Lt. Raymond O. Beaudoin (T-AP-189)
Raymond O. Beaudoin was born in Holyoke, Mass., and was serving as first lieutenant in the U.S. Army near Hamelin, Germany, on 6 April 1945. He was leading his platoon over open ground when all were pinned down by a devastating curtain of fire from enemy machineguns and automatic weapons. By rotating his men in firing position he enabled his platoon to dig in against the numerically superior force and inflict heavy casualities on it. However, enemy reinforcements made the platoon's position precarious. In order to allow a runner to secure help, Lieutenant Beaudoin decided to make a one‑man charge on the most dangerous sniper nest some 90 yards away. Despite a barrage of rifle and bazooka fire he reached the nest and wiped out three of its inhabitants, the fourth falling from covering fire from the American platoon. Continuing the attack, Lieutenant Beaudoin charged a dugout, but was killed by a blast of machinegun fire. The runner was able to secure help, however; and the platoon was saved. For the supreme sacrifice which he made in saving the lives of the men under him, Lieutenant Beaudoin was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
An Army name retained.
Lt. Raymond O. Beaudoin (T‑AP‑189) was laid down as Marshall Victory under Maritime Commission contract by Bethlehem‑Fairfield Shipyard, Inc., Baltimore, Md., 4 April 1945; launched 21 May 1945; sponsored by Miss Helen V. Elsey; and delivered to her operator, J. H. Winchester, 15 June 1945.
Owned by the Maritime Administration, she served on the merchant sealanes and later with the Army Transportation Service primarily in the Pacific. She was transferred by the Maritime Administration to the Navy 22 July 1950 and placed in service 1 August 1950. Manned by a civilian crew, she operated under the control of MSTS and made supply runs and troop lifts between west coast ports and American bases in Japan and South Korea. From 20 April 1951 to 13 September 1962 she completed 20 deployments to Korean waters as a part of the vital seaborne supply line between Japan and Korea. She was returned to the custody of the Maritime Administration 5 November 1952 and was placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet in Puget Sound, Olympia, Wash. Her name was struck from the Navy list 22 December 1952. She remains berthed at Olympia in the NDRF.
Lt. Raymond O. Beaudoin received four battle stars for service during the Korean conflict.
