Hello,I am trying to confirm the Ship My Dad was on was the SS Camden which was renamed SS Comet in 1936 when sold,and renamed USAT Comet when the US Army took her over in 1942. I thought maybe the Names of two of the Masters(Captains) may link these together,and prove that these were same vessel. I obtained the NARA records for the Armed Guard of the SS/USAT Comet during WW2. The names of my Dad and these two Masters are found repeatedly on these records. However,the official US number for the vessel,which would confirm they are the same,are missing. Not one of 144 pages mentions this number: 204087. The Masters names are K. Mottson,and Daniel Nelson. Is there any way to find the names of these Masters and link them with this ship/ships number? This singular fact would confirm 100% this was the ship my Dad was on. Thank you very much for any assistance you can render!
All inspected merchant vessel (including civilian manned US Army transport) masters are/were required to file discharge certificates with the USCG in Washington DC. They did this during wartime as well as in peacetime. If you are certain that the ship’s name was COMET then it is possible to have them search for all vessels under the US flag with that name. If there are more then you will then be able to search which of the COMETs was sailing in the waters which corresponded with your dad’s service or corresponds with the build date for the ship. Then you should be able to find those discharge certificates which should include your father’s name.
I cannot point you at the exact website for the right office at the USCG but you can go here to start.
You might be able to access the discharges through the national archives with a FOIA request.
[QUOTE=c.captain;151946]All inspected merchant vessel (including civilian manned US Army transport) masters are/were required to file discharge certificates with the USCG in Washington DC. They did this during wartime as well as in peacetime. If you are certain that the ship’s name was COMET then it is possible to have them search for all vessels under the US flag with that name. If there are more then you will then be able to search which of the COMETs was sailing in the waters which corresponded with your dad’s service or corresponds with the build date for the ship. Then you should be able to find those discharge certificates which should include your father’s name.
I cannot point you at the exact website for the right office at the USCG but you can go here to start.[/QUOTE]
I apologize for not being clearer in my post. My Dad was not a Master, He was in Navy Armed Guard. I bought the armed guard file from NARA archives for SS Comet/USAT Comet.I thought these papers would confirm that my Dad served on this vessel. My Dads name is throughout the papers,from the time He went aboard until He transferred to another ship. What was not confirmed is that the USAT and the ship known as SS Camden when built,and SS Comet when sold in 1936 and renamed USAT Comet when Army took it over in 1942-are all the same ship. The official number 204087 assigned to the vessel when built in 1907,that number would have proved it. I thought if I could obtain the sailing records of two of the Masters who commanded the vessel when my Dad was aboard,maybe they would be more detailed,and include the U.S. number of the vessel these Masters commanded. Just another way of coming at the same question. I thought maybe the Masters’ service records would provide more specific detail as to the ships they were Masters’ of during the War.
[QUOTE=Rmankty;152283]I apologize for not being clearer in my post. My Dad was not a Master, He was in Navy Armed Guard. I bought the armed guard file from NARA archives for SS Comet/USAT Comet.I thought these papers would confirm that my Dad served on this vessel. My Dads name is throughout the papers,from the time He went aboard until He transferred to another ship. What was not confirmed is that the USAT and the ship known as SS Camden when built,and SS Comet when sold in 1936 and renamed USAT Comet when Army took it over in 1942-are all the same ship. The official number 204087 assigned to the vessel when built in 1907,that number would have proved it. I thought if I could obtain the sailing records of two of the Master who commanded the vessel when my Dad was aboard,maybe they would be more detailed,and include the U.S. number of the vessel these Masters commanded. Just another way of coming at the same question. I thought maybe the Masters’ service records would provide more specific detail as to the ships they were Masters’ of during the War.[/QUOTE]
so you only wish to confirm if there was more than one SS COMET in government service during WWII? I believe there might have been two. One was a old coastal passenger steamer and the other a more modern and larger ship which was delivered during the war years. Can you tell me where your father sailed to? I believe the old COMET was in the Atlantic and the newer COMET in the Pacific
I can check the more exact details with some of the books I have in my library but it might take a while as I am not home presently
[QUOTE=c.captain;152288]I can check the more exact details with some of the books I have in my library but it might take a while as I am not home presently[/QUOTE]
didn’t take very long…there was only one USAT COMET built in 1909. The other was USS COMET built in 1944 which served in the Pacific
information makes it appear both were in the Pacific with the older COMET being involved in the Aleutians Campaign during 1942.
