The USS Muskeget was a cargo ship acquired by the Navy during World War II. It was fitted with a few small armaments and then transferred to the Coast Guard for use on weather patrol. It served in that capacity from late June, 1942 until mid September, 1942.
While on the second weather patrol en route from Boston to Iceland, she sent reports as late as September 9. Due to return to port on the 11th, she was never heard from. The USS Monomoy searched on Sept, 13, but found no sign of the Muskeget. Further searches were mounted by boat and aircraft on the 16th, but were unsuccessful as well. She was presumed, at that point, to have been lost at sea. It wasn't until much later that German records of a u-boat sinking in that same area had been the USS Muskeget.
The Muskeget had a crew of 121 and also carried at least 4 civilian weather service employees. There is a list of her crew here.
We remember those men, lost 73 years ago today. With the amount of shipping traffic across the North Atlantic at this time, accurate weather information could be invaluable. The job these men did may not have been as glorious as shelling Iwo Jima, but it was no less appreciated and they deserve to be honored for their participation in the war against tyranny.
We salute them. Let us never forget all who were lost.
No comments:
Post a Comment