The Organization and Operations involving the

USACS Joseph Henry

Last Update: 4075 Questions, Comments, Corrections or Additions are Welcome! Marty Dwyer Martyk9 @ Webtv.net NOTE: To send me an E-mail, please delete the two spaces from the above address. 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..

"All said, everything was accomplished successfully !"

Composition of duties: Headquarters Section: .... Commissioned Officers ........ CO ........ XO .... Headquarters Detachment ........ 1st Sgt ........ Clerical ........... Clerk ........ Communications ........... RTO Ship Operations Section: .... Ship's Command: ........ Master .... Deck Department: ........ 1st Mate ............ personnel required for seamanship. .... Engine Depatment: ........ Chief Engineer ........... personnel required for the fireroom and engine room .... Steward's Department: ........ Mess Sergeant ............ Cooks ............ Steward's

Headquarters Section: Command: Administration: Personnel:

Ship Section: Command: MASTER Inspections: Ship's Log: Navigation: Complience to MaritIme Law.

Ship Section: Deck Department: 1st Mate Ship Operations Ship Maintenance

Ship Section: Engine Department: Chief Engineer .... Operation of Boilers & Equipment .... Maintenance o Boilers and Engines .... Engine Department Log

Ship Section: Steward's Department: Mess Sergeant .... Prepareation of the food .... Commanding Officer's Mess: ........ Commissioned Officers ........ Signal Corps Profesional Personnel .... Warrant Oficer's Mess: ........ Warrent Officers ........ Signal Corps Technical Persoenel .... General Mess: ........ Enlisted Men

Signal Corps Detail: Cable Engineer .... Foreman ........ Cable Splicers

SHIP OPERATIONS The mission of the Cable Ship required that it have the mobility to travel extensively along the East Coast as maintenance and installation work was needed at the various Harbor Defenses (within the Eastern Defense Commnd). Thus it was necessary that it be highly self-sufficient. To achieve this, much of the operations of the vessel came under the Army guidelines for "Posts, Camps and Stations" (AR 90-50). Several functions not normally associated with a conventional "(Artillery) Battery" were required. For instance, many of the Army Forts did not have dock space suitable for receiving cable from the factory nor for working ashore, or, in fact, to provide adequate space and shore connections for the ship - so commercial space needed to be arrange. To provide funds for such needs, and for expendable supplies, the Commanding Officer (in addition to normal command and supply functions) served as: .... FISCAL OFFICER: .......... Prepares estimates and request funds to be apropriated on an annual basis. .... PURCHASING and CONTRACTING OFFICER: ......... Issued purchase orders on local sources for fuel, lube oil, boiler chemicals, rope, paint, etc ... as needed and requested by the Ship's deck, engine and stewards departments. However, contracts for major items of repir (bottom work), new equipment and permamnent changes to the ship were handled by the Quartermaster Corps. The operation of the Steward's Department was grately different from shore units. The Mess Sergeant used local Army Commissaries for some food items - coffee, flour, beans, rice an such bulk items - and for some cans and packaged stuff (non-parishable items). We had excelent storage space for this. BUT - for meat, produce, dairy and other selected items he had local sources - usually ship chandlers who supplied merchant ships (in Boston it was the S.S. Pierce Co. well known for quality delicacies). Since the Jo Henry received a check each month for the crews rations, we had the cash to spend at these commercial sources resulting in highest quality ingredients. This, coupled with two excellet cooks, put our food equal to the finet of the Officer Clubs. Atested to by many visitors. It should be noted that Officers, Warrent Officers and Civilians had the enlisted menus, but were charged 75 cents per day, which income was added to the crew's ration account. Am important aspect of the Cable Ship operations was the cooperative interaction of the Enlisted Men, Warrent Officers and Commissioned Oficers needed for successful work and a "so called" Happy Ship. There was, on one hand, the conventional military relationship in which the CO and XO performed Station and Battery duties. (Battery duties consisted of health, promotions, discipline, furloughs, etc ... Then there was the functional relationship in which the Warrent Officers were responsible for training of the crew in the matters of operating the ship - on the deck and in the engine/boiler rooms - at dock or at sea. The balance between these two areas was maintained without conflict on the Jo Henry - I think because we had top-grade people who simply wanted to do a good job (and enjoy the advantages of serving in this unusual assignment).

CABLE OPERATIONS During WWII the principal work of the Cable Ship was the installation of new cable links as designed by the Signal Corps and the Coast Artillery Corps. Operating bases for the ship were needed which could receive and store cable shipments from the factory; provide suitable dock facilities for the ship; and space for working the cable ashore. For projects north of Cape Cod, the Army Base in Boston was used ; for the southern work, the Army leased the State Pier at New Bedford, Mass. The installation work could be INTERUPTED AT ANY TIME for urgent repairs caused, usually, by careless anchoring of merchant vessels in cable areas.

