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WWII USN FIXED LOOP MCCORD CARPENTERS MATE 1ST CLASS RATE - BALTIMORE VETERAN 


Paddyd00
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Hi Guys

 

This helmet is the centerpiece of my US Navy M1 collection.  I am really proud and humbled to own this one as it's the nicest Navy M1 I have yet to come across. I received this one at the beginning of the year.

 

I am still in the process of fully researching this man.  So below are my amateur “piecings together”.  It took some time.  I learned a lot.  I would love to find a picture of him and know if he liked chicken parm and played volleyball but…. I have a good head start and it was a nice intro for me (earlier in the year) to learn how to use Navy Muster Rolls,  old newspapers and just a general intro to research 101 (though I have had some previous experience).  I may commission additional research from an independent specialist (who many of you probably know but there is a backlog) who has better resources and military access. I will update this thread no doubt (if anyone cares LOL...I hope you do!)  when I find out more.  Hopefully, failing the Specialist, maybe I myself can go down to the  National Archives and check out the Personnel Files and Vessel Logbooks about activities aboard to find out more. There is a lot more to know and many holes to fill in this important story.

 

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Here is a helmet from a Carpenters Mate First Class named Carroll J. Blaney. He enlisted well before war broke out in 1936 at age 18 where he was from Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Irish-German parents. He first appears in the ancestry records as a Seaman 2nd Class in 1939 (aboard the USS Indianapolis).  He seems to be promoted at this time to Seaman 1st Class also at the end of 1939. As the attack on Pearl Harbor unfolded on December 7th …. Blaney was in Newfoundland on the Atlantic side working on the USS Griffin, a Submarine tender, Placed there to assist Submarines in the first days of the Battle of the Atlantic against The Kriegsmarine.  A few weeks after Pearl Harbor his boat was assigned to the Pacific fleet and sailed to Brisbane Australia to aid the Submarines doing battle in this new war. In March of 1942 he became a Carpenters Mate 3rd Class and by December 1942 he became a Carpenters Mate 2nd Class.

 

Though a “Carpenter” (to me) implies building with wood and construction projects like making a bench or house. I believe Carpenters Mates in the Navy during WWII had many duties aboard these great Steel Ships.  Originally tasked with repairing the wooden hulls of the great ships of yesteryear,  their new duties included painting and maintaining the boat. Repairing the ship after attack. Putting out fires. Problem solving and coming up with creative ways to accomplish tasks and other unique requests on the fly. I highly doubt it was a dull job ... especially when working and serving in the United States Navy for the entirety of WWII as this man had done.

 

He remains on the USS Griffin until it sails back to Pearl Harbor where it sets up shop for the duration of the war, assisting badly damaged vessels limping back from the hundreds of battles in the Pacific. I assume it was probably like a revolving door and a “ship emergency room” type atmosphere.  Though the ship stays at Pearl Harbor …. Blaney does not… and sails into the Pacific again aboard the Escort Carrier USS Petrof Bay ..... Where I am sure he sees some of the most significant action of his career thus far aboard this vessel as it was involved in many major engagements listed below.

 

The Navy Muster rolls I had access to … end December 1944 where he is a Carpenters Mate 1st Class (this rate and promotion is first shown in September of 1944) …as he had been at that point for quite awhile.  He probably had been using this helmet for awhile at this point and had the Carpenters Mate 1st Class insignia painted here to represent his promotion, designate his responsibilities or perhaps was told to do by a superior.  Though the muster rolls that I have run out in Dec. 1944 I assume he stayed with the USS Petrof Bay way after 1944 for the remainder of the war but I will confirm this with additional research.  (Also after the War he joins the Air Force perhaps due to some speciality acquired during his time aboard this Carrier and his work with airplanes). He also earned a Purple Heart somewhere along the way.

 

Almost all of his wartime activities were spent in the pacific aboard various ships for long stretches ....
 
USS Indianapolis
- a heavy cruiser known for many battles and also for carrying the crucial parts for the  atomic bomb “little boy” to the pacific. It was sunk by a Japanese sub in 1945. And gained notoriety from the horrible Shark Attacks that befell the shipwrecked survivors. Carroll spent a lot of his pre war time on this ship.

USS Maryland - A Battleship damaged that was docked on “battleship row” during the Pearl Harbor Attack. It was repaired and returned to fight another day. Seeing action at Midway and Tarawa to name a few.

