca 2-26-70	Floating mine exploded under ammunition ship in Cat Lai harbor; 2 crew injured
SS Madaket 4-9-71	Ship caught fire while unloading cargo of fire bombs
SS American Hawk 6-14-71	Underwater explosion beneath hull while docked at Qui Nhon
SS Green Bay 8-17-71	Sank after underwater explosion of Vietcong frogman's device while discharging military supplies in Qui Nhon
SS Seatrain New Jersey	Notorius for being shot up more than any other U.S. merchant ship. Had many symbols of rockets and mortar bombs painted on her bridge wing, each denoting an attack

Casualty list of 45 dead or missing in action in Vietnam compiled by Professor Michael Gillen, Pace University.
* uncertain if Bunker Hill was in Vietnam service. **personal correspondence. We would appreciate additional information about action and casualties in Vietnam.

[SAMWolf]

Vietnam Mariners Lack Veteran Status

U.S. Merchant Marine served on ships that brought supplies to Vietnam during "The War Without a Front." They brought mail, Hueys, ammunition, food, medical supplies, and more. They brought the troops in and brought home many of those named on the Vietnam Memorial, "The Wall."

These mariners were killed by mines, rockets, snipers, and explosions. Some are Missing in Action and presumed dead. They paid the Supreme Sacrifice while serving their country. They should be recognized as veterans. Their names belong on The Wall.

Click on the graphic to visit the Merchant Marine Org Site
This excellent site has plenty of information about the American Merchant Marine at War
U.S. Maritime Service,
Army Transport Service,
Military Sea Transportation Service,
and Military Sealift Command

[SAMWolf]

'[Mariners] have written one of its most brilliant chapters. They have delivered the goods when and where needed in every theater of operations and across every ocean in the biggest, the most difficult and dangerous job ever undertaken. As time goes on, there will be greater public understanding of our merchant's fleet record during this war [World War II].'

-- President Franklin D. Roosevelt

[Soaring Feather]

Good Morning SAM

This is great, I'll come back to read more later, can't focus yet!

[Jen]

PING to the FReeper Foxhole daily thread in the VetsCoR Forum!

To be removed from this list, click this link and send a BLANK FReepmail to AntiJen.

If you have comments for me to read, use this link. Thanks!

[Lee'sGhost]

I love history. Thanks Sam.

[Eastbound]

An early bump... Good morning, Sam, AntiJen

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning, Bentfeather.

[SAMWolf]

Morning Eastbound, Lee'sGhost

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!

[SAMWolf]

Current Military News
Joe Foss - World War II Hero

FILE *** This is a 1943 file photo showing Joe Foss standing forth from left with member of Joe's Flying Ciricus. Foss, a World War II hero who shot down 26 enemy planes as a Marine pilot and later became governor of South Dakota, died Wednesday. He was 87. Foss led a Marine air unit known as Joe's Flying Circus that shot down 72 Japanese planes. He downed 26 planes himself, tying the U.S. aerial record Eddie Rickenbacker set in World War I. Foss became a well-known war hero; a 1943 Life magazine coverproclaimed him ``America's No. 1 Ace.


FILE *** This is a 1944 file photo showing Joe Foss while recuperating from a tropical illness at the Klamath Falls rehabilitation Center in Oregon. Foss, a World War II hero who shot down 26 enemy planes as a Marine pilot and later became governor of South Dakota, died Wednesday. He was 87. Foss _ who also served as president of the National Rifle Association, commissioner of the American Football League and a TV outdoorsman _ had not regained consciousness after suffering an apparent aneurysm last fall. He died at a hospital in Arizona, said South Dakota Gov. Bill Janklow. (AP Photo)

[HiJinx]

Now here's something I find quite interesting...

One of the casualties from the SS Badger State was Mohamed Al-Muwallad. Several thoughts come to mind...that Islam garnered many converts among E. Indies islanders, that Muslims have a fine sea-faring tradition in that part of the world, that it isn't really all that unusual to find Arabic names among American sailors or soldiers, and that America really does accept (legal) immigrants with open arms.

And finally, that it is a tragic shame that we find ourselves at odds with a large portion of that world...

[xJones]

Thanks, SAM, this is great. My son graduated from high school last year and told us about a presentation that he and many others in his class attended. There were recruiting officers from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Merchant Marines describing the various opportunities. He said the best speaker was the officer from the Merchant Marines. The civilian employment opportunities after serving in Merchant are apparently VERY good. Just a little bit of trivia there...

[SAMWolf]

The Merchant Marine Vietnam Service Medal was authorized on May 30, 1988 by the Acting Maritime Administrator and is awarded to any merchant marine who served at any time in waters adjacent to Vietnam between July 4, 1965 and August 15, 1973.

