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Revision 5 September 2008: Link to United States Army Warrant Officers Association

Army Ships -- The Ghost Fleet

Coast Artillery Corps
Army Mine Planter Service

The great old Coast Artillery Batteries one occasionally sees along the coast today were part of a defensive system that included minefields. These were not the "horned monsters" usually seen in movies, but bottom laid mines controlled from shore through control panels linked to the mines by cables. Enemies attempting to enter strategic coastal areas would face the guns and also a minefield that was exploded by intelligence, not sensors. The distinct advantage was that controllers could watch sweeping efforts and ignore this activity, then detonate the mine when a major target was in the kill zone. These mines could choose targets with much more accuracy than self detonating types.

From the Civil War until much later these mines were called "torpedoes" as in Farragut's "Damn the torpedoes" and even the coast defenses were termed the "torpedo service." Chester Arthur's second State of the Union presented in writing 4 December 1882 contained this interesting comment "appropriations be made for high-power rifled cannon for the torpedo service and for other harbor defenses" indicating the artillery was perhaps considered secondary to the mines.

The mines were an integral part of the defenses along with the big guns and submarine detection gear. They were controlled from panels within the batteries and could be fired selectively as a target under observation entered a mine's kill zone. One of the concerns in the recapture of Corregidor was its mine control panel that had been captured by the Japanese who had probably maintained the defensive field. Its control center's recapture was a fairly high priority for the Airborne troops in the recapture of the fortress island. We had laid an extensive mine field supporting the Manila Bay defenses and had to be certain it would not be used against our forces.

The mines were planted and maintained by the Army Mine Planter Service and its vessels operating under the Coast Artillery Corps. In January 1920 the War Department authorized addition of a mine casing below the Coast Artillery Corps crossed guns as a special insignia for the service. The actual vessels planting and maintaining these fields were the Army mine planters which also had the ability to lay the control cables and junction boxes. Another type vessel was responsible for maintaining the junction boxes and other underwater electronics. Mine planters had to raise and maintain or occasionally relocate the mines.

This explains why a number of small cable layers of the post war years have their origins as mine planters. Two, Trapper and Niles, are covered elsewhere on these pages.

The Lt. Col. Ellery W. Niles was unique. She was built as an individual ship, apparently not a part of a production, and described as the most beautiful ship the Army ever built. The photo at left of the Niles launch was a gift of Joseph Neely. It is captioned by hand "June 22, 1937, Launching Mine Layer, Pusey & Jones Co., Wilmington, Del." Signed "Ros Ammon" apparently at the time of the event. The tiny bow sheaves seen here are apparently typical of the Army mine planters.

I knew this ship thirty one years later as the R/V F. V. Hunt, then a vessel owned by Marine Acoustical Services of Miami, Florida, operating under contract to the Navy. She now rests off the Florida Keys and is a well known dive site.

Another photo of the Lt. Col. Ellery W. Niles and good general discussion of the mine fields in coast defense may be seen on Submarine Mine Defense of San Francisco Bay, a page of the California Military Museum. I found the same Army Signal Corps photo of Niles among the records of the Transportation Corps at the National Archives. I was struck at that time how little changed the ship was when I knew her in the late sixties. The ship pictured in that old photo was immediately recognizable. Take away the big masts and add Radar and LORAN -- that is about all.

The Maj. Gen. Arthur Murray, later to become Trapper, was part of a production of a small fleet these vessels after war broke out in Europe to replace First World War vintage vessels. Even their origin might seem strange. They were built at Point Pleasant, West Virginia -- the Mountain State. For the rather weird and interesting story of how the Maj. Gen. Arthur Murray became first a Navy and then a Coast Guard cable layer with some background on this entire group look at "Trapper." Half of the West Virginia constructed group went with Murray to become Navy ACMs.

The vessels were manned by Warrant Officers of the Army Mine Planter Service who wore a distinctive uniform. The Master and Mates wore a foul anchor insignia on a circle above sleeve rings, all in dark brown. The Chief Engineer and engineering officers wore a three bladed propeller insignia above the same rings. For diagrams and a bit more history of the service see PERSCOM's Warrant Officer Insignia of Rank page. In fact, the Army Warrant Officer and the Corp's official brown color is traced back to the Mine Planter Service. The official history of the Warrant Officer Corps states:

The web page of the United States Army Warrant Officers Association offers additional background and detail, particularly in its Army Warrant Officer History.

