Motor Transport Vessels in Operation NEPTUNE

I recently went down an interesting rabbit hole and have come to a partial dead end. I was trying to find what were the numbers assigned to the Liberty ships converted to "Motor Transport Vessels" - usually designated MT or MTV - in Operation NEPTUNE, specifically the Western Naval Task Forces, I have put together most of them, but I'm drawing a blank on MT 202, MT 203, MT 205, and MT 250. The first three were probably in Convoys EBM-2 or EBM-3. Two likely candidates are SS Charles Willson Peale in EBM-2 and SS John Hay in EBM-3, but I am at a loss for what other vessels they may be. The only other possibilities were designated as accommodation ships, SS George W. Woodward, accommodation ship for JUNO, and SS Thomas B. Robertson, accommodation ship for UTAH , in EBM-3, and SS Bernard Carter, reserve accommodation ship for OMAHA and SS Eleazer Wheelock, accommodation ship OMAHA are the only other possibilities.

Has anyone else run across a list of the MTV numbers assigned to ships? Here is what I have so far:

EBM-2 Clyde/Bristol Channel-Seine Bay 2-7 June 1944
SS Charles Willson Peale
SS Bernard Carter – reserve accommodation ship OMAHA
SS Eleazer Wheelock – accommodation ship OMAHA
SS Charles Sumner (MT 206)
SS John Steele (MT 207)
SS Henry W. Grady (MT 208)
SS Oliver Wolcott (MT 214)
SS Ezra Weston (MT 215)
SS Robert E. Peary (MT 216)
SS John S. Mosby (MT 217)
SS Benjamin Hawkins (MT 218)
SS Edwin Abbey (MT 225)
SS Frank R. Stockton (MT 226)
SS George E. Pickett (MT 227)
SS Jedidiah S. Smith (MT 228)
SS Josiah Nelson Cushing (MT 229)
SS Edward W. Scripps (MT 230)
SS Ephraim Brevard (MT 231)
SS Robert L. Vann (MT 232)
SS Francis Harrington (MT 233)
SS Charles M. Hall (MT 234)
SS Walter Hines Page (MT 235)
SS Horace Gray (MT 236)
SS Stephen B. Elkins (MT 237)

EBM-3 Clyde/Bristol Channel 3-7 June 1944
SS George W. Woodward LCT accommodation ship for JUNO
SS John Hay
SS Thomas B. Robertson – accommodation ship UTAH
SS Clinton Kelly (MT 201)
SS Louis Kossuth (MT 204)
SS Charles C. Jones (MT 209) 345th FA
SS Charles D. Poston (MT 210) 345th FA
SS Collis P. Huntington (MT 211)
SS Eugene E. O’Donnell (MT 212)
SS Webb Miller (MT 213)
SS Abiel Foster (MT 219)
SS Enoch Train (MT 220)
SS Joshua Lippincott (MT 221)
SS Amos G. Throop (MT 222)
SS Charles Morgan (MT 223)
SS Clara Barton (MT 224)

 

Hello,
The ships are :

MT 202 - Helias
MT 203 - John Hay
MT 205 - Charles W. Peale
MT 250 - John Henry

Regards

Danny

 

Awesome, thank you Danny. You scratched an itch.

 

So, a follow-up. What the heck was the "Helias"? She wasn't a Liberty ship, I can find no such name associated with them.

 

What a minute. Is "Helias" actually the "Nea Hellas" AKA the SS Tuscania?

 

I think you are right Richard, Nea Helias was a troop ship which had been bought back from the Greeks AKA Nearer Hell. My father was one of the many unfortunates who were shipped to Egypt in this boat

 

Thanks for confirming that Roy. The curious thing is why they selected her to use, when all the others were bog-standard Liberties modified for the purpose.

 

I don't think NEA HELLAS is correct.

Richard, you specifically mention Operation Neptune ships and NEA HELLAS wasn't part of that. She was quite a large troopship and not a cargo transport and was nowhere near the UK in June/1944.
Possibly the 1943 built Greek ship HELLAS which did take part in those convoys.

Regards
Hugh

 

Okay Hugh, that's what I wondered. Thanks.

 

The Admiralty War Diary for 6.6.1944 lists the ships in EBM3 including HELLAS (possibly a typo for HELIAS):


Note the typos CHARLES G. JONES (sic: CHARLES C. JONES), CHARLES I. POSTON (sic: CHARLES D. POSTON) and JOSIAH P. LIPPINSCOTT) (sic:JOSHUA B. LIPPINCOTT), and also that GEORGE W. WOODWARD was bound for Juno, not Gold.

I found only one mention of HELIAS:

"The John S. Mosby and the Helias each had five casualties from the anti-aircraft fire at the beaches on June 9."
Source: Naval History and Heritage Command - Normandy Invasion​

A search for Helias produces a few hits on fold3, but my subscription there is long expired. Although the NARA website must hold the same docs, its search engine is not quite as good and lead to the whole document and not the individual page.

