We have started this blog to try to reach veterans of the WWII Coast Guard Cutter MOHAWK and any of her 5 other sister ships: Algonquin (WPG-75), Comanche (WPG-76), Escanaba (W
PG-77), Onondaga (WPG-79) and Tahoma (WPG-80). This blog is designed to start communication between the vets and the MOHAWK now serving as a floating museum at the Navy Piers in Key West. You can visit the website at: USSMOHAWK.org . Information and old and current photos are presented. Many of the vets of these ships are still with us and we would like to hear from you.
Captain Bill Verge
Commanding Officer
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Check out the newly added veterans under the veterans tab on the website www.ussmohawk.org
If anyone knows the names of missing vets, please forward them to us through our website or e-mail at USSMOHAWK@bellsouth.net.
A lot of hard work and sacrifice has gone into saving the Mighty Mo. Hopefully many of the former crew will weigh in here and let future generations know what life was like on the Greenland patrol and convoy escort during WWII.
Scott Dudley
Cdr, USN (Ret.)
The following was sent to me by Judith Ryder, widow of Don Ryder who worked in the Mohawk radio shack.
"It was an amazing experience to be on board, to understand her small size, to see some of the equipment still there that Don had used in the radio shack and to see his artwork on the ship's newsletter on a bulletin board.
As for Life on the Mohawk - when I was a bride I was astounded to see my new husband lean over the side of the bed in the middle of the night while sound asleep, pick up his socks and put them under his pillow! Not very sanitary I thought. In the morning he told me that he always kept his socks under his pillow on board ship so he didn't have to hunt for them when sudden duty called.
Submitted by Scott Dudley
Iceberg: I came off watch at midnight and had just crawled into my bunk when suddenly something hit the ship and it slipped onto its side and you had to grab your bunk so you didn't fall to the deck. Then everything went completely quiet and the ship started sliding sideways back into the water. In the quiet I heard a voice say "Anybody got any whiskey? Its going to be mighty cold in that water." Think the voice came from "Winky" Gail, if I remember correctly. We all then went to our emergency stations, me to the radio room. The bridge sent a message down to send out an SOS. Cranked up he transmitter and sent a SOS signal out breaking radio silence. Then Understand the Bridge was able to get into voice communication with Greenland and they were sending out rescue units. The thing I often wondered was why we got no reply from out SOS distress signal. The iceberg (growler) struck in the fuel tank and if I remember correctly they were able to switch to the other fuel ank, get engines started and we limped into the base at Greenland. If they were not able to make voice contact with Greenland and we weren't able to start engines with other fuel tank, we would probably still be floating around the North Atlantic. Later on I went down to the engine room to see what things looked like and they had mattresses piled against the damaged fuel tank and shored up with 2x4's or similer timbers. I asked the Engineering Officer how things were going and the comment he made in regards sto pumping out the fuel tank was "Its like shoveling shit against the tide." An expression I have often thought about during impossible situations later on in life.
Harold Lamphere, RM2/c -- Minneapolis, MN. email: H2925@aol.com
We had a sub alert one afternoon enroutwe to Iceland. dEveryone was jittery waitinmg for general quaarters. Soon after dark gweneral quarters was sounded. I was the sight setter on forward 3 inch gun. Rushed out and didn't ake any foul weather gear and immediately water came over the bow and we were wet in th34e cold weather and shivering while the Mohawk searched for the sub. Soon a extremely brilliant light appeared overhead and the ship was completely lit up in the light as a plane zoomed over us. We had no idea what was happening and all of us hit the deck. Then the light went out and we resumed are position on the gun till general quarters was lifted. After we docked inReykiavik some of the crew met with some British pilots and when they learned we were from the Mohawk they told them the night before they were a split second away from bombing us. Their bright light on their bnombing run showed them we were a ship, not a sub. Someone had turned off our radio identification signal afraid the sub would hear it and the BGritish plane had no idea we were an allied ship looking for the sub like they were. Close to a "friendly fire" incident in the North Atlantic in 1945. ----Harold Lamphere, RM 2/c.
Strathella: Thinking about the really rough seas in the North Atlantic. I remember the Mohawk towing the British tawler HMS Strathella from Greenland to St. Johns. They considered putting a couple crew members onboard while we towed her, but changed their minds because if the seas got rough we would have to cut the hawser and leave her to its fate. The days towing her to St. Johns is hard to believe as the North Atlantic was like "The Golden Pond." Calm, bright sunny days with gentle swells. Calmest I had seen the North Atlantic in 2 years. Being sea sick was quite normal when the ocean was rough, but that day, being calm with large gentle swells several of the old timers (salty kid sailors 21 years old) of the crew, me included, were really sea sick. It stayed calm tell we passed through the nets at St. Johns. We headed for Boston almost immediately and when we got out to sea the weather had turned bad and it was really rough weather. The Streathella lucked out again. I often wonder if she ever got back to England. ---Harold Lamphere RM2/c.
From: Robert J. Kouba, RM1 1943-45
I first went aboard USCGC ESCANABA (WPG-78) without any formal boot camp training. I completed 9 months trainng on ESCANABA< I was transferred to radio operator training school. Finishing training, I ent aboard the KAW (61) for 3 months and then onto the MOHAWK (WPG-78) but not to my liking. When I saw the North Atlantic camouflage, I said to the driver transporting me, "wait for me, I'm not going back North. I explained to the Executive Officer I was a former member of the ESCANABA and perferred to go the South Pacific. He said he understood, but the MOHAWK needed a radioman and he would go to work on my transfer. It was wartime. Like it or not it was going to be another 18 months on the North Atlantic.
- Bob Kouba More to follow
Bob Kouba says:
The radioroom of the MOHAWK had 3 operating positions, two of which were always used for watch purposes. The middle position was for various uses such as copying wireless press for the ship's crew. Don Ryder in his free time off watch would copy high speed wireless press because he was the one with the ability. He spend a lot of time improving this ability. It may have come fromhis interest in amateur radio prior to entering the Coast Guard. He would load several sheets of onion skin and carbon paper in the mill (typewriter) and copy the press until he had a number of pages of news. The ship's office would reproduce some of the copies on the mineograph machine using a more durable paper stock. I still have copies.
more to follow:
Bob Kouba says:
I was senior radioman on watch with radioman Mann when we hit the iceberg. Our course was South. The berg was a "growler", just below the surface. It was a typical dark North Atlantic night, but even in daylight, it would be hard to see. Mann tore off his phones and said "we're hit, were'e hit." It sure felt that way. We must have rode up on it and then dropped like an elevator. We began to list to starboard. The Captain called down and ordered to 500 kilocycle distress transmitter fired up and stand by. I recall thinking that the proceedure in abandoning ship is that the senior readioman on watch is last to abandom just before the Captain. There wouldbe no survival in that freezing water. When we knew we were still seaworthy, the skipper called down again telling me to secure.The berg punctured the armor place like a can opener.
more to follow:
Bob Kouba says:
It was an oil fuel tank just aft of the boiler room bulkhead. When the oil ran out the sea water filled the tank resulting in the list. Water was getting into the ship. The "black gang" improvised with various materials and got control over the leak. We were lucky the berg hit where it did. Radioman Lamphere relieved me on watch and sent the message to headquaters regarding our situation. We were directed to
South Boston Navy Yard for repairs in drydock. (Administrator comment. The ship first went to Blue West 1 in Greenland for temporary repairs. See photo in album on website.)
more to follow:
Bob Kouba writes:
We were in the middle of a u-boat attack run. The sonar operaor reported it was a good contact. The speed wqs increased and we began tracking it the sonar went out. Chief Radioman Roach, John Roach, went down to the extreme bottom of the ship to check it out. As he headed down, the hatches were dogged. He didn't have a chance to excape if we got hit. He got the sonar operating again. When he retured to the radio room he said, "what would you guys say if I told you that they fired two under us. It sounded like two babies crying." Captain Slade (CO) sent his steward with his personal silverware coffee set to the chief with hot coffee thanking him for his service.
