Men Against Torpedoes
United Seamen’s Service Publication, April 1943
FROM EVERY STATE in OUR COUNTRY
In its casualty reports to the nation, the Navy Department does not list those
members of the merchant marine who were wounded in the line of duty. It reports
only dead and missing.
According to figures covering the period from September 27, 1941, to February 28, 1943, the total has reached 3,905, of which 515 are dead and 3,390 are missing. The discrepancy found in the totals listed according to states below is due to the fact that 48 listed as dead and 171 listed as missing have not been included because their relatives live in foreign countries.
THEY GAVE FOR YOU
Losses of American merchant seamen during the first year of the war amounted
to 3.8 percent of the total merchant marine man-power, compared with only 3/4
of 1 per cent of the total man-power in all our armed forces. Thus the casualty
rate among our merchant seamen is more than 400 percent higher than for the
army, navy and marines combined.
86.8% of the Total Casualties
are Classified as Missing
Merchant Marine Casualties are 3.8% of total Manpower or 1 in 26 Mariners Killed
or Missing (1943)
Other Armed Forces Casualties are 0.75% of total manpower or 1 in 133 (1943)
Facts and figures from Office of War Information
Home of Next of Kin, U. S. or Possessions
| State | Dead 1943 |
Missing 1943 |
Total 1943 |
USMM.org 2003 |
| Alabama | 17 | 56 | 73 | 114 |
| Alaska | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Arizona | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Arkansas | 1 | 6 | 7 | 20 |
| California | 33 | 101 | 134 | 389 |
| Colorado | 0 | 6 | 6 | 14 |
| Connecticut | 4 | 20 | 24 | 56 |
| Delaware | 2 | 7 | 9 | 21 |
| Florida | 12 | 105 | 117 | 170 |
| Georgia | 11 | 87 | 98 | 146 |
| Hawaii | 2 | 6 | 8 | 20 |
| Idaho | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| Illinois | 6 | 51 | 57 | 125 |
| Indiana | 3 | 12 | 15 | 35 |
| Iowa | 2 | 7 | 9 | 19 |
| Kansas | 1 | 3 | 4 | 16 |
| Kentucky | 1 | 9 | 10 | 24 |
| Louisiana | 31 | 176 | 207 | 272 |
| Maine | 4 | 29 | 33 | 58 |
| Maryland | 16 | 128 | 144 | 235 |
| Massachusetts | 40 | 265 | 305 | 529 |
| Michigan | 6 | 31 | 37 | 84 |
| Minnesota | 0 | 18 | 18 | 51 |
| Mississippi | 3 | 19 | 22 | 35 |
| Missouri | 1 | 10 | 11 | 58 |
| Montana | 1 | 3 | 4 | 9 |
| Nebraska | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Nevada | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| New Hampshire | 1 | 9 | 10 | 23 |
| New Jersey | 19 | 161 | 180 | 329 |
| New Mexico | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
| New York | 120 | 922 | 1,042 | 1,545 |
| North Carolina | 8 | 40 | 48 | 85 |
| North Dakota | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Ohio | 6 | 40 | 46 | 119 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 10 | 12 | 32 |
| Oregon | 8 | 27 | 35 | 80 |
| Pennsylvania | 27 | 231 | 258 | 463 |
| Rhode Island | 10 | 36 | 46 | 69 |
| South Carolina | 4 | 28 | 32 | 48 |
| South Dakota | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Tennessee | 2 | 8 | 10 | 17 |
| Texas | 39 | 301 | 340 | 393 |
| Utah | 0 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
| Vermont | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Virginia | 10 | 89 | 99 | 128 |
| Washington | 3 | 19 | 22 | 114 |
| West Virginia | 2 | 5 | 7 | 20 |
| Wisconsin | 0 | 15 | 15 | 48 |
| Wyoming | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| District or Possession | Dead 1943 |
Missing 1943 |
Total 1943 |
USMM.org 2003 |
| District of Columbia | 1 | 11 | 12 | 27 |
| Panama/Panama Canal Zone | - | - | - | 7 |
| Philippine Islands | - | - | - | 40 |
| Puerto Rico | 3 | 94 | 97 | 118 |
| Virgin Islands | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Subtotal US and Possessions | 467 | 3,219 | 3,686 | 6,263 |
Home of Next of Kin, Foreign Countries
| Country | USMM.org 2003 |
Country | USMM.org 2003 |
| Arabia | 1 | Honduras | 37 |
| Argentina | 5 | Hungary | 1 |
| Australia | 6 | Iceland | 3 |
| Belgium | 27 | India | 2 |
| Brazil | 16 | Ireland | 8 |
| British Guiana | 2 | Italy | 1 |
| British West Indies BWI | 14 | Latvia | 6 |
| Canada | 123 | Lithuania | 1 |
| Cape Verde Islands | 5 | Mexico | 3 |
| Chile | 9 | Morocco | 1 |
| China | 23 | Netherlands West Indies | 3 |
| Colombia | 5 | New Zealand | 3 |
| Cuba | 63 | Northern Ireland | 1 |
| Denmark | 40 | Norway | 147 |
| Ecuador | 1 | Portugal | 27 |
| Egypt | 3 | Romania | 1 |
| El Salvador | 1 | Scotland | 14 |
| Estonia | 14 | South Africa | 4 |
| Finland | 12 | Spain | 52 |
| Germany | 4 | Sweden | 45 |
| Great Britain | 71 | Switzerland | 1 |
| Greece | 19 | Yugoslavia | 1 |
| Holland | 25 | ||
| Total Foreign | 851 |
Summary
| Home | Dead 1943 |
Missing 1943 |
Total 1943 |
USMM.org 2003 |
| US and Possessions | 467 | 3,219 | 3,686 | 6,263 |
| Foreign seamen | 48 | 171 | 219 | 851 |
| Unknown | - | - | - | 1,220 |
| Total | 515 | 3,390 | 3,905 | 8,314* |
*Sources gave inconsistent information about homes for 86 Seamen
USMM.org data shows 8,382 killed plus 1,100 later died of wounds from total of 243,000 mariners serving according to War Shipping Administration Press Release 2514, January 1, 1946. this corresponds to a ratio of 1 in 26 killed, same as in 1943.
Sources:
Men Against Torpedoes, United Seamen’s Service Publication, April 1943
American Merchant Marine at War, U.S. Merchant
Marine Casualties during World War II
12/26/03
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