LIBERTY SHIP--S.S. JOHN MCLEAN

I arrived at Ulithi on 21 January 1945 having traveled from San Francisco, California, under the Golden Gate bridge (shown above), on this Liberty Ship. With this date in mind consider the following record of Japanese submarines lost during the war: I-48 lost 01/23/1945 off Ulithi Atoll (09-45N,138-20E) LCDR Matsunobu Toyama Force KONGO. Attack of 3 US DEs Liberty ship was the name given to the EC2 type ship designed for "Emergency" construction by the United States Maritime Commission in World War II. Liberty ships, nicknamed "ugly ducklings" by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt The first of the 2,751 Liberty ships was the SS Patrick Henry, launched on Sept. 27, 1941, and built to a standardized, mass produced design. She was built in 4 Days 15 Hours 29 Minutes. The 250,000 parts were pre-fabricated throughout the country in 250-ton sections and welded together in about 70 days. Another Liberty ship, the SS Robert E. Peary was built in four and a half days. A Liberty cost under $2,000,000. The Liberty was 441 feet long and 56 feet wide. Her three-cylinder, reciprocating steam engine, fed by two oil-burning boilers produced 2,500 hp and a speed of 11 knots. Her 5 holds could carry over 9,000 tons of cargo, plus airplanes, tanks, and locomotives lashed to its deck. A Liberty could carry 2,840 jeeps, 440 tanks, or 230 million rounds of rifle ammunition. Libertys carried a crew of about 44 and 12 to 25 Naval Armed Guard. The keel of the S.S. John McLean was laid on 9-14-42, launched 10-23-42 and delivered on 11-7-42.

U.S.S. STOCKDALE ~ DE-399

I was transferred from Ulithi to Guam in October 1945 and assigned to the USS Stockdale as Signalman in Charge. We made one weather patrol off Guam during Christmas of 1945 after which we came back to Philadelphia via Hawaii and the Panama Canal. We then went to Green Cove Springs, Fla. where the ship was 'moth-balled'. I returned to Boston and was released to the Inactive Naval Reserve. This photo of the USS STOCKDALE was taken in New York harbor in either 1944 or 1945 and is courtesy of Robert M. Eaton, a former crewman. DE- 399 USS STOCKDALE CLASS - Edsall Displacement 1,250 Tons, Dimensions, 306' (oa) x 36' x 10' 5" (Max) Armament 3 x 3"/50, 2x 40mmAA, 10x 20mm AA, 3 x 21" TT, 1 Hedgehog, 8 DCT's 2 DC racks. Machinery, 6,000 SHP; 4 Fairbanks Morse Model 38d81/8 Geared Diesel Engines, 2 screws Speed, 21 Knots, Crew 186. Laid down by Brown Shipbuilding, Houston on August 31 1943. Launched October 30 1943. Commissioned December 31 1943. Decommissioned April 18 1947. Stricken July 1 1972. Fate: Sunk as target off Florida, May 24 1974 xxxxxxxxxx "Drenched from head to foot with salt water.  Sleep with a leg crooked around my rack so I won't fall out.  Put wet bread under my dinner tray to keep it from sliding.         A DE, my friend, is a Destroyer Escort.  It's a ship long and narrow and sleek, something like a destroyer but much smaller. They are rough and tumble little ships. Their decks are laden with depth charges. They can turn in half the space of a destroyer. They roll and they plunge.  They buck and they twist.  They shudder and they fall through space.  They are in the air half the time, under water half the time,  their sailors say they should have flight pay and submarine pay both."       Ernie Pyle-War Correspondent Ulithi, 1945

U.S.S. MISSISSINEWA

AFTER TORPEDOING

THE SHIP FOUND The exact location of the USS Mississinewa had been unknown. Several American and Japanese dive teams had searched for the vessel without success. On April 6, 2001 at 12:10 PM (Ulithi time) the ship was found in 133 feet (not 120 feet as originally reported) of water by an independent team of three divers from the San Francisco area. This 553-foot ship was the only American naval ship sunk by a Japanese Kaiten, a one-man suicide submarine.

OTHER LOSSES AT ULITHI The Mine Sweeper USS YMS-385 sunk by a mine off Ulithi, Caroline Islands, 1 October 1944. On January 12, 1945, while anchored in Ulithi Atoll, the USS Mazama (AE-9) was struck by a Japanese torpedo. Number one hold had 5300 tons of ammo. The number one hold was secured and the ship lived to fight another day. There was no ammunition explosion. (related by Walter Brooker, Warren McMath and Ed Schubel, 43-45) Also on January 12, 1945 the LCI-600 sank at Ulithi.

Official Navy photo showing the USS Shannon at Ulithi in March 1945. The ships in the background include the USS FLINT (CL-97) in left center, and the USS Miami (CL-89) at the right. Three Essex-class aircraft carriers are anchored in the middle distance. The USS Enterprise (CV-6) is at the far left.