An indication of how these vessels were manned is given in the "Green Book," the United States Army in World War II, The War in the Pacific, The Fall of the Philippines [Louis Morton]. In Table 2--Strength and Composition of U.S. Army Troops in Philippine Islands, 31 July 1941 the strength of the USAMP Harrison is given as forty enlisted and seven officers.

The ships were not the only ones having connections with ocean research or cable laying beyond their time as mine planters. Their personnel also continued in such roles. One, Ernest W. Eickelberg, "served as executive officer of the Survey ships Pathfinder, Lydonia, and Surveyor, and commanding officer of the Explorer and Guide in Alaska" as a member of the Coast and Geodetic Survey. During the First World War he had served aboard the mine planter Graham. As with BG Albert J. Myer, his interest and capabilities appear to have spanned a wide range.

I know of only one minefield that faced an actual invader. The defensive fields in the Philippines are probably the only Coast Artillery Corps mines that were within range of an enemy ship in combat conditions. The 91st Coast Artillery - A Short History by George Munson is on line and has brief sections dealing with the mine responsibilities. "Battery A had three primary duties: maintain the mine equipment and cables, lay and operate mine fields, and man Battery Martin (two 155mm 6PF guns)" though there is no mention of a ship. He notes the new commander, an expert in the mines "quickly discovered that the two controlled mine fields were defective" due to marine borers shorting the control cables.

The mine planter Col. George F. E. Harrison was stationed in the Philippines and there is a mention of a contract vessel, the Neptune. There would have been the usual fleet of Junction Box Boats and other small craft. Selma Harrison Calmes, the daughter of a Commanding Officer of the Col. George F. E. Harrison, mentions the vessel in her article titled Lost Corregidor - The Home Front Life Before WW2. She gives some detail of the mine planter and life of people in the mine service. Her father, First Lieutenant Harry John Harrison, is noted as meeting his wife in 1937 as they sailed to the Philippines aboard USAT Republic. It appears he commanded the ship 1937-1940 and left the Philippines in 1940. She comments:

Other mentions note the Harrison and her commander of the same name were often in Manila as Dr. Calmes' father was able to continue seeing his future wife while she was in college there and is noted as being there when their daughter was born on Corregidor. The Corregidor Historic Society's page contains many other descriptions of life on the island for those interested in the subject.

The end of the Army Mine Planter Service came with the 1954 Warrant Officer Personnel Act. The need for coastal defenses and their mines had been overcome by events and technology. At least some of the little ships went on to other work. The origin of the existing Warrant Officer Corps in the Service probably accounts for the Mine Planter Service's better representation on the web than the other ship operating organizations seem to have.

The table and information in notes immediately following are based almost entirely on Grover's list and mentions of these ships in U.S. Army Ships and Watercraft of World War II, "Minecraft" with some additional references found. Despite a great deal of research Grover notes the record is not entirely clear on the earlier ships. My relatively brief independent survey bears this out. One, Cyrus W. Field, is clearly listed as a mine planter in National Archives and Records Administration, 391.2.6 "Records of U.S. Army mine planters" yet appears no where else. There are references to that ship being a Signal Corps cable ship associated to some extent with the mine service. I've also found conflict in records that as yet I cannot conclusively resolve. One confusion source seems to be the manner in which small Army vessels moved in and out of primary roles and even government service.

As an example a ship noted as Col. Card that was roughly the size of the mine planters was built for the Quartermaster Corps by Fabricated Shipbuilding apparently along with the 1919 layers. This ship apparently was a small transport on the East Coast, despite being built as a Junior Mine Planter, until bought by Michigan in 1923 as a ferry. The ship was rebuilt to make it a larger car ferry over the years and so used until sold back to the Army in 1940. In 1942 the Army had the ship back on the East Coast as the Brig. General William E. Horton. By 1947 the ship was perhaps under Michigan ownership again as it apparently had a local name. A number of the mine layers have similar in-out-in service histories with multiple name changes.

(2/11/04) Les Bagley, ferry historian, is doing research on these ships and writes:

Both Col. Bard and Col. Pond appear to have been built to serve as Junior Mine Planter (JMP). As with a number of these Army vessels they apparently were multiple use or diverted for other primary use. Along with the in-out-in service histories and multiple name changes I have found a number of cases where these vessels were tasked for other uses or served as general purpose vessels when mine work was slow.

