1944 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT PAIR [2] OF MANUSCRIPT JOURNALS DETAILING ONE KENTUCKY MAN'S SERVICE IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC ON A VERY ACTIVE LIBERTY SHIP

On offer is a simply outstanding record of active service in the Pacific theatre of WWII. Comprising of two journals plus ephemera, these give a super daily accounting of U.S. naval service in the Far East. C.W. (Charlie) Lannan was married and lived in Louisville, Kentucky in 1944 when he entered service. He belonged to the United States Naval Reserve and served on the Liberty ship S/S Samuel W Williston (Hull Number 2163 [see Shellback Certificate]. The Liberty ship was a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II. By design, it was simple and economical to construction. Mass-produced on an unprecedented scale, the Liberty ship came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. American shipyards built 2,710 Liberty ships between 1941 and 1945. This was the largest number of ships ever produced to a single design. Lannan's journal begins when he records departing the Port of Oakland: Left Port of Oakland 4 PM. Out to sea APP 8 PM Gave Coast Guard letter to mail to my wife. [Mar 10, 1944] Once at sea, he learns they are heading to New Guinea. At this time, the Allies (primarily Australia and the United States) were engaged in the Western New Guinea Campaign. The daily entries chronicle his watches and notable events each day. Many recount the ceaseless routine of operating a ship while others are personal: Watch 2 AM - 4 AM Sight ship 2 PM - 4 PM watch sun hot 4 PM lose sight of other ship [Mar 16, 1944] Watch 2 AM - 4 cloudy and cool Scraped port bow of 977 watch 2 AM - 4 [Apr 1, 1944] Other comments reflect the hazardous mission they were on: ... Wherrie lost from bow during night. ... [May 1, 1944] Raised anchor. Astern L.S.T. 463. Joined towing cable Underway 1410 Escorted by 5 destroyers 11 PT boats Start cleaning 50 cal [May 9, 1944] 2 air raids this A.M. 3 Jap planes down 1 in flames hit large ship. We go out and take on load. ... K42 gives us some ice cream. We have 4 GQ's so far tonight. Plane that hit ship went in hold killing 9 men ... [Nov 18, 1944] All of their work, as evidenced by his entries consisted of picking up, ferrying and off-load supplies and war materiel. The year ends with him in Guam. The second volume recounts his experiences in 1945. The invasion has advanced and his ship is operating in and around the Gulf of Leyte, continuing to pick up and deliver supplies to various ports and bases. Up and on watch 0820 - 0930. Get orders to report to Naval Base Taclobab for work. I paint inboard port bow. Sun hot. Underway to island off Tacloban - "Jinamoc" Seaplane Base.. Pick up work party and trucks. Beach at Red Beach. ... Can't unload trucks here. Go to White Beach ... Trucks off. Gas being loaded. 981 stuck on beach [S/S Samuel Bowles]. Help pull her off. ... [Mar 7, 1945] 0715 Up. Mess cook. Pick up work party from other T5. Go out and lay off F.16 We are to take on supplies. Rain. Moor to 1064 (S/S Joseph Habersham) LCM's bring supplies. Boys work til 2300 loading on. We go to 978 (LCT-978) and deliver. ... [June 1, 1945] Finally, it was over: 0415 Up. Chow and load on trucks. Go to Brown Beach. LCT take us out to Hancock CV 19* I am assigned to messhall. [Oct 5, 1945] (* CV19 is the USS Hancock, an Essex-class aircraft carrier. With 1,500 returning sailors and soldiers, she sailed for San Pedro CA, arriving Oct 21st. Charlie Lannan's war was over.) The diary contains a list of ports called in at and the relevant dates. The ephemera includes a picture of a sailor in a wheelchair. Taken in the USA, he has lost his left leg. In his diary, Lannan has the address of his brother at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. Research confirms his brother was hospitalized for injuries in combat and awarded the Purple Heart. This is a fantastic daily record of service in a war zone. The entries are detailed and he records each ship as they are encountered. It is a superb first-hand account from the 'deck' level. A naval historian or enthusiast would find this to be a goldmine of details. His diaries are an excellent cross-reference tool for following up on the many other ships in the theatre. It provides the detail and adds the color to the service of this workhorse class of ships that showed America's industrial muscle. The first book is a printed diary measuring 4 inches by 2.5 inches and containing 104 pages plus memoranda. The diary is in good condition and all pages are intact. The handwriting is neat and perfectly legible. The second journal is actually an account book that was used as a daily diary. It measures 7.75 inches by 5 inches and contains 180 pages. Entries are on one side of each page leaf only. On that basis, the journal is 50% complete. The front and back cover are missing. All pages are intact. The handwriting is very neat and quite legible. The ephemera consist of 7 photographs and 2 certificates, confirming the sailor's status as a 'shellback'.; Manuscript; 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall