Although much has been written about the heroics of our U.S. Marines, Navy, Army, Coast Guard, and Air Force in World War II, very little has been known about the fighting men of the Merchant Marine. The Merchant Marine played important roles in combat, suffered many casualties, and, even took part in the Normandy Beach landing on D-Day during World War II. Mario "Lou" Guidette, (who is now 99-1/2 years old); lives with his daughter, Diane Tefft, in Connestee Falls and was one of those few Merchant Marine sailors who were part of that historic landing at Utah Beach. His fascinating story bears particular authenticity because he wrote a daily diary, although he was not permitted to do so. He wore it around his neck on a chain and faithfully recorded his daily adventures. To this day, in 2008, he still maintains that daily diary. Working in secret, defense workers were part of a government program in Detroit, Michigan at Hudson Motor Car Company for the U.S. Naval Ordnance Division, and were involved in the Engineering advance work on 20mm. Oerlikon Anti-Aircraft Guns, to be used aboard those Merchant Marine ships. Known as "Liberty Ships," these previously unarmed merchant marine ships were being sunk at an alarming rate on their perilous trips to Europe, carrying needed supplies to the French and British. They were routinely torpedoed by Axis submarines and sunk by airplane attacks. In order to maintain the appearance of neutrality, the U.S. Navy was not escorting Merchant Marine ships; however contracts were signed between the British Admiralty. the French, and the U.S. Government Purchasing Department to manufacture these 20mm's. on July 7th of 1941 at Hudson Motor Car Co. Each Liberty ship had two navy gunmen added to its roster to man these 20mm's after Pearl Harbor, with each gunman working a 12 hour shift. The story of Mario Guidette, always known as "Lou", is an interesting part of the history of the D-Day Invasion. Guidette started his sailing career as a cadet on the barkentine sailing ship USS Nantucket, which was a Massachusetts training ship at the time. The Nantucket was commissioned about 1850 as the admiral flagship of the Asiatic fleet under Commander Perry but was named the USS Ranger at the time. During WWI, the Ranger was armed and used as a patrol squadron of the first Naval District and later renamed the USS Nantucket. It remained a school ship until 1942 when it was recommissioned the Emery Rice. When Rice was in command of the transport Mongolia, it sank the first German submarine in WWI. The Rice was eventually scrapped in Philadelphia in 1950. Guidette's father had emigrated to the United States from Italy, some time in the middle 1800's as Guidetti. However, since there were no translators to aid an immigrant in registering, his name was somehow changed from Guidetti to Guidette. Lou's mother came to the United States some time around 1900. Lou Guidette was born in Springfield, MA. on February 19, 1909; however, he did not become interested in nautical matters until he attended the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and was a cadet on sailing ships. When he was 17 years old, he graduated from that academy in 1928 as a Second Engineer. Lou, who was the baby of five children, wanted to go to New York City to look for a job. So, he took off from Massachusetts with a $20.00 bill in his pocket; money given to him by his brother with the advice that should his money start getting down to $4.00 he should return home, as that would be just enough money to pay for return train fare. So. Guidette stayed at the Hoboken Merchant Marine YMCA, which was close to the Hoboken Pier #3, and looked unsuccessfully for work. Disheartened, because they didn't have a job for him and just about ready to take the train back home, his luck changed. As he was about to leave the Hoboken Marine employment office. they unexpectedly called his name and offered him a job because the Engineer on board a ship had a medical emergency, So, Guidette was hired at $135.00 per month aboard the Merchant Marine Ship "Pan American' to sail the South American seas for a five year hitch. After his five-year term, Guidette decided it was time to settle down, so he returned home and married Irene in 1937. They had a long, happy marriage and she died at age 95 in 2002. Ordinarily, as a 35 year old father of a baby girl, Diane, he would have been deferred from the Selective Service during World War II. However, his maritime service as an engineer made him a valuable property, so the draft board reclassified him 1A. He immediately applied to the Merchant Marine for a job and was assigned to the Freighter "The West Nohno". A little apprehensive about signing up on an old ship that had a name pronounced "no, no", he signed up, anyway. In Lou's own words, he refers to the Nohno as an old Hog Island Ship. and an old rust bucket built in 1919 at a Portland, Oregon shipyard. He soon found himself part of a 40 ship convoy on the Atlantic, ferrying war supplies to Europe. The Nohno got a late start on the trip and Guidette said that trying to catch the convoy was like having an old Model-T Ford try to catch up with a Mustang. However, the convoy was delayed during its trip across the Atlantic when it stopped to pick up survivors of other ships that had been torpedoed, and Guidette's old ship was finally able to take its place with the others. When they reached England, they found the shore littered with wrecks of sunken ships and other debris from the Nazi Air Blitz and the damage was so extensive that even a seasoned sailor like Guidette was taken back. Lou had no clue as to the mission the Nohno was on, as everything was secret hush-hush. When they got to Southampton, England, a crew came aboard and