The obverse depicts a dragon, traditionally associated with Vietnam, within a circle in the center. This is over a anchor, symbolizing maritime service. In the background is the Vietnamese shoreline, denoting service in the coastal waters adjacent to Vietnam. At the top of the medal is inscribed "VIETNAM" and at the bottom "SERVICE".

The reverse has the inscription "UNITED STATES" at the top of the medal and "MERCHANT MARINE" at the bottom. In the center of the medal is an anchor on a shield.

The ribbon, designed by R. A. Chandler of the Maritime Administration, is golden yellow with three narrow red stripes in the center and narrow blue stripes on each edge.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks for the info xJones.

The wartime service of the Merchant Marines is overlooked even more than that of the Coast Guard.

[Soaring Feather]

Current Military News
Joe Foss - World War II Hero


Yes, a Hero indeed.

[HiJinx]

Oh, SAM, thanks for posting this...I hadn't heard.
I need to call his son, Dean, now.
I talked with Dean a couple of weeks ago, and he told us about Joe's abiding faith in our Lord Jesus. Dean said that whatever happened, he knew without a doubt that his dad was right with God and was ready to move on if that was God's will.

May he rest in peace with the Angels.

[SAMWolf]

Morning Hi-Jinx. It's a shame to see any ideaolgy perverted the way the Radical Islamists have done to theirs.

I'm sure glad America welcomed my parents and I.
I can't think of anywhere else I'd want to be living.

[Valin]