Michel

 

The typo is actually HELIAS. The correct name for the ship is HELLAS. The Greek HELLAS 7,176 tons was a liberty ship built in 1943 and took part in the Normandy convoys. The photo is courtesy of the Greek Shipping Miracle referenced below

Decimation of the Fleet (1940-1945)


Regards
Hugh

 

Excellent as always Hugh!

Another photo of HELLAS from the same great website:
THE FIRST GREEK LIBERTY SHIPS

Built in September 1943 by New England Shipbuilding Corporation, Portland, Maine (yard no. 245). Launched as WILLIAM DE WITT HYDE. Completed as HELLAS and placed under Greek management during the War. Delivered to Christos Lemos Sons on 13 December 1946 and registered in Chios. Broken up at Hirao, Japan in 1968. (Eric W. Johnson collection)

Michel

 

Yep, I suspected it must be Hellas. Pretty common typo with old typewriters. ll was often seen as li.

 

Well, I have identified most of the primary suspects I was interested in, the troop and motor transport vessels engaged in moving the Main Body of the 90th Infantry Division (AKA Detachment 2) as well as the the Division Advance detachment and Detachment B, 359th Infantry from the Bristol Channel ports to UTAH. This is what I have so far:

In Convoy EBP-1 Barry-Seine Bay 5-7 June 1944:
USN AP-72 Susan B. Anthony
Advance Detachment, HQ 90th Infantry Division
Advance Detachment, HQ 90th Infantry Division Artillery
Group B, 359th Infantry
Personnel Detachment, 321st and 907th Glider FA Bn (101st A/B Div)

In Convoy EBP-2 Barry-Seine Bay 6-8 June 1944:
SS Bienville – 1/2 Div HQ Co, Division Trps, 3d Bn, 357th Inf, and 3d Bn, 358th Inf - Detachment 2
USAT Excelsior – 1/2 Div HQ Co and 358th Inf (- 3d Bn) - Detachment 2
SS Explorer – 357th Inf (-3d Bn) - Detachment 2

In Convoy EBM-2 Bristol Channel-Seine Bay 2-7 June 1944:
SS Frank R. Stockton (MT 226) HQ, A, B, and Sv Btry, 915th FA – Group B
SS George E. Pickett (MT 227) – Cn Co, 359th Inf – Group B
SS Jedediah S. Smith (MT 228) – Sv Co, 359th Inf and Btry C, 915th FA ??? - Group B
SS Josiah Nelson Cushing (MT 229) – AT Co, 359th Inf – Group B

In Convoy EBM-3 Clyde/Bristol Channel 3-7 June 1944:
SS Charles C. Jones (MT 209) Hq, A, B, and Sv Btry, 345th FA - Detachment 2
SS Charles D. Poston (MT 210) C Btry, 345th FA - Detachment 2
SS Charles Morgan (MT 223) Cn, AT, Sv Co, 357th Inf – Detachment 2
SS Clara Barton (MT 224) Cn, AT, Sv Co, 357th Infantry

As you can see, the MT transporting the 343d and 344th FA Battalion remain unidentified (the QM and Ordnance companies were residuals and scheduled to arrive D+9 and D+10). Confusingly, it is unclear if the division transport included nine or thirteen MV, but I suspect it was the latter (nine for Detachment 2 and four for Group B).

Any additional information or insights are welcomed.

 

Looks like part of the 359th Infantry Regiment made the channel crossing by LCI, unless I misunderstand the transfers at sea from other ships. A message in another forum said that the #9 marked on their helmets was meant to speed assembly in the staging areas.

I found many pictures of LCI-326; some with troops of 359 IR aboard and others recorded long before or after the 90th Division landed in France.

 

Yes, thanks. The 1st and 3d Battalion, 359th Infantry, and parts of Regimental HQ Company, were loaded on LCI. They were attached to the 4th Infantry Division for the assault.

 

OK, until now I didn't notice your message in a different thread where you've already explained what I wanted to know about this.

Utah Beach. D Day.

 

Hello Mr. Anderson,
I've been looking for a data base that lists the MT numbers assigned to ships in Operation Neptune. The only list that I have found is your post, which is impressive.
How were you able to connect the MT numbers to these ships?
I am particularly interested in SS George E. Pickett (MT 227.) Is there a source that connects that number to that ship? Any help would be most appreciated.
I have only recently found this forum, and am amazed at the amount of quite detailed information re. Operation Neptune.

 

J.T. The list of MT ships is in the Western Vase Section Final Report dated 12 June 1944, for the American beaches. You can find it at Fold3, which requires a subscription, at : Page 38 - US, WWII European Theater Army Records, 1941-1946 - Fold3

You can also see the composition of the various convoys by ship name, but not MT number, at Convoy Web and other sites. Unfortunately, Convoy Web is having troubles with their site and it is not functioning well.

The troops of the 359th Infantry on the George E, Picket are put together from the Morning Reports of the 359th, which I have for the period. Eventually I would like to collect those for the rest of the 90th.