Log kept by Ens. E. Roy Williams while aboard the O.M. Bernuth from October 27, 1942 to June 2, 1943.
June 30, 1943 reported aboard the Robert J. Collier.
October 1, 1943 detached.
December 13, 1943 reported aboard the Joseph T. Robinson.
Oct. 27, 1942
2100–Reported aboard the O.M. Bernuth with the following men:
Goba, Alex, 311 82 01
GM3c U.S.N.
Fraze, Ernest Bernard, 634 47 83
S2c, V6, U.S.N.R.
Block, Walter Richard, 611 85 68
S2c, V6, U.S.N.R.
Hall, Robert Linwood, 658 82 86
S2c, V6, U.S.N.R.
Hall, Roland Page, 560 03 10
S2c, V6, U.S.N.R.
Grinstead, John Harold, 626 78 47
S2c, V6, U.S.N.R.
Gray, Irvin Moore, 634 47 47
S2c, V6, U.S.N.R.
Griffin, Thomas Earl, 634 48 30
S2c, V6, U.S.N.R.
Gadomski, Walter Frank, 300 97 56
S2c, U.S.N.
Gates, Victor David, 634 47 78
S2c, V6 U.S.N.R.
Goodman, Paul Hubert, 609 11 03
S2c, V6, U.S.N.R.
Gorecki, Walter Stanley, 608 33 36
S2c, V6, U.S.N.R.
Talbot, Camille Noel, 606 62 41
SM3c, V6, U.S.N.R.
Quartered men. Accepted papers from Johnson GM2c. Received two men from old crew:
Ninteman, Joseph, 668 35 42
S2c, V6, U.S.N.R.
Boller, Tom Rubben, 668 35 42
S2c, V6, U.S.N.R.
Oct. 28, 1942
Stowed 20 MM ammunition also 3"50 ammunition. Cleaned 20 MM guns also checked 4"50 and 3"50 guns.
Oct. 29, 1942
Cleaned 3"50 gun also checked supplies.
Oct. 30, 1942
Cleaned 4"50 gun and gun platform.
Oct. 31, 1942
Checked all stations and bills.
Nov. 1, 1942
Loaded all ready boxes and 20 MM magazines.
Nov. 2, 1942
Received supplies and stowed away in gear locker.
Nov. 3, 1942
Hall, R.P. and Gates, V.D. absent over leave. Customs inspector checked crew names.
Nov. 4, 1942
Changed anchorage at 1255. Had gun drills while under steam.
Nov. 5, 1942
Set up communication system to all battle stations, checked and in working order.
Nov. 6, 1942
Held field day, checked quarters, all satisfactory. More ammunition 11/7/42.
Nov. 7, 1942
Convoy meeting; received orders to sail. Gear put ashore.
Nov. 8, 1942
Seven new men reported aboard, two to replace Hall & Gates, three seamen, a radio man and a signalman. They are as follows:
Lehman, Willis Porter, 614 34 51
RM3c, V6, U.S.N.R.
Simonds, Jack Leonard, 666 25 52
S2c, V3, U.S.N.R. (Seaman Signalman)
Neely, Newton Davis, 616 25 41
S1c, V6, U.S.N.R.
Williams, Basil Owen, 347 05 42
S2c, U.S.N.
Miller, Joseph Souza, 607 06 49
S2c, V6, U.S.N.R.
Fell, John Henry, 608 36 54
S2c, V6, U.S.N.R.
Finney, Eugene, 648 48 96
S2c, V6, U.S.N.R.
P.S.–These men reported on board late the 6th and early the 7th just checking their papers today.
Nov. 9, 1942
All liberty has been cancelled as of Nov. 7, 1942 at 0800. Gun drills .
Nov. 10, 1942
Cleaned and greased all guns.
Nov. 11, 1942
Gun drills on all guns. Checked all stations and watch bills.
Nov. 12, 1942
Went ashore to check up on some details of official nature at So. Brooklyn.
Nov. 13, 1942
Changed anchorage to original position. Raised anchor at 0800 and sailed in Convoy UGS-2.
Nov. 14, 1942
Sea watch put into use at 1200. Gun drills during date.
Nov. 15, 1942
Held field day and checked all gear, winter and foul weather.
Nov. 16, 1942
Instructed merchant men on the use of the 20 MM gun also formed ammunition passes for 3"50 and 4"50 guns.
Nov. 17, 1942
Checked all guns, oiled and greased.
Nov. 18, 1942
Gun drills every morning at 0900.
Nov. 19, 1942
0930–Test fired all guns using two rounds in 4"50 gun and two rounds in 3"50 gun also two hundred and forty (240) for 20 MM guns–one magazine to each of the four guns.
Nov. 20, 1942
Finished cleaning the guns from yesterday’s test firing. Held session for more efficient handling of guns.