more to follow:
Bob Kouba writes:
We were underway with a convoy to Greenland and also had bags of mail for the army base. They knew we had the mail. As we moved deeper into the fjord to Bluie 1 base, our Captain John Speaker had the big search light turned on the called down to me in the radio room to put on some Christmas music and let them know we were coming. We piped the music to our large bull horn speaker. The beam of the searchlight through the falling snow and the music made everyone feel good. The signal light from the base wanted to know "do you have any candy bars in your canteen?" Cigaretts then cost $0.50 per carton!!
more to follow:
Bob Kouba writes:
There were times when we would have to open up (transmit) to send priority information. Those times were limited because transmitting gives away your position at sea. We would transmit weather data to radio greenland to be relayed to SHAEF Headquarters in England. Weather in the English Channel evidently originates over Greenland. Weather held up the D-Day invasion. We would also open up to send an enemy position report. One one occasion, I was trying to raise radio Greenland but a U-boat apparently on the surface and out of sight began to jamm my signal and ended the jamming saying "Deutschland ist eber allist, heil hitler" (I mispelled the quote I know). I changed frequencies twice more but he followed me and repeated the jamming. and the nazi phrase. Being able to follow me as he did meant they had knowledge of our frequencies or he was close enough to our position that he was able to track us because of the power of my signal. In my frustration I sent him "#%$# you and Hitler too" and advised Captain Speaker that I couldn't get out. I turned the power off to the tranmitter ending the attempt.
The u-boat operator had a good fist (Easy to copy). There were also times when radio transmission was almost impossible when our position was that far North. We were 100 miles from Greenland and I was trying to raise radio Greenland and couldn't. Thousand of miles away, Annapolis, Maryland responded asking if we needed assistance!
more to follow:
USS MOHAWK, CGC said...
Mack Buswell, RT1C writes:
I remember one night the USS Mohawk quite silently slipped up close to a large Portuguese Fishing ship. I was selected as part of a party to aboard this vessel. I don't recall exactly how many there were in our party, and to the best of my knowledge there were 6 or 8 of us altogether. I do know the Boatswain Mate was an Oklahoma boy like me. I remember the Doctor
was in the boarding party. The Boatswain Mate carried a Thompson Machine gun. The fishing vessel was well lighted and we could see many men filleting fish on deck. They seemed to completely ignore us.
One of the reasons we boarded this vessel was to find out what type of radios they were using, they were suspected of working with the German U-boats in the area. I suppose this is why I was picked to be in the boarding party. I discovered their radio's were all German made and I learned they had a clever way to shield their radio tubes. They sprayed a metalic coating onto the glass tubes and then placed a ground on this coating. Their radio operator could understand a little of the Spanish language I spoke, since he was a Portuguese fellow and the languages are similar. This radio operator had a very badly infected tooth and our Dr. gave him a shot of pain killer, and all the while I am trying to pump him for information about his radios. I found out one of their transmitters was missing from its rack. I asked where it was and he said it was in St. Johns Newfoundland for repairs. I wasn't able to get much information from him and we soon departed this fishing Trawler and return to the Mohawk. I watched these fishermen slicing up those large fish, boy were they good with their knives. It was an uneventful trip. We gleaned some information from them and their radio operator, I am sure felt better for a little while, at least until the Doctor's pain medicine wore off.
Does anyone remember JOHN H PORTER, 1941-43. CPO in the engine room robert.a.porter1@us.army.mil
My name is Robert E. Hartsock. Upon receipt of commission as Ensign in November 1942 I was assigned to the Mohawk.