Before getting into details of cable operations, lets consider a piece of submarine telephone cable - an outside spiral wrapping of steel wire to provide strength; a lead sheath to provide waterproofing and a core of paired, paper insulated copper wires to provide the electrical circuits. Between the steel and the lead is a layer of tarred jute for cushioning, and there is probably more jute, soaked in tar, on the outside o he steel. The cable comes from the factory on reels (wooden in wartime) in various lengths depending upon the number of copper conductors. Delivered by rail car and off-loaded to a storage area handy to the ship. If the cable contained 40 pairs of conuctiong copper wires, there might be 2000 feet of cable on each reel. If more paires - and mos of the new cable we installed had more pairs, say 90, a reel would only hold 1000 feet, or less. The outside diameter of one of these larger cable would be about 3 inches.

For a particular cable link, the Signal Corps would ouline to us the terminations of the cable and the general route it was to follow. The cable for the project was shipped to the operating base The Cable Ship would sail to that base, (if not already there) and start the splicing. At this time we would contact the local Harbor Defense Communcations Officer (HD CommO) to confirm details, and, usually, to personally visit the landing sites. Depending on shore conditions, we would plan the needed manpower and equipment to get the cable from the ship to the land sites.

The numbr of splices, of course, was determined by the length of the cable link, and was a very time-consuming and accuracy demanding process. We had two cable splicers (Civilian, Signal Corps) who were accomplished at this "art". Proof of that was in all of the installations, there was not one "leaker" when he cable went into the water. The splicing required that the two ends of the cable be joined by connecting the paired copper conductors; soldering those joints and re-inslating them; re-bndling them; wrapping the bundles in insulating paper; covering the joined areas with a lead sleeve and soldering the sleeve to the lead sheath on the cables. This was hand done using insulated mitts and molten lead. Cushioning jute was wound around the joint, and several feet of the steel wire laid over the entire splice area and then a serving of jute cord was applied to secure the steel wire. The integrity of the copper circuits and the steel strength was thus preserved, splice after splice. After each splice (and test) the cable was loaded on the big reel on the foredeck

Maine Coast c1944 © JMiller

This gives an idea of a cable landing operation. The barge is secured by anchor and a line or two. Here is where the planning and organizating pays off. Notice almost perfect sea conditions.

Maine Coast c1944 © JMiller

On a good weather day, the Jo Henry sailed to the first landing area and anchored in safe depth.

Maine Coast c1944 © JMiller

Usually the amount of cable, needed to reach the shore termination point, was off-loaded onto a small barge and our yawl towed the barge to shore. Good planning on tide conditions often enabled the barge to sit on the beach, where one existed, while a shore crew pulled the cable to its ultimate destination (usually a cable termination hut).

Maine Coast c1944 © JMiller

The man in the dinghy has brought the cable from the barge to the shore detail - men and equipment who pull the cable off the barge and to connect it to the equipement, at this site, it was Observation Station.

Once this landing was finished, the ship followed a pre-determined course laying out the cable. Constant bearings were taken to verify the course and for plotting the official location of the cable for the records. The other landing was much the same as the first.

It is quite obvious that the installation operation required much more time to prepare the cable than was needed to lay it! And, the above example represents the simplest installation which involves small cable and short runs. More likely, the size of the cable and the length of the run would require splicing one portion (length of cable aboard the Joseph Henry), putting the end ashore, and laying that portion - sealing the water end and attaching a buoy. (Returning to the operating base) then splicing up succeedng portions; stowing it on board; returning to the buoy and picking up the end of the previous portion and splicing the new portion to the original. Repeaing until the entire run was installed. This was something of a slow process.

At times, needing to work in shallow water, cable work was done from a barge, and we had manual-operated (reel) braking devices for this type of work. It seemed possiible to adept this technique to deep sea work which would speed up the installation timetable when working with large cable. This was tried in 1943 using a large rented 'lighter' to load an entire link - usually several miles of cable - spliced, tested and ready to lay. Using Jo Henry as a tug, the barge was towed to the work area and our yawl took over to put the barge near shore as in a conventional cable landing. The yawl then towed the barge back to the Jo Henry, which took the barge alongside and proceded on course much the same as if laying cable off the ship. Then, at the other termination, the yawl would tow the barge to shore and the landing completed. One trip for the whole link - needing one day of good weather. This worked well and enabled us to complete the south shore work well ahead of schedule.