On This Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on January 02:
1642 Mehmed IV sultan (Turkey)
1647 Nathaniel Bacon leader of Bacon's Rebellion, Virginia (1676)
1699 Osman III sultan (Turkey)
1713 Mademoiselle Dumesnil Paris, tragic actress (Racine's Phadre, Hermione)
1727 James Wolfe commanded British Army (captured Québec)
1728 Louis Barbiano de Belgioioso Austrian count/diplomat in Belgium
1732 Franz Xaver Brixi composer
1752 Philip Freneau poet of American Revolution (The American Village)
1777 Christian D Rauch German sculptor
1803 Gugliemo Libri [della Somaia], Italian/French mathematician/book collector
1807 Tomasz Napoleon Nidecki composer
1809 Friedrich Wilhelm Jahns composer
1822 Rudolph J E Clausius Germany, physicist (thermodynamics)
1830 Henry Kingsley English/Australian writer
1831 Justin Winston historian/librarian (Harvard)
1835 Charles Russell Lowell Jr Brigadier General (Union volunteers)
1837 Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev Nizhny-Novgorod, Russia, composer (Tamara)
1842 Amy G C A Bonet-Maury French reformed theologist
1846 Sandor Erkel composer
1857 Frederick Opper cartoonist (Willie and His Papa, Maud the Mule, Alphonse & Gaston)
1857 Martha Carey Thomas educator/president (Bryn Mawr College)
1860 William C Mills museum curator (excavated Ohio Indian mounds)
1861 Helen Herron Taft 1st lady (1909-13)
1861 Wilhelm Bölsche writer
1863 Lucia Zarate became lightest known adult human (2.1 kg at 17)
1870 Ernst Barlach writer
1873 Anton Pannekoek Dutch astronomer/marxist theorist (Communist Tactics)
1879 Johannes L "Jan" Walch Dutch literary (Grimaces)
1879 Pieter Tesch Dutch geologist (Pedestal of Nederlands)
1880 Louis Breguet French aviation pioneer
1884 Jacques Chardonne [Boutelleau], French writer (l'Epithalame)
1885 Johannes Ringers Dutch water engineer (dikes)
1886 Moyshe Leyb Halpern Galican/US poet (In New-York)
1889 Tito Schipa Italy, tenor/composer (La Rondine)
1889 Walter Baldwin Ohio, actor (Gay Amigo)
1892 Lura Anson Nebraska, entertainer
1894 Robert Nathan New York City NY, poet, novelist (Portrait of Jennie)
1895 Count Folke Bernadotte Sweden, statesman (Red Cross, UN)
1896 Dziga Vertiv [Denis A Kaufman], Russian director (Sjagai, Soviet!)
1896 Ernst-Lothar von Knorr composer
1899 Alexander Tcherepnin St Petersburg Russia, composer
1899 Paul-Henri Spaak Belgium, Premier/Secretary-General of NATO (1957-61)
19-- John Bedford-Lloyd New Haven CT, actor (Peter-Hometown)
19-- Ron Hale actor (Michael Corbin-General Hospital, Dr Roger Coleridge-Ryan's Hope)
1901 Robert Marshall founder (Wilderness Society)
1901 Rex O'Malley London England, actor (Camille, Zara, Midnight)
1901 Torsten Ralf Swedish tenor (Daphne)
1903 Anton van Duinkerken [Willem JMA Asselbergs], literary
1904 James Melton Moultrie GA, opera tenor (Ford Festival)
1904 Sally Rand Hickory County MO, stripper (fan dance)
1905 Michael Kemp Tippett English composer/conductor (Child of our Time)
1907 Edward Albert Radice economist
1907 Salvador Ley composer
1908 Ben Grauer New York City NY, newscaster (Big Story)
1908 Janis Kepitis composer
1909 Rene Etiemble French literature historian (Parlez-vous Franglais)
1910 Ulrich Becher writer
1912 Anna Lee Ightham England, actress (Scruples, Lila-General Hospital)
1912 Barbara Pentland Winnipeg Canada, composer
1912 Renato Guttuso Italian painter (The Flight from Etna, Crucifixion)
1912 Andre Ameller composer
1913 Gardner Read Evanston, Illinois, composer
1913 Ernest Sidey British air marshal
1913 Juanita E Jackson Mitchell US head (NAACP)
1913 Léon P Teisserenc de Bort France, meteorologist
1915 John Hope Franklin historian
1920 Isaac Asimov Russia, scientist/writer (I Robot, Foundation Trilogy)
1920 Duke of Devonshire English large landowner/art collector
1920 Penelope Jessel politcal activist
1920 Peter Harrison Swan bomber pilot/stockbroker
1922 Jason Evers New York City NY, actor (Wrangler, Channing)
1922 Nico Schuyt composer
1922 Renata Tebaldi Pesaro Italy, lyric soprano
1925 William J Crowe Jr Kentucky, chairman joint chiefs of staff
1925 Andry Maryanovich Nikodemovich composer
1927 Gino Marchetti NFL defensive end (Dallas Texans, Baltimore Colts)
