Coast Farmer (ship)

Coast Farmer, gaining the name in 1937 and previously bearing the names Point Arena (1928) and Riverside Bridge (1920), was a U.S. Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Corporation Design 1023 vessel ordered under the name Minnewawa and built as hull #103 by Submarine Boat, Newark New Jersey in 1920 Coast Farmer is noted as being a part of the Pensacola Convoy landing the supplies and troops intended for the Philippines in Darwin, Australia after being diverted on the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The ship became even more notable being the first of only three ships  successfully running the Japanese blockade into the Philippines; leaviing Brisbane February 1942. Coast Farmer was torpedoed and sunk off Jervis Bay, New South Wales on July 20, 1942.

Pensacola Convoy
The Coast Farmer was one of three merchant cargo ships in the convoy and largely carried civilian supplies for the shops of Guam and Manila. After arrival the Coast Farmer along with Meigs and the Admiral Halstead were retained by United States Forces in Australia (USFIA) for operations in Australia.

Australia-Philippine Operations
Coast Farmer was provided a gun crew from the 453d Ordnance Company, loaded with military supplies including 2,500 tons of rations and departed Brisbane February 10, 1942 for the Philippines where the ship delivered its cargo at Anakan, Mindanao, on 17 February. On departure a member of the gun crew sent ashore to repair machine guns did not return in time and was left behind.

John A. Matson, master of Coast Farmer on this operation, was later awarded the Army's Distinguished Service Medal and the Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal. Coast Farmer became one of only three ships, the others being Dona Nati and the Chinese ship Anhui, to successfully break the Japanese blockade. The supplies brought by the Coast Farmer were destroyed in transshipment when the smaller ships trying to reach Corregidor were sunk by gunfire from Japanese naval forces off Mindanao.

On her return she was one of seven vessels in the USFIA Army fleet and one of three assigned indefinitely. Subsequently General MacArthur received confirmation the vessel was under War Shipping Administration charter for his use without restriction. The Coast Farmer was engaged in supporting the war effort in coastwise shipping when torpedoed by the Japanese submarine I-11 and sunk off Jervis Bay, New South Wales July 20, 1942. One crew member was lost.

References cited

 * Attempts to Supply The Philippines by Sea: 1942; Charles Dana Gibson and E. Kay Gibson