Allied Merchant Navy of World War II:
LINKS Page, Part Three

Australian-Based Sites

The Australian War Memorial This site gives on-line access to the Memorial's collections, exhibitions, research facilities and Biographical Databases. To search for the name of a Merchant Seaman, use the Memorial's Commemorative Roll database. Along with the Memorial's own databases, there are also links to the data bases of the National Archives of Australia.

Maritime Disasters of World War Two This encyclopedic site, created by George R. Duncan, and dedicated to all those who lost their lives at sea, details the fates of the larger naval and merchant ships from all nations. There is also a second page, More Maritime Disasters which lists many smaller ships lost during the war.

Merchant Men at War This site, created by former Radio Operator Eric Bissmire, of Gold Coast, Queensland, was written especially for the benefit of the children and grandchildren of those who served in the Allied Merchant Navy of WWII. Eric would like to hear from anyone connected to Convoy HX-223 which was caught in a devastating hurricane during its January 1943 crossing.

Queensland Vindicatrix Association This site, created by Bill and Shirley Davis, is the online home of the Queensland branch of the association which like other branches around the world remembers the TS Vindicatrix National Sea Training School. As well as information of particular interest to members, Bill and Shirley have also set up a Guestbook and Links page.

Australia at War This site created by Peter Dunn concentrates on World War One and World War Two. The many topics covered include a list of Ships Sunk in Australian Waters by Japanese Submarines and a page about the Japanese "Glen" Floatplane.

Australian Merchant Seamen War Memorial This page is a part of Michael Southwell-Keely's extensive Australian War Memorials site which covers war memorials throughout Australia.

Australian National Archives The Archives has a huge collection of photos and documents pertaining to Australia's WWII history and is also the repository for Service Records of those who served aboard Australian Merchant vessels during the war. For further information on obtaining Service Records see the "Fact Sheet Thirty" . To find a photo, try the site's Photo Search feature.

The Australian Merchant Navy: Stories of the War at Sea This site created by Australian Merchant Navy veterans Ron "Steve" Wylie, the late Frank "The Chief" Snell, and Jack "Cracker" Knight, pays tribute to the often untold story of the Australian Merchant Navy's role during WWII. As well as providing detailed histories of the Australian fleets along with their own personal recollections of their service aboard Burns, Philp & Co. Ltd. vessels, the authors have included stories from Navy and Army veterans. New contributions in the form of poems, narratives and photos are welcomed. Be sure to also visit the separate International Discussion Forum which the webmasters set up in July 2002 -- Mercantile Marine.

"Vindi" Boys Downunder This site, created by former "Vindi Boy" Dave Bryson and his son Richard, is the online home of the New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory Branch of the TS. Vindicatrix Association. The purpose of the site is to bring together "Vindi Boys" from around the world and the webmasters welcome stories and photos.

New Zealand-Based Site

The Signal: The New Zealand Merchant Navy Association As well as providing support and information of interest to MN Veterans, this association welcomes all those who have a love of ships and the sea. The site is maintained by Merchant Navy veteran Eric Bissmire of the Australian-based site Merchant Men at War.

The New Zealand National Maritime Museum This museum which is located in Auckland, has an extensive library and archive as well as a large collection of Ship Photos.

Norwegian-Based Sites

National Archives of Norway (Riksarkivet) The National Archives houses information on Norway's WWII merchant fleet which was operated by the NORTRASHIPS company. For the page containing addresses to the various archives, go to the Contacts and Locations page. For directions on how to find out where Nortraship Archives are located and how to use the Norwegian version go to Siri Lawson's "Find Nortraship Archives" section of her 1939-1945 Norwegian Merchant Fleet page. For information on a specific NORTRASHIP, please contact Anne Hagstom at the Riksarkivet. The Norwegian Maritime Directorate administrate a special pension fund for all those who served on Norwegian ships during WWII. For specific information on the pension fund, please write to: postmottak@sjofartsdir.dep.no . Many thanks to Astrid Loeset Meland of the Norwegian Central Information Service (Statens Informasjonstjeneste) and Siri Lawson of Siri Holm Lawson's Homepage for these addresses.