I boarded the Mohawk in Kunyat Bay, Greenland. I believe the date was the sixth or seventh of December. In May 1943 I was transferred to Advance Fire Control in Washington, D.C. and then to Anti-submarine Warfare in Miami, Florida and on to commision the Byron Bryce Newell, DE 322 in Orange, Texas. While I was serving as OD on the Mohawk, Robert T. Alexander was the captain. David "Soupy" Sinclair was the executive officer. Richcreek (maybe a warrant officer) was the navigator. There was a Bill Connover when I was aboard. He may have become the navigator after my time on board. Ricky, the Springer spaniel was the mascot. He allowed the perpetually seasick skipper to share the officers' sofa if he kept his feet pulled up tightly. If a foot drifted down half way it got nipped. Ricky had no fondness for the skipper. He bit him every time after he gave him a treat. Ricky met his fate with an eighteen wheeler in Argentia after I left the ship.
The waters of the Davis Straights are the roughest in the world. I remember one period when we had winds of over eighty miles an hour for ten days straight. Once in making a turn through a snavering the wind held us for a while when we could touch the rock mountain side from the starboard rear quarter.
Once when I was OD when we were leaving Greenland I was sliding the ship through the iceberg infested fiord. The then skipper, Slade, came out of the captain's stateroom and seeing an iceberg dead ahead shouted, "r. Hartsock what are you doing? Left full rudder, Left full rudder." The helmsman put the helm over and we hit the iceberg I was sliding around and popped open a plate high on the bow. The skipper said, "Sorry" and went down to his late morning breakfast.
> The Mohawk and other vessels had no sonar or radar in the early monthe of the War. The only way we could keep track of the vessels we were escorting was to move in close enough to smell their smoke. The danger was with ships operaqting on diesel and the sumbarines operating on diesel. One night a submarine appeare very close dead ahead. It had sighted us about the same time we saw it and dove immediately. We dropped depth charges over it but will never know if we damaged it or not.
I have some pictures that I took while aboard the Mohawk. I will see if I can get some together and send them or bring them to the Mohawk. I plan to visit the Mohawk on April 23, 2009.
Robert E. Hartsock, Lieutenant USCGR. My commission expired in 1947.
Does anyone remember Henry (Hank) Budek? He was my father and I would be interested in corresponding with anyone who remembers him. He also served aboard the Algonquin (I think prior to his time on the Mohawk, but not sure).
One thing that might jog someone's memory is that my dad was very sick during his entire time in the Coast Guard. He was plagued with acute stomach problems and sea sickness. The cause wasn't isolated until years later. He mentioned his regret to me a number of times regarding this because the cause went undiagnosed during the war despite numerous trips to the doctor. He was accused of trying to make excuses in order to get out of the Coast Guard. Unfortunately, his exoneration didn't come until the mid-1960's.
Please contact me at martybudek@yahoo.com if you have any recollection of him.
Sincerely,
Marty Budek
My father Erland Teschek served on the Mohawk during WWII as a sonarman. Do any of you remember him? I have a bunch of his old photos from the time.
I just posted over 130 photos from my father's collection to a flickr website here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/teschek/sets/72157616001453003/
I'd really appreciate it if veterans of the Mohawk, as well as family members who may recognize their relatives, would go to the site above and leave comments if you can add details or make corrections to what I have.
My dad, William (Bill) Hollar served on the Mohawk. I found a boat-load of photos in a old album of his recently. Thus began my interest in knowing more about this vessel and its crew. I hope to scan and upload some of those photos in the weeks ahead.
I started a Face Book "group", Sons Of The Mohawk, for any men or women whose fathers may have served on this ship during WW2. Look it up and lets talk.
My friend, Mr. Edward Brown, also served about the CGC Mohawk. He is still alive, will be 93 this coming Saturday. If anyone wishes to email him, please let me know. klang@palestine.lib.tx.us I am a librarian at a local library which he frequents often and have photos of him and other crew members from the Mohawk. He would love to hear from others with this connection!
Thanks,
Karla Lang
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