Recently obtained Rim.Named, WW1 Navy Victory Medal w/ Escort Clasp to USS San Diego

[dpast32]

Hello Folks,  I was somewhat excited finding another WW1 Ship Group to Research ! The recipient was aboard the USS San Diego on 18 June 1918 when the Ship struck a German Maritime Mine, reportedly laid by U-156. The sinking resulted in the loss of 6 Sailors, although it appears that a significant portion of the Ship's compliment was thankfully rescued. Although I have recently vowed to 'only' purchase Rhode Island related items, I simply couldn't pass this one up !! Included below are several Photos, although I will hopefully Post a few more in the not too distant future. Naturally, I will be extremely appreciative for any information, thoughts, or comments on this Victory Medal. I haven't even begun to Research this individual, so hopefully I'll manage to turn up something on him, & especially locating him on the San Diego's Roster as of 18 June 1918 ? THANK YOU,

 

              Best,    Dom P.

 

 

[aerialbridge]

Clark,  Alonzo Ross -- [Service Number] 001214258, [Date of Enlistment] 06/09/1917;  lived 1896-1941,  died with a widow, Alice,  and no kids.    She passed in 1970.   A lifelong Hoosier, he worked as a draftsman at a lumber company after his service.

 

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/32678679/alonzo_r_clark

 

Desirable medal and superb engraving.  I have a group to an ensign that was on San Diego when she was sunk and later XO on a Yangtze patrol gunboat at the time of the events on which "The Sand Pebbles" was based. 

[dpast32]

THANK YOU much my Friend !! Your information is most appreciated. Other than a little pre-purchase searching, I haven't yet had any time to dig into it. Plus, your thoughts on the engraving are especially welcome, as when purchasing one of these, there's also the chance of something being amiss. I took a chance on this one, & am now glad I did !! I'll add to his 'Story' once I've dug up a few additional facts on him. One thing I did note was I haven't been able to locate his WW1 Veterans 'Master Index Card / File', which is usually something that is easily turned up ? Hopefully once I'm able to look through his CSC I'll be able to determine much more. I did note though that he was stationed at the U.S. Naval Base Cardiff when he received a Promotion. Cardiff, was a U.K. Base IIRC. Stay Tuned !!

 

           Best,     Dom P.

 

[1st Sgt CES]

Great Medal !

 

[dpast32]

I was just compiling what little information I could discern from the Photocopies of his CSC File, & I noted his Discharge date as being 13 September 1918. I’m now wondering if he might have been injured somehow during the San Diego’s sinking on 18 / 19 June 1918, as wouldn’t his Discharge date be somewhat early as compared to a great many others ?  I’m waiting patiently to get a look at his File which is enroute. Hopefully that will clear up a few unknowns regarding his Service years. 
 

       Best,   Dom P.

[YNCM Doug]

A beautiful medal with a nice clasp. 

[dpast32]

Here's a couple of Obituaries, although only one of which includes any real Military related information. According to the Article, he appears to have served aboard the USS San Diego when it went down, & thereafter is reputed to have served aboard a Mine Sweeper in the North Sea. Hopefully, much of this information will be confirmed & elaborated on within his CSC File once I receive it ?

 

 1cd04cc2-9eb7-484d-99bc-772289608f73.pdf

 

          Best,   Dom P.

[dpast32]

Hello Guys, I'm  happy to report that I received my Medal today, & am even more pleased than I initially was !! Along with this very nice named Victory Medal, I also received the Sailor's 17 page CSC Service File, which even notes on the first page that it's a Replacement File, due to the original having been lost during the sinking of the USS San Diego on June 18, 1918. Also included is a letter to his parents reporting that he had been successfully rescued from the USS San Diego, & is currently enroute to New York where he can be written to at an address provided. When purchased, I knew it contained a few pages of copies, but not the 17 pages I received ! Considering what we need to pay for our Research these days when needed, I was very happy to have his well documented File ! Naturally, if anyone happens to have anything relevant to this individual's story, I would very happy to hear from them. THANKS Guys,

 

             Best,     Dom P.

[aerialbridge]

Nice.   What mine sweeper was he on and for what dates?    Presumably the Escort clasp qualifying service occurred before the mine sweeping service.   I'm wondering if it's a situation where he would have qualified for two different clasps, Escort and Mine Sweeping, but of course, the Navy only issued one.   Can you post the receipt for the Victory Medal with Escort clasp?

