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Your assignment during time of danger or war tasked you to provide adequate protection and defensive firepower to to protect U.S. and Allied merchant vessels traveling alone against constant danger from enemy submarines, surface raiders, fighter aircraft and bombers. Your successful mission served the Allied Cause and Saved Countless lives and tons of much needed materiel United States Navy Armed Guard units were established during World War II in an attempt to provide defensive firepower to merchant ships in convoy or merchant ships traveling alone. This was done because of the constant danger from enemy submarines, surface raiders, fighter aircraft and bombers, and because of the shortage of Allied escort vessels necessary to provide the merchant vessels with adequate protection. Unit composition The United States Navy Armed Guard (USNAG) were U.S. Navy gun crews consisting of Gunner's Mates, Coxswains and Boatswains, Radiomen, Signalmen, an occasional Pharmacist (Hospital Corpsman), and toward the end of the war a few radarmen serving at sea on Merchant Ships. Armed Guard crews served on Allied merchant marine ships in every theatre of the war. Typically the crew was led by a single commissioned officer, but earlier in the war chiefs and even petty officers had command. By war's end, Armed Guard training bases were located throughout the country, and over 144,900 men served on over 6,236 American and Allied ships. According to our lists compiled from various sources, about 2,085 died in defense of their country, and at least 1,127 were wounded as a result of enemy action. The list below has 2,194 names and we ask your help in determining which Navy casualties listed for the SS Dorchester and Henry R. Mallory, and perhaps others, were passengers, and not members of the Armed Guard.