Marvin Perrett

Last updated
Marvin Perrett
Marvin J. Perrett.jpg
Born1925-09-17
New Orleans
DiedMay 7, 2007(2007-05-07) (aged 81)
Metairie, Louisiana
NationalityAmerican
Other namesMarvin J. Perrett
Occupationsailor
Known forserved heroically, commanding landing craft, during ww2

Marvin Perrett was a high-recognized sailor of the United States Coast Guard. [1] [2]

Perrett served aboard the troop transport USS Bayfield, commanding one of her landing craft, during the invasion of Normandy, and invasions in the Pacific Ocean, including the Invasion of Iwo Jima and the Invasion of Okinawa. [2] [3]

Perrett was able to complete the landing of two sets of troops on Utah Beach, at Normandy. [2] After landing his troops at Iwo Jima his landing craft shipped water, and was swamped, and was abandoned. He and his small crew spent the rest of their day on the beach, finally getting a return to his ship around midnight. At Okinawa his landing craft was involved in a series of feints, proceeding close to several beaches, but then withdrawing, without landing.

Following the war Perrett's oral history of his wartime experience was widely distributed, and he was a frequent speaker. [4]

Legacy

Interviews with Perrett appeared in multiple documentary films. The Imperial War Museum, in London, had an exhibit focussed around Perrett, his landing craft, PA 33-21, based on his oral history. Perrett gave a demonstration of piloting a recreation of his landing craft, on Lake Pontchartrain, a week prior to his death in 2007.

Higgins boats, the manufacturer of Perrett's original landing craft, built a reproduction, in 2009, that it named the Marvin Perrett. [5]

In 2010, Charles "Skip" W. Bowen, who was then the Coast Guard's most senior non-commissioned officer, proposed that all the cutters in the Sentinel class should be named after enlisted sailors in the Coast Guard, or one of its precursor services, who were recognized for their heroism. [6] [7] [8] In 2019 the Coast Guard announced that Marvin Perrett would be the namesake of the 64th cutter, USCGC Melvin Perrett. [9]

Related Research Articles

Margaret Norvell (1860-1934) was a lighthouse keeper, employed by the United States Lighthouse Service, a precursor agency to the United States Coast Guard. Norvell became a lighthouse keeper in 1891, and remained in that service for 41 years. Widows whose husbands were lighthouse keepers, who died in office, were allowed to hold positions as lighthouse keepers themselves. Norvell's husband drowned in the course of his duties. Norvell was credited with saving many lives, including by venturing out into storms in a rowboat to rescue stranded mariners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Trump</span> United States Lifesaving Service Station-keeper

William Francis Trump served aboard a Landing Craft Infantry vessel during four amphibious assaults, during World War II. His vessel, the USS LCI-90, participated in the invasion of French North Africa, Sicily and Anzio in 1943, and in the Invasion of Normandy in 1944. It was during the Invasion of Normandy that Trump earned a Silver Star. He volunteered to venture onto the Omaha Beach and anchor a safety line for the 200 soldiers his vessel carried to follow ashore. Trump had to make his way past heavily mined beach fortifications, while under heavy enemy fire. His helmet was creased by a German bullet.

USCGC <i>Donald Horsley</i>

USCGC Donald Horsley (WPC-1117) is the United States Coast Guard's 17th Sentinel-class cutter. She was commissioned on May 20, 2016. She was the fifth of a cohort of six FRCs home-ported in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maurice D. Jester</span> US Coast Guard officer

Maurice David Jester was a member of the United States Coast Guard. Jester enlisted in the Coast Guard as a surfman in 1917. By 1936, he had risen to the rank of chief boatswain. In December 1941, after the United States entered World War II, Jester was given a lieutenant's commission, and he was given command of the USCGC Icarus (WPC-110).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rollin Arnold Fritch</span> United States Coast Guardsman

Rollin Arnold Fritch was a United States Coast Guard seaman who died at his weapons station while shooting at a Japanese kamikaze, during World War II.

