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1923:
Saint Mary’s Parochial School.
Spring 1927:
Graduated Salem High School. The picture at the top is his graduation photo.
Fall of 1927 through Winter of 1929:
Attended Northeastern University in Boston, MA in their Chemical Engineering program. Appears to have dropped out just prior to the completion of his sophomore year.
March 30th, 1929:
Bernard entered the Massachusetts Nautical School which took place on the schoolship USS Nantucket. The spring entrance examinations took place March 28th, 29th and 30th.
According to the school's annual report:
In his inaugural message on January 3, 1929, His Excellency the Governor, Frank G. Allen, said: "The continued prosperity and well-being of Massachusetts depends largely upon the ability of our young people to meet the demands of an advancing and progressive age. Educational standards must keep pace with the times. I believe every student should have as good an educational groundwork as possible, suited so far as feasible in each case to his special interests and capabilities."
The function of the Massachusetts Nautical School is to provide an education for the young men of the State whose special interests and capabilities are on the sea. It is providing a vocational education for qualified young men who cannot otherwise afford a technical training. The course includes two years of practical
and theoretical instruction in seamanship, navigation, and marine engineering. The regulations require candidates to be between seventeen and twenty years of age and sons of citizens of Massachusetts. Classes are admitted semi-annually by competitive examination in April and October. The school is conducted onboard the U. S. S. "Nantucket," a steam vessel with sail power, which cruises at sea from May until September, and in the winter is moored at the North End Park, Boston.
Applicants entering the school make a clothing fund deposit of $150, a graduation deposit of $50,and pay a tuition fee of $50. The graduation deposit is returned to the cadet upon graduation; if he fails to graduate for any reason, it is forfeited to the State. At the beginning of the second year of the course, there is required a clothing fund deposit of $50 and a tuition fee of $50.
Since its establishment thirty-eight years ago, the school has been remarkably successful. It has been filled to its capacity,with a waiting list from which to fill any vacancies occurring during the first weeks of the course. It is providing officers for the merchant marine and a naval reserve ready for instant use whenever needed. Few if any State technical schools have so large a percent of graduates engaged in the special work for which they were educated and trained. The record of the graduates as operating managers, marine superintendents, superintending engineers, port captains, captains, chief engineers, and in other important positions
is given at the end of this report.
The USS Nantucket (or the "Nancy", as she was affectionately called) was an iron gunboat, barkentine rigged, laid down in 1873; launched in 1876 by Harlan and Hollingsworth, Wilmington, DE, originally commissioned as USS Ranger (IV) at League Island Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia, PA, 27 November 1876. For a more complete history, see here.
During the winter term of 1928 - 1929, just prior to Bernard's arrival, the decision was made to paint the outside hull of the Nantucket black, instead of the usual white as in the past. Her four boilers were also updated.
Schooling actually occurred aboard ship. The very definition of "on-the-job-training".
His first summer term, as a 4th Classman, ran from June through September of 1929 and would have been at sea aboard the Nantucket.
Per Bernard's transcripts, which I was able to obtain from the school, his curriculum included the following;
June: Seamanship and Practical Seamanship.
July: Navigation, Practical Seamanship, Mathematics and Practical Engineering.
August: Seamanship, Navigation, Practical Seamanship, Electricity, Engineering and Mathematics.
September: Seamanship, Navigation, Practical Seamanship and Electricity.
Officers and Instructors included:
- Armistead Rust, Captain USN, Retired, Superintendent of Schoolship
- Norman E. Merrill (graduate MNS 1912), Schoolship Executive Officer
- William W. Storey (graduate MNS 1917), Schoolship Navigator
- Richard T. Rounds (graduate MNS 1926), Schoolship Watch Officer
- Nicolai S. Sivertsen, Schoolship Watch Officer
- Ervin L. Kelley, Lieutenant, USNR (graduate MNS 1909), Chief Marine Engineer
- Norman L. Queen (graduate MNS 1926), Assistant Marine Engineer
- Arthur L. Wheeler, Schoolship Instructor in Mathematics
- Robert S. Palmer, M. D., Schoolship Surgeon
- Charles Parker, Schoolship Paymaster
Captain Armistead Rust became Superintendent on July 24th, 1919. According to the school's annual report for that year; "He is an officer of experience in the United States Navy, having served in the Naval Training Service on the U. S. S. "Saratoga," "Constellation" and "Jamestown," full-rigged sailing vessels without steam power. He is a recognized expert in theoretical and practical navigation, and through his efforts many improvements have occurred in the art. He has invented a number of instruments designed to benefit the naval service, among the most important of which is a range finder. He is the author of 'Practical Tables for Navigators and Aviators.' used by the United States Navy and the United States Shipping Board."
An article in the Thursday, May 23, 1929 edition of the Boston Herald Newspaper described the departure of the Nantucket on Bernard's first summer cruise as follows:
"TRAINING VESSEL LEAVES ON CRUISE
Nantucket Carries 118 Cadets On Four-Month Voyage
Bound on a foreign cruise, the Massachusetts nautical school ship Nantucket left anchorage off Rowe's wharf yesterday at 1:05 P. M., carrying 118 cadets, instructors and a skeleton crew of experts, both deck and engine divisions.
