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15h
Transportation Terminal Battalion
11th Transportation Terminal Command "B"
Looking for more information from military/civilian
personnel assigned to or associated with the U.S. Army
in Germany from 1945 to 1989. If you have any
stories or thoughts on the subject, please contact me .
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| 15th Transportation Terminal Battalion |
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 15th Transportation Terminal Battalion DUI |
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| 1955 |
(Source: Email from Homer Williams, 570th Trans Det (Port)) |
The 15th Trans Bn, with the 570th Trans Det and the 51st Boat Co (Webmaster Note: should be 81st Transportation Company (Boat)), unloaded ships over the beach. The ship we unload frequently was the USNS Comet. The Comet is a Roll-On/Roll-Off freighter. Loaded trailers were loaded onto the Ship and when it reached it's destination,Tractors would pull them from the Ship to thier destination. Only the two forward Cargo Holdes contained loose cargo.
The 51st Boat Company used landing craft, DUKW's and BARC's to transport the cargo to the beach. A BARC was capable of carring 100 tons of cargo. The BARC had 14-foot wheels and could haul the Cargo from the ship to the rail head.
I was assigned to a 40-ton Crane and Maintaince while in Garrison, when we were on what they called NODEX (New Off-shore Discharge Exercise = unloading a ship over the beach). I operated a 20-ton mobile crane or a 10-ton tracked crane. I also worked on the beach with the Manifest keeping the cargo separated by destinations and making sure everything on the manifest was accounted for and that it was sent to it's proper destination.
The Army sent the unit two Walter tractors made for unloading the Roll-On/Roll-Off ships. The Walters tractor had four wheel steering that was needed to remove or place trailers in tight places on the ship. Sp/5 Friedbaure and I were assigned to test the Walters tractors and recommend any modifications we thought were needed. At the time the tractors arrived it took two men to operate a tractor. After we had changes made to the tractor, one person could operate the tractor.
Also, when the MP's were on alert and had to move, myself and others became MP's.
I must say the 570th had the best bunch of Stevadores.
The following photos were taken while I was stationed with the 570th Trans Det (Port):
CORRECTIONS
(Source: Email from Jim Smith, son of WOJG Hugh J. Smith who served with the 81st Trans Co (Boat))
In the above post on COMZEUR, you mention the 51st Boat Company and their participation in the New Offshore Discharge Exercises off the French coast. My father, WOJG Hugh J. Smith, was stationed with the 81st Transportation Boat Company in Rochefort, France in the early fifties. He wore the COMZEUR shoulder patch. He was later the S4 for the Rochefort Arsenal, and was assigned to the 11th TTC (B).
Could there be an error in the numeration of this boat company in the COMZEUR piece, or were there more than one boat company nvolved in NODEX in this timeframe (1952 - 1954)? Otherwise, I cannot find anything on the 81st Boat Company on the internet.
Webmaster Note: Jim also provided a heads up on some newly posted NODEX documentation that can be found in the Vertical File Reference Material section on the Biggs Library and Information Center website (US Army Transportation School, Fort Eustis, VA). Careful!!! Some of the NODEX files are very large 100+ MB. |
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15th Trans Bn
Rochefort, Fr. |
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1. Port of Rochefort (KB) |
2. US Army Vessel (KB) |
3. Bow ramp of the RO/RO being lowered (KB)
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4. Causeway platform (KB) |
5. Tractor trailer disembarks (KB)
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6. Sedan disembarks (KB)
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7. Topping of the fuel tank of a USAF sedan (KB) |
8. CONEX containers are loaded onto a landing craft (KB) |
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Several LCU's of the 81st Boat Company on a beach in France |
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(Source: Email from Paul Pratt, 81st Boat Company, 1955-56) |
81st Trans Co |
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I was assigned to the 81st Boat Co. in September, 1955 as it was moving out of Rochefort and being relocated just outside of Soulac in a pine forest. I was stationd with the 81st from 9/1955 to 12/1956.
We initally lived in squad tents but eventially moved into wood and tarpaper shacks housing up to 16 men and heated by 2 small pot bellied oil stoves. Water was obtaind outside the mess hall [a large tarpaper shack] from a water trailer. |
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There was also a DUKW company and a stevedore company stationed in the woods.