1927 David Herbert publisher
1927 Richard Belmont Ray (Representative-D-GA)
1928 Dan Rostenkowski (Representative-D-IL, -94), House Ways & Means Committee chair
1928 Vaughn Beals Cambridge MA, CEO (Harley Davidson motorcycle)
1928 Gerhard Amanshauser writer
1928 Harry Hyams English immovable goods owner (Center Point)
1928 Howard Caine Nashville TN, actor (Brushfire)
1928 Tiberiu Olah composer
1929 Art Prysock jazz musician
1930 Julius LaRosa Brooklyn NY, singer (fired by Arthur Godfrey on the air)
1931 Toshiki Kaifu premier of Japan (1989-91)
1932 Dabney Coleman Austin Texas, (That Girl, Mary Hartman, Buffalo Bill)
1936 Roger Miller Fort Worth TX, country singer (King of the Road, Dang Me)
1937 Marianne McDonald classicist/philanthropist
1938 John Considine actor (Reginald Love-Another World)
1939 Jim Bakker televangelist (PTL Club)/philanderer (Jessica Hahn)
1944 Peter Eotvos composer
1947 Aleksandr Tikhonova USSR, biathalon relay (Olympics-gold-1968, 72, 76, 80)
1947 Lanny Bassham US, rifle-3 position (Olympics-gold-1976)
1947 Calvin Hill NFL running back (Dallas Cowboys)
1949 Christopher Durang Montclair NJ, playwright/actor (Sister Mary)
1949 Chick Churchill Wales, keyboardist (Ten Years After-I'm Going Home)
1950 Lou Gramm rocker (Foreigner-Midnight Blue, Ready Or Not)
1951 Nadia Cassini [Gianna Lou Muller], Woodstock NY, model (Oui)
1952 Wendy Phillips Brooklyn NY, actress (Stacey-Executive Suite, Promised Land)
1952 Ricky Van Shelton Grit VA, country singer (Wild-Eyed Dream)
1954 Ludmila Borozna USSR, volleyball player (Olympics-gold-1972)
1957 Joanna Pacula Tomszowaubelski Poland, actress (Gorky Park, Kiss)
1959 Kirti Azad cricketer (Indian off-spin all-rounder in 7 Tests 1981-83)
1960 Raman Lamba cricketer (Indian opening batsman 1986-87)
1963 David Cone Kansas City MO, baseball pitcher (New York Mets/Toronto Blue Jays/New York Yankees)
1963 Edgar Martinez New York City, NY, baseball 1st baseman (Seattle Mariners)
1964 David Cone pitcher (New York Mets)
1964 Christopher John Gray priest
1964 Pernell Whitaker boxer (Olympics-gold)
1964 Rumesh Ratnayake cricketer (Sri Lankan pacer in 23 Tests 1983-92)
1965 Diane Lane New York City, NY, actress (Streets of Fire, Lady Beware, Lonesome Dove)
1965 Greg Swindell Fort Worth TX, pitcher (Houston Astros, Cleveland Indians)
1965 Russ Courtnall Duncan, NHL right wing (Vancouver Canucks)
1966 Tia Carrere [Althea Janairo], Honolulu, actress (Wayne's World)
1967 Harlon Barnett NFL safety (Minnesota Vikings)
1968 Cuba Gooding Jr actor (Jerry McGuire, As Good As It Gets, Boyz N the Hood, A Few Good Men)
1968 Scott Mitchell NFL quarterback (Detroit Lions)
1969 Christy Turlington San Francisco CA, model (Calvin Klein Eternity)
1969 Rick Tabaracci Toronto, NHL goalie (Calgary Flames)
1969 Robert Svehla Martin Czechoslovakia, NHL defenseman (Florida Panthers, Slovakia)
1969 Stephen Davies Australian field hockey forward/vice captain (Olympics-silver-92, 96)
1970 Aleksandr Shimin hockey goaltender (Team Kazakhstan Olympics-1998)
1970 Anthony Stuart cricketer (Australian ODI pace bowler, hat trick 1997)
1970 Glenn Cadrez NFL linebacker (Denver Broncos-Super Bowl XXXII)
1970 Royce Clayton Burbank CA, infielder (San Francisco Giants, St Louis Cardinals)
1971 Aamer Nazir cricketer (Pakistani pace bowler 1993- )
1971 Aaron Williams NBA center (Seattle Supersonics)
1971 Brad Parpan WLAF quarterback (Rhein Fire)
1971 Horace Copeland NFL wide receiver (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
1971 Robert O'Neal WLAF DB (Amsterdam Admirals)
1972 Jeff Jackson US baseball outfielder (Philadelphia Phillies)
1972 Lake Dawson NFL wide receiver (Kansas City Chiefs)
1972 Mattias Norstrom Mora Sweden, NHL defenseman (Team Sweden, Los Angeles Kings)
1973 Abu Wilson running back (Indianapolis Colts)
1973 Chris Woodruff Knoxville TN, tennis star (1993 NCAA Division I)
1973 Fredric Ford WLAF CB (Scotland Claymores)/NFL cornerback (Eagles)
1973 Sarah Schwald Bellingham Wash, 1.5k runner
1974 Juha Lind NHL forward (Team Finland Olympics-Bronze-1998, Dallas)
1978 Devin Doherty actor (Jimmy Clayton-Swan's Crossing)
1980 Stephanie Stiegler Santa Monica CA, pairs skater (& Zimmerman)

