Wartime Voyages

The O'Brien completed seven voyages during WWII. Most importantly, her fourth voyage supported Operation Overlord, the Allied Invasion at Normandy which commenced on D-Day, June 6th, 1944. This included eleven shuttle runs loaded with troops and their vehicles, supplies, and ammunition from the port of Southampton, England, to the American beachheads code-named Omaha and Utah.

Voyage dates followed a ship’s paperwork trail versus its actual movements and were considered to terminate when the paperwork was closed out. This would include signing off the crew, handing over the logbook, and other documentation, which was required to take place in a US port.

On her third voyage, the SS Jeremiah O’Brien made two round-trip crossings to Great Britain amid the Atlantic’s U-boat-infested waters. These two crossings were counted as a single voyage due to the ship returning to Halifax, Nova Scotia rather than a US Port to take on cargo.

By voyage number five, she had completed her duties in the Atlantic and was then sent on voyages throughout South and Central American waters and the Asia-Pacific area.

On November 19th, 1945, while sailing to Manila Bay after the cessation of hostilities in the Pacific, the Naval Armed Guard received orders from the US Navy to dump the ship’s ammunition overboard more than ten miles from shore and at least 150 fathoms deep. The war was truly over!

Her final voyage and service concluded in 1946 after she sailed from Freemantle, Australia to San Francisco’s Pier 45 with a cargo consisting of 16,500 bales of wool, nine war brides, and three children.

Across her seven voyages, the O’Brien averaged a Merchant Marine complement of 42 officers and seamen. 

The Complement of Merchant Marine during Wartime Voyages