U.S. Naval Amphibious Forces Shoulder Insignia

Norfolk, Va., July 13, 1944: Four Navy men wear the new amphibious invasion 'patch' on their shoulders after being presented them here today by Rear Adm. Francis W. Rockwell, commanding the Atlantic Fleet's Amphibious Training Command. Left to right are: Radioman R.W. Lunstead; Ship's Cook Ralph W. Haase; Electrician's Mate Donald W. Harkness; and Boatswain's Mate Neal E. Doherty. First device of its kind authorized by the Navy, the patch, in gold and scarlet, was an American eagle rampant on a fluked anchor, gripping a machine gun in its talons. The Marines and the Navy only used SSI for a short while in World War II. All SSI had to be off their uniforms by January 1, 1947. It was a unique moment in US Navy history. Amphibious Forces sailors were some of the bravest of all the forces, as they had to bring the Marines and Army Soldiers to the water’s edge under heavy shelling and fire. AP photo.

The patch has a domed top and a flat base. It is red embroidered with a gold depiction of an eagle, a Navy stock anchor, and a submachine gun. These three figures signify the close collaboration of air, sea, and ground units in amphibious warfare.

The Naval Amphibious Forces shoulder patch was the first device of its kind authorized by the Navy. Similar in design and function to the shoulder insignia worn by the Army and Marine Corps, it identified the sailor as a member of the Naval Amphibious Forces. It was worn on the left shoulder above the rating badge.

The Naval Amphibious Forces were responsible for transporting soldiers and Marines to shore, often under heavy enemy fire. They were instrumental in the Pacific Theater of World War II, enabling US forces to land at Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa, among many others.

The Naval Amphibious Forces insignia was authorized in June 1944 to be worn by enlisted personnel who either:

Completed training in amphibious warfare at bases of the Amphibious Training Command

Were on duty with scouts and raiders, naval combat demolition units, beach jumpers, joint assault signal companies, beach battalions, standard landing craft units

Or were serving aboard the vessels:

Landing Ship, Tank (LST)

Landing Ship, Medium (LSM)

Landing Craft, Support (LCS)

Attack Cargo Ship (AKA)

High Speed Transport (APD)

Landing Ship, Infantry (Large) [LCI(L)]

Landing Craft, Tank (LCT)

Amphibious Command Ship (LCC)

Attack Transport (APA)

Landing Ship, Support (Large) [LCS(L)(3)]

Landing Ship, Vehicle (LSV)

Landing Ship, Dock (LSD)

Amphibious Force Flagship (AGC).

By the end of 1944, three more shoulder patches received official approval for wear. These included:

Motor Torpedo Boat Personnel

Minecraft Personnel

Naval Construction Battalion Personnel (Seabees)

In January 1947, the Navy revoked the authorization to wear the shoulder patch.

 

U.S. Naval Amphibious Forces Shoulder Insignia. Fully embroidered in cotton/silk threads.

 

U.S. Naval Amphibious Forces Shoulder Insignia variation. Embroidered in cotton/silk threads on felt.

Rare China-Burma-India theatre-made U.S. Naval Amphibious Forces shoulder patch in bullion. Felt patch embroidered in gold bullion threads.

Four Star Coast Guard Invader Wears New Amphibious Insignia. Back from 23 months in the Pacific war theatre and from four major invasions, Coast Guardsman John B. Garrett, yeoman first class, wears the new Naval Amphibious Forces insignia. Worn over his rating on the left shoulder, the shoulder patch of gold on a scarlet background shows an American eagle rampant on a fluked anchor and gripping a sub-machine gun in its talons. SPAR Virginia Dunn, yeoman second class, admires Garrett's campaign ribbons, which carry stars for participation in the invasions of Amchitka in the Aleutians, Tarawa in the Gilberts, Kwajalein and Eniwetok in the Marshalls and Biak and Noemfoor Islands of Dutch New Guinea. Garrett's home is at Los Gatos, Calif.; SPAR Dunn lives in Miami, Fla. Eligible to wear the amphibious forces insignia are enlisted Naval personnel who have completed training courses at Atlantic and Pacific bases of the Amphibious Training Command, scouts and raiders, Naval Combat Demolition units, beach jumpers, joint assault signal companies, beach battalions, and personnel serving aboard landing craft. Alamy photo 2MEPP43.

