Records of Tug & Barge Companies of WWII Era


I am trying to locate names and addresses of companies that owned tugs &  barges that transported coal to various ports along the east coast during the WWII era.  We usually loaded coal at  Norfolk, VA  and carried it up north to these ports: Baltimore, MD; Bangor, ME; Boston, MA; Fall River, MA; Hoboken, NJ; New Bedford, MA; New Haven, CT; New York, NY; Norfolk, VA;  Palisades, NY; Perth Amboy,  NJ; Philadelphia, PA; Portsmouth, NH; Providence, RI; Stamford, CT, Williamston, NC and others  farther north.  My family worked on these barges and I need to establish evidence of their employment on those barges.  This data is required in filing our claims to gain recognition as US Merchant Marine Veterans of WWII. The barge companies have long since gone out of business and I am unable to locate employment records to support our claim.  I have contacted the  cities that we visited during the years from 1941 to 1947.  We worked as a family during the summers between school.  My dad was the captain, mom the cook and the boys were the crew. Dad was employed as captain year around.  These barge companies and the companies loading and unloading the coal may have records that would identify the barge names as well as the captain’s names, along with dates visiting the unloading piers.  A list is enclosed with names of the barges and companies.  The list includes an approximate time when we worked them.  I would appreciate any help you can offer. Just the names and addresses of the companies unloading the coal would be a great help.  Listed below are the names of barges and approximate years we were aboard.  Efforts to gain formal information via the US Government Archives and other offices have proved to be of no help. The five members of my family  collectively spent  approximately  8 years in the hostile east coast waters during the 1942-1946 period the German submarine wolf pacts were spreading havoc on our Merchant Marine and I would truly like to have my family recognized for their efforts.

JD Horton of 104 Riverview Ave, Camden, NC 27921 Phone 252 336 5553

OWNER:  SOUTHERN TRANSPORTATION CO.  16 S Broad St,  PHIL. PA & Soc Sec Admin Employer ID 23-1107690 & 29 Broadway, New York, NY; SSA Employer ID # 13-5403997

Barges:  TENNESSEE, (yrs 1941 & 43); COHASSET, (yrs 1941 & 42); CHELSEA, yrs (1942 & 43); PORTLAND, yr (1943 & 44)

OWNER:  CULLEN TRANSPORTATION CO. 80 BROAD ST., NEW YORK, NY SSA Employer ID # 13-5017994

Barge: CULLEN #17, (yr 1945)

OWNER:  P. DAUGHERTY CO. GAY & LOMBARD STS. BALTIMORE, MD; SSA Employer ID # 52-02961080

Barges: MARYLAND, (yr 1945); DELAWARE, (yr 1946); BALTIMORE, (yr 1947)

Name:  William Lee Horton                   
Birth Date:  12/06/94
Death Date:  02/17/70
Seaman Z No.:  Z 187260
Position:  Captain

                                     

By Professional Mariner Staff