Charles Blockston, 2009
Summary
Blockston discusses: prewar years in the Merchant Marine; life at sea onboard a merchant ship; the German attacks on the Carlton; being captured in Norway by German forces; time in a German POW camp; repatriation.
Dates
- 2009
Creator
- Blockston, Charles (Narrator, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research use.
Biographical / Historical
Merchant Mariner, Project Liberty Ship. Charles Blockston was a member of the Merchant Marine and served during WWII. In 1942, Germans sunk his ship, the Carlton, while en route for Murmansk. After 19 days adrift at sea, two Norwegian fishermen rescued the crew and brought them to Tufjord, Norway. Soon after, Germans captured the crew and imprisoned them in a German POW camp, Milag Nord Mirag, near Hamburg. In 1945, after 32 months in captivity, the Germans released Blockston. He continued to serve in the Merchant Marine until 1982. Upon retirement, he joined Project Liberty Ship in the restoration of the SS John W. Brown.
Extent
From the Collection: 50 Items : 50 interviews
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Scope and Contents
Collection contains 11 interviews with Maryland veterans of the Army’s 29th Division, Merchant Mariners and Tuskegee Airmen. There is also a group interview with members of the American Rosie the Riveter Association.
Materials available for this project include audio and video recordings, biographical material, photographs, ephemera and other materials. Transcripts are available for 10 of the interviews. OH 9915, Victor Harvey Hodgin, Sr. has not been transcribed.
There is also a companion booklet containing 14 student research papers examining Maryland’s role during World War II from various aspects. Topics include: Maryland’s prisoner of war camps, the Glenn L. Martin Company, Aberdeen Proving Ground, civil rights activism in wartime Baltimore, and more. The booklet also contains an introduction to the project, photographs, and short biographies of the student interviewers.
Creator
- Blockston, Charles (Narrator, Person)
- Coleman, Raven (Interviewer, Person)
Repository Details
Part of the H. Furlong Baldwin Library Repository
H. Furlong Baldwin Library
Maryland Center for History and Culture
610 Park Avenue
Baltimore MD 21201 United States
4106853750
specialcollections@mdhistory.org