Carriers in U.S. Service

[dcrfan]

I have just purchased this book.
49063224566_2799c979e2_h.jpg
IMG_3460 by tankienz, on Flickr

It was published in July 1944 following a visit to Guadalcanal by two members of the NZ National Film Unit who visited to shoot footage for newsreels. They also took stills.

The book includes this photo of LP2 in US service which I have not previously seen.

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IMG_3476 by tankienz, on Flickr

Note the two colour camouflage and the number 2610 on the closest Carrier and what appears to be 2601 on the back Carrier. Unfortunately the book was published on newsprint quality paper so the photos are not clear. As NZ did not build 2600 LP2s I'm not sure what the significance of the numbers are

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Paul,

Thanks for posting that picture here!

Somehow the use of Commonwealth materiel in US service is very interesting.

Hanno

[Tony Smith]

Originally Posted by dcrfan

Note the two colour camouflage and the number 2610 on the closest Carrier and what appears to be 2601 on the back Carrier. As NZ did not build 2600 LP2s I'm not sure what the significance of the numbers are.

These are Australian Hull numbers. Interesting, the story goes back and forth between Aust production and NZ production Carriers being supplied to the US forces.

[Mike Cecil]

Interesting image. Interesting book. As Tony said, 2610 and 2601 correspond with Australian hull numbers. Both numbers fall within a group manufactured by SAR.

I have records of three LP2A carriers in the USA:
2595
2641
2674

All SAR carriers, and straddle the ones in the image. I also have a 2012 dated note that 2609 was under restoration in South Australia, which would tend to indicate that a complete 'batch' of numbers was not handed to the USMC, but odd ones to make up the required number, while still supplying local demands.

I'm guessing that the ones supplied to the USMC were from the orders placed for the EGSC for supply to other nations, as I've found no specific reference to a supply to the USAFIA or the USMC in particular, nor any returned by the US to the Commonwealth for credit to the Reverse Lend Lease account.

Edit: There is another (slim) possibility (and yes, it is another guess!): that the carriers were part of the equipment captured from the Japanese. The USMC are known to have captured quantities of equipment and used it against the former owners, including machine guns, Chevrolet and Ford trucks, engineer equipment, and so on. On page 74 of of the official US history of the Guadalcanal campaign there is an image of a Ford-Marmon Herrington LP3 artillery tractor found at Lunga Point. Its only possible source was an Australian artillery unit deployed to the Pacific/Malaya, and overrun in the first few months of the Japanese thrust south, and then used by the Japanese. There is an Aust MG carrier and a 25-pdr field gun in the collection of the AWM that were captured by the Japanese and used by them in areas remote from the point of capture. This makes the point that the Japanese were happy to use captured equipment and to re-locate it as needed.

Another rabbit burrow to dive into!!

Mike


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[Lynn Eades]

There was discussion in an older thread about the carrier that is still in Guadalcanal (as Tony is talking about) It seems that this picture is strong evidence, that it is not a Kiwi carrier. Or is the rabbit hole more complicated?

[Rob Beale]

I believe this is an Australian carrier in Honiara.

The 3 (NZ) Div did not take LP carriers to the Solomons or New Caledonia.
Instead they took UC models including 3" Mortar carriers.

All 3 Div vehicles were returned to NZ in mid to late 1944 after 3 Div was withdrawn and disbanded due to manpower shortages in NZ.
Many 3 Div people were posted as reinforcements to 2 Div in Italy.

In a report by the NZ Quartermaster General to 31 March 1944 no carriers are listed in the vehicles sold to US Forces.
And the vehicles supplied to 3 Div are all accounted for at 31 March 1944.

There are accounts of Marines having NZ carriers and pictures of US Marines with NZ Army Indian motorcycles in NZ but I doubt they were shipped overseas when they went to the Island campaigns.

It would be interesting to find the date of the photo on the beach at Guadalcanal.

Rob

[dcrfan]

The book describes the visit as 'an expedition was hastily organised at the end of November 1942'. It later goes on 'It was eight o'clock of a January morning' then explains they flew from Espiritu Santo to Henderson Field by RNZAF Hudson so January 1943.

The author mentions a short film was made as a result of their visit Base For Attack. I wonder if a copy exists? Edit. In National Archive Wellington database:

WEEKLY REVIEW No. 86
GUADALCANAL … BASE FOR ATTACK
Produced by NZ National Film Unit
16mm black and white print with sound
(status: not assessed)

Unfortunately the copy is restricted for issue for conservation.

Paul