Old Weather Forum

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On the weather page, please enter: date, locations, distances (nautical miles and tenths), courses, and all the weather data in the columns outlined in red in the spreadsheet.
It is not necessary to record State of the Sea.
However, ice mentioned in the weather grid should be transcribed using the magenta Sea column.

On the events page please enter: ice, location information, and sailing information.
Aurorae, volcanic, and seismic activity should be reported in the forum.
The names of US Navy and Coast Guard ships met should be noted. This gives the science team a chance to compare weather readings. You can include all ships mentioned in a single entry without a time or any additional data.
Other events are optional.

One person can do both weather and events (Stream 1), but the system also allows one person to do the weather page (Stream 1) and a second person to do the events page (Stream 3).
Unlike in OW3, where three transcriptions were required for each page, we are doing only one transcription per page.

Every transcriber needs to enter the date.
The date is used to organize the pages.

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See Onondaga — General for some general background and discussion.
See Onondaga — Examples for a quick introduction to transcribing or a refresher.

See Transcribing Guide to learn how to transcribe the data.
Post in Ask Questions Here or this topic if you have questions.

OW web site: Onondaga

Direct links:

• Tracker
• Spreadsheet
• File Upload
• Transcription Status

I'll make a start on this year

03-06-1942 Attack on Dutch Harbor

https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/med ... 2_0233.JPG

Wow!!! It's so interesting to read those pages! Reminds me of being on the HMS Grafton back in WW I. Somehow reading the actual handwriting in the log books seems more immediate than reading about it in a book.

Michael wrote: ↑Tue Sep 28, 2021 11:27 pm Somehow reading the actual handwriting in the log books seems more immediate than reading about it in a book.

It really does!

Michael wrote: ↑Tue Sep 28, 2021 11:27 pm Wow!!! It's so interesting to read those pages! Reminds me of being on the HMS Grafton back in WW I. Somehow reading the actual handwriting in the log books seems more immediate than reading about it in a book.

That reminds me of a detail I noticed in a while ago another log:

On the 3rd September a death is reported of one of the crew, the number of vacancies is also given as 9 on the bottom half of the left page:
https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/med ... 9-0008.JPG

On the next day, the number of vacancies is given as 10, but there is clearly a crossed out 9 next to it.
https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/med ... 9-0009.JPG

Little details like that make you think about what might have been going through the mind of the log keeper

Exactly!
It is those little details - daily life rather than major historical events - that I love about the logs.

Check out the 4-8pm watch on Sept 30 (bottom left): https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/med ... 67_189.jpg
Hint: This was the time of Queen Victoria and HBM (His/Her Britannic Majesty) was used for Royal Navy ships

Also: "The ship's mascat goat "Nan" returned on board after a week's leave ashore on a farm"
https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/med ... 07_024.jpg

Finished May-June so far, a lot of stuff to transribe, probably won't be the easiest log to do journey calculations for, but at least so far they are still haven't sacrificed location information for secrecy.

This period was particularly busy, started escorting a convoy to Dutch Harbor, shortly after arriving there, Dutch Harbor was attacked and she apparently went to hide in Security Cove, slowly headed back to Dutch Harbor and spent a couple of days patrolling back and forth awaiting orders, then spend most of June escorting USAT Delarof to St. Paul and St. George to evacuate the people living there and then taking them to the Alaska panhandle on the way back to Seattle.

Unfortunately not much is mentioned in the log about the evacuees, they were more concerned with recording sightings of planes and ships (and one mention of ice)

Found this page about the relocation of the Aleuts during WW2 which goes into lots of detail
https://www.nps.gov/articles/aleu-mobley-intro.htm

Also the commender is S.P. Mehlman and I'm pretty sure I remember that name in a more junior position from another log

joke_slayer wrote: ↑Wed Oct 06, 2021 10:05 pm Found this page about the relocation of the Aleuts during WW2 which goes into lots of detail
https://www.nps.gov/articles/aleu-mobley-intro.htm

Great find!
I posted it in OW:WW2.

https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/med ... 2_0337.JPG

0640 Sighted 2 patches of pale green water one point on port bow about 30 feet in diameter

Hmmm!

Kevin says: One possibility is a patch of an algal bloom - https://seagrant.uaf.edu/topics/environ ... al-blooms/

I suspected something like that as well, but wasn't sure

Recorded is as flora and fauna and thought I'd highlight it here in case it was interesting for the scientists

Thank you!

File this under oops

https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/med ... 2_0365.JPG

0825 Ran around off NorthEast side of Permanent Pier

#

No damage was found:

https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/med ... 2_0366.JPG

Wow! I'm used to the very early ships running aground, but it's surprising to see it in 1942. Better maps and better navigation aids.

Same fallible humans