The barkentine's yards were neatly squared and she was spick and span, rather a picture from some craft dating back to the civil war, sail auxiliary to stream [sic - believe they meant steam], for the Nantucket can reel off good speed with boilers hot. They hauled the jib to windward to help her fall off when the anchor chain was up and down, and there was none too much room in which to turn into the main channel. It was a pretty manoeuvre by Capt. Armistead Rust, U. S. N., retired, the commander, and the vessel handled beautifully as she moved down harbor, out by Boston light and headed for Provincetown, where it was planned to spend last night.
The article goes on to mention the various ports of call, and then notes "Mail should be addressed to the U. S. S. Nantucket, care postmaster, New York, N. Y., using domestic postage."
Thanks to some info George Duffy located for me and the school's Annual Report I learned that Bernard's first summer cruise (1929) was as follows:
The "Nantucket" sailed from Provincetown on May 25, 1929, and arrived at Ponta Delgada, Azores, on June 7; during the passage 1,200 miles were made under sail, 610 miles under sail and steam, and 384 miles under steam.
In December of 2017 Bernard's nephew, John Connelly, surprised me by sending some letters Bernard had written to family while he attended the school, the first of which were while Bernard was on this first training cruise:
Bernard's 1st Letter
Wed
May 30 [1929]
700
miles out
Dear
Pa:
Thought
I’d write you a little letter to let you know how things are. I’m writing this
on top of a locker, alongside a port hole. Although the port hole is about four
feet from the surface, it’s buried every time the boat rocks.
This
is the first rough day we’ve had so far. I’m not sea sick though. After the
first three days I was all right. It’s some life here. One night we sleep from
8 till 12, work from 12 to 4 & sleep from 4 to 7. The next night we work
from 8 till 12, sleep from 12 to 4 & work from 4 to 8.
During
the day we’re supposed to have every other 4 hours off but we don’t. Every
afternoon we get down on our knees & scrub clothes, using salt water &
soap. They allow us one quart of fresh water a day for washing ourselves. It’s
issued to us in the morning. Then every morning they inspect our bodies and the
clothes we wear to make sure we are clean.
We’re
traveling pretty fast today. We’re only using sail too. The foremast is square
rigged & it certainly looks pretty with all the sail filled out. I don’t
know much about the rigging of sails yet but we’re learning fast. They issued
us some books yesterday & classes will start pretty soon.
How
are all the folks? Have them all write & you write too. Tell Robert to send
over his $50 and I’ll buy him a real painting in Italy [Robert is his older brother who was an artist. He was my wife's grandfather]. Tell mom her sea stores
were very nice. Especially the fruit cake. When they came aboard, I thought I’d
never be able to get them in the locker. As soon as we get back you can come up
and see how small it is. But we always find room for more.
We
almost went to the bottom last night. Something happened to the engine, they
had about fifty # [pounds] pressure in the boiler & then discovered there was only a
few inches of water in the bottom. They said afterward we were very lucky to
get by, but not many knew about it at the time. I could write for hours telling
of everything on the ship.
We
have every kind of drill all the time. Like collision, abandon ship & man
overboard. Tell Margaret that the pad of paper is pretty low but I’ll be able
to get some more in Ponta [Margaret was his oldest sister]. I don’t think I’ll mail this from Ponta. They say
the mail boat only calls once a month there & our next stop is Madeira
anyway.
I
just broke in to Jim’s & Alice’s box of cookies [Jim was his oldest brother and Alice his sister-in-law]. They certainly come in
handy. As a mess stocker I get very little to eat. I set the two tables in my
section, 10 at each table, put the food out, wait on the fellows during the
meal & afterwards wipe the dishes. In my spare time I’m supposed to feed
myself. This boat certainly rolls. There are waves behind us, over us & in
front of us. Everybody is taking pictures of them. I took a few myself. Tell
Aunt Minnie & Uncle Jim I was awfully sorry I couldn’t come in to see them
before I left. I’ll write them later [he is referring to Uncle James Welch (on his morther's side) and his wife Mary Ellen, affectionately known as Aunt Minnie].
We
went ashore at P’town [Provincetown at the tip of Cape Cod], contrary to
expectations is not a very lively town. We ate a lot & walked around. We
had some corn flakes, pineapple pie & milk then some pastry, then later an
ice cream soda. Some change from the ship. We get a little milk each morning but
it’s powdered & awfully thick.
Enough
for now. Will write some more later.
No
time
Don’t
forget to write
Bernard
p.s Please send some stamps
The ship left Ponta Delgada on June 11, arriving at Seville, Spain, on June 17. The Ibero-American Exposition was being held in Seville and the cadets had every opportunity to visit it. A full size model of the "Santa Maria", the flagship of Christopher Columbus, was anchored in the river not far from the "Nantucket."
The "Nantucket" sailed from Seville on June 21 and arrived at Gibraltar on June 22. Off Cape Trafalgar, three battleships from the United States Naval Academy, the Arkansas, Florida and Utah, passed bound for Barcelona.
Leaving Gibraltar on June 29, the "Nantucket" arrived at Naples on July 5, where the battleships "Arkansas", "Florida" and "Utah" were found at anchor. The "Nantucket" sailed from Naples on July 9 and arrived at Corfu, Greece, on July 12. On July 10 a moderate gale with a rough choppy sea was experienced, which occasioned much seasickness among the new cadets and some of the others.
Sailing from Corfu on July 14, the "Nantucket" arrived at Venice, Italy, on July 17. At Venice, arrangements were made with the Manager of the British Institute for Seamen for the cadets to visit a number of places of historic interest. The ship sailed from Venice on July 23 and arrived at Pola, Italy [present day Pula, Croatia] on the same day.