Siri Holm Lawson's Homepage On this site Siri Lawson, who actually lives in the United States, tells the unforgetable story of her late father, Odd Conrad Holm, a veteran of the Norwegian Merchant Navy. Odd Holm was marked for life by his experiences in World War Two. As well as serving on the Nidarland, Ringulv, Nyhorn and the Thorsov, Odd also survived 16 months in horrific North African prison/labor camps. Siri has included translations of her father's letters along with fascinating photos and other documents. Siri has also separated her useful Links Pages into three sections: a Merchant Marine Links Page which focusses on the Norwegian and Allied Merchant Navies' role in WWII and a more general History Links Page which covers the history of Norway during WWII and a Genealogy Links Page. In addition, Siri has a Ship Forum and a new section which provides extensive information on all the vessels of the 1939 to 1945 Norwegian Merchant Fleet.

Iceland-Based Site

U-boat.Net This site created by by enthusiast Gudmundur Helgason of Hafnarfjorour, Iceland, contains a wealth of information on the U-boats and the Allied vessels which they sunk.

Netherlands-Based Site

ESSO Tankvaart Mij. Website This site created by by ex-Dutch Merchant Marine Engineer Auke Visser gives a detailed history of the Dutch ESSO ships. As well as informative fleet lists, individual ship histories and wonderful photos, Auke also has a very moving "In Memoriam" section which pays tribute to the Dutch Merchant Seamen who lost their lives while serving aboard the Dutch ESSO tankers of World War Two.

American-Based Sites

American Merchant Marine at War -- Revolution to World War II to Today (formerly US Merchant Marine and US Maritime Service -- USMM). This huge site, created by Merchant Marine Veteran Dan Horodysky and his wife Toni, of Berkeley, California, is the place to start if you are looking for U.S. Merchant Marine and Naval Armed Guard information. Use the site's Search Engine to find topics easily. The multitude of topics covered include: Shipmate Search with information on how to obtain service records and ship histories; Ships Sunk or Damaged in WWII, Names of Mariners Killed in WWII and Mariners who were taken Prisoner of War. Toni and Dan also host other webpages -- some of these are: The Sinking of the SS Lehigh by Sam Hakam; Captain George Duffy's POW Page which features Captain Duffy's newspaper articles; and author-historian Bruce Felknor's American Merchant Marine Page. Toni and Dan also provide information on A Careless Word -- A Needless Sinking by Captain Arthur R. Moore.

American Merchant Marine Veterans (AMMV) National Headquarters This page which is part of the AMM at War website has information of interest to veterans of the U.S. Merchant Marine and the U.S. Navy Armed Guard. Other chapters of AMMV include:

The AMMV Juan de Fuca Chapter is headed by former Merchant Marine Veteran Harold F. "Bud" Schmidt who also has a personal homepage. For information on videos which Bud recommends, please click here.

The AMMV Southern Oregon Chapter can be contacted at the e-mail address of its Editor, Monty Montgomery: montykat@harborside.com

Matty's Merchant Marine Info Site Merchant Marine Veteran Matty Loughran is Historian of the North Atlantic Chapter AMMV. As well as assisting American veterans and their families to obtain service records, Matty also helps Canadian citizens who served in the U.S. Merchant Marine. Matty can be reached at: 17 Lakeview Court, Riverhead, N.Y. 11901-1858 ph 631-722-5014 or at his e-mail address of mattmerchmarine@webtv.net

SS Stephen Hopkins Chapter American Merchant Marine Veterans This site which is also part of the AMM at War website, is of particular interst to veterans in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Service Officer Charles C. Smith is especially interested in seeing that Merchant Marine Veterans receive the health care and monetary benefits to which they are entitled and he considers it a great priviledge to help any veteran with his claim.

US Naval Armed Guard and WWII Merchant Marine This huge site was created by Naval Armed Guard veteran Thomas R. Bowerman in order to document the role of the US Naval Armed Guard and US Merchant Marine in World War Two. The site has many features including a Message Board and News Page. There are many photographs and in order to make it easier to navigate the site Tom has provided a helpful search engine. Be sure to visit AMMV Louie V. Cafiero's pages which include a tribute to his cousin William "Billy" McKeon, a Naval Armed Guard gunner who survived the sinkings of the SS Kaimoku and SS Bushranger. Don't miss Louis' photos of Liberty Ship John W. Brown taken during her visit to Jacksonville, Florida in June 2002.