---

Deaths which occurred on January 02:
0017 Publius Ovidius Naso Roman poet, dies
1726 Domenico Zipoli composer, dies at 37
1740 Johann Georg Weichenberger composer, dies at 63
1763 John Casteret Earl Granville English premier, dies at 72
1780 Johann Ludwig Krebs composer, dies at 66
1789 Franz Joseph Leonti Meyer von Schavensee composer, dies at 68
1790 Joseph A Feuchtmayer (Feichtmayer) German rococo sculptor, dies
1801 Johann C Lavater Swiss vicar/philosopher, dies at 59
1803 Ignaz Franz von Beecke composer, dies at 69
1861 Frederik Willem IV king Prussia (1840-61)/Germ (1849-61), dies at 65
1863 Roger Weightman Hanson Confederate Brigadier General, dies in battle at 35
1892 George B Airy English astronomer/writer, dies at 90
1904 James Longstreet Confederate General, dies at 82
1908 Dom Joâo G da Câmara Portuguese journalist/playwright, dies at 55
1913 Léon P Teisserenc de Bort French meteorologist (stratosphere), dies at 57
1915 Karl Goldmark Austria-Hungarian composer (Queen of Saba), dies at 84
1917 Edward B Tylor English anthropologist, dies at 84
1918 Sijbe K Bakker vicar/theologist (Christian-Socialism), dies at 42
1921 Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg German chancellor/PM (Prussia); referred to the international treaty guaranteeing Belgian neutrality as "a scrap of paper", dies at 64
1923 Sam Carter black resident of Rosewood FL, lynched by KKK
1929 Erich Wichman[n] Dutch fascist painter/sculptor, dies at 38
1937 Ross Alexander actor (Capt Blood, Boulder Dam), dies at 29
1941 Mischa Levitzki composer, dies at 42
1945 Betram Home Ramsay English Admiral/Commander Naval Forces (Normandy), dies at 61
1946 Joe Darling cricketer (Aussie captain 21 Tests, won 7 lost 4), dies
1950 Emil Jannings actor (The Way of All Flesh), dies at 65
1955 José Antonio Remon President of Panamá (1952-55), assassinated
1960 Cees [Cornelis J] Laseur Dutch actor/director (Hague Comedy), dies at 60
1960 Chris van Abkoude author (Pietje Bell, Kruimeltje), dies at about 79
1960 Fausto Coppi Italian, ran world record 45,798 km, dies at 40
1960 Friedrich Adler Austria social-democrat, assasinated PM Stürgkh, dies in Zürich at 80
1961 Bob Catterall cricketer (1555 runs/24 Tests for South Africa 1922-31), dies
1963 Jack Carson actor (Star is Born, Mildred Pierce), dies at 52
1963 Dick Powell actor/director (Dick Powell Theater), dies at 58
1965 Staf Gustaf Frans Nees composer, dies at 63
1968 Sanoesi Pane Indonesian writer, dies
1969 Georges Renevant actor (Cornered), dies after long illness at 74
1970 Piotr Rytel composer, dies at 85
1974 Tex Ritter country singer (5 Star Jubilee), dies at 67
1977 Erroll Garner jazz pianist (Misty), dies at 53
1980 Larry Williams rocker, dies at 44
1981 David Lynch singer (Platters-My Prayer), dies at 51
1983 Harriet Parsons actress/producer (Susan Slept Here), dies at 76 of cancer
1983 Bernard George Stevens composer, dies at 66
1983 Dick Emery actor (Yellow Submarine, Loot, Baby Love), dies at 65
1986 Una Merkel US actress (Abraham Lincoln), dies at 82
1990 Alan Hale Jr actor (Skipper Jonas Grumby-Gilligan's Island), dies of cancer at 71
1990 Belcampo [Herman Schönfeld Wichers], Dutch lawyer/writer, dies at 87
1990 Vladimir Alexis Ussachevsky Manchuria composer (Creation), dies at 78
1991 Edmond Jabés writer, dies
1991 Renato Rascel actor (7 Hills of Rome), dies of heart failure at 78
1992 Virginia Field actress (Dream Girl), dies of cancer at 74
1994 Caesar Romero actor (Joker-Batman), dies at 86
1994 Dixy Lee Ray chairwoman (US Atomic Energy Commission), dies at 79
1994 Pierre-Paul Schweitzer French director of IMF (1963-73), dies at 81
1994 Sammy Taft Canadian businessman (coined term "hat trick"), dies at 81
1995 Graham Sharp ice skater, dies at 77
1995 Manuel Rivera Spanish painter/co-founder (El Paso), dies at 67
1995 Mohammed Siyad Barre President of Somalia (1969-91), dies
1995 Nancy Kelly US actress (Bad Seed, Submarine Patrol), dies at 73
1995 Siad Barre General/President of Somalia (1969-91), dies at 84
1996 Sydney Thompson rock Climber, dies at 81
1996 Thornton Page astrophysicist, dies at 82
1997 Jim Rodger sports writer, dies at 75
1997 Randy California [Wolfe], rock guitarist, dies at 45