Our company had about 20 LCM 6's and 8's and four live aboard LCU's. I was stationed on the oldest one for a few months which was built in the forties in Buffalo, NY and used in WW2. It had a crew of 13. Our skipper was WO Mr Kiely.
Most of our ship unloading took place on the beach near Le Verdon at the mouth of the Gironde River. There was a special exercise in 1956 in Talmont on the east side of the Gironde River that used a Texas Tower type arrangement with cabes and [sky cars] to haul off loaded cargo to waiting 2½-ton trucks.
In September,1956 we were assigned just outside St. Jean De luz, a few miles north of the Spanish border. We were there about a month and a half living in pup tents.
I remember that our company was part of the 15th Trans. Bn.
I hope this information is useful to someone at your end.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
I arrived at Rrochefort in the middle of Sept.,1955 just in time to relocate just outside of Soulac, to another tent city. Within a few months, small 16 man wood and tarpaper billets were built and occupied by the 15th Trans Battalion.
Our LCU's were moored off a beach in LeVerdon and the LCM's on the beach. We unloaded several ships off that beach.
That winter, the LCU that I was stationed on [LCU569] was towed to Bordeaux for repair and we spent a couple months in the old German sub pens now used for dry docks.
In the Spring, I was assigned to Talmont on the east side of the Goronde River where a large texas tower [a floating pier with legs that raised and lowered] was installed off the cliffs and aerial cars carried off loaded cargo from the pier to the cliffs. Very impressive.
In September 1956, we carried out an exercise in St. Jean-De-luz, just a few miles north of the Spanish border. We who weren't stationed on an LCU, lived in pup tents for about a month and a half.
My last three months were spent in the tar paper billets in Soulac. Our company commander was Capt. Seeley. My skipper on LCU569 was Mr Kiley who later became the Chief Boat inspector for New York State was part of the NYS Conservation Dept.
Both the LCM's and LCU's were used for unloading cargo. A 2½-ton truck just fit onto the LCMs and the LCU's could fit 5 or 6 trucks. The ship would often unload large boxes that just fit into the bed of the truck [ conex boxes ?]. Every night, one of the LCUs would do liberty run, taking non-coms and officers to Royan across the Gironde River, about five miles wide at the mouth. There was no housing on the west side off the river being wine and tourist country. Soulac was mostly cottages and very busy in the summer with a great beach. |
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A BARC of the 522nd Trans Pltn (BARC) during NODEX 21 in 1959 (Leo McGowan - link)
(If anyone has good photos of the BARC's in the Com Z - please contact the webmaster)
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1960 |
(Source: NODEX-24, La Pallice/La Repentie, 28 Aug - 3 Sept 1960; USAREUR STATION LIST 31 Dec 1960) |
15th TRANS BN (TERM) ORGANIZATION (1960): |
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UNIT |
LOCATION |
COMMENTS |
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HQ 15th Trans Bn (Term) |
Rochefort, France |
TOE 55-116D |
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81st Trans Co (Lt Boat) |
Rochefort, France |
what types of floating equipment were assigned? |
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97th Trans Co (Term Svc) |
Laleu (La Rochelle), France |
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460th Trans Co (Amph Trk) |
Rochefort, France |
where were the DUKW's normally parked? |
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522nd Trans Pltn (BARC) |
Rochefort, France |
where were the BARC's normally parked? |
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570th Trans Co (Term Svc) |
Rochefort, France |
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81st Transportation Company (Boat)
strength: 187 Officers, Warrant Officers, and EM
provided landing craft: LCU's, LCM-8's; and LCM-6's
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460th Transportation Company (Amph Trk)
strength: 3 Officers, and 48 EM
provided 15 DUKW's
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522nd Transportation Platoon (BARC)
strength: 2 Warrant Officers, and 48 EM
provided 4 BARC's
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| 97th Transportation Port Company |
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| Bremerhaven, Germany |
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The Victory cargo ship, HAITI VICTORY, being unloaded at Bremerhaven, 1950 (Signal Corps)
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Men of the Army's 97th Port Co unloading the HAITI VICTORY at Bremerhaven (Signal Corps)
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Men of the Army's 97th Port Co unloading the HAITI VICTORY at Bremerhaven (Signal Corps)
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| 1950 |
The three images of the 97th Port Company (above) are screen captures taken from the Signal Corps moving pictures (111-ADC-8323) available on the National Archives website.
To view the entire video, click here. |
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| Rochefort, France |
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