Randall C Haines

My Life in the U.S. Navy April 18, 1917 - August 20, 1919 Randall C Haines

Frank S. Gibble served in World War 1 in the United States Navy. He was born in Manheim, Pennsylvania and joined the Navy on April 18, 1917. He served aboard the USS Oklahoma, USS Druid, USS Paducah and the USS San Francisco. The bulk of his service occurred on the USS Paducah, which was a gunboat stationed in the Mediterranean Sea. Frank was a Quartermaster 3rd Class which allowed him to perform his duties on the bridge of each ship. From this vantage point, Frank documented his experience in a daily diary. He describes a harrowing journey across the Atlantic, encounters with enemy submarines, the sinking of merchant vessels, and the adventures that sailors had while in foreign ports. He wrote two poems during his service, one describing the sinking of the ship Dronning Maud and the other entitled "The Suicide Flotilla". His descriptions of the events of World War 1 on the Mediterranean Sea paint an amazing picture of what it was like to serve and fight with the United States Navy during this period. The men of the Navy had to endure harsh conditions and constant danger while escorting convoys of merchant ships through the Mediterranean Sea. From the time Frank S. Gibble began basic training to his honorable discharge in 1919, he accurately depicts the life of a sailor. This book provides insight into the dangers and hardships the men of the United States Navy endured throughout the course of the war and is a testament to the fortitude of each individual who served.