USCGC <i>Lawrence O. Lawson</i>

USCGC Lawrence Lawson is the 20th Sentinel-class cutter to be delivered to the United States Coast Guard. She was built at Bollinger Shipyards, in Lockport, Louisiana, and delivered to the Coast Guard, for her sea trials, on October 20, 2016. She was commissioned on March 18, 2017. She is the second cutter of her class to be the homeported at the Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May, New Jersey, and also the second to be stationed outside of the Caribbean.

USCGC <i>Rollin A. Fritch</i>

USCGC Rollin Fritch is the US Coast Guard's 19th Sentinel-class cutter, and the first to be homeported outside of the Caribbean. She is based at the Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May, New Jersey.

USCGC <i>Benjamin B. Dailey</i>

USCGC Benjamin Dailey (WPC-1123) was the United States Coast Guard's 23rd Sentinel-class cutter. She was the first cutter of her class stationed in the Coast Guard's Eight District, with a homeport in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

USCGC <i>Joseph Gerczak</i> American Sentinel-class Coast Guard cutter

USCGC Joseph Gerczak (WPC-1126) is the 26th Sentinel-class cutter built for the United States Coast Guard. She is one of three Fast Response Cutters homeported in Honolulu, Hawaii.

USCGC <i>Richard Snyder</i>

USCGC Richard Snyder (WPC-1127) is the 27th Sentinel-class cutter built for the United States Coast Guard. She is the first of her class to be home-ported in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina.

USCGC <i>Forrest Rednour</i>

USCGC Forrest Rednour (WPC-1129) is the 29th Sentinel-class cutter built for the United States Coast Guard. She is the first of the four vessels of her class to be home-ported in San Pedro, California. Other sister ships have been based in Florida, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, New Jersey, North Carolina, Hawaii and Alaska. But Forrest Rednour is the first to be homeported on the west coast of the lower 48 states. The vessel will be homeported at a base near Los Angeles' Terminal Island. Three sister ships will join her, at this base.

USCGC <i>Robert Ward</i>

USCGC Robert Ward (WPC-1130) is the 30th Sentinel-class cutter, and the second of four assigned to the U.S. Coast Guard Base Los Angeles / Long Beach, in Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benjamin A. Bottoms</span> United States Coast Guardsman (1913–1942)

Benjamin Bottoms (1913–1942) was a United States Coast Guardsman who died while attempting to rescue the crew of a USAAF bomber that had crashed-landed in Greenland in November 1942. Bottoms was the radioman of the USCGC Northland's Grumman J2F-4 Duck floatplane. When a B-17 bomber crash landed near Northland his aircraft was assigned to search for it. Bottoms's pilot Lieutenant John A. Pritchard sighted the bomber, and landed as close to the wreck as possible—four miles away. Pritchard and Bottoms were able to assist two of the injured bomber crew to their plane, and take them back to Northland. However, on their second rescue visit they encountered bad weather, and crashed. It took seventy-five years to locate their bodies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angela McShan</span>

Angela McShan was a highly regarded Coast Guardsman in the United States Coast Guard. In 1999 McShan was the first African-American to be appointed an instructor at the Chief Petty Officers' Academy. In 2000 McShan was the Coast Guard's first African-American woman to be promoted to Master Chief Petty Officer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William C. Hart</span> American soldier

William C. Hart was a sailor in the United States Coast Guard. He first enlisted on September 3, 1924, when he was 26 years old. He was promoted to Boatswain's mate and was in command of CG-213 when it effected a daring rescue of a stranded tugboat in November 1926. During this rescue Hart dived into dangerous seas to rescue a member of the tug's crew who had fallen overboard. According to his Coast Guard biography: "Hart jumped overboard and affected the rescue at great personal risk, as the two vessels were not more than 8 feet apart in the raging seas." For this act of heroism Hart was awarded the Gold Lifesaving Medal. In 1927 his heroism in fighting a gasoline fire earned him a commendation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John G. Witherspoon</span> American military officer (1939–1994)

John Gordon Witherspoon, Sr. was a distinguished sailor in the United States Coast Guard. Born in Yadkin Valley, North Carolina and raised in Lenoir, North Carolina, Witherspoon started his military career in the United States Army and later enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1963, where, after promotion to Quartermaster First Class, he was invited to attended Officer training school, and was commissioned an ensign, in 1971. Witherspoon would eventually command three Coast Guard cutters, Mallow, Valiant and Dependable, and rise to the rank of captain. He was only the second individual of African-American descent to command a cutter, and was the first individual of African-American descent to command a Coast Guard base.