USS Griffin - a workhorse vessel that mainly repaired US submarines. Based during the war most of the time in Australia. Was one of the first Submarine “Tender” ships in Australia and helped make form backbone for what was to become a Solid Sub Repair Base in Oz in the army days of the Pacific war.  Carroll spent many of his years aboard this vessel.

Perhaps the most significant part of his fighting time was spent on the ...

USS Petrof Bay - This escort carrier saw considerable action in the battles of Peleliu, Leyte Gulf, Okinawa and Iwo Jima and many others that now have their significant places firmly entrenched in History. This vessel would have been providing airplanes for invasions. Softening up defenses w bomb and strafing runs. Maybe even ferrying some marines. All the while dodging air and Kamikaze attacks.

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I don’t know how the handwritten note got stuffed into the crown of the Westinghouse liner.  He marked his name inside the Helmet and the top of the liner and it seems to match the note … perhaps done at a show or requested a buyer or friend pre cell phone era. The helmet markings seem to have been made with a fountain type pen with the gloopy type spills. Closer inspection reveals that at one point he redid his name over the original and that new marking has faded a bit as well.  The hand period painted rate insignia is phenomenal … the Paint is cracked as one would expect looking through a Loupe. It seems the White Paint was laid down first and then the blue was applied over it.   There are 3 Colors …Red, White and Blue done in a glossy type paint similar to the type found in a ship's Paint Locker ( for rails, doors, stairs, equip boxes etc).  Dirt and grime are present and seem consistent throughout the set in line with constant heavy use aboard the ship and the accumulation of 80 years gone by.  The steel pot itself is a fixed loop McCord painted in a nice light blue that has faded ... lot # 629A ... and in conjunction with the green painted A washers of the liner... that would place this helmet to Mid 1943 for me. Both Khaki OD 3 Straps are intact along with brass J Hook and Buckle.  Liner Chinstrap is there ... but snapped.

 

Judging by his previous service years he definitely would have known another helmet or two prior to this one.  A few Navies I have  ... have been painted 10 times over for the long service life they received ( some Fixed Loops sometimes into the 1980s).  Blue.  Yellow.  Red.  but when this McCord came from the factory to the ship with its OD Green ... then it seems to have received 1 light coating of blue as the cork is still very present. There is wear around the helmet on the dome around the front.  I believe the insignia was painted after the base helmet received some wear. Judging from his hectic role on board…I imagine wear and tear would have happened rather quickly.   A few navy vets I have talked to (and some currently serving) have told me that many of the helmets were used as a tool as well....propping up wood ....holding the door…stepping stool ...etc.  That's why you see many in beat up condition...paint spray blasts  … dents ..et cetera. They have their own charm no doubt but this one …. in the grand scheme of things … is in Tip Top used condition. Another one of the jobs of a Carpenters Mate was painting so I would guess he would have first dibs on a refresh and a nice new rate painted on the front.

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As for Carroll .... He went on to be a career military man. After his WW2 Navy Service he went on to the United States Air Force as a Staff Sgt and then onto the US Army as a Staff Sgt after that.  I will absolutely be finding out more of his post WW2 service in these branches and how he received the Purple Heart hopefully when the Archives in DC open up again (maybe they are now?).  

 

I don’t know if it was common to serve in 3 of the main branches of the US Military ... I have not seen that very often personally but it seems to me that Mr. Blaney was a real GI Joe  .... representative of the countless unsung heroes who contributed to Victory in World War II.

 

A blue collar ...working class ... Irish American man.

 

Mr. Blaney passed away in Baltimore in 2009. It would seem that he and his family spent their entire lives there.

He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery by Washington DC. 

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Thanks for looking and reading!  If anyone has any further info on Mr. Blaney or a picture ?!? (I know we have some killer researchers here) please feel free to pass along. As stated this man is a real personal hero to me.

Zach

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There it is! 
 

Great Pat! It was a pleasure to read this post and I am so proud that you finally revealed this Beauty to us!

 

Your hard work is great and it gives the helmet a real place in history! 
 

Hope there’s coming more and maybe the person, who owns his medals, as I know that they do exist, sees this! 
 

Yours

Blueprint 

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Great History wright up of a great man, Excellent photo's also! Thanks for posting this beautiful helmet.

