Mariners-L Archives

From: Ron Mapplebeck <>
Subject: Re: [Mar] New Subscriber - Looking for Grandfather - Long Post
Date: Wed, 02 Mar 2005 14:58:41 +0000
References: <1ec.35fa7838.2f5729be@aol.com>
In-Reply-To: <1ec.35fa7838.2f5729be@aol.com>

Dee,

There is an extensive website dealing with the American Merchant Marine
at War during WW2 at: http://www.usmm.org/

You may find this of some help, at least for background information
which may suggest other leads for your search.

Ron Mapplebeck (UK)
*****
wrote:

> Hello,
>
> My name is Dee.
>
> I am looking for information about my Grandfather:
>
> David KAHANA
> b. 25/26 February 1894/95 Hawaii
> d. 31 December 1952 Philadelphia, Pa.
>
> Grandpop Dave was a Merchant Marine. Unfortunately I do not know anything
> else about this except that he was a 1st Class Seamen and a 1st Class Rigger
>
> (but I was told that these are not Merchant Marine ranks - is this true?)
>
> I am assuming that he would have served during WWI, but I could be wrong. I
> was told this was not like regular military and the fact that he was in his
> 40's during WWII would not exclude him from this war.
>
> I also assume that he enlisted (?) in Philadelphia, Pa. I am waiting to hear
> from the Seafarers International Union to see if they have any information
> about him.
>
> I have several questions and I am also interested in some history about the
> Merchant Marines.
> Questions:
> 1 - How do I go about researching someone who was a Merchant Marine?
> 2 - What is a Z-number? How do I find out what his number was?
> 3 - Did they have ranks as in other Military branches?
> 4 - What types of ships did they sail on? Were they like Navy vessels or
> were they more privately owned?
> 5 - If I find what ship/ships he served on, where can I find a history of
> the ship?
> 6 - Were there specific companies that were involved with them? As an
> example, Grandpop Dave worked as a stevedore on the docks of the Jack Frost
> Sugar
> Co. in Philadelphia (also worked at Olaa (Puna) Sugar in Hawaii). Would he
> have worked on a ship that belonged to one of these companies or would it be
> a
> more Military type ship?
> 7 - Would he have enlisted in his home town, I believe Philadelphia in this
> case? Or maybe he enlisted while still in Hawaii?
> 8 - I was told the the Marines were assimilated into the U.S. Coast Guard,
> is
> this true?
> 9 - I have read somewhere (I forgot where) that Native Hawaiians, Asians,
> Filipinos, and other Pacific Islanders would have been considered as 'African
> Americans.' Is this true? If so, would it make it easier to find information
> about him?
>
> Any information or suggestions would be deeply appreciated.
> Thanks
> Dee Kaelin Maialetti
> Philadelphia, Pa.
>
>
>
>
> ==== Mariners Mailing List ====
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Mariners Website http://www.mariners-L.co.uk
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>
>





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