U.S. Coast Guard FS547

Likely near San Jose, Mindoro

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FS-547

Nathan Beck

Joy Beck

dry

dry

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Verbatim date: 1945. Giant clam pearl collected by LC Nathan H. Beck in the Philippines, 1945, during World War II. Excerpt from handwritten note (6/5/2014): "Finder: LC Nathan H. Beck, US Coast Guard - 1945 while aboard FS547 - collected pearls did some diving himself. Don't know where or how he discovered the Giant Clam Pearl. Joy A. Beck, 11901 Sierra Way SP6, Kernville, Ca. 93238 760-376-6302". See specimen notes for more details. About U.S. Army Freight and Supply Ship FS-547 From U.S. Coast Guard website (https://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/fs_vessels.asp): "FS-547 The Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-547 was commissioned 14 October 1944 at Los Angeles, CA with LT E. M. Harrison, USCGR as commanding officer. She was assigned to and operated in the Southwest Pacific and Western Pacific areas. On 11 April 1945, the FS-547 was sent from Manila to San Jose, Mindoro, being loaned out by USASOS for an indefinite period. Her duties were to deliver rations, fuel and equipment to units of the Philippine Army, formerly guerrillas, located at various ports in the Visayan area, to ports administered by the P.C.A.U #7, to transport Philippine Army troops from time to time and make any and all incidental trips which the 8th Army saw fit to set up. They ran one main monthly supply trip about the second week of each month that required about a week or ten days, to which three to five extra trips were added, all of shorter duration. The usual itinerary was from Margarin Bay (port of San Jose, Mindoro) to Romblon, Romblon Island, to Balanacan (Port of Boac, Marinduque, Island) to Calapan (Capital of Mindoro Province) to Lubang, Lubang Island and back to Mangarin Bay. Two to four days were spent at their base port, ordinarily to perform ship maintenance and repair as well as to procure ship's rations and supplies. She was decommissioned 27 October 1945."