Nov. 21, 1942
Drilled on guns with new ideas in mind as to more effective handling.
Nov. 22, 1942
0434–400 lb auxiliary steam line joint broke–fell out of convoy. Manned all guns.
0635–Steam up and set sail to catch convoy.
1045–Sighted convoy.
1600–Took position 75 in convoy.
Nov. 23, 1942
Took usual dawn watch at 0615–checked all guns and held usual 0900 gun drill–except 3"50, too much wash forward.
Nov. 24, 1942
Gun drill for both Navy and merchant crews–followed by fire and boat drills. Cleaned all guns.
Nov. 25, 1942
Instructed merchant crew on loading 20 MM magazines also on the handling of the 4"50 and 3"50 shells from magazines to ready boxes. Tested Gadomski on S1c courses–had one answer wrong.
Nov. 26, 1942
0900–Test fired 3”50 gun expending 5 rounds, also 20 MM guns 238 rounds expended. Guns #2, 4, 5 worked perfectly. Had a jam on #3 20 MM. Action taken immediately–gun placed on safety, magazine taken off and water poured on length of barrel. Nose of shell jammed in breach–ejected out by rammer and thrown aboard. After end of shell jammed in magazine–dislodged. Gun cleaned and ready for action. 4”50 firing pin not working perfectly so did not fire gun–broke firing pin down–had crew stand by on 3”50 gun and 20 MM. All clear and ready for action. Also fired 24 rounds of Colt .45.
Nov. 27, 1942
Fire, boat and gun drills for both Navy and merchant crews. Usual watches.
Nov. 28, 1942
Usual gun drills and watches. Maintenance of guns as usual.
Nov. 29, 1942
Gun drills as usual as well as sea watches. Unidentified plane proved to be friendly. Suspicious ship proved to be at least neutral.
Nov. 30, 1942
Convoy of 16 ships passed this morning–9 transports, 2 tankers, 5 freighters–escorts of 9 destroyers and 1 battleship, the Arkansas. Received 3 additional destroyers and 4 corvettes to mount our escorts to 13. Also two airplanes–flying boats. Two concussions about 1800 felt like depth charges. Several emergency turns followed. Had our usual gun drills and watches. Found out that the M [Main] coil on the Degaussing system is not working due to a blown fuse.
Dec. 1, 1942
Usual sea watch and gun drills. Convoy broke–first four columns heading in a northerly direction. Sailed in two columns entering Casablanca through mine fields. 19 escort vessels and P40s and flying boats continually flying overhead. Dropped hook outside breakwater at 1233.
Dec. 2, 1942
Pilot came aboard at 0735 with interpreter, directed sailing to permanent anchorage along breakwater. Pilots left at 0920. Work duties set up for crew. Port watches put into effect. Usual blackout maintained.
Dec. 3, 1942
Work duties given to Goba, gunners mate, to be performed during the day. Went ashore at 0910 to report and obtain money fro crew; received instructions. Had men sign Partial Pay Cards also took the time to appraise their work on trip over. Casablanca is to me, a good example why the U.S. has not retained the lands it has conquered after the war is over. The olde U.S. will do for me!
Dec. 4, 1942
Went ashore at 1000 to get pay amounting to $380–disbursing officer out paying naval ships. No money. Met Bos’n Keehn whom I had met at Little Creek, Va. Looked the town over together. Reported about ship at 1730.
Dec. 5, 1942
1000–Practice alert.
Bos’n Keehn sent a launch over for me at 1400 and we both went ashore to the disbursing officer. I received my money but not the bos’n. Keehn’s skipper, Lt. Com. Rylew[?], gave us a ride in one of the taxis–horse and buggy. He was waiting for two friends in a cafÉ whom we met. An Englishman and Norwegian and their wives–old upper middle class. The English a Mr. A. Birch, connected with the Banque Anglaise Mazagan. The Norwegian a captain of a ship. Listened to their experiences in concentration camps while German occupied land. Met a few officers I had gone to school with and finally set back for ship but had to sleep aboard the destroyer of which Bos’n is assigned.
Dec. 6, 1942
Aboard at 0900. Set up work schedule. Work started on gear and recreation lockers–checking materials.
Dec. 7, 1942
Received Adm. Cooke’s aide relative to transportation from ship to shore to contact signal tower. Work schedule continued from previous day.
Dec. 8, 1942
All hands turned to work schedule–continued painting turrets, greasing guns. Started discharge at 1420 of 30,000 barrels.
Dec. 9, 1942
Continued all work–guns and turrets look ship shape. Liberty party as usual from 1200-1800.
Dec. 10, 1942
Usual port watch. Gun turret aft scraped and painted. Liberty party at 1200. Went ashore to attempt to change anti-aircraft ammunition for 3"50 gun. Not enough ashore as yet to make exchange. Men have shown excellent conduct returning from liberty parties.