U.S. Navy Petty Officer, 1st Class, Cook patch on sleeve and Amphibious Forces patch on shoulder, circa 1944.

U.S. Navy sailor with Amphibious Forces patch on shoulder, circa 1944.

U.S. Navy sailor with Amphibious Forces patch on shoulder, circa 1944.

U.S. Navy sailor, Baker third class, with Amphibious Forces patch on shoulder, circa 1944.

USS Orestes Amphibious Insignia

U.S. Naval Amphibious Forces Shoulder Insignia. Fully embroidered in cotton/silk threads.

by Ed Paris

Napoleon supposedly observed that an army without a navy could not strike far and a navy without an army could not strike hard. Striking hard at a distant enemy shore is the essence of amphibious warfare, considered by most military experts to be the most difficult of all maneuvers.

From the Solomon Islands to MacArthur's Corregidor return, no major amphibious operation was consummated in the Southwest Pacific Area without the support of PT boats. In fact, by the time of the Battle of Surigao Strait (24-25 October 1944), so much of the PT's efforts had been directed toward amphibious operations, some PT crews had lost their skills in torpedo launching. Of the 19 motor torpedo boat tenders commissioned into the Navy during World War II, only the USS Orestes (AGP-10) is sanctioned by the Navy Department to utilize the amphibious insignia. Orestes earned the insignia in combat as "flagship" for Amphibious Task Group 77.11 during the period 27-30 December 1944; a period the Navy historian Samuel E. Morison describes as being "three days of hell." On 30 December 1944, Orestes experienced such heavy damage and casualties as the result of a kamikaze attack at Mindoro, Philippine Islands, that the "flag" was forced to be transferred to the USS  LCI(L) 624.

As with the famous PT insignia, the amphibious insignia has a history of design and a heraldry. Both the U.S. Army and Navy adopted the British "Commando" patch as their amphibious insignia. Insignia of the two services are identical except the Army uses a blue background, probably to represent water, whereas the Navy's has a scarlet background to be of the same color as the chevrons of a rating badge. Upon the colored backgrounds are embossed in gold a bird of prey to represent "airborne," an anchor to represent "seaborne," and a Thompson submachine gun to represent "ground forces." In toto, the insignia represents the combining of ground, sea and air forces for an assault upon enemy territory from the sea. The Army adopted the insignia on 17 June 1942, followed by the Navy two years later. How it occurred the Army would adopt the insignia first is not only related to Orestes history but U.S. Naval history in general.

The post-World War I period experienced a decline in amphibious warfare development. This resulted from the public apathy regarding military preparedness, little need for amphibious forces during World War I and a severe lack of funds. During the period, the Marines took the lead in amphibious experimentation but because of a lack of funds and equipment, could do little other than provide theorized doctrine. For example, a Marine amphibious maneuver in 1924 was such a fiasco no maneuvers were again attempted for almost a decade.

The British withdrawal at Dunkirk during May 1940 and Hitler's inability to invade England for want of landing craft jolted the War and Navy Departments into realizing the need for a large-scale amphibious capability during global war but necessary funds were not to come until after the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor. During 1942, as the Navy was taxed to its limits by the Atlantic submarine menace and efforts to rebuild the Pacific Fleet, little resources were available for amphibious development. For this reason, the Army took an early lead in the organization and training of amphibious forces, to include the training of seamen for small boat operation. British Commandos assisted in the training of U.S. Army personnel so it followed their insignia would be adopted. By 1943, the Army had trained and equipped four brigades of combat engineers in the techniques of small-scale, amphibious assaults. The Navy had managed to train one poorly equipped Marine division and still lacked landing craft for large-scale amphibious operations.