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On this day...
0069 Roman Lower Rhine army proclaims its commander, Vitellius, emperor
0533 John II begins his reign as Catholic Pope
1235 Emperor Joseph II orders Jews of Galicia Austria to adopt family names
1492 Spain recaptures Granada from the Moors (Granada Day)
1570 Tsar Ivan the Terrible march to Novgorod begins
1585 Spain & Catholic France sign Saint League of Joinville
1602 Spanish forces in Ireland surrender to the English at Kinsdale
1678 Staatsoper Hamburg opens with Theiles "Adam und Eva"
1757 British troops occupy Calcutta India
1776 1st revolutionary flag displayed
1776 Austria ends interrogation torture
1788 Georgia is 4th state to ratify US constitution
1790 Mozart's opera "Cosi fan tutti" premieres, Vienna
1800 Free black community of Philadelphia PA petitions Congress to abolish slavery
1811 US Senator Thomas Pickering is 1st senator censured (revealed confidential documents communicated by the President of the US)
1814 Lord Byron completes "The Corsair"
1818 Lord Byron completes "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" (4th canto)
1831 Liberator, abolitionist newspaper, begins publishing in Boston
1832 1st Curling club in US (Orchard Lake Curling Club) opens
1839 1st photo of the Moon (French photographer Louis Daguerre)
1842 1st US wire suspension bridge for general traffic opens in Pennsylvania
1843 Wagner's opera "Der Fliegende Holländer" premieres, Dresden
1861 Colonel Charles Stone is put in charge of organizing DC militia
1861 SC seizes inactive Fort Johnson in Charleston Harbor
1863 Battle of Murfreesboro (Stone's River) ends
1871 King Amadeus I of Spain inaugurated at 25
1879 Northwestern League (minor baseball league) organized, Rockford IL
1879 1st Test match hat-trick, Fred Spofforth at the MCG
1879 British battleship Thunder explodes in Gulf of Ismid, 9 die
1881 Camille Saint-Saëns' 3rd Concerto in B, premieres
1882 Because of anti-monopoly laws, Standard Oil is organized as a trust
1885 General Wolseley receives last distress signal of General Gordon in Khartoum
1890 Alice Sanger becomes 1st female White House staffer
1890 Record 19'2" alligator shot in Louisiana by E A McIlhenny
1893 1st US commemoratives & 1st US stamp to picture a woman issued
1896 Battle at Doornkop, South Africa (Boers beat Dr Jamesons troops)
1900 E Verlinger begins manufacturing 7" single-sided records (Montréal)
1900 Gustave Charpentiers opera "Louise" premieres in Paris
1903 President T Roosevelt shuts down post office in Indianola MI, for refusing to accept its appointed postmistress because she was black
1905 Elara, a satellite of Jupiter, discovered by Perrine
1905 Japanese troops capture Port Arthur
1908 Canadian branch of the Royal Mint opens in Ottawa
1909 1st official Dutch 11 city skate (Minne Hoekstra in 13 50)
1910 1st junior high schools in US open in Berkeley CA
1911 Brooklyn Dodgers president Charles Ebbets announces purchase of grounds to build a new concrete-and-steel stadium to seat 30,000
1913 National Woman's Party forms
1914 Philips installs research department in Eindhoven
1917 Royal Bank of Canada takes over Québec Bank
1918 Dodgers trade Casey Stengel & Cutshaw to Pittsburgh for Grimes & Mamaux
1918 NHL Montréal Wanderers disband after Westmount arena burns down
1919 Anti-British uprising in Ireland
1919 Lithuania gains independence
1920 10,000 US union & socialist organizers arrested (Palmer Raids)
1921 DeYoung Museum in Golden Gate Park opens
1921 1st religious service radio broadcast in US, KDKA-Pittsburgh
1923 Ku Klux Klan surprise attack on black residential area Rosewood FL, 8 killed (compensation awarded in 1995)
1925 Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region established (now in Tadzhik SSR)
1929 US & Canada agree to preserve Niagara Falls
1932 Young gang shoot dead 6 police in Springfield Missouri
1933 Bruins beat Rangers in New York 13-3
1933 Bradman scores 103* against the Bodyline attack in the 2nd Test
1933 Ijmuider fishing strike begins (till July 11th)
1933 US troops leave Nicaragua
1934 1st state liquor stores open, in Pennsylvania
1934 Bradman scores 253 New South Wales vs Queensland, 204 minutes, 29 fours 4 sixes
1935 Bruno R Hauptmann trial begins for kidnap-murder of Lindbergh baby
1936 1st electron tube to enable night vision described, St Louis MO
1936 Bradman scores 357 for South Africa vs Victoria, 424 minutes, 40 fours
1938 Book publisher Simon and Schuster founded
1939 Bradman scores 107 South Africa vs Victoria, his 4th consecutive century
1942 28 nations, at war with Axis, pledge no separate peace
1942 German troops in Bardia surrender
1942 Japanese troops occupy Manila Philippines
1944 1st use of helicopters during warfare (British Atlantic patrol)
1945 Kentucky begins 130 home basketball game win streak, ends in 1955
1945 Allied air raid on Neurenberg
1945 Radio Orange ends cooperation at Liese-Aktion
1947 Mahatma Gandhi begins march for peace in East-Bengali
1948 WNDT (now WNET) TV channel 13 in New York-Newark, New York (PBS) begins
1949 KDKA TV channel 2 in Pittsburgh, PA (CBS) begins broadcasting
1951 Philip Barry's "Second Threshold" premieres in New York City NY
1952 "Pal Joey" opens at Broadhurst Theater New York City NY for 542 performances
1953 NBA Baltimore Bullets begin a 32 game road losing streak
1954 Herman Wouks "Caine Mutiny" premieres in New York City NY
1955 1st "Bob Cummings Show" premieres on NBC (later on CBS)
1956 Poujadists/communists win French parliamentary elections
1958 Dmitri Shostakovich's 2nd Piano concert, premieres in NY