American Veteran Search This site, created by Rich Palmeri and Jack Gentile, is dedicated to all US Veterans of all branches and all eras. To access the searchable data base for the US Merchant Marine section, click on "Message Center" on the welcome page.

National Liberty Ship Memorial: SS Jeremiah O'Brien This is the official homepage for the Liberty Ship and veteran of the Normandy Landings, SS Jeremiah O'Brien. She was built in June 1943 in the shipyard at Portland, Maine and today is berthed in San Francisco where she serves as a living museum. The Jeremiah O'Brien and the SS John W. Brown are the only two surviving Liberty Ships.

The S.S. Jeremiah O'Brien Video Page This site, maintained by Ross Bertran of Communication Direct, showcases Ross' video documentary "Homecoming", which he made about the Jeremiah O'Brien's nostalgic visit to Portland, Maine, in 1994. Ross has included interesting video clips from the film.

Project Liberty Ship This site is dedicated to preserving the memory of the SS John W. Brown, and all the other Liberty Ships.

The SS Lane Victory Homepage This is the official website of the SS Lane Victory, a distinguished veteran of WWII, Korea and Vietnam. She is now berthed in San Pedro, California, where she has been preserved as a living memorial from the US Merchant Marine Veterans to the people of the world.

Another Merchant Marine Page Contains a variety of information along with an article on how to research a specific U.S. merchant ship.

US Merchant Marine Veterans Information Site This site, which is maintained by Bill Humm, whose father, Richard served on Liberty Ships during the war, contains many facts and figures on the history of the US Merchant Marine.

Death of Convoy PQ-17 This article tells the tragic story of the doomed convoy which was abandoned by its British escorts while en route to Archangel in July 1942.

Herbert E. Thiel, K.I.A. This page, written in memory of United States Army Private Herbert E. Thiel, tells the tragic and little-known story of the sinking of the British troopship HMT Rohna. She was carrying American troops to India when she was sunk by a German glider bomb off the coast of Algeria on November 26, 1943. Over 1100 lives were lost.

Floyd S. Crumpler Memorial Page This page, in memory of Merchant Marine veteran, Floyd S. Crumpler, is written by his daughter, Gloria Vester. Floyd survived the sinking of the Liberty Ship H.G. Blasdel when she was torpedoed off the coast of France on June 29th, 1944.

Unsung Heroes: Ships of the Esso Fleet in WWII This fascinating site, created by Ron Roman, whose father lived through it, pays tribute to the men who served aboard the Esso tankers in WWII. In the section entitled The Lost Ship, Norma Andreasen, daughter of the Esso Williamsburg's First Mate, Hans Andreasen, tells how she found out many years later exactly how her father and all the others aboard the Esso Williamsburg were lost.

In Hell There is a Place Called Death's Railway. Former US Merchant Marine Stanley Willner's harrowing account of his days as a POW of the Japanese in Singapore and Thailand.

Shipwrecks and Other Maritime Disasters This site created by Robert Frump is a homepage for contemporary maritime literature, journalism, writing and research. Be sure to read the articles written by Merchant Marine Veteran, Bob Cusick:     Cold Comfort , in which Bob describes how he survived the 1983 sinking of Marine Electric; his essay The Merchant Marine and US Armed Guard in WWII , his memoir After the War in which Bob describes his wartime experiences and post-war life and The Torpedoing ot the Lake Osweya in which Bob describes the tragic wartime losses of Lake Osweya and USAT Merrimack. Robert Frump provides an in-depth analysis of The Wreck of the Marine Electric and he has also written the book Until the Sea Shall Free Them: Life, Death and Survival in the Merchant Marine which describes the Marine Electric disaster and aftermath. To listen to Bob Cusick's June 14, 2002 Radio interview "Surviving Disaster on the High Seas", please go to New Hampshire Public Radio: The Front Porch.

The Merchant-Marine.com Homepage Former WWII Merchant Marine Veteran Vern Hurst has designed this site to be of use to all veterans. Vern has included many useful links.

USS England DE-635 This site created by Dennis O'Brien offers all kinds of information about the remarkable American destroyer which sank 6 Japanese submarines in May 1944.

United States Naval Academy Museum This world-famous museum is located in Annapolis, Maryland.