The Fourth Arm · Episode 5 of 11 · 20 min
142 Died as Students: The WWII Cadet Double-Standard
In World War II, Merchant Marine Academy cadets were sent into U-boat waters on working ships as part of their training, and 142 died before graduating, while Naval Academy midshipmen trained in the sheltered Chesapeake Bay. The episode argues the double standard, gives the counter-case its full weight, and leaves open whether it was prudence or privilege.
Who's who
- Edwin J. O'HaraCadet-midshipman who fired the last shells aboard the Stephen Hopkins
Where it happens
- Chesapeake BayWhere Naval Academy midshipmen trained on local waters
- North Atlantic Ocean+2 more episodesU-boat waters where merchant cadets served
- Kings Point, New York+3 more episodesAcademy carrying the number 142 on its Battle Standard
Timeline
- Summer 1940Naval Academy begins compressing its course and postpones summer cruises
- 1942Merchant cadets sent on required sea-duty year aboard working ships
- September 1942SS Stephen Hopkins fights the raider Stier; O'Hara is killed
- September 2025A Naval Institute op-ed argues O'Hara should receive the Medal of Honor
Still debated
Sources disagree on the merchant fleet's death toll, which is reported as more than 9,000, roughly 1 in 26. Whether the difference in training was designed by class is probably unanswerable, and whether O'Hara merits the Medal of Honor is advocacy, not a decision.