Day 862

WWII merchant ship gun

May 10th, 2014



A plaque on the other side reads:

3" GUN USED BY ARMED
GUARD ON WORLD WAR II
MERCHANT SHIP

DEDICATED IN MEMORY OF THE
5,268 MERCHANT MARINERS
WHO MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE
IN WORLD WAR II


One Comment

  1. Steve says:

    The Armed Guard and their guns was a desperate attempt to ward off U-boat attacks during the period that Allied ship convoy protection was inadequate and the U-boats were running rampant. They never sunk a U-boat. Instead it placed civilians in the role of the military and at risk of execution if captured. In the early stages of the U.S. involvement in the war there were episodes where the Armed Guard persisted in firing on submarines which had just struck their cargo ship. The German boat, which was going to allow the crew to escape, instead attacked the ship again.
    See: “Hitler’s U-boat War” by Clay Blair.

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