Left Pola on July 27 and arrived at Spalato, Dalmatia [present day Split, Croatia] on July 28. At Spalato a committee visited the ship with an interpreter to inspect the school and obtain information regarding its work preliminary to purchasing a schoolship. Sailing from Spalato on July 31, Ragusa, Dalmatia [present day Dubrovnik, Croatia] was reached on August 1.
The "Nantucket" sailed from Ragusa on August 4 and arrived at Cattaro, Dalmatia [present day Kotor, Montenegro] the same day. Topla, Teodo, and Cattaro Bays, surrounded by mountains from 3,000 to 5,000 feet high, afforded excellent opportunities for boat work. Cattaro was left behind on August 7 and Valetta, Malta, was reached on August 10.
Sailing from Malta on August 14, Gibraltar was sighted on August 20. At Gibraltar it was necessary to remove a growth of barnacles which had accumulated on the ship's hull by listing the ship first to one side and then to the other. Coal was also replenished.
The "Nantucket" sailed from Gibraltar August 24 and arrived at Funchal on August 28.
Another letter from Bernard discusses this portion of the cruise and includes an image of the original stationary header:
Bernard's 2nd Letter
Tues. Aug 20
Gibraltar
Dear
Uncle Jim [James Welch]
I
got your mail today, when we arrived and I sure was glad to hear from you. My
average was high for this port, as I received seven letters. I felt a little
better each time I was handed a letter. As I felt pretty good in the first
place, by the time I got thru I felt like a Rotarian at his first weekly
meeting.
We
came here from Malta, and had quite a run. You see, I’m on orderly duty now and
I know everything that is going on. For instance, I know that we haven’t enough
coal to steam over to the dock to coal ship. The rest of the fellows know we
haven’t got much coal but they don’t know just how bad off we were.
We
coaled ship in Gibral Malta but we
didn’t take much aboard because it cost 25 cents a ton more than it does here
in Gib. All this is figured out under the direction of Mr. Kelley chief
engineer and one of the most unliked men on the ship. On second thought
I make that singular [Bernard is referring to Ervin L. Kelley].
Well,
to go on with the story, We made the trip in one day less than scheduled. In
order to get into port they had to cut down one boiler and sweep the bunkers.
If we hadn’t had favorable winds we would certainly have been towed in. I
haven’t made my point very clear but it all comes down to the fact that Mr.
Kelley who admits that his middle name is “efficiency” almost got into a peck
of trouble. I can assume that no one would have felt sorry if he had got in
wrong.
Everything
is fine here and I feel a lot better. There is no doubt in my mind about
staying here and I’ve almost made up my mind to take navigation. But I have
some time to decide.
The
food is just as bad but we are used to it now.
Before
I go any further I want to thank you for the money you sent. I managed to get
along in a couple of ports and no doubt I could get along here with just enough
money to eat on but it seems good to be able to pick up a souvenir once in a
while to take home to the folks. Most of my souvenirs are stored in my head and
in my camera (I’ll never forget them) but I want to have something for the
folks to remember.
This
has been a wonderful trip and certainly, I’ll never forget it. As you say I can
look back, even now, and laugh at some of the things that have happened to me.
One incident that amused me was this. (over)
At
the time I was sick I wrote home telling mother about it. Probably I was pretty
sick at the time but I have no bitter recollections of it today. Yet, today I
received six letters, in every one of which I was sympathized with and told to
get well quickly.
Now
when I wrote home I thought I entered that just as a side line, but evidently I
didn’t.
Discipline
isn’t any too well aboard at present. The skipper is restricting about ten
upperclassmen , that is they are not allowed to go ashore in any port. Then he
told another one that he would be dismissed as soon as we reached Boston. As a
result the whole of the fellows class (the second) intend to go before the
commissioner and protest against his dismissal.
The
other night a set of [illegible] belonging to the captain disappeared.
No
one knows anything about it officially but unofficially someone threw them
overboard. I think there will be a reckoning when we get home, one for both the
cadets’ and the ship’s good.
Wednesday
I
was talking about discipline here. We had another interesting incident occur
this morning. The seamen (4 of them) receive the same food as the cadets. This
morning, for about the fourth time in two weeks we received lima beans for
breakfast. The seamen protested and said they wouldn’t work until they had had
another breakfast. They had a special mast and the captain promised them better
food. They aren’t much reconciled though three of them are leaving when we get
to Boston.
We
are only going to get one liberty in this port, instead of two, so I won’t be
able to do much shopping. Liberty lasts from 1.30 PM to 8.30 PM.
In
four ports, so far, they have cut down on our liberty. Well, that’s just the
breaks I suppose.
Well,
we’ll be home pretty soon now. A three day trip to Madiera, a four day stay
there and then we sail for home.
It
is a twenty five day run the way we go. We go South West until we hit the trade
winds and then we sail North or there abouts. We sail most of the way making
sometimes as low as one knot an hour. We stop in Provincetown for three days
and then go in to Boston the 30th of September.
The
way I understand it, we get one overnight liberty the second or third day in
Boston. Then we stay aboard till the graduation, the 8th of October.
Then half the ship gets a two weeks vacation. When they come back the other
half goes on vacation. I’m going to try to get the first two weeks (over)
Well,
Uncle Jim, I don’t think I’ll be able to write again. Give my love to Aunt
Minnie and all the folks and be sure to tell Ma that I’m feeling fine. I guess
I gave her the impression that I wouldn’t live to get home.