By early 1943, Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Ernest J. King, concluded that the Navy had developed enough strength to begin taking the dominant role in amphibious warfare. Although King met with some Army resistance, his view was favored by Generals Marshall and Eisenhower. Also, by early 1943, sea-going landing craft, such as the Landing Ship, Tank (LST), and Landing Craft, Infantry (LCI), were being constructed and it seemed logical these vessels would be manned by Navy personnel. Thus, as authorized by King, on 10 January 1943, Adm. Daniel E. Barbey activated the Seventh Amphibious Force in Australia. This force, supported by PT boats, would return MacArthur to the Philippines and, during the process, became known as "MacArthur's Navy." By joint agreement between the War and Navy Departments on 8 March 1943, the Navy's dominance in amphibious warfare was formalized. However, Army amphibious brigades were not disbanded; one was sent to the ETO and three became part of MacArthur's forces where they served with distinction.

At this juncture, it must be noted that the "workhorse" of amphibious warfare, the LST, would perform an important role in PT history, for this type vessel proved to be an ideal tender for boats in forward areas. By the end of the war over 50% of the Navy's MTB tenders would be LSTs. Orestes originally entered the Navy as the USS LST 135.

On 15 June 1944, the Navy officially adopted the "commando" patch as its amphibious insignia. It is an insignia Orestes crewmen can display with pride for from the Battle of Bunker Hill (actually Breed's Hill) to the final World War II battle at Okinawa, amphibious warfare has played an important role in our nation's history.

USS Orestes PT Boat Tender AGP-10

USS Orestes (AGP-10) underway in Chesapeake Bay off Port Covington, Baltimore, Maryland, 11 May 1944, just after completion of conversion.

USS Orestes (AGP-10) was a motor torpedo boat tender that served in the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946.

Orestes was laid down as landing ship tank USS LST–135 at Chicago Bridge and Iron Company, Seneca, Illinois, on 8 July 1943, and launched on 16 November 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Bernard Sharp. Prior to completion, she was converted into a motor torpedo boat tender at Maryland Drydock Company, Baltimore, Maryland. Redesignated AGP-10, she was commissioned as USS Orestes (AGP–10) on 25 April 1944 with Lieutenant Kenneth N. Mueller in command.

Successfully concluding her shakedown out of Hampton Roads, Virginia, on 23 May 1944, Orestes prepared for World War II duty in the Pacific. Departing Chesapeake Bay on 5 June 1944, she transited the Panama Canal and, after a stop-over at Bora Bora, sailed on to New Guinea. She began motor torpedo boat tending operations at Aitape on 23 August 1944, transferred to Mios Woendi a month later, and on 12 November 1944 joined General Douglas MacArthur's Philippines invasion forces at Leyte. In the Leyte area control of the air was still disputed and Japanese air attacks were numerous. On 24 November 1944 Orestes' gunners got their first confirmed kills, two Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" (Zero) fighters.

Late on January 4, 1945, while Orestes was in a Mindoro-bound convoy designated "Uncle plus 15" with 30 patrol torpedo boats (PT boats) and 50 other vessels, Japanese planes made life tenuous. On 30 December 1944, an Aichi D3A "Val" dive bomber came in low on the starboard side and crashed into Orestes amidships, causing heavy damage and killing 45 members of her crew. In a series of sweeps by boat PT-350, commanded by Lieutenant Thomas A. Dent (USNR), about 70 men were rescued from the burning Orestes. Fifteen more were plucked from the sea. Lieutenant Dent was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for heroism in the saving of the lives of American Naval personnel in action. Accompanying landing craft infantry (LCIs) finally brought the resulting fires under control and Orestes was beached. Landing ship tank USS LST-708 later towed Orestes back to Leyte on 27 January 1945, and after temporary repairs Orestes departed Leyte on 24 February 1945 on a slow voyage back to the United States, arriving at Terminal Island, California, on 13 May 1945. There shipyard personnel went to work and 202,500 man-hours of labor later they had completely rejuvenated Orestes.

Orestes departed the United States on a second trip to the Pacific war zone on 8 August 1945, but the war with Japan ended on 15 August 1945 and the Japanese surrender had been formalized (on 2 September 1945) by the time she reached Guinan Harbor, Samar, in the Philippines. Orestes served under the Commander Motor Torpedo Boats, Philippine Sea Frontier, until 17 December 1945, when she sailed eastward with naval passengers for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and the United States, arriving at San Pedro, California, on 3 February 1946.

