Collection (1942-1945, 2006) of documents, maps, printed materials, etc., relating to his service as a Quartermaster 3d Class aboard the USS Ann Arundel (AP-76) during World War II, including autobiographical accounts of four voyages, and descriptions of its actions during the Normandy invasion of 6 June 1944.
William B. Martin was born on October 29, 1924, in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. His naval service began with attending Quartermaster School in Newport, Rhode Island, after which he was assigned to the USS Ann Arundel, a troop ship, just before Christmas 1943. He served throughout the remainder of World War II and during the early post-war period as a Quartermaster 3d Class aboard the USS Ann Arundel (AP-7).
The papers contain records of William B. Martin's naval service as Quartermaster 3rd Class during WW II aboard the USS Ann Arundel. The records span from 1942-1945. They include logs kept by Martin while aboard the ship, maps, autobiographical accounts and miscellaneous printed material detailing daily shipboard life.
There are logs kept by Martin recording his duties as quartermaster performed aboard the ship. They are titled "2nd Journey across the Seas" (February 9, 1944-March 11, 1944), "3rd Trip across the Seas" (March 23, 1944-November 8, 1944), and "Fourth Voyage across the Hi-Seas" (December 17, 1944-December 27, 1944). These logs reveal information about the duties of a quartermaster during WWII and one of them spans the dates of the Invasion of Normandy. The document titled "The Normandy Invasion" describes the ship's preparations for and actions on the day of the Invasion of Normandy. Another autobiographical account is given by Joseph W. Harrell ("Haiphon to Chinwangtao") during the end of the war. It details the transport of Chinese Nationalist troops from Haiphong, Vietnam, to Chin-Wang Tao, China, aboard the Ann Arundel. Harrell also details a trip ashore in Tientsen, China. There is no other reference made to Harrell in the papers of William B. Martin.
There are three maps in the collection. They are: a transport area boat deployment diagram for operation "Fabius One," another training map used during "Exercise Fabius" and a hydrographic information map used during the training for the invasion of Southern France.
Records documenting daily shipboard life include membership certificates for initiation ceremonies for rites of passage across the International Date Line (Domain of the Golden Dragon, January 26, 1945) and the Equator (Domain of Neptunus Rex, August 11, 1945); two "Radio Press News" leaflets from the USS Ann Arundel (July 27, 1945 and August 16, 1945); a plan for the day on board the USS Ann Arundel (August 11, 1945); an official chronological list of dates of arrivals and departures (September 17, 1942-December 1945); and a pamphlet for the annual reunion of the USS Ann Arundel (2006).
Gift of William B. Martin
Processed by Megan Turner (Oct, 2016)
Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.