here is a postcard image of the USAT COMET when she was still SS CAMDEN
[QUOTE=c.captain;151946]All inspected merchant vessel (including civilian manned US Army transport) masters are/were required to file discharge certificates with the USCG in Washington DC. They did this during wartime as well as in peacetime. If you are certain that the ship’s name was COMET then it is possible to have them search for all vessels under the US flag with that name. If there are more then you will then be able to search which of the COMETs was sailing in the waters which corresponded with your dad’s service or corresponds with the build date for the ship. Then you should be able to find those discharge certificates which should include your father’s name.
I cannot point you at the exact website for the right office at the USCG but you can go here to start.[/QUOTE] Thank you for your assistance. I will post what I find when all is confirmed!
[QUOTE=seadog6608;151955]You might be able to access the discharges through the national archives with a FOIA request.[/QUOTE] Thank you! I have purchased the 144 pages known as the Armed Guard file for SS Comet from NARA. My Dads name is listed throughout the time He joined vessel in 1942,until He and others were tranferred in September 1943… It must have been policy to transfer a portion of the Armed Guard together periodically. I found out that the Atlantic Basin Iron Works in NYC did install guns,mounts,and related equipment. I sent again to NARA to see if this Company did the complete refit. I am almost certain that they did,but I want it in writing-what they did,when,and if possible even the cost of it. Also,I asked them if they had records that could “connect the dots”,so to speak. In other words, tie together U.S,.number 204087, with SS Camden,SSComet,and USAT Comet. That would provide confirmed-and reconfirmed proof that these vessels are one in the same,and is the vessel my Dad served on. If the USAT Comets’ U.S. number was 204087-then I KNOW 100% SURE! Thats what I’m looking for. I have asked NARA for this,and I believe to get this specific info from them soon. The Armed Guard file for this SS/USAT Comet DID NOT include any number. I will let you know outcome as soon as I get papers from NARA. Thank you again.
[QUOTE=c.captain;152288]so you only wish to confirm if there was more than one SS COMET in government service during WWII? I believe there might have been two. One was a old coastal passenger steamer and the other a more modern and larger ship which was delivered during the war years. Can you tell me where your father sailed to? I believe the old COMET was in the Atlantic and the newer COMET in the Pacific
I can check the more exact details with some of the books I have in my library but it might take a while as I am not home presently[/QUOTE] Thank you for your help! That is part of the confusion,there was the AP-166 named USS Comet, the USAT Comet-that was a east coast merchant vessel that was refiited to carry troops,and I think there was also a Tanker named Comet,built for U.S. Maritime Commission. The vessel my Dad was on was used to carry passengers/cars in NYC harbor before War. My Dad was only 17 at the time in March 1942. He told me for decades the ship He served on as SS Comet was used to ferry passengers around the harbor of New York,then converted to carry troops. He made passage with it through Panama Canal to ‘Frisco and then across to Pearl Harbor. He mentioned many times Palmyra Islands,and New Guinea,Australia and other places He went went this vessel,until He transferred to SS Matsonia in 1943. This was all I ever heard about the Comet. My Dad,for some reason,never mentioned the US Army connection with this ship. And I think at 17,He did not have a great interest in finding out more about the Comets’ history. I have dug for years off/on,and only a few months ago found a maritime timetable that mentioned a SS Comet and SS Arrow. From that I searched until I found in 1907 Bath Iron Works hull 47 Official US number 204087 named SS Camden. Built “sister” SS Belfast in 1909. Both owed by Eastern Steamship Co. till 1936. Both sold to Colonial Line Colonial Navigation Co. to carry passengers/cars from pier 11 NYC to Providence,Rhode Island. Both taken by War Shipping Dept for US Army in early 1942. My main interest is the SS Comet which became USAT Comet then,and was converted to carry troops in Pacific. I believe the Comet that went to Aluetians was the Tanker. The USAT Comet,and I think the SS Arrow were both used as inter-Island transport in Pacific. The gov. sold USAT Comet in 1948 to Chinese,and the last I have found,she was broken-up in Hong Kong in 1950. I am still digging. I want to know everything about the SS Comet I can find. I know this, when I have in print the 204087 was the USAT Comet-then I know I have confirmed and reconfirm this vessel my Dads from beginning to end. Tying 204087 to USAT now my present goal. Thank you,I will let you know when NARA sends me the papers which hopefully WILL connect 204087 and the info on Atlantic Basin Iron works.