Until October,
Your
loving nephew
Bernard
The "Nantucket" sailed from Funchal on September 1 and arrived at St. Georges, Bermuda, on September 17. The wind in the trades was very light, making it necessary to call at Bermuda for coal. The distances made good from Funchal to Bermuda: under steam, 854 miles; under steam and sail, 1,536 miles; and under sail, 449 miles.
Sailed from St. Georges on September 17 and arrived at Provincetown on September 21, via the Cape Cod Canal. Distances made good from Bermuda to Provincetown: under steam, 166 miles; under steam and sail, 524 miles.
The voyage covered a total of 11,418 miles, of which 4,553 miles were transited under steam, 4,772 miles under steam and sail, and 2,093 miles under sail alone. They expended 806.6 tons of coal.
I have included an interactive map below with all the ports of call noted for this cruise.
MNS 1929 CruiseMNS 1929 Cruise
Below is Bernard's hand-written itinerary for his first summer cruise, courtesy of John Connelly:
The issues Bernard mentioned in his second letter, especially about the food and complaints from the seamen turned into quite a serious public relations mess for the school. Before the commission or the education board had received any formal complaints, Governor Allen called for a full inquiry. The Wednesday, September 25th edition of the Boston Herald stated: "Capt. Armistead Rust, skipper of the Nantucket, told a newspaperman who called on him on board the vessel that the discussion of complaints by the cadets was 'a tempest in a teapot' and his statements of Monday when he said that a few foolish parents were being silly in listening seriously to the whines of a few trouble makers. He denied that he had been called to Boston by the commissioners of the school. Capt. Rust called several officers and members of the crew to the stern deck of the Nantucket to testify before the visiting newspaper men on conditions during the cruise. COMPLAINS OF FOOD Seaman Herbert Freehold, a native of Wilhemshaven [sic], Germany, who has served three years on the Nantucket, and was a member of the delegation who carried a meal of beans to the skipper from the cadet's mess to make a complaint, said that in his opinion the cadets had not had enough food on the cruise.
The beans, he said, were sour from being soaked in sea water in the flooded store room and were improperly cooked. The food was better than that generally served on commercial vessels, he said, but it was not good food. Seamen of the regular crew were served the same food, but in larger quantities than the cadets, he said. Paymaster Charles Parker, who has charge of the menus on the Nantucket, said that the daily allowance for meals was 50 cents for each cadet [Equals $7.28 in 2018].
GOOD MEALS - FOR THE PRICE "And mighty good meals they were, for the price." Capt. Rust interrupted. Parker said the stories of diluted fish chowder served in half teacup-full helpings was "all bunk" and declared that good dairy butter, and not oleomargerine [a butter substitute made from animal fat], was served to the cadets. Asked whether it was true that a cadet had been confined in the brig five days for breaking into the bread locker, Capt. Rust said that he could not remember the incident, but that if the cadet was so punished, it was just. "That's burglary", he added. The Nantucket will leave Provincetown for Boston Friday, at 7 A. M. The annual inspection of the board of commissioners will be held in Boston, Oct. 2, at which time all cadets will have an opportunity to air their grievances."
His first winter term, as a 3rd Classman, ran from November, 1929 through March, 1930 and would have been held in port in Boston. Each of the five months included every course mentioned in his first summer term, plus English. They would erect a prefabricated tar-paper enclosure over the weather deck to act as a classroom, as you can see from the picture below.
Officers and Instructors changed slightly with Wright replacing Wheeler as Instructor in Mathematics:
- Armistead Rust, Captain USN, Retired, Superintendent of Schoolship
- Norman E. Merrill (graduate MNS 1912), Schoolship Executive Officer
- William W. Storey, Lieutenant, USNR (graduate MNS 1917), Schoolship Navigator
- Richard T. Rounds (graduate MNS 1926), Schoolship Watch Officer
- Nicolai S. Sivertsen, Schoolship Watch Officer
- Ervin L. Kelley, Lieutenant, USNR (graduate MNS 1909), Chief Marine Engineer
- Norman L. Queen (graduate MNS 1926), Assistant Marine Engineer
- John E. Wright, Schoolship Instructor in Mathematics
- Robert S. Palmer, M. D., Schoolship Surgeon
- Charles Parker, Schoolship Paymaster
His second summer term, as a 2nd Classman in Navigation, ran from June through September 1930, and concentrated on Seamanship, Navigation and Practical Seamanship all four months. According to the School's Annual Report, Bernard's second summer cruise (1930) was as follows:
The Nantucket sailed from Provincetown on May 31 and arrived at Ponta Delgada, Azores, on June 12. During this passage the ship steamed 862 miles, was under steam and sail 739 miles, and under sail alone 551 miles.
The ship left Ponta Delgada on June 16 and arrived at Cardiff, Wales, on June 24.
Leaving Cardiff on June 29, the Nantucket arrived at Kingstown, near Dublin, Ireland, on June 30. On July 4, the ship was full dressed, and in the forenoon the cadets had boat races under oars and sail, tug of war, and a race over the masthead, all between the starboard and port watches.
The ship sailed from Kingstown, Ireland, on July 5, and arrived at the Albert Dock, Liverpool, on July 6. At this port the officers and cadets had an opportunity to visit the HMS Conway, the British Schoolship, anchored off Birkenhead.