Things did not always go smoothly Unanticipated problems would crop up, but the talent and energy of the crew proved up to the challenge. While the installations were pretty much routine, the maintenance work was anything but. Some relocations were easy, but damaged cable in deep water was another thing. Word from a HD CommO that a cable was "OUT" called for prompt action. Using measurements from cable terminations, our cable engineer could estimate the approximate distance to the trouble. Knowing the course of that cable route from previous charting, the Jo Henry put to sea and started a grappling operation - crosswise to the cables course. Sooner or later we hooked the cable and brought a loop to the surface. Usually the cable would be placed on a fairlead alongside and slowly the ship would overrun the cable (and bring the cable to the surface) until visible evidence of the trouble was found. If no visibe evidence, a judgement cut would be made to determine which way to go. (Although not a splice; insulation, waterproofing and strength had to be restored before proceeding.) Once the trouble was located, it was cut out and a new poece of cable spliced in. Much more interesting than new installations.

Most of the installation work in he Boston area was done prior to my taking command. In 1942, much of our work was done in the Buzzard's Bay area, hooking up

with Nantucket, Martha's Vinyard, Cuttyhunk and with stations along the coast towards Fort Adams, RI. In 1943 we continued to connect stations in Connecticut and eventually across the entrance of Long Island Sound to Montauk Point, NY. That part of the new cable projects completed, we moved to Fort Constitution, NH for the summer of 1944, and by election day finished the last of the Signal Corps new cable systems. With no new installation work, the ship was sent to Boston to await any calls for repair work. The Army Base being busy with war transports, we were berthed at Lewis Wharf in downtown Boston, much to the delight of the crew! At the end of 1945, it was decided to no longer rent dock space, and the Jo Henry took up residence at Fort Adams. There was a fine dock at the post with all necessary shore connections; and the facilities of the post available for the crew.

Boston August 1945 © JMiller

Of the few war-time phoos I have all are with family. This one is not too good, but, I can tell you I was one happy Soldier at this time.

EPILOGUE I Recieved notice that I would be transferred to the separation center on 6 Feb 1946. My wife and I rented a room in Newport and the transfer of authority to Lt. Moton (my XO and soon to be CO of the JO Henry) was begun. It was a pretty lazy time, and there was considerable concern for the future of the Jo Henry. Most of the draftees had gone home; for the most part, those remaining had re-enlisted. In truth, I was ready to become a civilian.

A PERSONAL NOTE As the date for my leaving the Jo Henry approached the necessary transfers of authority were made and I had informal meetings with The Warrant Officers and the civilian cable crew to express my thanks for their service, goodby and goodluck. I wandered around the ship for casual talks with the enlisted men - now a much reduced crew with the draftees gone. I spent some time in the galley to compliment the cooks on the super food. I had a fresh Commission Pennant flow and put the old one in my pocket. Having little to do, and living ashore, I felt like I was keeping "Office Hours" on the ship.

Feb, 6, 1946 came up cold and windy in Newport. Betty and I had breakfast at a diner and drove to Fort Adams. Betty stayed in the car at the dock with the engine and heater running and I walked down to the ship. The deck watch saluted crisply - a bit of a surprise since we were not great for saluting on the Jo Henry! I went yo my quarters. First Sargent Santos brough in the Morning Report and said "All men present!". I signed - for the last time. Lt. Moton had prepared the Ship's Log with all the transfer orders entered - WE SIGNED! I WAS OUT, He WAS IN. Lt. Moton and I went below to the crew's quarters, where most of the enlisted men had assembled and I gave my short "Thanks, Goodluck and Goodbye. On the way to the mess room where the rest of the crew was, I went below to the boiler room to say goodby to the fireman on duty. Same short speech in the mess room, with final orders to Mess Sargeant Yablonski - KC HBSC - ("Keep the coffee hot, black, strong and continuous!") (He heard that often over the past four years).

Lt. Moton and I walked to the gangway, said goodbye, goodluck, keep in touch! Another salute from the watch and I stepped off the Jo Henry for THE LAST TIME! When I got to the car, Betty asked why I was walking so slowly when it was so cold. I told her "The last few minutes hadn't been too easy" And I was thinking that I'd realy left what had been my home for the past four years. I slept there, ate there, worked there. Read a hundred books there; played a thousand games of cribbage there. I had realy come to love that old bucket. (And I was actually saying goodbye and goodluck to the Jo Henry, as well as to the crew!) "And that the Jo Henry and I had done a good job!" Betty said: "You've done your service, and now we can put our lives back together." I said; "That we will, but, wasn't that a hell of a way to fight a war ?" She put her hand on my arm and said: "Honey, let's go."

And THAT WAS THAT!