A web page titled Fort Tilden's Mine Casemate has details on one of the installations with photos and copies of an article and an Army manual. The page is high density graphic that may load slowly. It is well worth a close look for how one of these installations appeared. One of the publications is illustrated with a photo of the Col. Alfred A. Maybach, a distribution box boat and a mine yawl.

Records are scarce and incomplete. Any information filling out or correcting the list is welcome.

Ship Built
Col. George Armistead 1904
Cyrus W. Field 1904?
Col. Henry J. Hunt 1904
Gen. Henry Knox 1904
Maj. Samuel Ringgold 1904
Gen. Royal T. Frank * 1909
Joseph Henry * (See comment about role below at Random Recollections) 1909
Gen. Samuel M. Mills 2 1909
Gen. E. O. C. Ord * 1909
Gen. John M. Schofield * 1909
   

According to Fulton Quintus Cincinnatus Gardner's Random Recollections (see below) the Gen. William M. Graham was the first "combined mine planter and cable ship" -- the model for later mine planters. I believe this helps explain the 1917 - 1919 break as the Graham being the prototype for the 1919 production.

Gen. William M. Graham * 1917
Col. George F. E. Harrison * 1919
Gen. Absalom Baird * 1919

Gen. Absalom Baird - photo provided by Nick Tiberio with the following:

My father, First Sergeant Nicholas Tiberio, Sr., was with the 242d Coast Artillery. This unit protected the eastern end of Long Island Sound. Ft. H.G. Wright, Ft. Terry, & Ft. Michael, being located on Fisher's Island, Gull Island, and Plum Island.

Gen. J. Franklin Bell / Brig. Gen. John J. Hayden * 1919
Brig. Gen. Edmund Kirby 1 1919
Gen. Wallace F. Randolph 1 1919
Gen. John P. Story 1 1919
Col. Albert Todd 1 1919
Col. Garland N. Whistler 1 1919
Col. John V. White 1 1919
Lt. Col. Ellery W. Niles * 1937

Unidentified Army Mine Planter of 1942-1943 series (U. S. Army Signal Corps photo)

Brig. Gen. Henry L. Abbott * 1942
Col. George Armistead * 1942
Col. Henry J. Hunt * 1942
Gen. Henry Knox * 1942
Gen. Samuel M. Mills * 1942
Maj. Gen. Arthur Murray * 2 1942
Maj. Gen. Wallace F. Randolph * 1942
Maj. Samuel Ringgold * 1942
Col. John Story * 1942
1st Lt. William G. Sylvester * 1942
Maj. Gen. Erasmus Weaver * 1942
Col. Charles W. Bundy * 1943
Brig. Gen. Royal T. Frank * 1943
Col. Alfred A. Maybach * 1943
Col. George Ricker * 1943
Col. Horace F. Spurgin * 1943

* In Army service at outbreak of war.

1 Six of the 1919 mine layers became Coast Guard buoy tenders between 1923-1927. They are listed at HyperWar as the Lupine class. USCG site has them as Speedwell class and also as mine sweepers - a probable error. The six: Todd = Lotus WAGL-229; Whistler = Spruce WAGL-246; Kirby = Ilex WAGL-222; Story = Acacia WAGL-200 (sunk by gunfire from the German submarine U-161 south of Haiti March 15, 1942); Randolph = Lupine WAGL-230; White = Speedwell WAGL-245

2 Became Coast Guard cable ships. Mills of 1909 became the Pequot (WARC-58) though there is an apparent discrepancy in Pequot's DANFS entry: "Pequot, built for the Coast Guard by American Brown Boveri Electrical Corp., Camden, N.J. in 1921, commissioned as a special craft 29 April 1922 at Camden." The "built" here probably refers to a modification from mine planter during the year before Pequot was placed in service for the Coast Guard. The fact an "Electrical" company did the work is somewhat indicative of cable machinery modifications as such companies often did this work and those modifications might be required in going from mine control cable capability to general cable work. The Murray of 1942 became the Coast Guard Cable layer Yamacraw (WARC-333) after service with Navy as Trapper (ACM-9), an auxiliary mine vessel. She later returned to Navy service as Yamacraw (ARC-5).

