Funeral Procession for German Marine Imagine having a loved one die overseas. It must have been tragic for the family to hear the news. Training Ship, Vineta The newspapers didn’t report the details, but apparently, a young apprentice whose last name was Loth, passed away aboard the training ship, Vineta. The usual ceremony given to naval seamen […]
Navy Ships
The Virgin Islands are Really Dead! ~ 1945
A Postcard Home During War Times “Dearest Mom and Dad, Just a card to let you know that I’m still alive and kicking. We’re here in the Virgin Islands for one night and it is really dead! But I guess it is the same everywhere. Hope you all are OK and the town is still […]
Jewish Soldier Stationed in St. Thomas Writes Interesting Letter Home ~ 1942
Auctioned Items Available An archive of seven letters, written between October 10 and December 26, 1942, by a Jewish soldier from Brooklyn, who was stationed in St. Thomas, is up for sale. Frederick Goldman was in the Coast Guard and these insightful letters were written to his parents and sister, all of whom live in […]
Unusual Padlock Up For Auction! ~ 1930
Padlock Up for auction is an unusual padlock from St. Thomas. 🔓 It has a brass coated front and several personal notations: Winter Cruise 4-13-30, US Aircraft Carrier, Lexington Among my souvenirs, obtained from the City Jail, St. Thomas V.I., Fred, Teddy and others. Rear inscription reads, “To my good friend Bob…“. Lock was made by […]
44 Ships Belonging to the North Atlantic Fleet Pass St. Croix ~ 1917
Imagine looking out to the horizon and seeing a flotilla of battleships coming into view. This happened in 1917 on a cloudy, January morning when citizens in Christiansted witnessed an unusual fleet of Naval ships just beyond the three-mile limit. As word spread, residents rushed down to the shore to see for themselves. When they noticed the first battleship […]
Thrilling Experience Touring A German Cruiser ~ 1932
The Karlsruhe was launched in 1927 and carried 635 men including 30 officers. Photo Source: U.S. Naval History & Heritage Command. Touring the historic cruiser, Karlsruhe was a thrill for many in the Virgin Islands! Our family was fortunate to have had a look inside the Malakka in 1914 and the Horst Wessel in 1938, among others. But in October […]
The Loss of a Loved One Aboard the SS Proteus ~ 1941
As I was flipping though the pages of an old album, a small faded photograph of a sailor in his uniform fell onto the floor! I picked it up and didn’t recognize the person. As the family historian, I feel as though I can identify everyone, regardless of age in a photograph. Curious, I contacted a relative […]
Honoring the Men of the MARION ~ 1930s
The USCG Marion was a 125-foot patrol boat. She carried 20 enlisted men. After finding this photograph of the USCG Marion’s crew in our family’s album, I was curious about their deployment in the islands. The photograph was obviously taken at the Creque Marine Railway on Hassel Island, a business our great-grandfather owned. He must have taken it while […]