The last of Bernard's letters covered the stops mentioned above:
Bernard's 3rd Letter
CADET BERNARD E. CONNERS
U.S.S. NANTUCKET
Liverpool
Sunday June 6 [1930]
Dear
Folks:
One
more port off the list. We arrived here this morning. Picked up a pilot about 5
o’clock and came up the river Mersey about 7.It’s a mammoth river and is lined
on both sides with docks. It’s the same here as in Cardiff, only worse. We had
to go in through a 2 by 4 gate with the tide pushing us one way and the engine
the other. However we are tied up to a dock now. I go on liberty this afternoon
but everything is closed and it’s starting to rain. I don’t think much of this
weather anyway. You can’t tell when it’s going to rain.
I
didn’t think much of Dublin. There is nothing much to see and everything is
high. There seems to be a strike going on in every other place with the
strikers walking up and down. We went thru Trinity College which is very old
and looks it. We went through Guinness’s brewery, the largest in the world.
It’s some place. They have storage tanks made of English oak that stand about 54
feet high. All the tanks together are capable of holding 1,000,000 gallons of
beer. When we got through they offered free beer, 3 kinds, but I hate the taste
of it so just stood around and watched them.
The
fourth we decorated the ship with flags. In the morning we had a cutter race in
which my watch won. Then we had a relay race over the masthead, one man from
each class for each watch. I represented the 2nd class starboard
watch and won my heat but the 3rd classman was slow and we lost the
race. Then we had a sailboat race which I was in. We beat the port watch by a
quarter of a mile.
Our
watch had to stay aboard that day because the other watch rated liberty. In the
afternoon I went sailing in the dinghy with Gus Hammer [classmate Arthur J. Hammer] & all went well
until we returned to the ship. Then we couldn’t bring the boat around and she
ran bow on into the ship with Mr. Storey [William W. Storey, Navigator] on the quarterdeck watching us. No
damage though. We sailed for Liverpool yesterday afternoon. Oh yes, we had ice
cream & cake the 4th (very small).
My wallet
disappeared the 3rd. I had two dollars Tom Deering gave me to buy a
pipe with, in it and my license and some receipts. I’ve looked all around and
asked all the fellows but I guess it’s gone for good. Now I’ve got to dig up $2
for Deering. We’ve been buying fresh strawberry jam (pound jars) for a shilling
six pence (.35) here. It’s wonderful jam.
Mon. noon
Well,
my dear family the mail just came aboard and out of a family of six I got
absolutely no letters. So while the rest of the cadets are reading their mail,
I shall hastily pen this so that it will go out on the liner which sails this
afternoon.
How
am I expected to keep up this grim fight against the world in general and the
officers in particular if I don’t get any mail from home to cheer me on? So
far, according to my memoranda I have received one letter from Pa, one from
Margaret and one from Eleanor [His youngest sister and John Connelly's mother]. What’s the matter with the other three members
of the family? Just think from May 22 to July 7 just 3 letters. Well after that
little pep talk I will continue.
I
just sent my dress shoes ashore to be tapped and in the next port I’ll have to
send my working shoes. The old [illegible] certainly goes.
We
went ashore yesterday but there wasn’t a thing open, it being Sunday. We
crossed the Mersey in a steamer and went over to Birkenhead to the beaches.
They have no amusements at the beaches, just sand. All the amusement parks are
closed on Sunday. In fact everything except the churches is closed (joke).
Hoping
(we have better luck next liberty) and that everybody is feeling well &
love to the folks.
I
remain your darling son,
also brother,
Bernard
On July 10, the Nantucket sailed from Liverpool and arrived at the Queen's Dock, Glasgow, on July 11. The Lord Provost invited the cadets to visit the municipal building and provided a guide.
The Nantucket sailed from Glasgow on July 17 and arrived at Bergen, Norway, on July 21. Strong head winds, increasing at times to a moderate gale with a heavy head sea were experienced, and the speed of the ship was reduced to less than two knots at times.
The ship sailed out of the port of Bergen on July 26 and arrived at Amsterdam on July 29. The Harbormaster at Amsterdam placed a tug at the disposal of the ship and took the cadets around the harbor.
On August 4 the Nantucket sailed from Amsterdam and arrived at Gibraltar on August 13.
The ship sailed from Gibraltar on August 16 and arrived at Casablanca, Morocco, on the 17th. The Nantucket sailed from Casablanca on August 19 and arrived at Funchal, Madeira, on August 21.
The ship sailed from Funchal, Madeira on August 24, and arrived at Orient Harbor, Long Island, New York, on September 13 [to clean and paint the ship before returning to Boston]. The weather was generally good during the passage home, affording excellent opportunity for work in practical navigation. Only five vessels were sighted during the passage of twenty days.
The coal stops were at Cardiff, Amsterdam and Gibraltar. The voyage covered 10,786 miles, of which 4,256 miles were transited under steam, 4,963 miles under steam and sail, and 1,567 miles under sail alone. They expended 754 tons of coal.
I have included another interactive map below with all the ports of call noted for this cruise.
MNS 1930 CruiseMNS 1930 Cruise
Bernard's final winter term, as a 1st Classman in Navigation, ran from November, 1930 through March, 1931, which included a fairly full curriculum again, with the exception of English and Practical Engineering.
The school added Marine Law November and December, and Ship Construction November through January.
His standing improved from 11th to 8th in his class over this time.
