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15,000 seafarers
- The name Merchant Navy, which hints at this civilian industry's wartime importance, was adopted in Britain in the early 1920s. It recognised the effort and sacrifice of the British Empire's merchant marine – as it was then better known – during the Great War, in which 2500 ships and 15,000 seafarers were lost.
nzhistory.govt.nz › war › merchant-marineThe merchant marine in the First World War - Merchant marine ...
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Even American intervention required the means to ship 2 million men across the seas, supply them, and all the time retain sufficient transport to feed, fuel, and sustain civilian populations and mass armies in the field.
Men from 10 countries outside the U.S. made up the crew: Canada, Chile, Cuba, Denmark, England, Finland, Ireland, Norway, Portugal, and Spain. In some cases the list gives the seaman’s exact address overseas. William Slattery’s father, “J” lived at 55 Julia Street, Quebec, Canada.
- Introduction↑
- Care of The Sick and Wounded↑
- Influenza Epidemic↑
- Care For Veterans↑
- Conclusion↑
American losses in World War I, though significant, were modest compared to those of other belligerents. The United States lost comparatively few men because it did not enter the war until 1917, was slow to build a large army in France, and fought in only thirteen major battles. According to one study, the French, British and Germans lost thirty-fo...
As Americans contemplated declaring war on Germany, officials were mindful of the great cost to the state of pensions for sick and disabled veterans of the American Civil War (1861-65). By 1915 virtually all Civil War veterans (93 percent) were receiving a federal pension. To avoid a similar burden on the U.S. Treasury, the War Department engaged i...
Despite the unprecedented carnage of industrial warfare, the influenza epidemic dwarfed combat losses, killing perhaps 50 million people worldwide in just eighteen months. The epidemic of 1918 struck all war participants, but had a unique impact on the United States because it attacked during the AEF’s greatest campaign of the war, the fall 1918 Ba...
The Armistice stopped the battlefield killing but hospitalizations continued as almost 300,000 soldiers returned home with debilitating physical and mental conditions. Despite a precipitous American demobilization effort, the Army Medical Department retained personnel to care for this increasing patient load. In March 1919 Congress instructed the P...
Federal support for World War I veterans continued into the 21st century when the last veteran, Frank W. Buckles (1901-2011), died at the age of 110 on 27 February 2011 and was buried in Arlington Cemetery.American losses in the war may have been fewer than European losses, but the legacy of increased governmental responsibility for its soldiers, s...
Feb 27, 2023 · Thousands of men and women lost their lives bravely serving with the Merchant Navy in both World Wars. The Tower Hill Memorial in London today commemorates these brave souls. Nearly 12,000 casualties from the First World War are commemorated on its wall panels.
The term “Merchant Navy” refers to a nation’s commercial shipping and crews. During the First World War, merchant ships were requisitioned to act as transports, hospital ships and cargo carriers.
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It recognised the effort and sacrifice of the British Empire's merchant marine – as it was then better known – during the Great War, in which 2500 ships and 15,000 seafarers were lost. Many New Zealanders served on the British-owned 'Home boats' that linked this country with the United Kingdom.
Merchant Navy crews were killed at a rate of 1 in 26 (US Navy rate was 1 in 114). The greatest lose was in the Battle of the Atlantic due to U-boat torpedo or deck gun attacks. During the war 3.1 million tons of US merchant ships were sunk in 733 ships.
