Navy Separation Notice 1945

The "T" stands for temporary. It's like a trial period. After a certain length of time it will be changed to (P) for permanent if that position is handled correctly. The difference is the difficulty it would take to be taken away. In the Army, a temporary rank can be removed with an Article 15 (company level) A permanent rank usually takes a summery courts marshal. Perhaps the Navy has different rules for removal, but the definition of the (T) is correct.

 

Thanks, Buten,
That really helps!

 

You were right on! I located this on ancestry in Navy muster rolls. It appears the change in rating was given while aboard USS General AE Anderson. He was sent to Oran after hospitalization in Sicily and back to US via FFT. Nice call!

 

Nice call Takao! Found this Navy muster roll on ancestry. Looks as if his rating was changed while aboard the USS General AE Anderson, in FFT. This was after he was hospitalized in Sicily. I understand up to "BUPERS", but can't decipher the rest. Can you make it out? I think the "MM" at the end is for merchant marine. Circled in yellow.

 

It's a citation referencing the published authority for his change in rating (CR) to the provisional rating of GM3c. The "MM" has nothing to do with merchant marines. You can find the exact same citation on the 5th page of this PDF: www.thehowertonfamily.com/WSHJr/WalterScottHowertonJr_Set3.pdf

It's spelled out more clearly in this Naval Administration publication on HyperWar. It's a slightly different citation, but gets the idea across.

"Effective 24 February 1945, upon receipt of Bureau of Personnel Circular Letter, Pers-67-oz, P17-2/MM, the procedures and requirements for
advancements in rating in the Armed Guard were changed somewhat."​

You may already know this, but FFT means "for further transfer".

 

I did not know that. I actually thought it had something to do with the Freetown to Trinidad convoy!
Thanks!

 

I had an uncle, Louie Leon Rhudy (242681) USNR DV(G), who, as a LTJG, commanded the Armed Guard Crew aboard SS Indiana, an oil tanker of the Wessel-Duval line, I believe. I have his log book from that period and, somewhere around here, a couple of odd pieces of shrapnel from bombs that landed nearby and plinked the ship. The log book is interesting. It lists, in order:

• A complete list of the ship’s departures and arrivals.
• Each member of the AGC, each his own page with NOK, home address, education, civilian occupation, etc.; his impression of the individual (example: “Neat, intelligent, mature appearance. Slightly loquacious, but apparently good attitude. Excellent man.”); notes on courses completed; changes in rates; disciplinary actions (evidently returning late off liberty, inebriated, while in Naples, was a rather common occurrence). Entries cover 29 sailors assigned to the ship’s AGC.
• 101 pages of rough log covering his time on the ship, from 2 August 1943 (this 5 days out of Norfolk bound for Gibraltar) through his detachment from this duty on 14 June 1944. Final entry is made on 24 June 1944 while aboard SS Richard H Alvey, a liberty ship, for return to the states where he writes: “The sight I have longed to see – Gibraltar in the sunset as we approach the way out of the Med. A grand feeling to know it can’t be much over 17 days now.”
• Information on the weapons his crew served, a 4”50, a 3”50 and 8 20 mm guns, complete with serial numbers, and notes on ammunition expenditures.

​

My uncle Lou stayed in the USNR after the war and eventually reached LCDR. He died in 1955 at age 47 of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and is buried in Arlington Cemetery.

You might want to look at: “CNO.Arming Merchant Ships and Naval Armed Guard Service OPNAV-P421-514.pdf” found the 5th one down on the list here: Index of /hyperwar/NHC/NewPDFs/USN/USN Manuals and Reports
(With thanks to Opana Pointer for providing this and, oh, so many more goodies!)

And to chime in on the patch, it was not an article of uniform, so you would not have seen anyone wearing on while on service. My bet is that it was a near-post-war or post-war creation.

 

Thanks for this. That log book is a treasure. Great link to the AG document! Very detailed and informative. Incredible, the rapid pace at which the guys were trained for such hazardous duty. I downloaded the entire doc. I look forward to getting through it!
Oh, thanks for the patch info. I kind of wish it was an official patch, but, oh, well!

 

From my uncle’s log . . .

11-10-1943, at Naples –
“And so the day started bright and early for at 3:30 am I was jarred out of a deep sleep by the sound of bombs dropping. General Quarters and gun crew bell sounded, and I bounded from bed, threw on my coat, gun, and glasses and was on deck and the bridge in time to hear and almost feel many German planes. It appeared this was the first early morning raid Naples has experienced and apparently the British radar watches were caught flatfooted. Since the smoke screen came down quickly aided by low hanging clouds we did no firing. The shore batteries opened up and much shrapnel rained on decks. Bombs were dropped about 300 yds off our port beam but, fortunately, caused no fires or appreciable damage. The luck of the Indiana held out and no one was hurt. At 0420 the all clear sounded and we secured.”

 

Thanks for sharing that! I don't think the AG gets the recognition they deserve. I read that AG commanders were special guys who really cared about the welfare of their crew. Your uncle was undoubtedly such a commander. Another example of incredible heroism of an AG leader is Kay Vesole, who died in the Bari attack. You can find the story here:
Kay Kopl Vesole
Thanks!