Breaking with tradition, Bernard's last winter term did not occur on board the Nantucket per the school's annual report:
The Schoolship Nantucket has been berthed the past year at the Navy Yard, Charlestown, to which place it was necessary to move the ship on January 24 for the annual repairs. Upon the return of the Nantucket from the annual practice cruise in September, it was not possible to use the usual berth at the North
End Park on account of the construction work going on at that place. Through the courtesy of Rear Admiral Louis M. Nulton, U.S.N., Commandant, First Naval
District, the third floor of a building at the Navy Yard has been placed at the disposal of the school.
According to the school's annual report:
The seventy-third graduation exercises were held onboard the Nantucket at the Navy Yard, Charlestown, on Tuesday, April 7, 1931, at 11a.m. The program was as follows:
Invocation: Capt. Evan W. Scott, U.S.N., Chaplain, Navy Yard, Charlestown.
Address by Presiding Officer: Capt. William E. McKay, Chairman of the Board.
Address by Rear Admiral Louis M.Nulton, U.S.N., Commandant, First Naval District.
Address by Lieut.-Governor William S.Youngman.
Address by Mr.Maurice D. Gill,a graduate of the school in the class of 1909.
Presentation of Alumni Association Prizes by Commissioner Clarence E. Perkins:
To the graduate in the Seamanship Class doing the best all round work: Cadet Walter J. Bienia, New Bedford.
To the graduate in the Engineer Class doing the best all round work: Cadet Richard W. Irving, West Roxbury.
Presentation of Maritime Association Prizes by Wilfred W. Lufkin, Collector oft he Port:
To the graduate in the Seamanship Class standing highest in professional studies: Cadet William R. Pendergast, Everett.
To the graduate in the Engineer Class standing highest in professional studies: Cadet Raymond R.Freeman, Jr., Wellfleet.
Presentation of Prize awarded by the Boston Marine Society by Capt. George E. Eaton, Superintendent, 2nd Lighthouse District:
To the graduate possessing the most qualities making the best shipmaster including aptitude,prompt and cheerful obedience to his superior officers, devotion to duty, integrity, force of character,and ability to attain and maintain leadership:
Cadet Walter J. Bienia, New Bedford.
Presentation of Bibles: Chaplain Scott.
Presentation of Diplomas: Mr. Frank P. Morse, Supervisor of Secondary Education,Department of Education.
In addition to Captain/Superintendent Armistead Rust, Bernard's certificate is signed by William H. Dimick, Secretary and the three Commissioners; William E. McKay (Chairman), Clarence E. Perkins and Theodore L. Storer.
One other interesting piece of trivia about Bernard's class is that it was one of those that took part in making several replacement sails for the USS Constitution during her 1927-1931 restoration, as noted in the annual report:
As will be seen by the following letter from Rear Admiral Louis M. Nulton, U.S.N.,dated May 27, the course of training enabled the cadets to take part in the actual work of reconstructing the Frigate Constitution:—
"Subject: U. S. Frigate Constitution—sails—manufacture of, by Massachusetts Nautical Training Ship Nantucket. 1. There has been brought to my attention the very fine workmanship of the Nantucket in the manufacture of the Main Royal, Mizzen Royal,and Mizzen Topgallant Sails of the Frigate Constitution. The manufacture of these sails as a voluntary contribution has saved several hundred dollars in the cost of restoration. I want the Commanding Officer and the others responsible for the execution of this difficult task to know that we are deeply grateful to them for their extraordinary efforts in behalf of the Constitution."
You can view a framed list of companies and organizations that took part in the sail making, including 'MASSACUSETTS NAUTICAL TRAINING SHIP "NANTUCKET", BOSTON, MASS.' at the bottom of the list here on a blog about the USS Constitution's 'Suit of Sails'.
When
Bernard attended the school was located in Boston, but in 1942 it was
relocated to Hyannis at the mouth of the Cape Cod Canal. According to
their website, "the Academy was
founded on June 11, 1891 as the Massachusetts Nautical Training School.
It was changed in 1913 to the Massachusetts Nautical School, and then
finally became The Massachusetts Maritime Academy in 1942, as it remains
today. It is the oldest maritime academy in continuous operation in the
United States and the largest State maritime academy."
Captain Rust retired the year after Bernard graduated after
reaching the compulsory retirement age of 70. He had served as
Superintendent and Captain of Nantucket for 12 years. He was succeeded
by Clarence A. Abele, USN. For more information on the school check out
their site at 'www.maritime.edu'.
If you
would like to find out what it was like to be a cadet at the
Massachusetts Nautical School and train aboard the Nantucket then I
would highly recommend George Duffy's book 'Ambushed under the Southern Cross'. Captain Duffy, a graduate from the fall class of 1941, kept a diary of his experiences and several chapters detail them and include photos and sketches.
