The following uniforms were owned by David Lanning Upham. He matriculated at Kings Point in late-1943 or early-1944 and graduated in 1946. He was enrolled in the Deck program in Section 253, and attained the rank of Lieutenant (Junior Grade) in the Second Battalion, Company Twelve. His ribbons attest to his membership in the “Tin Fish Club,” and his voyages in the Atlantic and Mediterranean War Zones.
The Merchant Marine Combat Bar with the Silver Star is a potent reminder of survival and what all merchant seamen faced when they shipped out. David L. Upham joined the SS Meyer London in March 1944 in Norfolk, Virginia after having completed a month-long course of Basic Training. She was his first ship. On 24 March 1944, she sailed for the Mediterranean in a convoy which comprised of 102 merchantmen and 19 escort ships; in less than a month, the convey made deadly contact with the enemy on 11-12 April, and then again on the 24 April. The SS Meyer London was torpedoed and sunk in the second battle; Mr. Upham escaped.
Mr. Upham sent a report to the Academy detailing his recollection of the sinking of SS Meyer London and his eventual rescue in an Enemy Action Report; his report is accessible here.
In the five sections of the report, Mr. Upham does not convey the undoubted terror he must have experienced; a fellow researcher wrote me that the young men who penned the synopses of their experiences for the Academy were probably suffering from what we would today call PTSD. A post-war report from the United States Navy Armed Guard related grim facts of Mr. Upham’s ship’s fate:
In this convoy [Convoy UGS-37] were 37 ships carrying Armed Guards. They were some 35 miles east of Algiers near midnight of April 11 and 12 when an undetermined number of enemy planes attacked. No ship carrying Armed Guards was hit by the enemy, but several ships received minor damage from the gunfire of other ships. Practically all ships opened fire and the amount of flak falling was quite heavy. Only those ships which did actual damage to the enemy or narrowly averted damage from the enemy are mentioned here in discussing this action. […] Far grimmer was the torpedo attack on April 16 when the convoy was about 15 to 17 miles east of Derna. The Meyer London had fought with distinction in the air attack of April 11-12 and had brought down one German plane. Near sunset on April 16 a torpedo struck her. Two Armed Guards were blown over the side. One was unconscious until a second torpedo hit about 45 seconds later on the Thomas G. Masaryk revived him. The Meyer London sank in a little more than an hour.
Administrative History: History of the Naval Armed Guard Afloat World War II, Fleet Maintenance Division OP – 414 (EX OP – 23). “Convoy UGS-37, April 11-12, 1944,” pp. 149-152.
Mr. Upham returned Stateside in June 1944 and turned around again to complete the remainder of his sea year aboard the SS Sirocco. By 1945 he was back on campus to complete his advanced studies. In 1946 he graduated. I have no indication he sailed after the war.
whites, 1944
This is one of the most exciting uniforms sets I have come across in regard to period insignia and overall condition. The whites and dress blues are relatively pristine; the whites’ coat, in particular, is still starched and ribbons are stain-free. It is an excellent uniform from a war veteran.
In looking at the shoulder boards, I was reminded of an adage taught to cadet-midshipmen officers in the Deck program regarding the proper placement of their shoulder boards: the bitter end of the cables fouling the anchors should always face aft (the logic is extended to collar dogs, theirs face outboard) when worn on uniform; they only to face forward in death – when one is buried in uniform. That is a powerful way to remember proper direction.
dress blue, 1944
The decorations on the round coat, inboard to outboard are:
Merchant Marine Combat Bar with Silver Star
Merchant Marine Atlantic War Zone Bar
Merchant Marine Meditteranean-Middle East War Zone Bar
Of particular interest is the Silver Star; during the Second World War, the United States Merchant Marine awards (like those of the U.S. Army) follow heraldic rules in terms of star configuration – stars have a single ray pointing upward. In post-war re-issues and on the uniforms of ex-Merchant Mariners who joined the U.S. Navy, the star is inverted – two rays point upward.
The round coat’s original United States Naval Reserve (USNR) badge was removed at some point; in its place, I have substituted a badge that was found in one of the uniform’s pockets. Please see the discussion below about loose pieces of insignia found in Mr. Upham’s uniforms.
service dress blue, 1946 (u.s. coast guard recycled usms/usn)
When I acquired this uniform, the first thing I noticed about it was its late-war United States Maritime Service (USMS) buttons and the U.S. Naval Officer braid and executive star. Upon further inspection, I saw the uniform had two sets of initials: those for “DLU” (David L. Upham and “S. P. Upham.” Intrigued, I researched Mr. Upham and found he had an older bother: Stephen Pierce Upham, Jr.
During the Second World Ward, Stephen Pierce Upham, Jr. joined the U.S. Coast Guard and was assigned to harbor duty in New York Roads. At some point after David L. Upham’s graduation from King’s Point, Stephen must have given David his uniform since he had no use for it – Stephen was honorably discharged from the U.S. Coast Guard in March 1946.
The absence of the tell-tale markers of a cadet-midshipman’s uniform – shadows of collar dogs and a USNR badge, and removed cuff braid – was then evident; the uniform was not worn at Kings Point. In the pocket of the reefer were two USMS cuff devices; presumably, they were sewn on and removed from the reefer – do not know if they were sewn on at one point and replaced or were to replace the executive stars. This uniform, if worn in the capacity of a U.S. Navy officer would only be acceptable in April 1949 – when Merchant Marine ribbons were permitted on U.S. Navy uniforms. Taking all components together that face-value, this uniform may have been worn on a merchant ship where the managing operator stipulated licensed officers wore executive stars.
enlisted undress white, 1942
david l. upham insignia collection
Along with David L. Upham’s uniforms were other pieces of insignia; these objects hint at uniform changes at Kings Point and the beginning of the tradition of passing along uniform parts to one’s successors. I am guessing at the latter since I strongly doubt any of these were actually worn on Mr. Upham’s uniforms – they do not match extant photographs of him at Kings Point, nor do they match insignia worn by other cadet-midshipmen during his tenure at Kings Point. Nevertheless, of interest is the old-style pin-on USNR badge; these were exclusively early Cadet Corps items and came in two varieties: clasp or straight pin. This type of USNR badge was eventually supplanted by the sewn-on badge. Sadly, the pin is missing. This may have been handed down to Mr. Upham. The boards do not match the boards on the whites; this would be due to the fact that there may have not been an immediate re-issue of boards when Mr. Upham first held the rank of cadet-midshipman lieutenant (junior grade) or his predecessor gave then to him (as was common at the time). There is a midshipman officer cuff shield; these devices were deleted in 1944 and replaced with the badges as seen on the sleeves of the dress uniform well before Mr. Upham’s return from Sea Year; this device may have been a totem of some sort. The USMS cuff devices were explored above. For Kings Pointers of the war years, the most commonly saved items from their uniforms were USNR badges, cuff devices, and collar insignia – Mr. Upham saved all with the exception of his collar devices.