[QUOTE=c.captain;152290]didn’t take very long…there was only one USAT COMET built in 1909. The other was USS COMET built in 1944 which served in the Pacific
information makes it appear both were in the Pacific with the older COMET being involved in the Aleutians Campaign during 1942.
here is a postcard image of the USAT COMET when she was still SS CAMDEN
Thank you very much for this post card image! This is the SS Camden,as you say,indeed. This ship was built by Bath Iron Works in Bath,Maine in 1907. The identical vessel named SS Belfast was built there in 1909. Both were 321.5 to 323 ft(I have seen both lengths from different sources) I know there was a tanker built specifically for the U.S. Maritime Commission and named SS Comet. I know there were at least three vessels named Comet during the War. My Dad was on the vessel that started as SS Camden in 1907,became SS Comet in 1936,and USAT Comet in 1942. The vessel was sold to Asian Development Corp. in 1948,towed to Shanghai and renamed Wansu or Ya Sung. I am trying to find out exactly what she was used for during that time. She ended up in Oct. 1950 in Hong Kong,and was broken-up there by a company named Fu Hwa. I have the 144 pg file on the Armed Guard aboard the SS/USAT Comet. This metions my Dad by name,service number,and correct next of kin. I sent NARA request for information on the ship itself,and the refit/conversion it went through in 1942. Hopefully the new report will confirm that vessel number 204087 and USAT Comet are the same,with specific info on who did the conversion,what was done,where,and how much it cost. Then I will focus on post war period. Thank you very much for your help! When I hear from NARA,I will post results! Thanks again!
[/QUOTE] Apparently I started my reply at wrong place on this post. Sorry!
what you need is a book written shortly after WWII titled "Troopships of WWII"by Roland W. Charles
obviously very rare and quite expensive. I have one in my library but is in a box buried behind other boxes otherwise, I’d scan the page on the SS COMET for you
[QUOTE=c.captain;152856]what you need is a book written shortly after WWII titled "Troopships of WWII"by Roland W. Charles
obviously very rare and quite expensive. I have one in my library but is in a box buried behind other boxes otherwise, I’d scan the page on the SS COMET for you[/QUOTE]
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!! If you can find that page,I would appreciate it very much! If you cant,thats alright. I will ask the local library,and they may be able to get a copy on loan,or maybe they can order a scan for me. I will check and see! I have heard of this book,and there is another one I would like to get. Right now with moving,and the cost of NARA papers,and the photos I ordered from the Historical society- prudence dictates I wait to buy any further books. The 4 5x7’s and membership was over$120, the NARA papers I have got were $122. Im going to get papers on the Comet herself for another $80. I hope that answers the question about the Official number issue,and who did the Conversion,in detail. Later,I want to get same information for the SS Malolo/SS Matsonia. I would like to get a model of both of these ships made,eventually. Also,I have started to get information on my Dads’ squadron CASU 43. He served on the Comet from June-July of 1942 until Sept 1943. He transferred then to SS Matsonia(formerly Malolo). Later, He change ratings to Aviation Machinist Mate and joined CASU43 and worked on SBDs,TBFs and other airplanes until end of War. I want to make a professional quality exhibit,and put it someplace in a historical society or like facility. That is my intention. Thank you very much for all of your help! God truly bless you for it! And all the people from whom I have received information and communication!