Bernard's graduating class of April 1931 consisted of thirty young men, seventeen from the Seamanship and Navigation Branch:
| Cadet |
Hometown |
Born |
Died |
Father's Occupation |
| Thaddeus
Anthony Banach |
Holyoke |
1911 |
1961 |
Cobbler |
| Walter
Joseph Bienia |
New Bedford |
1909 |
1991 |
Deceased |
| Stanley
Waldemar Cederberg |
Woburn |
1909 |
1980 |
Congregational Minister |
| Bernard
Edward Conners |
Salem |
1909 |
1942 |
Proprietor - Tobacco Store |
| William
Gordon Driscoll |
Belmont |
1909 |
1961 |
Carpenter |
| Joseph
Ferdinand Fortunati, Jr. |
Somerville |
1910 |
1973 |
Unemployed |
| John
Edward Green, Jr. |
Medford |
1911 |
Unknown |
Railroad Electrician |
| Arthur
John Hammer |
West Roxbury |
1912 |
1993 |
Electrician |
| Harold
Raymond McPhee |
Gloucester |
1909 |
1973 |
Painter |
| Adelbert
George Munro |
Somerville |
1911 |
1983 |
Unknown |
| George
Frederic James Peck |
Braintree |
1909 |
1970 |
Auto Mechanic |
| William
Russell Pendergast |
Everett |
1911 |
1958 |
Accountant |
| Eugene
C. Raymond |
Springfield |
1911 |
Unknown |
Unknown |
| Robert
Lyford Rowe |
Worcester |
1910 |
1944 |
Estimator - Steel Mill |
| James
Leo Sullivan |
Fall River |
1911 |
Unknown |
Unknown |
| Joseph
Tuliszewski |
Norwood |
1908 |
Unknown |
Drum Filler - Ink Mill |
| Gordon
Porter Whitney |
Leominster |
1912 |
1974 |
Woodworker |
All appear to be from working-class families. Interestingly enough, most were not active Merchant Mariner's in World War II, though most were involved in the shipping industry in one form or the other. The only other known wartime loss from his Seamanship & Navigation class was Robert Lyford Rowe, who was a Lieutenant in the US Navy Reserve when his tanker, the USS Mississinewa (AO-59) was hit by a Kaiten Japanese suicide manned torpedo in 1944.
I have reached out to the ten of the families above so far, mainly through Ancestry.com, but unfortunately have not received much of a response to date.
The remaining thirteen cadets from the Engineering Branch were:
| Cadet |
Hometown |
| Kenneth
B. Balch (e) |
Springfield |
| Ralph
L. Barry (e) |
Brockton |
| Paul L.
Berry (e) |
Maiden |
| James
D. Crosby (e) |
Belmont |
| Raymond
R. Freeman, Jr.(e) |
Wellfleet |
| Charles
R. Hunter (e) |
East Boston |
| Richard
W. Irving (e) |
West Roxbury |
| Paul J.
Kenney (e) |
Somerville |
| Clifford
G. McKeon (e) |
Hull |
| Joseph
H. Mundy, Jr. (e) |
Revere |
| Nels P.
Nelson (e) |
Walpole |
| Bailey
Poor (e) |
Medfield |
| Walter
L. Scott (e) |
Fall River |
The combined April and October graduating classes of 1931 included 57 young men, at least 50 of which had jobs lined up upon graduation. Pretty remarkable considering the country was in the midst of the Great Depression with massive unemployment.
By far the largest taker was American-Hawaiian Lines with 24 graduates, followed by Isthmian Lines with six, Luckenbach and United States Lines each with four, United Fruit Company with three, American Republic Lines with two, and finally American Export Line, Boston & Provincetown Line, Dollar Line, Moore & McCormack Co., New York & Puerto Rico Line, Southern Pacific Co., and Standard Trans. Co. each with one.
American-Hawaiian distributed their new graduates as follows:
| A-H
Ship |
No. |
| "At sea" |
5 |
| S.S. American |
2 |
| S.S.
Arizonan |
1 |
| S.S. Georgian |
1 |
| S.S. Iowan |
3 |
| S.S. Kansan |
2 |
| S.S. Kentuckian |
3 |
| S.S.
Missourian |
1 |
| S.S.
Montanan |
1 |
| S.S.
Nevadan |
1 |
| S.S.
Ohioan |
1 |
| S.S.
Panaman |
2 |
| S.S. Pennsylvanian |
1 |
Bernard went to work for American-Hawaiian, on the Kentuckian, along with classmates Kenneth Balch (e) and William Driscoll. This ship would later be scuttled August 4th, 1944 to reinforce Gooseberry 2 blockship breakwater after the Normandy invasion.
Ranks
|
|
April 7th, 1931
Issued “Certificate of Efficiency to Lifeboat Man” upon graduation
April 15th, 1931
Issued Third Mate License
Issued “Certificate of Service to Able Seaman”
December 4th, 1933
Issued Second Mate License
May 5th, 1936
Issued Chief Mate License
February 24th, 1937
Renewed “Certificate of Efficiency to Lifeboat Man”
Renewed “Certificate of Service to Able Seaman”
June 22nd, 1939
Issued Master License
This last one confirms that Bernard had in fact become qualified to be the Captain of a ship, although from the following career info, it appears he never did so. I had originally thought Bernard had his own ship at one point and only took the Chief Mate position on the Arkansan to work his way back to the states. This proved to be false once I received his career information, and he worked as a Chief Mate for nearly three years after getting his Master license. There were simply more Captains than there were available ships during this time period.
When I requested this information from the National Archives I had also asked if they had any record of him holding a commission as a Lieutenant J.G. in the Navy, or what navigation school he was to be assigned to, as mentioned in the obituary. Unfortunately they had no records on this. Not to say it wasn't true, they just couldn't find any records to confirm it. Perhaps because he didn't survive long enough to report for duty.
Career
|
Along with his ranks, I was able to get a partial work history from The National Archives in the form of work slips for various ships he was assigned to from 1936 on, with a couple gaps. It's odd that his voyages pick up roughly where his certification ends, so I'm not sure if he was in training from the time he graduated to this first assignment or what was going on.
HAWAIIAN History
Built as the SANTA MALTA by the William Cramp & Sons Shipyard in Philadelphia, PA, Yard 447. She was launched April 12th, 1918 and completed May of 1919, apparently in time to act as a troop transport for soldiers returning from WWI.