[aerialbridge]

NAVY SERVICE CLASPS

 

Criteria for the Victory Medal and its clasps were issued by Navy Department General Order No. 482 of 30 June 1919. Sixteen clasps initially were authorized, although only one could be issued to each recipient and worn on the suspension ribbon. A single bronze 3/16-inch bronze star is worn on the service ribbon bar to represent the earned clasp.

 

Navy service clasps are approximately 1/4-inch wide by 1 1/2 inches long and have a rope border. The Army clasps are far simpler and measure 1/8-inch by 1 1/2-inch long. Both styles are to match very closely the color and finish of the medal itself.

Bureau of Navigation Circular Letter No. 36-20 of 23 April 1920 announced provisions for issuing the Victory Medal, adding that honorable character of service was a precondition for award of the Victory Medal. Recipients were authorized to have engraved on the rim his or her name, rank and the name of the ship or station where he or she served during the war. Discharged or retired Navy personnel applied for their medals either directly to the Navy Department in Washington D.C. or at the nearest Navy Recruiting Office. Active duty personnel applied at their current duty station.

 

The Victory Medal also was extended to those normally outside the Navy but who had worked alongside naval forces during the war. This included the U.S. Coast Guard, the Lighthouse Service and certain medical officers of the U.S. Public Health Service assigned to duty aboard Coast Guard cutters.

In 1933, the Navy extended the Army's Russia and Siberia service clasps to naval personnel for duty in the following timeframe:

 

RUSSIA: For service on shore in Northern Russia from 12 November 1918 to 31 July 1919.

SIBERIA: For service on shore in Siberia from 12 November 1918 to 30 March 1920.

Seven years later, on 05 October 1940, the Secretary of the Navy authorized the award of the Army's FRANCE, ENGLAND and ITALY service clasps to personnel of the Navy and Marine Corps who sailed from the U.S. prior to 11 Nov. 1918 en route to one of these countries, regardless of their date of arrival in that country - even if those personnel were returned to the U.S. without disembarking.

The first formal assignment of clasps was contained in General Order No. 528 of 25 April 1920. Curiously, it also made reference to clasps HOSPITAL SHIP and GUNBOAT, devices never authorized or officially struck. By 1953, the Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual specified clasps for approximately 1,388 ships, all of which are detailed on this web site. 140 of these vessels qualified for two different clasps and two ships qualified for three clasps. Again, a recipient could wear only one earned clasp.

A number of unauthorized clasps and ribbon devices have been seen over the years.

Naval personnel routinely received only the single service clasp. The thousands of Marines and Navy Medical Corps personnel attached to the Army in France earned and were authorized to wear those Army clasps authorized by their parent command.

A very few medals are seen with a combination of Navy-style clasps and Army-style clasps, notably by the Navy and Marine Corps Northern Bombing Group in France, whose medals frequently are seen with the Navy "AVIATION" clasp and the Army "YPRES-LYS" clasp. Proper authorization for that and other combinations is unclear.

[dpast32]

OK My Friend, I don’t have time at the moment to load all 17 pages of his File, but, the following Page will provide you with all of his WW1 era Duty Assignments. Please advise if you wish anymore although I can’t get them up until tomorrow. THANK YOU very much for your kind assistance here, it’s most appreciated !!

 

       Best,   Dom

 

P.S. As I usually do, I’ve included a few shots, just so I’m sure everything on the page is viewable.

 

 

[dpast32]

‘aerialbridge’, I did attempt to PM you but it was a ‘no go’. So, I’ll tender my Message here;

 

I wished to THANK YOU for your kind assistance, & to advise you of my Posting his various Duty Assignment page from his File. As soon as I get to look through all the File's pages, if the Victory Medal data is in there I will gladly Post it, along with anything else which might be interesting. Naturally, I am most eager to hear your thoughts on this Sailor. Take care & Stand By !

 

     Best regards,  Dom

[aerialbridge]

