Muskeget, 1942
YAG-9; AG-48; WAG 48, ex-Cornish
Muskeget is an island located just west of Nantucket Island and south of Cape Cod.
Builder: Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Sparrows Point, Maryland
Length: 233' 6" overall
Beam: 40' 2"
Draft: 24' 3"
Displacement: 1,827 tons
Cost: ?; U.S. Navy acquisition, conversion cost $250,000
Commissioned: 1923 (merchant fleet); 2 January 1942 (US Navy); 30 June 1942 (US Coast Guard)
Decommissioned / Disposition: Lost at sea on or about 9 September 1942
Machinery/Propulsion: Hooven, Owens, Rentschler Company triple-expansion steam engine; 2 x Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation single-ended Scotch boilers, 190 psi; 1,300 SHP; single propeller.
Performance:
Maximum speed: 11.0 knots
Cruising speed / endurance: 9.0 knots, 15,000 mile range
Complement: 34 merchant seamen (1923); 121 total: 9 commissioned officers, 107 enlisted men, 1 Public Health Service officer, 4 U.S. Weather Service employees (1942).
Electronics:
Radar: None
Sonar: QCL-8
Armament: 1 x 4"/50 (single-mount); 1 x 3"/50 (single-mount); 4 x 20mm (single-mount); 2 x depth charge tracks; 4 x "Y" guns; 2 x mousetraps.
Cutter History:
Muskeget was the former freighter Cornish that was owned and operated by Eastern Steamship Lines, Incorporated, of Boston, MA. She served in the cargo trade on the Great Lakes. The U.S. Navy acquired Cornish "under charter" on 29 December 1941 and had her converted from a freighter by the Sullivan Drydock & Repair Company, of New York, NY. She was commissioned as YAG-9 on 3 January 1942.
She was assigned to the Third Naval District and performed patrol duty off New York until reclassified AG-48 and named Muskeget on 30 May. One month later, 30 June, the miscellaneous auxiliary was "loaned" to the Coast Guard, who reclassified her as the WAG-48. She was "commissioned as a vessel in Coast Guard service" on 1 July 1942. She was then assigned to her permanent station of Boston and reported for duty with the Weather Observation Patrol. While in port she fell under the authority of the First Naval District's DCGO (District Coast Guard Officer), although while at sea she fell under the command of CINCLANT (CTF 24).
Her first assignment was to patrol Weather Station No. 2 from the 6th to the 27th of July, 1942. She departed for her next patrol, on the same weather station, on 24 August 1942.
Her official Coast Guard history from this point reads:
"USS MUSKEGET DISAPPEARS WITHOUT TRACE: The U.S. Weather Observation Station Ship MUSKEGET (ex-CORNISH) departed Boston on the afternoon of 24 August, 1942, en route to Weather Station No. 2, 53°N - 42° 30'W. The first weather report from the vessel originated 28 August, 1942 while en route to her station. On 31 August, 1942 she reported on weather conditions. The last report on the weather was received from her 9 September, 1942, when she was awaiting the arrival of her relief, the USCGC MONOMOY. On 11 September 1942, the MONOMOY reported she was unable to effect relief of the MUSKEGET due to failure to establish communications. Enemy submarines were reported active and a message was transmitted by the MONOMOY for action of the MUSKEGET but the weather patrol vessel again failed to answer her call. Repeated efforts were made by the MONOMOY to contact the vessel without success. On 13 September 1942, the MONOMOY arrived at Weather Station No. 2 and cruised on station for 9 days. On 15 September 1942, upon a report from the MONOMOY of inability to communicate with the MUSKEGET, all aircraft and ships in the vicinity were directed to search for and report any positive results. This search on 16 September proved fruitless.
ENEMY SUBS IN VICINITY: On 1 October 1942, having been relieved of patrol, the MONOMOY departed the weather station en route to Boston. Arriving there on 12 October 1942, she reported that from 20 to 35 enemy submarines were daily within striking distance of Weather Station No. 2. The area between Halifax, N.S., Cape Race, N.F., and Iceland, within which Weather Station No. 2 was located, was a seething and continuous mass movement of convoys and enemy submarines with, as a general rule, two or more convoys daily shadowing the enemy submarines found operating there.
ENTIRE CREW PRESUMED LOST: After a year had elapsed, with no further information concerning the MUSKEGET or any of her 9 officers and 111 [sic] enlisted men, the entire personnel on board was declared to be officially dead. The MUSKEGET, which had operated on the Great Lakes, had been chartered by the Navy and turned over to the Coast Guard, having been commissioned in June [sic] 1942."
When she was overdue in reaching home port, Muskeget was presumed lost in action with no survivors. At the time of her sinking, she had 121 men on board: 9 commissioned officers, 107 enlisted men, one Public Health Service officer, and four civilian employees of the U.S. Weather Service. German naval records recovered after the war indicated that U-755, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Walter Göing, reported torpedoing a U.S. auxiliary merchant cruiser in Muskeget's area of operation on 9 September 1942.
It was undoubtably this attack that caused the destruction of Muskeget and the loss of her entire crew. U-755 was herself sunk in the Mediterranean by a Royal Air Force Hudson on 28 May 1943. Nine of the U-boat's crew of 47 survived the attack and were rescued by the Spanish.
On 10 September 1942, the Navy and Coast Guard declared Muskeget's crew as killed in action. On 26 October 1943, Muskeget was struck from the Navy list. American Legion Post 2543 in Plattsmouth, Nebraska, is named for one of the crewmen of Muskeget who was killed in action that day, 9 September 1942, Harold Wolever, Jr.