The Cyrus W. Field is not in Grover or other sources as a mine planter, but is mentioned in NARA Records (below) from 1908-1920. Grover does mention her under Communication Ships, "The Signal Corps acquired other cable layers at an early date, the tiny Cyrus W. Field in 1904 for work on the East Coast," without mention of being among the 1904 planters. Her inclusion here is based on the NARA placement with Mine Planters.

The Forts

The World War II mine planters appear to have moved to some extent during the war even though some were closely associated with one fortification. The following indicates at least a period of association with a particular defense area. Mills and Spurgin were in Sausalito, California associated with San Francisco defenses at one point as seen in a photo together. Niles was also in the area, mentioned at Fort Scott. Ringgold was in the Canal Zone at least after the war. I know of no definitive list of movements or assignments covering all the ships.

Frank and Sylvester were associated with Fort Miles on Cape Henlopen, Delaware. See this Fort Miles page, "Principle Armament - Mine Field," for a photo of the Frank showing the small bow sheaves and an Army crew in uniform. The page gives an excellent of the composition of such an establishment at the end of the war--the sunset of coastal fortifications and Army marine mine fields. Fire control was plotted by tower observations. Those towers are still located along the Delaware and New Jersey coast.

One of the beaches that is an easy day trip for my grandchildren is overlooked by one of those towers. Cape Henlopen State Park is an intersting place for a visit for historical, natural and recreational activities. It is a good coastal birding site and has an environment many do not associate with our coast, pine barrens.

I will try to find some other links to forts that are now becoming attractions and that have active historical organizations.

Joseph Henry

Random Recollections by Fulton Quintus Cincinnatus Gardner contains interesting information on mines and mine planters in the chapter titled "Officer in Charge of the Torpedo Depot" -- particularly with respect to the problem with cables. I am particularly interested in his mention of the ship Joseph Henry, listed above as a mine planter, as being a Signal Corps Cable Ship. In this account that ship and the Western Union cable ship Western Union became models for the first "combined mine planter and cable ship" noted as being the Gen. William M. Graham. I am hoping to determine the exact status of the Joseph Henry, a ship with an unusual name for the mine planters in not having a rank prefix, that may have not been a planter at all or only in a secondary role. It is also entirely possible a ship designated a cable layer planted mines.

Aris Bilalis, a ship researcher in Greece, was asking if I knew dates for some of the Signal Corps cable ships. Joseph Henry came into the exchange. Then it clicked. Joseph Henry was known to have ended up in Greece as a cable ship. Aris suddenly came back with the fact that Thales o Milisios, the ship's new name, wasn't among those fading away at all:


Thalis o Milisios, ex Joseph Henry photographed by Aris Bilalis, 2003

What is immediately obvious to me is that Major General Gardner's Random Recollections states that Joseph Henry and "the Western Union cable ship Western Union became models for the first 'combined mine planter and cable ship'" and that stern shows the same curves and form I knew aboard the ex Lt. Col. Ellery W. Niles, the R/V F.V. Hunt. Of course it is also seen clearly in the photograph of Gen. Absalom Baird as well. The family resemblance is striking. Niles/Hunt rests among the groupers off the Florida Keys and her ancestor, two generations back, rests in the Maritime Museum at Faliro, Athens.

Builders

The 1904 ships were built at shipyards not yet located in ready sources. Information is sought.

The 1909 ships were built by several yards:

Gen. William M. Graham of 1917 was built by New York Shipbuilding of Camden, New Jersey

The 1919 ships appear to have all been built at Fabricated Shipbuilding of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The Lt. Col. Ellery W. Niles of 1937 was built by Pusey and Jones of Wilmington, Delaware.

All the 1942/43 ships were built by Marietta Manufacturing of Point Pleasant, West Virginia.

WW II Era Vessels - Disposition & Miscellaneous Information

The following U. S. Army Mine Planters (USAMP) became Navy Auxilliary Minelayers (ACM). Where known I've added the mine planter's number as in USAMP-11. The links are to the NavSource page for ship with the DANFS history linked from that page.

