U.S. Navy Armed Guard

The Untold Story

(1998) Their numbers were relatively few, but the men who protected America's merchant ships during WWII performed a vital service, though barely known today. The Naval Armed Guard was officially activated on November 17, 1941. Like all other units in the US Navy, the Armed Guard came under the overall command of teh Chief of Naval Operations. The vounteer Armed Guard crewmen was assigned to one of three naval Armed Guard Centers in Brooklyn, New York; Treasure Island, California; and New Orleans, Louisiana.

Ships were manned with gun crews of up to 48 men, including a Navy gunnery officer and petty officers, boatswains, gunners mates, signalmen, radiomen, and seamen gunners. Their primary mission was to protect cargo ships that carried planes, tanks, ammunitions, all supplies needed, tankers that carried aviation fuel (diesel fuel), and transports that carried troops to the combat areas.

Early in the war, German U. Boats alone, and in wolf packs (a group of submarines), ruled the shipping lanes. As soon as ships passed through the submarine nets on their way to foreign ports, they became vulnerable to U. Boat attacks. The area off the coast of the Carolinas and Virginia became known as Torpedo Alley. According to official records, the US Navy Armed Guards fought in 45 combat engagements for which Veterans are authorized bronze battle stars on American, European-African, Middle-Eastern and Asiatic-Pacific campaign ribbons.

Some 144,970 men served in the US Naval Armed Guard during WWII. Of the 6,236 merchant ships they served on. 710 were sunk by enemy actions, many more were greatly damaged. Records show 1,810 Navy Armed Guards were killed in action.

Our US Navy Armed Guard Memorial in Veterans' Memorial Gardens in Lincoln, Nebraska, was designed, built, and paid for by the Nebraska US Navy Armed Guard Veterans of WWII.