Hello! i purchased this book in pdf form from Merriam Press. It has alot of ships listed with photos and a valuable description of many. Unfortunately,the SS Comet/USAT Comet my Dad was assigned to is only mentioned briefly as a “inter-island troopship”. There is no picture no description given. Valuable resource anyway,and the SS Malolo is mentioned.I am trying to see if I can get a copy of David H. Grovers book,and also Ralph L Snow. I think the last author wrote a book that lists the SS Comet/USAT Comet with greater detail. Also,I have contacted someone whose Dad lived in Shanghai in early 50’s. They may have some information on details of this vessel,after she was sold to the Chinese Company- Asian Development Corp. I will let you know of further developments as they occur. Thank you again very much for your help!
please do…being a maritime historian, I am always very interested in stories such as yours
Thank you again very much for your help!
you’re quite welcome…y’all come back now!
[QUOTE=c.captain;153474]please do…being a maritime historian, I am always very interested in stories such as yours
you’re quite welcome…y’all come back now![/QUOTE] I bought a used copy of the book by Ralph L Snow titled Bath Iron Works The 1st 100 Years. I tried earnestly to get just the 16 pages that mentions the SS Camden/Comet. Afterward I found a used copy for $1.03 plus S&H and its on the way,will be here this week. The Grover book-I believe there is a picture of this vessel as USAT Comet,but I dont know if there is any information,other that the photos’ caption. I havent sent in the NARA request yet for their file on QS Comet,but I expect to mail it today. I got a letter from NARA for the Personel Records-they said since my Dads’ service record is over 62 years old,they are now considered archives,and they will send them to me after I fill out form and remit $70. I dont believe the personel record will have any more specific details about the Comet than His separation papers. I will perhaps buy the personel record ,at a later time. The 4 photos I bought should be on their way to me early this week. I found a online record of the hearings the Congress conducted concerning the three ships the War Shipping Admin. bought from Colonial Navigation Co. There were allegations the WSA overpaid for these,and they are the SS Comet,SS Arrow,and SS Meteor. I obtained the link to this through the Library of Congress. If you have a copy of Grovers book could you look please,and see if there is any info on the SS/USAT Comet,beside the photo/caption? Thank you for your assistance!
[QUOTE=Rmankty;154054]If you have a copy of Grovers book could you look please,and see if there is any info on the SS/USAT Comet,beside the photo/caption? Thank you for your assistance![/QUOTE]
I do have one but it is boxed at the moment and I can’t promise you when I could dig it out however I suspect you are correct that there will not be much in it specifically concerning the USAT COMET. I recall the book being more about the US Army vessels built during WWII such as tugs and airsea rescue boats.
There is a series written by the US Army’s historian after the war concerning all Army operations during the period. I do not recall if there is a volume on the Army Transport Service but imagine there would be which hopefully would include the operations of all the vessels under its command.
You’re in luck…it appears the entire series is available in .pdf format here: U.S. Army in World War II Series
Happy reading!
[QUOTE=c.captain;154065]I do have one but it is boxed at the moment and I can’t promise you when I could dig it out however I suspect you are correct that there will not be much in it specifically concerning the USAT COMET. I recall the book being more about the US Army vessels built during WWII such as tugs and airsea rescue boats.
There is a series written by the US Army’s historian after the war concerning all Army operations during the period. I do not recall if there is a volume on the Army Transport Service but imagine there would be which hopefully would include the operations of all the vessels under its command.
You’re in luck…it appears the entire series is available in .pdf format here: U.S. Army in World War II Series
Happy reading![/QUOTE]Hello! Thank you for this reference and link! I will look it all over,and let you know about developments as they occur,Thank you again for your help!
Terminator Genisys (2015)
After finding himself in a new time-line, Kyle Reese teams up with John Connor’s mother Sarah and an aging terminator to try and stop the one thing that the future fears, “Judgement Day”.
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Some people have asked what would prevent a hypothetical super-intelligent autonomous benevolent A.I. to “reprogram” itself and remove its built-in safeguards against getting rid of humans. Most of these people are not themselves A.I. researchers, or even computer scientists.