Her tonnage was listed as 6,270, length as 420' - 6", beam as 53' - 9", and draft as 26' - 2" so she was only slightly smaller than the Arkansan. She had a single screw aft, with a quadruple-expansion steam engine, capable of about 12 knots.
In 1925 she was purchased by the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company and renamed HAWAIIAN.
In 1949 she was transferred to Panamanian registry and renamed FORTUNE (see picture above). She continued in Italian service until 1958 when she was broken up in Spezia, Italy on April 7th.
September 27th, 1936
Coastwise voyage on SS Hawaiian. Los Angeles to New York. Went through Balboa, Canal Zone on September 19th. Served as 3rd Officer (Mate).
September 4th, 1940 to
October 1st, 1940
Intercoastal voyage on SS Hawaiian. Baltimore to San Francisco. Served as 2nd Officer (Mate) under Master Samuel A. Gates.
Hawaiian had sailed from the Columbia River on July 15th, arriving in Baltimore on September 2nd. She had made a similar voyage from April through June as well.
I assume she reversed the order of stops on her way back to San Francisco. This route was what American-Hawaiian referred to as it's 'South Atlantic Service'.
I have included American-Hawaiian's South Atlantic Service schedule from 1940 which shows the names and dates of the various ports of call for Hawaiian as well as several other American-Hawaiian vessels. This schedule is courtesy of Bjorn Larsson.
October 21st, 1940
Coastwise voyage on SS Hawaiian. San Francisco to San Francisco. Served as Chief Mate under Master Samuel A. Gates.
October 22nd, 1940 to
December 23rd, 1940
Nearby foreign voyage on SS Hawaiian. San Francisco to San Francisco. Served as Mate (Reduced to 2nd Mate 10/26/40) under Master J.J. Wochos.
December 24th, 1940 to
January 9th, 1941
Coastwise voyage on SS Hawaiian. San Francisco to San Francisco. Served as 2nd Mate under Master Samuel A. Gates.
March 19th, 1941
Intercoastal voyage on SS Hawaiian. San Francisco to San Francisco. Served as 2nd Mate under Master Samuel A. Gates.
March 20th, 1941 to
April 3rd, 1941
Coastwise voyage on SS Hawaiian. San Francisco to San Francisco. Served as 2nd Officer (Mate) under Master Louis B. Lavergy.
April 4th, 1941 to
June 9th, 1941
Intercoastal voyage on SS Hawaiian. San Francisco to San Francisco. Served as 2nd Mate under Master John N. Hansen.
June 10th, 1941 to
June 23rd, 1941
Coastwise voyage on SS Hawaiian. San Francisco to San Francisco. Served as 2nd Mate under Master John N. Hansen.
The previous assignments show that Bernard left the East Coast (Baltimore) in the fall of 1940, and after arriving in San Francisco, spent the next nine months running up and down the West Coast aboard another American-Hawaiian ship, the SS Hawaiian.
June 24th, 1941 to
July 26th, 1941
Intercoastal voyage on SS Hawaiian. San Francisco to New York. Served as Chief Mate under Master John N. Hansen.
As mentioned above, Hawaiian had originally reached Baltimore on their 'South Atlantic' route the previous fall. To reach New York, she may have taken a modified 'North Atlantic Service' route, which Bjorn Larsson provided to me as well (see below).
Hawaiian is not shown on this schedule, but Arkansan appears twice, once in April-May and again in July-August.
At one point I thought Bernard must have joined Arkansan in New York. Then I found a newspaper article that stated Arkansan left New York on July 19th, 1941 (one week before Hawaiian arrived), reached Port Sudan on September 5th and left there for Port Suez on September 8th. Then I thought perhaps he went over to the Near-East on the Hawaiian, or one of the other company's ships. It wasn’t until November of 2010 that I found definitive proof; Hawaiian’s crew list from that voyage (Image below). As you can see, Bernard's name is crossed out, and in the last two columns is a note about Bernard which states: "Transferred to S.S. Arkansan in Calcutta 10/20/41".
There were some other interesting details on the crew list as well, such as other stops they made. Apparently the Hawaiian and Bernard were not caught up in the bombing raid at Suez. Hawaiian had arrived in Calcutta on October 16th, 1941 from Port Sudan, “Anglo Egyptian Sudan” where Arkansan, and perhaps Hawaiian, dropped off her twin-engine bombers for the British. After Bernard left, Hawaiian departed Calcutta November 1st, then Colombo Ceylon November 10th, then Capetown South Africa November 28th, eventually arriving back in New York on December 27th, 1941. The same day Arkansan leaves for her last voyage.
October 30th, 1941 to
December 15th, 1941
Foreign voyage on SS Arkansan. Calcutta to New York. Served as Chief Mate under Master Paul R. Jones.
Just days before they got back to New York they would have received news about the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the declarations of war with Japan and Germany.
December 27th, 1941 to
June 15th, 1942
Un-described voyage on SS Arkansan. New York to unknown locations. Known that vessel was en route from Trinidad to New Orleans when she was sunk. Served as Mate under Master Paul R. Jones.
A six month mystery tour? This voyage is awful long compared to the others. Interesting to note that Bernard had nine months experience with Jones/Arkansan before they were sunk.
June 26th, 1942
Bernard's father, Robert Conners notified by Western Union that Bernard was missing.
July 23rd, 1942
Bernard declared deceased by New York District Court. Wages of $2,188.24, plus bonus of $21.78.
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