Dec. 11, 1942
Goba, GM3/c, took 1st assignment for GM2/c–all questions answered correctly on first assignment, three mistakes on second assignment.
1545–Anchor aweigh–arrived at Fedala 1920. All gun stations manned and ready during trip. Condition II maintained while in Fedala.
Dec. 12, 1942
Condition II maintained. Tanks discharging gasoline.
Dec. 13, 1942
Condition II maintained. Cargo discharged, all tanks dry 0640. Anchor aweigh 1637–returned to Casablanca with escort–arrived 1929.
Dec. 14, 1942
No liberty granted–storm warnings, all hands ready for duty.
Dec. 15, 1942
Ship along side broke moorings–aided in casting lines to help her secure her shore lines. Set me to work making ping-pong table–diversion.
Dec. 16, 1942
Moved from outside break water to inner harbor, one good line left. Still raining.
Dec. 17, 1942
Cleaned 3"50 gun and two 20 MMs #4 & 5 between squalls.
Dec. 18, 1942
O.M. Bernuth and French ship S.S. Fauzon swung together when mooring lines broke–incurring damage to ship and 4"50 gun platform. Gun swung out of path–gunnel [gunwale] damaged but no injury to gun.
Dec. 19, 1942
Checked 4"50 gun platform again, all o.k. Talbot took assignment IV–had one and a half mistakes. Liberty ended as of 1800. Convoy conference disclosed we are to sail 12-22-42.
Dec. 20, 1942
Talbot etc. of this date.
Dec. 21, 1942
Checked all guns–emptied and refilled recoil cylinders on the 4"50 and 3"50 guns. All guns are in excellent condition. Goba passed GM2/c Assignment 3 making no mistakes. Started sea watch at 2400.
Dec. 22, 1942
Anchor aweigh at 0754.
0858–Anchored outside Casablanca Harbor
1200–Departed sailing 303–assigned position 43 in Baker convoy.
Dec. 23, 1942
Stood usual dusk and dawn watches. Gun drill at 0900–all guns cleaned and lubricated.
Dec. 24, 1942
Usual watches and gun drills.
1100–Had fire and boat drills. Made out subsistence report of gun crew for the captain.
Dec. 25, 1942
Christmas Day–Received a Merry Christmas from the Commodore–Adm. Cooke. Wrote up report of outbound voyage. Usual watches and drills.
Dec. 26, 1942
Usual sea watches. Compiling data for reports due on arrival.
Dec. 27, 1942
Usual sea watches. Continued writing up reports; crew list, test firing, checked ammunition.
Dec. 28, 1942
Sea watches maintained. #82 reported a floating mine approximately 1630.
Dec. 29, 1942
Sea watches maintained. Submarine reported in vicinity. Forward magazine flooded to a depth of six to twelve inches–believed to be caused from sweat from fuel line which runs through magazine. Ship was pumping fuel yesterday, forward to aft, causing sweat from pipe leaking through magazine.
Dec. 30, 1942
Usual sea watches maintained. Checked supply, spare parts, and repair lists.
Dec. 31, 1942
Usual sea watches. Checked medical kit and need supplies–have list.
Jan. 1, 1943
New Year’s Day. Maintained sea watches. Received a Happy New Year’s message from Adm. Cooke.
Jan. 2, 1943
1125–received message from Commodore to assume position #42. #42's rudder jammed and was maneuvering under difficulty.
Maintained sea watches.
Jan. 3, 1943
Sea watches maintained. All reports made out except advancement in ratings.
Jan. 4, 1943
Sea watches maintained. Checked forward magazine with chief engineer and found flooded condition due to half opened valve caused by vibration of ship. Also opened drain valve which was found to be closed. Received message from Commodore stating that all mail must be given to Navy officer aboard and to be brought to the center for censorship.
Jan. 5, 1943
Maintained sea watches. Navy head painted by Hall, R.L. and Goodman, P.H.–a good job well done. Convoy has been scattered due to heavy seas and heavy wind. Force 9, 47-51 miles per hour.
Jan. 6, 1943
Submarine reported in vicinity. Sea watches on the alert. Twenty-two (22) ships back in convoy–had forty-three.
Jan. 7, 1943
Sea watch maintained on the alert. Twenty-four (24) vessels reported in convoy.
Jan. 8, 1943
Sea watches maintained. Port watch made out. All reports made out except return part of voyage and advancements.
Jan. 9, 1943
Sea watches maintained.
1545–An American light bomber sighted–circled convoy.
Jan. 10, 1943
Sea watches maintained.
0745--Blimp sighted.
0750–Formed two columns on entering mine field.
1235–Anchorage off Quarantine. Customs, Immigration and Doctor passed ship–Pratique granted.
1428–Heaved anchor.
1522–Anchored on Flats.
Port watch put into effect.