BKW

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5 minutes ago, Blueprint said:

There it is! 
 

Great Pat! It was a pleasure to read this post and I am so proud that you finally revealed this Beauty to us!

 

Your hard work is great and it gives the helmet a real place in history! 
 

Hope there’s coming more and maybe the person, who owns his medals, as I know that they do exist, sees this! 
 

Yours

Blueprint 

Hannes - thank you for the heartfelt reply and reading my brother. I was gonna have my girlfriend take a pic of me kneeling next to it LOL. But maybe a little cheesy. Next time I will. I’ll PM you about the medals. See if they are the same ones you saw (it may be a different Blaney )

 

@Brian Keith

Thank you BKW for your comments and checking this one out. Someone thinks about this dude for a minute or two …. He lives on and is not forgotten. 
 

Z

 

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TheCrustyBosun

Great lid and what a guy he must have been!  Thanks for sharing. 
 

Nice photos of the helmet by the way. 

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41 minutes ago, TheCrustyBosun said:

Great lid and what a guy he must have been!  Thanks for sharing. 
 

Nice photos of the helmet by the way. 

Indeed ... Lifelong service!

Z

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1 hour ago, Justin said:

Really outstanding set, great research! 

Justin - Thanks man .... Dude was a GI Joe and lived a long happy (so it seems) life

Z

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A most handsome looking Steel Pot, Nice touch in photoi-ing some shots of it with the ocean in the background..

 

Great job with the research as others said.

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7 hours ago, patches said:

A most handsome looking Steel Pot, Nice touch in photoi-ing some shots of it with the ocean in the background..

 

Great job with the research as others said.

Thank you very much Patches! I took some helmets to the beach. Maybe not all of us go on vacation with their lids but … I do 🤣

Z

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Zach, Great score Man !!!! Its a beut and all the history behind this one !

Loved reading all you have found. When Matt is back up and around, I'd be interested what he can find. to !!

Fantastic ! Really a great one !!! Congrats !

D

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11 hours ago, The Rooster said:

Zach, Great score Man !!!! Its a beut and all the history behind this one !

Loved reading all you have found. When Matt is back up and around, I'd be interested what he can find. to !!

Fantastic ! Really a great one !!! Congrats !

D

I should Defintely reach out to him. Thanks for the idea D and the nice comments!

Z

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Wonderful helmet snd story. This was most likely his last helmet from his last ship, prior to leaving the Navy. Helmets were not issued to individuals, but to the ship, then distributed to battle stations. Many Sailors ( myself included), would find one that fit well snd was less beat up, (Sailors do not particularly like helmets, and tend to abuse them), mark it up and hang onto it. This includes painting your crow on the front. I did that to a few helmets over the years. 
 

Carpenters Mates, we’re mostly involved in Damage Control and Fire Fighting. In 1948, the rate is in fact, in 1948, the rate is re designated,  “Damage Control Man”. Of course, there was still a lot of wood on ships, including the beams used for shoring. 
 

my father served 8 years in the Navy, then went into the USAF. After 4 years in the AF, he went back into the Navy to finish a 20 year career. It is actually very common. In the late 1970s/early 1980s, we had a lot of former Army in the Navy. 

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1 hour ago, sigsaye said:

Wonderful helmet snd story. This was most likely his last helmet from his last ship, prior to leaving the Navy. Helmets were not issued to individuals, but to the ship, then distributed to battle stations. Many Sailors ( myself included), would find one that fit well snd was less beat up, (Sailors do not particularly like helmets, and tend to abuse them), mark it up and hang onto it. This includes painting your crow on the front. I did that to a few helmets over the years. 
 

Carpenters Mates, we’re mostly involved in Damage Control and Fire Fighting. In 1948, the rate is in fact, in 1948, the rate is re designated,  “Damage Control Man”. Of course, there was still a lot of wood on ships, including the beams used for shoring. 
 

my father served 8 years in the Navy, then went into the USAF. After 4 years in the AF, he went back into the Navy to finish a 20 year career. It is actually very common. In the late 1970s/early 1980s, we had a lot of former Army in the Navy. 

Thank you Sigsaye. When I first was getting into Navy lids I read a lot of your old posts and insights. Thank you for this one as well. 
 

I did not know that was very common to serve in so many branches. I would have thought you picked one. And stayed. Good to know! 
Z

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