Defending The East Coast: Adapting And Converting Commercial Ships For Military Operations

Summary

The United States was not fully prepared for war in the Atlantic Ocean directly following the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.  Plans and resources were needed to counter Germany's U-boat operations that quickly followed the Japanese attack.  The U.S. Navy acquired ships of all types from both public and commercial sectors and adapted them for military use.  The focus of this study will be on converted fishing trawlers, specifically ones ultimately wrecked off of the coast of North Carolina.  The vessels YP-389, HMS Senateur Duhamel, and HMT Bedfordshire were used commercially prior to the outbreak of the war and then converted for military operations.  The purpose of this study to better understand each ship’s use as a military vessel, to include adaptation and conversion methods.  Combining historical and archaeological references this study hopes to understand conversion methods and reasoning for adapting commercial vessels for military use.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Battle of the Atlantic: Seven Years Expanding the Horizons of Collaboration and Research   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2015

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 29