MISSIONS

of the

USACS Joseph Henry

Last Update 4007 Questions, Comments, Corrections and Additions are Welcomed! Marty Dwyer Martyk9 @ Webtv.net NOTE: To send me an E-mail, please delete the two spaces from the above adress. Thanks! We are fortunate in being able to ask questions involving the WW II service for the USACS JOSEPH HENRY. I will forward any sent to my address, to it's COMMANDER.

the MISSION 1941-1946 ..... " The installation and maintenance of the Coast Artillery Corps Harbor Defense's submarine telephone cable systems! "

At an earlier time the protection of our seaports was the responsibility of the US Army's Coast Artillery Corps (CAC) and was accomplished by the placement of Forts at strategic locations so that the firepower of their armament could repel naval forces, ( Around the 1870's, the ranges of the artillery guns were exceeding the line of sight of the cannoneers...mjd ) To accurately direct this artillery, a sysem of triangulation was used to determine the enemy vessel's location, course and speed. The triangulation employed a horizontal base line along the coast line, with spotting stations at each end, usually several miles apart. The spotting stations reportd their readings of the target's azimuth to their centralized plotting station where, with these repeated timed readings, the firing dirtections could be sent to the guns so they could fire at un-seen targets.

Thus communication was required among the various elements of fire control. Of the options available, submarine telephone cable was the usual choice as it offered security, ease of right-of-way and had relatively economical cost compared to land line requiring easements from property owners, trenching, poles, etc... The maritime technique for handling submarine cable were well established and it was the decision of the Army to handle cable work "in house", so to speak, with Army ships, equipment and crews. so, the U.S. Army Ship JOSEPH HENRY was built with this MISSION in mind!

It is to be noted that an integral piece of the CAC Harbor Defense (HD) System included the establishment of controled minefields in harbors and shipping chanels, and the installation and maintenance of these controlled mines was done by a fleet of Army Mine Planters. As these vesels were similar in size, design, crew, etc... to the JO HENRY, there were reasons for the JO HENRY to be included as part of the Mine Planter Service. The significant difference in MISSIONS, though, was that Mine Planters were assigned to a specific HD Command while the JO HENRY roamed the entire East Coast serving ALL HDs.

Now comes an interesting aspect of the work of the JO HENRY. The planning of the communication system need by the HD. This involved working with the Army Signal Corps (SC). The HD, through their Commuications Officer (HDCommO), would designate the locations needing connections; and, the SC would take over the design and type of cable to be used. The SC would designate: .... The selected course for the cable to be run .... Order the cable from the manufacturer .... Suggest the working base for the Cable Ship .... Deliver the cable .... Work closely with the Cable Ship on splicing, quality control and the entire installation process. At the same time the JO HENRY was in close contact with the HDCommO who would actually use the system. The HDCommO would: .... Provided manpower and equipment needed ashore when the JO HENRY landed cable at the terminatons.

" The Cooperative relationships among these three (Ship, HD and SC) activities was one of the joys of being the Commanding Officer of the JO HENRY !" ................................................................................ John J.

PS; an Interesting footnote: During the last few months of my Command, the JO HENRY receive an assignment to the US Navy, "I'm not making this up ! " The Navy had some specal work for which they had "no suitable" vessel! In early 1945, a delegation of Officers from the Bureau of Ships came to Boston to investigate our capability to install cable and hydrophones in a deep water sound ranging project being developed with Oceanographic people from Woods Hole, Mass. The War Department had said "OK" since we had completed all new cable work for the CAC. It was decided that we could do the job, and the JO HENRY left Boston on 6 April bound for Norfolk, Va. and then on to an operating base in Miami. From 23 April until 2 August, our work was like a summer (cruise) in the Bahamas. The forward base being in Nassau and the cable area being off the East Coast of Eleuthra Island. The JO HENRY returned to Boston on 11 August. This project, if successful, had important application to future wartime operation in the Pacific Theater as the war with Japan progressed. Operation:

offered "Lifesaving by Sound"