In WWII the Merchant Marine lost more personnel, percentage wise, than all the other forces put together.
Late in 1944, the harbor of Bari, Italy, was filled with cargo ships waiting to unload at night. The lights were on, and the Germans were informed. They got together enough planes to bomb the harbor. That event is sometimes called the second Pearl Harbor. My father's ship was tied up next to one filled with explosives. He and so many others did not come back.
Pat Bergman