1959 USSR launches Mechta (Luna 1) for 1st lunar fly-by, 1st solar orbit
1959 Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista flees
1960 Senator John F Kennedy, announces his candidacy for President
1960 1st redshank old world shore bird reported in North America (Halifax)
1960 John Reynolds sets age of solar system at 4,950,000,000 years
1960 Roger Sessions' 4th Symphony premieres
1961 1st AFL Championship Game, Houston Oilers beat Los Angeles Chargers 24-16
1961 Hawaii's, then all time low temperature, 14ºF recorded atop Haleakale
1962 Nighttime version of "Password" with Allen Ludden premieres on CBS
1964 Ayub Khan elected President of Pakistan
1964 Failed assassination attempt on President Nkrumah of Ghana
1965 Martin Luther King Jr begins a drive to register black voters
1965 New York Jets sign quarterback Joe Namath
1965 Obverse design of all Canadian coins is changed to depict the Queen with a slightly more mature look
1966 Green Bay Packers beat Cleveland Browns 23-12 in NFL championship game
1966 1st Jewish child born in Spain since 1492 expulsion
1968 "Zizi" closes at Broadway Theater New York City NY after 49 performances
1968 Christiaan Barnard performs 2nd heart transplant
1968 KBHK TV channel 44 in San Francisco CA, (IND) begins broadcasting
1969 "Fig Leaves Are Falling" opens at Broadhurst Theater New York City NY for 4 performances
1969 "Soviet Sport" calls Emile Zatopek a public enemy
1969 Lorraine Hansberry's "To be Young, Gifted & Black" premieres in New York City NY
1970 Dutch premiere of musical "Hair" in Amsterdam
1970 US population is 205,052,174; Black population 22,600,000 (11.1%)
1971 A barrier collapses at Ibrox Park football ground at end of a soccer match in Glasgow Scotland, killing 66
1972 Dallas Cowboys beat San Francisco 49ers 14-3 in NFC championship game
1972 Mariner 9 begins mapping Mars
1972 Miami Dolphins beat Baltimore Colts 21-0 in AFC championship game
1972 "Rothschilds" closes at Lunt-Fontanne Theater New York City NY after 505 performances
1974 55 MPH speed limit imposed by Richard Nixon
1974 Worst fire in Argentine history destroys 1.2 million acres
1975 US Department of Interior designates grizzly bear a threatened species
1977 Bowie Kuhn suspends Braves owner Ted Turner for one year due to tampering charges in Gary Matthews free-agency signing
1978 Rhino Records releases their 1st album "Wildmania"
1978 Bülent Ecevit forms government in Turkey
1979 30th Islander shut-out opponent-Glenn Resch 9-0 vs Vancouver
1979 Dr Benjamin E Mays, named president of Atlanta Board of Education
1979 Sid Vicious' trial for murder of girlfriend Nancy Spingen begins
1979 Gavaskar gets twin tons for India for the third time (v West Indies)
1980 68th Australian Men Tennis Guillermo Vilas beat John Sadri (76 63 62)
1981 Mary Terstegge Meagher swims female record 200 meter butterfly (2 05.65)
1981 Sylvester Clarke knocks out spectator with brick, West Indies vs Pakistan
1982 Islanders start 23 undefeated home streak (21-0-2) 14 straight wins
1982 San Diego Chargers beat Miami Dolphins, 41-38 in 13 52 of OT
1982 "Camelot" closes at Winter Garden Theater New York City NY after 48 performances
1982 70th Australian Mens Tennis Johan Kriek beats S Denton (62 76 67 64)
1983 Ken Anderson of Cincinnati OH completes record 20 consecutive passes
1983 "Annie" closes at Alvin Theater New York City NY after 2,377 performances
1983 "Sophisticated Ladies" closes at Lunt-Fontanne New York City NY after 767 performances
1983 Don Muraco beats Pedro Morales to become WWF Intercontinental Champ
1983 Garry Trudeau takes a 20-month break from writing "Doonesbury"
1984 Miami beats Nebraska in Orange Bowl for college football championship
1984 Darryl Cullinan, 16, scores his 1st first-class cricket century
1984 Riot in Tunis kills over 100
1984 Wilson Goode, sworn-in as Philadelphia's 1st black mayor
1985 90th hat trick in Islander history-Brent Sutter
1985 Nevada-Las Vegas beats Utah 142-140, highest college basketball score
1985 Undefeated Brigham Young University becomes college football champion
1985 Australia beat West Indies by innings at SCG, Bob Holland 10 match wickets
1985 Egyptian President Mubarak re-appoints Coptic pope Shenuda III
1986 191.66 million shares traded in New York Stock Exchange
1986 New York Islander, Mike Bossy, scores his 500th goal
1987 Penn State upsets Miami in Fiesta Bowl for college football champ
1987 Troops of Chad President Habré conquer Fada oasis
1988 Ashland Oil storage tank spills 3.8 million gallons, Pennsylvania
1988 Mulroney & Reagan sign Canada-US free trade agreement
1989 Notre Dame beats West Virginia for college football championship
1989 UCLA wins a record 7th consecutive bowl game
1990 Dow Jones hits record 2,800 (2,810.15)
1990 Sting joins wrestlings 4 Horsemen (Flair, Arn Anderson, Ole Anderson)
1991 Colorado wins its 1st AP national title poll
1992 Test debut of Shane Warne, vs India at Sydney
1993 "Gypsy Passion" closes at Plymouth Theater New York City NY after 55 performances
1994 "Abe Lincoln in Illinois" closes at Beaumont New York City NY after 40 performances
1994 "Shakespeare after My Father" closes at Helen Hayes New York City NY after 266 performances
1994 Battles between army & rebellious Indians in South Mexico, kill 57
1995 Bus crashes in Luzon Philippines, 29 killed
1995 Carquest Bowl 5 South Carolina beats West Virginia, 24-21
1995 Most distant galaxy yet discovered found by scientists using Keck telescope in Hawaii (estimated 15 billion light years away)
1997 Howard Stern Radio Show premieres in Columbus OH on WBZX 99.7 FM
1998 Autopsy of Chris Farley shows he overdosed of opiates & cocaine

