A living memorial: Cruises recall WWII service of Merchant Marine - Off Duty, travel - Navy Times

A living memorial: Cruises recall WWII service of Merchant Marine

I stood on the deck of a ship and saluted as “Taps” was rendered in honor of 174 men who died when their ship, S.S. Coamo, was sunk Dec. 9, 1942.

I was aboard the S.S. Lane Victory, a museum and national landmark. The ship took part in the last year of World War II, plus the Korean and Vietnam wars, and now is owned and operated by U.S. Merchant Marine Veterans of World War II.

We were taking the first of five summer cruises from San Pedro, Calif., to the vicinity of Catalina Island, about a dozen miles offshore. On each cruise, a Merchant Marine ship sunk during World War II is commemorated. As a crew member’s name is intoned, a flower is dropped into the ocean. Then “Taps” is played.

On Coamo, 37 of those killed were Navy sailors. The other 137 were civilians in the Merchant Marine. Until 1988, they were not considered military. But thanks in part to various Merchant Marine survivor organizations, Congress passed a law making these men veterans.

The civilians certainly went into harm’s way. During two weeks early in 1942, 35 ships were sunk. Lane Victory was one of the last built during WWII, when ships were built by the thousands to maintain the pipeline of equipment going to far-flung troops in Europe and Asia. German U-boats were sinking them faster than we could launch them early in that conflict.

This one was named after Lane College in Jackson, Tenn., founded by the Rev. Isaac Lane, born into slavery. Lane loved education so much that as a child forbidden to go to school, he stole a spelling book and memorized it.

Lane Victory’s summer cruises are jazzed up with, well, jazz for a start. Passengers are treated to a ’40s swing band and a jitterbug exhibition on the main deck, and the guests — many of them old-timers — join in.

On each trip, a “German spy” is captured and paraded around the ship. Guests jeered at the strutting Nazi on our cruise. Then they crowded around him to pose for pictures.

We relaxed — but not for long. Enemy planes were about, and they were up to no good. Apparently assuming we were unarmed, four aircraft with German-like markings zoomed in on us. But it was the Navy’s armed guard to the rescue! Our guys fired back with 20mm/.70-caliber Mark 4 cannons and a 5-inch/.38-caliber Mark 12 gun.

Our beleaguered but heroically game vessel was joined by Yank flyboys. Three planes with American insignia attacked the attackers. Soon all seven planes fell into formation and flew over, saluting us and our gallant ship.

We waved at them and finished our lunch. War isn’t so bad if you get something to eat — and if you’re pretty sure everybody is shooting blanks. For me, the best was yet to come. On Lane Victory, it was the docents, many of them veterans of many years of service in the Merchant Marine. A few years ago I toured with Bob Abbot, a Navy sailor who sailed on nine Merchant Marine ships — three torpedoed and two sunk.

This time it was Clint Johnson, who joined the Merchant Marine in 1942 at age 17.

We climbed up and down steep ladders and viewed blazing fireboxes, snorting steam condensers and a long compartment housing the propeller shaft.

Clint is still a card-carrying member of the Merchant Marine. He and his wife are among the couple of hundred volunteers who keep Lane Victory shipshape.

He knows his business. After all, he’s been at it for 67 years — and counting.

If you go

The S.S. Lane Victory in San Pedro, Calif., is open for tours from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Admission is $3 per adult and $1 per child. There are four more cruises scheduled for 2010, on Aug. 21 and 22, and Sept. 25 and 26. Tickets are $130 for adults and $80 for children 15 and younger. Discounts are available for groups of 25 or more. For more information, call 310-519-0629 or visit the website.

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Keith Taylor is a retired Navy officer living in San Diego.