USCGC <i>Daniel Tarr</i>

USCGC Daniel Tarr (WPC-1136) is the United States Coast Guard's 36th Sentinel-class cutter, and the first of three to be homeported in Galveston, Texas.

USCGC <i>William Sparling</i>

USCGC William Sparling (WPC-1154) will be the United States Coast Guard's 54th Sentinel-class cutter.

USCGC <i>Harold Miller</i>

USCGC Harold Miller (WPC-1138) is the United States Coast Guard's 38th Sentinel-class cutter.

USCGC <i>Glen Harris</i>

USCGC Glen Harris (WPC-1144) will be the United States Coast Guard's 44th Sentinel-class cutter.

References

  1. ↑ "Marvin Perrett". World War 2 online . Retrieved 2019-11-24. His father was a veteran of the First World War and had been wounded in France by the Germans and refused to sign so that Perrett could enlist at age 17. Therefore Perrett enlisted at age 18 and on 16 September 1943 he went to the navy recruiter.
  2. 1 2 3 Scott Price (2003-06-18). "Interviewee: Marvin J. Perrett, World War II Coast Guard Veteran". U.S. Coast Guard Oral History Program. Archived from the original on 2007-10-02. Retrieved 2019-11-24. Mr. Perrett's oral history is comprehensive. He describes his decision to join the Coast Guard and he then delves into the extensive training he received and how he was picked to be the man in charge of a landing craft.
  3. ↑ "Coast Guard Hero Passes Away". Coast Guard News . New Orleans. 2007-05-07. Archived from the original on 2007-12-27. Retrieved 2019-11-24. Last week, Mr. Perrett hosted a week long Coast Guard symposium with hundreds of Sector New Orleans personnel, which included a Coast Guard history display, including several tours and trips onboard a Higgins type LCPV across Lake Pontchartrain and a 39ft RHIB from Textron Marine and Land Systems.
  4. ↑ "WW II Veteran Shares Horrors Of War". WLOX . 2004-02-05. Retrieved 2019-11-24. Perrett's personal war story left quite an impression on students, many of whom plan to enter the military.
  5. ↑ Christening of the Marvin Perrett. YouTube. 2009-06-07. Retrieved 2019-11-24.
  6. ↑ Susan Schept (2010-03-22). "Enlisted heroes honored". United States Coast Guard. Archived from the original on 2011-12-03. Retrieved 2013-02-01. After the passing of several well-known Coast Guard heroes last year, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Charles "Skip" Bowen mentioned in his blog that the Coast Guard does not do enough to honor its fallen heroes.
  7. ↑ "U.S. Coast Guard announces name for first Sentinel-class cutter". 2010-03-22. Archived from the original on 2010-03-25. Retrieved 2013-02-01. Previously designated to be named the Coast Guard Cutter Sentinel, the cutter Bernard C. Webber will be the first of the service's new 153-foot patrol cutters. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen approved the change of the cutter's name to allow this class of vessels to be named after outstanding enlisted members who demonstrated exceptional heroism in the line of duty. This will be the first class of cutters to be named exclusively for enlisted members of the Coast Guard and its predecessor services.
  8. ↑ "FRC Plan B: The Sentinel Class". Defense Industry Daily. 2014-05-02. Archived from the original on 2014-07-07. Retrieved 2014-04-03. All of these boats will be named after enlisted Coast Guard heroes, who distinguished themselves in USCG or military service. The first 25 have been named, but only 8 have been commissioned...
  9. ↑ "Coast Guard releases names of next 10 Fast Response Cutters". Coast Guard News . Washington, DC. 2019-10-23. Retrieved 2019-11-07. Continuing the Sentinel Class' tradition of honoring women and men who distinguished themselves while serving as enlisted Coast Guard members throughout the history of the Service, FRCs 55–64 bear the names of leaders, trailblazers and heroes of the Coast Guard and its forbearers.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.