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Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Georgia : Constitution Ratification Day (1788)
Haiti : Ancestor/Hero's Day
Japan : Kakizome
Japan : Shigoto Hajime-Begin Work Day [beginning of the work year]
Spain : Granada Day (1492)
Switzerland : Berchtold's Tag, founding of Berne
US : Betsy Ross Day (1776)
Scotland : Handsel Monday - - - - - ( Monday )

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Religious Observances
Christian : Commemoration of St Macarius the Younger, martyr
old Roman Catholic : Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus (most years)
Unification Church : Day of Victory of Love
Roman Catholic : Memorial of St Basil the Great, Gregory Nazianzen, bishops
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Gaspar del Bufalo, Italian priest
Lutheran : Commemoration of Johann Loehe, pastor
Jewish : Asarah B'Tevet (Siege of Jerusalem); Tevet 10, 5756

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Religious History
1744 Colonial missionary to the American Indians David Brainerd wrote in his journal: 'We are a long time in learning that all our strength and salvation is in God.'
1909 Future Foursquare Gospel church founder Aimee Elizabeth [n‚e Kennedy] Semple [later McPherson], 19, along with her husband Robert Semple, was ordained to the ministry in Chicago by evangelist William H. Durham.
1921 The first religious program heard over the radio was broadcast from Calvary Episcopal Church of Pittsburgh over local radio station KDKA. (The first licensed radio station in the US, KDKA had been on the air only two months.)
1968 Swiss Reformed theologian Karl Barth wrote in a letter: 'In the Church of Jesus Christ there can and should be no non-theologians.'
1971 A team of Israeli scholars announced the discovery in Jerusalem of a 2,000-year-old skeleton of a crucified male. Found in a cave-tomb, it was the first direct physical evidence of the well-documented Roman method of execution.

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Thought for the day :
" The first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue. "

[SAMWolf]

SS Badger State Rocked by Blasts

(Compilation from New York Times Dec. 26, 1969 to Jan. 16, 1970)

Dec. 26, 1969. A Vietnam-bound ammunition ship, carrying 8,900 bombs and rockets equal to 2,000 tons of TNT, was rocked by explosions and abandoned by her crew in rough seas 1,500 miles northeast of Hawaii.

Dec. 27. Fourteen crewmen were picked up by a Greek ship, the Khian Star, and a US Air Force HC130 rescue plane dropped life rafts and dye marker at the site. A Navy spokesman said the Badger State was carrying the rockets and bombs for the Air Force at Danang, South Vietnam under contract to the Military Sea Transportation Service. The bombs included 2,000 pounders which were loaded at the Bangor (Washington) Naval Ammunition Depot. At daybreak rescue planes and ships found no sign of the 26 missing men, some of whom were last seen clinging to life rafts in 20 foot seas. Heavy rains, high winds and thick clouds were impairing the search.

Dec. 28. Only one rescue vessel continued the hopeless search for the men. One body was recovered by the freighter American Dragon; at least four others were sighted, but surging seas prevented recovery. The Badger State was reported to be breaking up in heavy seas.

Jan. 1, 1970. The Navy abandoned plans to salvage the deserted munitions ship after the tugboat Abnaki nervously approached to within 2 miles of the freighter and reported fires still burning. The tug said the freighter had a 8 by 16 foot hole 4 feet above the water line in the starboard quarter. The Badger State eventually sank.

Jan 15. Captain Charles T. Wilson of the SS Badger State testified that the cargo of bombs exploded after a huge wave threw the freighter on its side.

From America to United States: The History of the long-range Merchant shipbuilding Programme of the United States Maritime Commission (1937-1952) Volume 2, L.A. Sawyer and W.H.Mitchell London: World Ship Society, 1978/1986

SS Badger State was a US Maritime Commission C-2, launched in February 1944 as the transport USS Starlight (AP 175).

U.S. government investigators critisized procedures for stowing bombs, after a bomb broke loose in the hold of the ship, exploded, and cause its sinking.

The crew fought for 9 days to steady the cargo and several times changed course to find calm seas, but each roll of the ship caused the bombs to roll or slide striking each other or the ship's hull where wood sheathing had splintered away.

Small holes were punched in the hull by the battering of the bombs. Several fell through holes in the tween deck hatch.

One of the bombs exploded and fire swept the ship. No other bombs exploded, but the explosion blew a hole 12 by 8 feet in the hull.

The wind blew away 2 liferafts, 35 men boarded a third raft, but a 2,000 pound bomb rolled out the hole in the side of the ship and capsized the liferaft.

Another freighter arrived to attempt a rescue, but many men were washed away in 30 foot seas while clinging to heaving lines, under attack from albatrosses.

The Badger State remained afire with bombs exploding for 10 days before sinking.