Orestes made a month-long round trip to the Panama Canal Zone, then was deactivated. She decommissioned on 29 April 1946 at Oakland, California, and was struck from the Navy List on 23 April 1947. She was transferred to the Maritime Commission on 15 March 1948 and then was sold to the Walter W. Johnson Company of San Francisco for scrapping.

Orestes received two battle stars for her World War II service.

Details

Name: USS Orestes

Namesake: Orestes, in Greek mythology the son of Agamemnon who avenged his father's death even though it meant slaying his mother, Clytemnestra.

Builder:

Chicago Bridge and Iron Company, Seneca, Illinois

Converted to motor torpedo boat tender by Maryland Drydock Company, Baltimore, Maryland

Laid down: 8 July 1943

Launched: 16 November 1943

Commissioned: 25 April 1944

Decommissioned: 29 April 1946

Renamed: USS Orestes prior to completion, sometime between November 1943 and April 1944 (had been laid down as USS LST-135)

Reclassified: From landing ship tank LST-135 to motor torpedo boat tender AGP-10 sometime between November 1943 and April 1944

Stricken: 23 April 1947

Commanding Officers:

LT. Nesbett, Buell Arthur, USNR, ? - 13 January 1944

LT. Mueller, Kenneth Nathan, USNR, 25 April 1944 - ?

LT. White, Frederick Lewis, USNR, 1 October 1945 - 29 April 1946

Honors and awards:

Two battle stars for her World War II service

Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive - 30 December 1944)

American Campaign Medal

Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (2)

Western New Guinea operations: Designated duty in connection with motor torpedo boat operations, 14 August to 7 November 1944

Leyte operations: Leyte landings, 6 to 18 November and 22 to 29 November 1944

World War II Victory Medal

Philippines Presidential Unit Citation

Philippines Liberation Medal (1)

Personnel Awards:

Purple Heart (45 KIA and WIA, 30 December 1944)

Fate: Transferred to Maritime Commission 15 March 1948 and sold for scrapping to Walter W. Johnson Co., San Francisco, California.

Class and type: Varuna-class motor torpedo boat tender, converted during construction from a landing ship tank

Displacement: 3,960 tons

Length: 328 ft (100 m)

Beam: 50 ft (15 m)

Draft: 11 ft 2 in (3.40 m)

Speed: 11.6 knots

Complement: 341(Officers 37; Enlisted 304)

Largest boom capacity: 50 t.

Boats: two LCVP

Fuel capacities:

Diesel 4,480 Bbls

Gasoline 62,000 Gals

Propulsion:

two General Motors 12-567A Diesel engines

single Falk Main Reduction Gears

Ship's service generators:

three Diesel-drive 100Kw 120V.240V D.C.

two Diesel-drive 100Kw 450V A.C.

two propellers, 1,800 shp

twin rudders

Armament:

1 × 3 in (76 mm) gun

8 × 40 mm antiaircraft guns

12 × 20 mm antiaircraft guns

 

A Japanese Kamikaze plane, shot down by USS Oyster Bay (AGP-6) crashes in the water close aboard an LST. The tenders USS Oyster Bay (AGP-6) and USS Hilo (AGP-2) are at left, USS Orestes (AGP-10) center. This was the third plane shot down by Oyster Bay on the morning of 24 November 1944.

PT Squadron 25 (PTRON-25) boats nested alongside USS Orestes (AGP-10) probably at Guinan Harbor, Samar, Philippine Islands in late 1945. The boats were being prepared for deactivation.

PT Squadron 25 (PTRON-25) boats nested alongside USS Orestes (AGP-10) probably at Guinan Harbor, Samar, Philippine Islands in late 1945. The boats were being prepared for deactivation.

A PT Squadron 25 (PTRON-25) boat being painted while hoisted on USS Orestes (AGP-10)'s A-frame, probably at Guinan Harbor, Samar, Philippine Islands in late 1945.

PT Squadron 25 (PTRON-25) boat being painted while hoisted on USS Orestes (AGP-10)'s A-frame, probably at Guinan Harbor, Samar, Philippine Islands in late 1945.