Comments by "Colonel K" (@Paladin1873) on "Sinking of USS St. Augustine" video.

One person who served on a converted yacht in the early days following the US entry into WWII was Ernest Borgnine. I've watched some videos of him talking about such duty and it was eye opening. The training and equipment they had was subpar. That any of these vessels survived the war must be attributed to the men who served aboard them and a bit of divine intervention.
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@maynardcarmer3148 Yep. It made me shake my head and laugh out loud at the same time.
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@megupdike1414 Many sailors served on multiple vessels before, during, and after the War. According to Wikipedia, Borgnine did serve aboard the USS Lamberton prior to WWII but he was discharged from active duty in Sep 1941. As I recall from his interview, he ran into some bureaucratic roadblocks when he tried to reenlist in the Navy after Pearl Harbor, but eventually he received an assignment as a gunner's mate aboard a converted yacht that was used for antisubmarine duties in the Atlantic. I believe this was in 1942. According to Wikipedia this was the USS Sylph (PY-12). I don't know how long he served aboard her or if he had any other shipboard assignments before the War ended. It would be interesting to find out.
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@megupdike1414 That's not what he said in his interview.
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