Looks like what you have is his PA Veteran's benefits form that I believe the veteran filled out, and not his Navy OPF from St. Louis.   So, the dates are not exact, but doesn't look like he was on a mine sweeper.  If  this is accurate he would have also qualified for an Overseas clasp for service on  Carola,  but I'm betting nothing for his service on Lake St. Clair which I surmise was after Armistice Day which is the day the qualifying period ended.   You won't know for sure what he was issued unless you get his OPF file from NARA St. Louis.   My great-uncle was enlisted regular Navy 1912-1916,  and volunteered for USNRF in May 1917 and they made him a Chief Quartermaster training men at Newport NTS, where your man initially was.    By end of the year, my g-uncle was appointed an ensign.  He qualified for two clasps,  first for service on USS Arizona (Atlantic Fleet) and later for service on USS Saranac (Mine Laying).  The Navy issued him a Mine Laying clasp.  What I'm trying to figure out and no one seems to know,  is if a man qualified for two or more clasps, which one would the Navy issue him?  First qualifying service?  Last?    If you ever get the Victory Medal receipt for your medal,  I'd be curious to see it, as well as the exact dates of his service on other ships.   My uncle was issued the clasp by the Navy for his later qualifying service on a North Sea mine layer, based out of Inverness, Scotland.  Interestingly, the small town in MN where my uncle and his eight siblings lived, and their father was the town butcher, and most remained,  Mankato, MN,  was in the news the past couple weeks with the flooding of the Blue Earth River and threatened collapse of the Rapidan Dam, built in the early 1900s, when my g- uncle was about 17.   He moved to the Big Apple when he was about 20 and lived there the rest of his life.  If the Navy issued your man the Escort clasp for service on USS San Diego, rather than his apparent later qualifying service on Carola, that shoots my theory that they gave the clasp for the later service.  

 

 

[dpast32]

‘aerialbridge’, This Guy was from Indiana, not Pennsylvania, & is documented as having Enlisted from Indianapolis, Indiana on April 06, 1917. If you review the very first photos I Posted at the beginning of this Post, there’s a shot of his USN CSC File Cover Page, which is where the Duty Assignment List was from. Please be sure if possible to check back later today as I plan to Post all the Pages of his File which ran 17 Pages. You may have noted that he was Discharged in Pittsburgh, PA, for some unknown reason, but Indiana was has registered home of Residence all throughout his Service, his subsequent life for that matter. Hopefully there’s additional interesting information within the balance of his File, so please stay tuned my Friend. THANKS 

  

       Dom P.

[dpast32]

As I'm in the process of copying all the original pages I received along with his Medal, I thought I should re-confirm the fact of this Sailor's 'Authorized' Victory Clasp as being the Escort Clasp which is on it. Based upon a quick check of Strandberg & Bender's "The Call of Duty", [ 2nd Edition, 2004 ] he would have indeed Qualified for the Escort Clasp provided he had served aboard the USS San Diego from between the following inclusive dates; From:  03 October 1917 ~ To:  19 July 1918. Therefore, based upon his Service File, he served aboard the Ship from 23 October 1917 to 01 July 1918, taken from his 'CSC File' pertaining to what appears to be related to his Post-War Bonus. So, at least to me, I have no doubt this Medal Clasp was Officially Authorized, in its present configuration. Normally I would have been long done copying all 17 pages, however I'm still [ don't laugh ] working off my old, no ancient Printer which prints at like a cyclic rate of  say 350 RPM, just like the old M-3A1 SMG !! Once done, I will add his complete File here should anyone be interested in looking it over. THANKS AGAIN Everyone for your kind interest !!

 

                   Best,    Dom P.

[aerialbridge]

It's a beautiful medal and right as rain, no doubt about that.   If you have his OPF (Original Personnel File) copied from St. Louis that only enhances the value of the medal and confirms the exact dates of his service.  

[dpast32]

10-04 on that my Friend !! I was hoping to add his File here today, but due to my antique Printer, it's taken me a significant portion of the day to print everything. Soooo, 'target date' for his File will be tomorrow & I'll have it up. Even if there's no real interest in viewing it, I figured at least it would be here should I ever need to reference it in the future. Honestly, I'm truly happy that I decided to go with this, as it is out of my primary State of collecting which is Rhode Island. I'm sure many of us know just how it is, you collect for so many years & simply get overwhelmed with everything once we actually take stock of what you've accumulated over the years !!  Please stay tuned for my next Post, if in fact anyone's interested. THANKS

 

             Best,    Dom P.

[dpast32]

Hello Guys, Here’s the above noted Navy Victory Medal recipient’s OPF / CSC File, via NARA. I did photograph them inside their respective Page Covers, so if any need redoing please just advise. I decided to add his complete File here, as it’s only 17 pages in length, & perhaps it will prove useful to someone further on down the road ? Naturally, I will very grateful for any comments & or information related to this Sailor. THANKS !!

 

         Best,   Dom P. 

[dpast32]

Be advised that there may be a couple of duplicate shots here. And if so, it’s probably due to my attempting to be sure I’ve got all the views of a particular page. Or, me being me, I might have simply added one twice !!

