graham covert

Graham C. Covert started his maritime career as a cadet at the New York Nautical School, served with the U.S. Navy Reserve Force as a Quartermaster during the First World War, and then worked on Standard Oil Company of New Jersey tankers and coastwise ships up until the Second World War. After he was called up for active duty with the U.S. Navy, he served aboard the USS Republic and the USS Rocky Mount. He was a plank owner on the USS Rocky Mount and he saw service aboard her throughout her wartime career – from 1943 until at least November 1945 – for most of the period she acted in the role of flagship. No easy feat under the scrutiny of admirals and the ship’s captain, as Executive Officer, he guided the crew through the major U.S. Navy campaigns in the Marshalls, the Marianas, retaking Guam, Tinian, combat in Leyte, Luzon, Mindanao landings, and support of Borneo operations. He was involved briefly in occupation duties in September of 1945 and served on the Yangtze and later Shanghai from September to November of 1945. He rounded out his active duty tour as Assistant Port Director of Naval Operating Base, San Pedro while assigned to the Naval Transport Service. He was separated from the Naval service in 1946, but remained a reserve officer. In 1950, he received his final rank in the USNR as Captain. He passed away five years later at the age of 61.

He left behind a trove of documents charting the arc of his career.

nyns regulations

documents

SS Milton was Hull 3 built in the L. H. Shattuck Shipyard in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. She had a wooden hull. Was 2,551 ton and was delivered to U.S.S.B in June 1919. While transporting lumber, she caught ablaze in Lisbon harbor on October 2, 1919.

usnr fitness reports

medals

World War I Victory Medal with U.S. Navy Patrol clasp and New York State War Service Medal.
Both awarded to Graham C. Covert. Col.: IW.

New York State War Service Medal. Obverse.

New York State War Service Medal. Reverse.

professional résumé

extant crew lists (port of new york)

uss rocky mount

Graham C. Covert’s ship, USS Rocky Mount arrived at Pearl Harbor, December 27, 1943 and never left the combat area of the Pacific. Dubbed “The Rock” and “Veteran Queen of Amphibious Fleets”, she came through all of the operations unscathed. She was decommissioned and placed in the reserve fleet as part of the San Francisco Group, Pacific Fleet, on March 22, 1947. She remained in this status until she was struck from the Navy List on July 1, 1960. As her XO, Graham C. Covert saw her through all of her battles.