1st Merchant Ship to Hiroshima October 1945

[Susan P Begg]

My father, Kenneth Coutts Horne, was on the first merchant ship that went to Hiroshima only 8 weeks after the atomic bomb destroyed the city. He was taken ashore by (I think) the ship's cook and picked up a piece of molten metal off the street. It was his 17th birthday. He never spoke much about his experience and now that he has passed away I am trying to find more information. Does anyone know the name of the ship or where I can find it?

The first ship he was master of was The Vigilante. Again, I am trying to get information about that and would welcome any help. He joined the merchant navy aged 15 and he was born in 1928.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Susan Begg

[Doc Vernon]

Hello Susan
Welcome to the site and i hope you find some things good to enjoy as well as find out more of what you are seeking.

Is this your late Father ,i think it must be by the DOB etc.
If it is you can request a copy of his Seamans Pouch which will have limited information ,but with his CRS10 there will be a lot more ,with his Ships etc. This may help you in your research. But the CRS10 is always best acquired from Kew in person ,if you like I can look up the CRS10 Link for you.

Reference:	BT 372/794/145
Description:	R323030 HORNE K C 10/10/1928 COUNTY CORK
Date:	1913-1972
Held by:	The National Archives, Kew
Former reference in its original department:	R323030
Legal status:	Public Record(s

Added
His CRS10 should be in this Series so you will need to have both this and the Seamans Pouch Reference Numbers if applying online ,but as said best t get them in Person if at all possible

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C10990699
https://discovery.nationalarchives.g...ls/r/C10990699

Catalogue description Horan John to Horsburgh A T


Ships Civilian Oilers in Tokyo Bay in September 1945

Carelia (British) Fort Wrangell (British)
City of Dieppe (British) Wave King (British)
Dingledale (British)

[Keith at Tregenna]

Not certain if this is helpful ?

On August 6 1945 the ‘Little Boy’ Atomic Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. It was the first time that atomic warfare had ever been used. The Japanese surrendered after the subsequent bombing of Nagasaki on 9 August. Douglas Cox was a Chief Officer on the RFA ‘Dingledale’ during the Pacific war
and recounts his experiences here:

……‘The RFA ‘Dingledale’ was the first British ship (and a merchant vessel at that) to anchor in Tokyo Bay where we were allocated an anchorage next to the ‘Missouri’ so we had a ‘grandstand’ view of the signing of the Japanese surrender terms which were carried out on board her. We sure were honoured. There was a galaxy of VIP’s aboard the ‘Missouri’, Lord Mountbatten, General Macarthur, Admirals Fraser, Nimitz and Halsey as well as our own Prince Philip who was then a humble lieutenant!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peo...a4449017.shtml

Keith.

[happy daze john in oz]

Susan, there must be some very interesting history there as the first ship in after the bomb.
You should record all you can of that so future generations will have some understanding of what he did.

[Susan P Begg]

Thank you SO much for replying to my post. Yes, that is him. I have his Seaman's pouch but it has very little in it and nothing about the ships he was on. I will see if I can persuade my husband to come on a trip up to Kew to look up his CRS10 - whatever that is. If not, then I will try to apply on line. He wrote a short article about his experiences of that day which was published in his local parish magazine many years ago. I am trying to get hold of a copy and will post it here for anyone who would be interested to read it. I am kicking, kicking, kicking myself for not having pinned him down years ago and asking him all the questions that I now have no way of getting answers to. Sadly, he suffered from dementia in his last years which meant that his mind wasn't always clear and his memory was confused.

Thank you again for your help.

- - - Updated - - -

Thank you for this information. It seems that he wasn't on the very first merchant ship then unless the Dingledale was still there in October which I doubt. I don't imagine that anyone was keen to hang around in such a (literally) toxic atmosphere and I think he would also have mentioned being there during the signing of the surrender. I will keep on searching and see what I can find. Thanks again.

- - - Updated - - -

My father wrote a short article for his local parish magazine about is experience of the day he went ashore and I am trying to get hold of a copy. If I do I will post it here. I am in the middle of doing my family tree and am discovering that generation after generation of my family were in the merchant navy - it seems as though the sea was in the blood!

[Doc Vernon]

Hope that you can get to Kew as it will be much better to obtain his CRS10

Central Records is all that it means in the Section that hoilds all the Seamans Information from his initial Sign on date,with list of all Ships served on plus other info.
So you will be able to see what ships he was on and when.
Cheers

Please do Post any Stories you may come across they will be appreciated and I am sure liked by all to read!