Crewman and passengers killed in action on USS Muskeget, CG, in September 1942
U. S. Coast Guard Personnel:
Toft, C. E., LCDR
Clark, R.J., LT
Spooner, W.R., LTJG
Stehle, J.C., LTJG (R)
Aieta, J.V., ENS, (R)
Bauersfeld, P.M., ENS
Fuld, S.L., ENS (R)
Hunter, C.R., ENS (R)
Sullivan, T.M., ENS (R)
Osier, Leuign W., CMM
Mason, Carl S., CBM
Stanley, Joseph, CGM
Canfield, Cecil S., CMM
Hill, Charles H., CMM
Stoda, Edward F., CWT
Nordyke, Archie V., CCStd
Syvertson, Harold T., CCStd
Kelsch, Albert A., BM1c
Morely, Warren H., EM1c
Walker, ALlen B., RM1c
Williamson, Victor L., RM1c
Williamson, Victor L., RM1c
Hyres, Paul H., CM1c
Bustard, Christopher C., MM1c
Gray, Irvin P., MM1c
Vinesky, Peter, WT1c
Martindale, Frank W., Y1c
McDonald, John W., PhM1c
Floyd, Walter M., BM2c
Johnson, Rolland C., BM2c
Vrabel, Steve R., BM2c
Profit, Walter, Jr., GM2c
Smillie, Allan B., GM2c
Mayer, Edward S., QM2c
Siedlecki, Alexander J., QM2c (R)
Mullen, Robert F., CM2c (R)
Stefendel, Frank L., EM2c (R)
Luthye, Henry J., MM2c (R)
Webster, William D., MM2c
Williamson, Delma R., MM2c
Bruckner, Irving L., WT2c (R)
Kowalski, Tadeus, WT2c
Parker, Samuel T., Y2c
Reinherz, Frank L., SK2c (R)
Hvizdock, Martin T., SC2c (R)
Shearer, Robert F., SC2c
Astley, George L., Cox (R)
Bradberry, Robert C., Cox
Clark, John W., Cox
Pawlusiak, Stanley E., Cox
Burden, Alvin B., QM3c (R)
Vail, Walton B., QM3c
Farr, Erman R., SOM3c
Martin, Ivan E., SOM3c
Weiner, Murray F., SOM3c (R)
Lien, Kenneth M., RM3c
Lopez, Carlos A., RM3c
Morgenstern, Leon, RM3c
Peterson, Donald R., RM3c
Reynolds, William J., RM3c
Altman, Albert J., Y3c
Downey, John V., SC3c
Anderson, Donald J., Sea1c
Dexter, Norman R., Sea1c (R)
Ether, John H., Jr., Sea1c
Hartman, Roy, Sea1c
Hawkridge, Earle F., Sea1c (R)
Murray, Harold A., Sea1c (R)
Ohlsen, Francis W., Sea1c
Paine, Robert V., Sea1c
Posnansky, Max H., Sea1c
Robinson, William L., Sea1c
Ruggeri, Anthony, Sea1c
Stanley, George A., Sea1c
Turanski, Joseph E., Sea1c
Van Alstyne, George P., Sea1c
Butler, John J., F1c (R)
Maniscalco, August G., F1c
Perry, Frederick E., F1c (R)
Peterson, Roy E.L., F1c
Robinson, James E., F1c (R)
Tuccillo, Vincent J., F1c
Wolever, Harold R., Jr., F1c
Power, Edmund F., Sea2c
Graham, Ronald T., Sea2c
Trahan, James J.P., Sea2c
Trimboli, Stephen E., Sea2c
Ward, Ralph E., Sea2c
DeSilver, Carroll A., F2c (R)
Domanich, George, F2c (R)
Egan, John G., F2c (R)
Medeiros, Gebbert F., F2c
Nalbone, Samuel J., F2c (R)
Restaino, Aniello, F2c
Sarrasin, Gerald J., F2c (R)
Weyman, John W., Jr., F2c
Bryan, Herman A., AS (R)
Dauphin, Maurice L., AS (R)
Davis, Israel W., AS (R)
Gavey, Robert, AS (R)
Halligan, Thomas J., AS (R)
Kinkson, Clarence, AS (R)
Humes, Francis J., AS (R)
Kimber, Clifford R., AS (R)
Latta, William J., AS (R)
Towne, Francis I., AS (R)
White, Ralph C., AS (R)
Clark, Henry B., Jr., F3c (R)
Eggers, Vessie F., F3c (R)
Needs, Paul A., F3c
Silsbie, Harold C., Jr., F3c (R)
Velasco, Braulio M., F3c
Wahab, John, Jr., MAtt2c
Allen, Clifton R., MAtt3c
Greer, George, MAtt3c
Grimes, Charlie S., MAtt3c (R)
Mount, Grover J., Sea1c
Jones, Robert E., MAtt1c
Cranshaw, Charles E., MAtt3c (R)
U.S. Weather Bureau Personnel:
Brady, Luther H.
Fodor, Lester S.
Kubach, George F.
Weber, Edward
U.S. Public Health Service Personnel:
Dr. Haskell D. Rosenblum, MD, USPHS
Sources:
Robert Scheina. U.S. Coast Guard Cutters & Craft of World War II. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1982, pp. 59-60.
National Archives and Records Administration. Guides to the Microfilmed Records of the German Navy, 1850-1945: No. 2. Records Relating to U-Boat Warfare, 1939-1945. Washington, D.C.: U.S.G.P.O., 1985, p. 160.
U.S. Coast Guard. Historical Section. Public Information Division. The Coast Guard At War. Volume VIII: Lost Cutters. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, July 1, 1947, pp. 33.
U.S. Navy Department. Office of Chief of Naval Operations. Naval History Division. Washington. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Volume IV. Washington, D.C.: U.S.G.P.O., 1969, p. 461.