started stripping the ship. When Guidette asked where they would be able to retrieve the parts upon their return from wherever they were going, the foreman answered with a puzzled expression: "When you return?" This was not very encouraging news to Lou and his buddies. Meanwhile, fuel was pumped out of the ship to a barge, leaving only enough fuel, (according to Lou's estimate,) to take them to the coast of France; but no fuel to return. He had his suspicions, but still did not have definite information as to what their mission would be. On the 11th of April, 1944 shore crews cut four foot square holes through the bulkheads of the Nohno. The holes were cut so the ship would settle to the bottom with the engine and boiler rooms being the last to flood. Another crew installed three charges of dynamite on each of the interior sides of the ship. The fate of the Nohno was now absolutely clear. Much has been written about the Normandy Invasion, but Guidette's daily diary entries are priceless for their detail and authenticity. After receiving all kinds of survival gear and instructions, the ship departed to queue up with a convoy, but got lost in the heavy channel fog. They finally settled in place and arrived at anchorage in Oban, Scotland. Security was tight and everyone was restricted aboard from April 19th until May 31st. In Lou's own words, as taken from his daily diary: "Ships were arriving five to six per day. This built up to over 200 in the bay. when they were boarded by a Navy Commander who told them they were now under orders from the U.S. Navy. On May 31st, the convoy steamed up and departed Northern Scotland. Ships had difficulty maneuvering at different speeds, as all types of ships were in the convoy; but it finally came to anchorage at noon June 5th off the shore of Bournemouth, England. Since the holes had been cut into the lower part of the Nohno the wardroom would be free of flooding since it was the top-most room off the bridge, so it was loaded with food and medical supplies. Since the water tanks of the ship would be underwater and inaccessible, Lou personally rigged them up in typical "Merchy" fashion. He ingeniously had the crew waterproof the tanks and put in vents extending 12 feet above the deck. He had the hand billy from the chain locker mounted on deck and suction piping installed with shut off and connection valves. Later, when the Nohno was scuttled, the ten ton water tanks from the Nohno would become an oasis for water during the heat of the battle for those who needed fresh water. Lou Guidette later received a special commendation for his ingenuity in rigging up this source of fresh water for the invading troops. "On the 27th, a Navy commander came aboard to tell us we were now part of the U.S. Navy. We were also joined by four U.S. Army personnel who were to man the Army guns that were installed on the forepeak of the vessel," according to Lou's written account of the mission. In Lou's words: "D-Day began at 2 AM on June 6th, as American paratroopers began to land just behind the German coastal defenses in Northern Normandy. An hour later, allied planes began an intense aerial bombardment of the beach formations. At sunrise, the big guns of American and British naval vessels began to smash the German forts. Less than an hour later at 6:40 AM, the first wave of assault infantry and tanks were landed on the beach; right behind them came another wave, and another and another. "While at anchor, a British tender came within shouting distance and asked if we had any spare good American coffee. I told them to stand by while I went below and made up a box of coffee, sugar and goodies. I lashed a line around the box so it could be breeched aboard the tender. When I reached the deck, the captain told me the tender had hit a mine and sank within minutes. I looked over the side and all that was afloat were a couple of old drums and an empty life boat that was drifting out to sea. That tender, The HMS Minister, had a compliment of 80 men who all perished. It gave me the shivers to think that we could have hit that mine ourselves, with six charges of dynamite planted in our hull," recorded Guidette in his diary. Quoting from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Alumni Association Magazine of September/October, 2004, in Lou's own words: "Operation Gooseberry entailed the scuttling of nine old cargo ships to form a breakwater. This would calm the seas and make cargo unloading faster and easier. Each ship was to be signaled to go to position and be warped into line. The SS Nohno was the last ship to be scuttled. On June 11th. we got orders to prepare to secure the ship and engine room and also received orders to depart with our engineering crews. After reporting all was complete, we went down the ladder to an Army tug that took us to a Lykes Bros. Liberty ship bound for England. Looking back from the Lykes ship, I observed the dynamiting of the Nohno as the Navy demolition crew performed the "Coup de Grace.' and the Nohno was scuttled. What had started out as a one month assignment, turned into the five month "Saga of the Demise of the Nohno." and Guidette returned to the United States aboard the Queen Mary. Lou breathed a sign of relief when he finally saw the Statue of Liberty upon his return to the United States and was soon reunited with his wife and baby daughter. Lou Guidette retired with a Merchant Marine ranking of Commander. Mario Lou Guidette received a commendation from President Harry S. Truman, extending the heartfelt thanks of the nation and commending him for undertaking a severe task with courage and fortitude. Thus ends the saga of a little known part of history during the invasion of Normandy on D-Day of World War II. Lorraine Miller Brevard