USAMP Col. Charles W. Bundy became Chimo ACM-1
USAMP Col. George Ricker became Planter ACM-2
USAMP Col. John Storey became Barricade ACM-3
USAMP Col. George Armistead became Barbican ACM-5
USAMP Col. Henry J. Hunt became Bastion ACM-6
USAMP 1st Lt. William G. Sylvester became Obstructor ACM-7
USAMP Gen. Henry Knox became Picket ACM-8
USAMP Maj. Gen. Arthur Murray became Trapper ACM-9 and later the Yarmacraw (ARC-5)
USAMP-12 Maj Brig. Gen. Royal T. Frank became ACM-11
USAMP Maj. Gen. Erasmus Weaver became Canonicus ACM-12
USAMP-14 Col. Horace F. Spurgin became Miantonomah ACM-13
USAMP-11 Maj. Samuel Ringgold became Monadnock ACM-14 (See photo for Army's name format.)
USAMP Major General Wallace F. Randolph became ACM-15
USAMP Colonel Alfred A. Maybach became Puritan ACM-16

Some of these ships had no real service as naval vessels as they went almost immediately into inactive status. ACM-4 and ACM-10 were never Army mine vessels.

Reuse of names used by more active ships for these ships that probably never had a real Navy crew or operational record creates considerable confusion:

Of those that did not transfer to Navy:

USAMP Gen. Samuel M. Mills remained in Army service into the fifties and became the Liberian Gran Canaria until scrapped in 1975 (Grover).

Additional References

National Archives and Records Administration

391.2.6 Records of U.S. Army mine planters:

Microfilm rolls at NARA: "Returns From Regular Army Cavalry Regiments, 1833-1916. M691*. 117 rolls. This microfilm publication reproduces the monthly returns received by the AGO from the Regular Army cavalry regiments, and the predecessor dragoon and rifle regiments, from August 1833 to December 1916" has a section "U.S. Army Mine Planter" [rolls 80/81] with inclusive dates December 1907 - January 1917:

Record group 392, Records of U.S. Army Coast Artillery Districts and Defenses, 1901-1942, might also be of considerable interest. Record group 92, Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, contain mention of early mine planters and also records relating to other areas covered on this page as the Quartermaster Corps was originally the large ship operator. In particular group 92.5.3 appears to be interesting.

Harrison is mentioned among units cited for defense of the Philippines March 14 to April 9, 1942: "Citation of units in the United States Forces in the Philippines--As authorized by Executive Order 9075 (sec. II, Bull. 11, W.D., 1942), a citation in the name of the President of the United States, as public evidence of deserved honor and distinction, is awarded to the following-named units" mentioning "detachments DS Army Mine Planter Harrison (American and Philippine Scouts)" She was captured, served in the Japanese Imperial Navy and was sunk by bombs in Yokosuka late in the war.

Also in the Philippines: "An auxiliary mine planter, the commercial vessel Neptune which was suitable for the purpose, was leased." The Moore Report

Gen. Absalom Baird is briefly described by Les Stevens in Memories of defending New Hampshire's Seacoast. He also mentions service aboard a "Junior Mine Planter," General Richard Arnold. This was a 98 foot tug built in 1909 assisting mine planters and apparently designated as a JMP at the time. Arnold sank in January 1942. Several of the other small support type vessels are mentioned. In a story about the Arnold there are photos, one of the L-88, a classic WW II "Distribution Box Boat", heavy with ice.

Observation Mines, 1914, a web version of the Royal Navy's Torpedo Drill Book, 1914 (corrected to May 15) instructions from 1914 will give some idea of coastal defense minefields. It mentions "junction box boat," a name and function applied to one of the U.S. vessel types in use into WW II.

A Junction Box Boat, or "L" boat is shown in a photo from Ft. Sherman, Canal Zone, found with photos dated 1917. The boat is not identified as such on the page and is apparently something of a mystery. Comparison with another photo of a Junction Box Boat confirms configuration and the "Submarine L-36" notation (certainly not of a submarine) fits the "L" series numbers of the Junction Box Boats. Some of the early boats were redesignated "J" boats, a term used as late as the 1970s for a very similar small Army craft.

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Copyright © 1998, 2001 by Ramon Jackson

Permission is given for noncommercial use and distribution of the text and my photographs, provided copyright and this notice are maintained. If used in a web site concerning these ships I would appreciate notification, if for no other reason than to perhaps link to the site. All commercial rights to my photographs and text are reserved. Any photographs taken by others and used with their permission are so noted and their permission must be obtained for use.

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