 

        Best,   Dom

[dpast32]

I just looked up the USS LAKE ST. CLAIR, which is reported to be the Ship he was assigned to between 12-31-1918 & 03-31-1919, all however to late to have Qualified for any Victory Medal Clasp consideration. I also dud a quick review of one of his other late Assignments, the USS CAROLA IV. A brief review of both of these Vessels from DANFS are noted below;

 

@>>> USS LAKE ST. CLAIR

 

(Str: t. 1,378; l. 261'; b. 43'6"; dr. 19'8"; s. 10.3 k.; cpl. 56; a. 1 3")

 

LAKE ST. CLAIR, A CARGO SHIP, WAS LAUNCHED UNDER USSB CONTRACT 12 DECEMBER 1917 by Great Lakes Engineering Works, Ecorse, Michigan. IT OPERATED AS AN U.S. ARMY CARGO TRANSPORT UNTIL ACQUIRED BY THE NAVY & COMMISSIONED 31 OCTOBER 1919 AT CARDIFF, WALES, UNDER LT. COMDR. S. W. C. FREEMAN, USNRF, IN COMMAND.

 

     OPERATING OUT OF CARDIFF, LAKE ST. CLAIR WAS ASSIGNED TO NOTS AS A COAL TRANSPORT BETWEEN BRITISH & FRENCH PORTS. TRANSFERRED TO THE U.S. FOOD ADMINISTRATION 19 FEBRUARY 1919, she carried Food Supplies from French Ports to Rotterdam & Danzig until early August. Returning to the U.S. in late August, Lake St. Clair Decommissioned 11 September 1919 at Philadelphia & was returned to USSB the same day. She was Sold to the Ford Motor Company in 1926 & subsequently Scrapped.

 

USS CAROLA IV

 

(PY: t. 240; l. 67'; b. 23'4"; dr. 13'4"; s. 10 k.; cpl. 68; a. 2 3")

( Private name retained. )

 

CAROLA IV, No. 812 was built in 1885 by Culzion Shipbuilding Co., Culzion, Scotland; Purchased by the U.S. Navy in June 1917; Commissioned 7 July 1917, Lieutenant ( Junior Grade ) H. R. Keller in Command; & Reported to the 2nd Division, Patrol Squadron, Atlantic Fleet.

 

Carola IV cleared New York late in July 1917 for St. John's, Newfoundland; the Azores; & Brest, France. Arriving 29 August, she served on Patrol & Escort Duty along the Coast of France. Her Active Service ended in October 1917, when she was fitted out for Service as an Auxiliary Berthing Ship. She served at Base 7, Brest, until 27 December 1919, when she was Decommissioned & Sold.

[aerialbridge]

I have no doubt of the authenticity of your medal and he absolutely qualified for the Escort Clasp.   Darn shame that some clerk 100 years ago didn't manage to get the Victory Medal receipt into his OPF.  It happens, I consider it's lucky when the medal paper trail is in the file. 

[dpast32]

Good Morning Folks, I happened to reviewing the above noted Sailor's WW1 era Service File, & came across something that I hadn't noticed yet. Although nothing especially noteworthy, it does nonetheless give us a glimpse into this individual's willingness & preparedness to participate in the most hazardous of duties during his WW1 era Tour. I've 'pasted' the relevant information off of 'my' Ancestry.com Tree which I've created for him, & included it here just below. All in all, he's turned out to be an interesting Sailor ! THANKS for reading.

 

U.S.N. 'MERITORIOUS SERVICE COMMENDATION ~ Tuesday, 15 JULY 1919 • BALTIC SEA, GULF OF FINLAND ATEA;

   

   COMMENTATION RELATED: HMS GENTIAN - & - HMS MYRTLE Fleet Mine Sweeping Sloop's, Both Sunk by Mines during Mine Sweeping Operations within the Gulf of Finland / Baltic Sea, on 15 July 1919, Tuesday. within the Gulf of Finland Region.

    

VERBATIM REPORT TEXT, As noted within is Service File: 

 

   Received "Meritorious Conduct Commendation" for as follows; "Meritorious Conduct, manning boat, rescue work, adverse weather conditions in connection with Mined & Sinking British Minesweeper, 'Gulf of Finland".

{ On 15 July 1919 }

 

         Best,    Dom P.

 

 

 

[dpast32]

THANKS Shawn ! I did attempt to forward this to you via a PM, but it appears as you can't receive any at this particular time ?

 

           Best,     Dom

[aerialbridge]

Hey Dom,  Thanks!    Nice work on the research of this great, rim engraved WWI Victory!   The mine layers and mine sweepers were ALL volunteer duty, given the extremely hazardous nature of that work.