SS West Nohno

SS "West Nohno" was a cargo ship for the deep. []

In late March, "West Nohno" began the first of three Boston–Liverpool round trips. On the Halifax–Liverpool leg of this first trip, she had some unspecified problem that required her return to Halifax, [s whereabouts and movements through early June are not recorded. Other ships that had been selected as blockships assembled in a "corncob" fleet at Oban, though it's not clear if "West Nohno" did or not. The "corncob" fleet was the group of ships intended to be sunk to form the "gooseberries", [Richard, [http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/NAVEXOS_P-474C.htm Glossary of U.S. Naval Code Words: C] .] shallow-water artificial harbors for landing craft. [Richard, [http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/NAVEXOS_P-474G.htm Glossary of U.S. Naval Code Words: G] .] Poropat reports that once the ship crews were told of their mission while anchored at Oban, they were not permitted to leave the ships.

Three "corncob" convoys, consisting of what one author called the "dregs of the North Atlantic shipping pool", [Howe, p. 1.] departed from Poole and reached the Normandy beachhead the next day, shortly after the D-Day landings. [" [http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/misc/index.html?yy.php?convoy=CORNCOB.1!~miscmain Convoy CORNCOB.1] ", " [http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/misc/index.html?yy.php?convoy=CORNCOB.2!~miscmain Convoy CORNCOB.2] ", " [http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/misc/index.html?yy.php?convoy=CORNCOB.3!~miscmain Convoy CORNCOB.3] ". "Arnold Hague Convoy Database". ConvoyWeb. Retrieved 12 September 2008.] Poropat reports that the corncob ships traveled under cover of darkness and, stripped of all unnecessary equipment, carried no radios, having only a signal lamp (with a spare bulb) for communication. Once at the designated location, the ships were put into position and scuttled over the next days, under heavy German artillery fire. [Howe, p. 3.] Naval Armed Guardsmen manned the guns on all the gooseberry ships to protect against frequent German air attacks; "West Nohno" were the last two ships sunk off Utah Beach when they went down on 11 June. Even though she had been sunk, "West Nohno" continued to serve as an antiaircraft platform manned by Navy gun crews until 18 June, and by Army crews after that date. "West Nohno"'s naval gunners were awarded a battle star for participation in the Normandy Landings.

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