USS Aphrodite (SP-135), 1917-1919

Aphrodite, a 1147 gross ton steam yacht, was built in 1899 at Bath, Maine, as a pleasure craft. In May 1917 she was leased to the Navy for World War I service. Commissioned in June 1917 as USS Aphrodite (SP-135), she soon crossed the Atlantic as an escort for the first troop convoy sent from the U.S. to the European war zone. Aphrodite served in the waters off western France for the remainder of the conflict, escorting convoys and performing anti-submarine patrol missions first under the command of Lieut. Com. R. P. Craft, U.S.N, and later under command of Captain Frederick C. Billard, United States Coast Guard. Following the 11 November 1918 Armistice, she was employed as station ship at Harwich and Portland, England, and at Hamburg, Germany. USS Aphrodite returned to the United States in late June 1919 and was decommissioned and returned to her owner a few weeks later.

Rear Admiral Frederick C. Billard, U.S. Coast Guard

Captain Billard was the Commanding Officer of the USS Aphrodite during World War I. As such he was awarded the Navy Cross for his actions as commander of the Aphrodite. His Citation reads:

Rear Admiral Frederick C. Billard was born in Washington, DC on 22 September 1873. He was appointed a cadet from Maryland on 11 January 1894 and received his early training on the practice ship, USRC Chase. He was appointed a Third Lieutenant in the Revenue Cutter Service on 27 April 1896 and a Captain on 12 September 1912. During the Spanish-American War he served on the Cutter Corwin, then attached to the Pacific Fleet. From 1900 to 1905 he was navigator and instructor on USRC Chase and from 1906 to 1911 he was Aide to Captain Worth J. Ross, Chief of the Revenue Cutter Service. In 1918 he commanded USS Aphrodite, operating in the European War Zone. This was the first American war vessel to pass through the Kiel Canal after the signing of the Armistice. In May 1919 Admiral Billard returned from Europe and became Aide to the Commandant of the Coast Guard. He was made Superintendent of the US Coast Guard Academy at New London, CT in 1921. With the rank of Rear Admiral, he succeeded William E. Reynolds as Commandant on 11 January 1924.

Billard's tenure saw great change and challenge for the Coast Guard. The service grew considerably, both in vessels and manpower, as a result of Prohibition. New patrol craft, and the personnel to man them, were needed to interdict the importation of alcohol. The procurement and construction of these ships along with the acquisition of destroyers from the US Navy posed many problems for the service. Billard oversaw the incorporation of these new vessels and the re-organization of the service with great skill. With his experience as Academy Superintendent, he also led a campaign for improvements. The result saw the reform of the curriculum and the eventual construction and re-establishment of the Academy at its current New London location in 1932. Not only was he an indefatigable worker, he was personable and seemingly knew most of the Coast Guard officer corps even to the most junior level. This engendered a deep sense of loyalty in all of those who served under his command.

Having been appointed to three consecutive terms, he died in office on 17 May 1932. Dearly loved by all those who had the honor of serving under him, his passing was deeply mourned. In his book Guardians of the Sea: History of the United States Coast Guard, 1915 to the Present, Robert Erwin Johnson stated that "Frederick Chamberlayne Billard must rank with the greatest commandants of the Coast Guard. He had guided his service through a very trying period, presiding over an unprecedented expansion and attempting to deal with the herculean task of prohibition enforcement without neglecting his service's traditional responsibilities."

Horace V. Conway (Service No. 122-42-22)

Horace Vaughn (Jim) Conway was born in Bloomfield, Ohio on February 10, 1897. One year after Congress and President Wilson declared War on Germany Horace entered the Naval Recruiting Station in Columbus, Ohio and enlisted into the Navy Reserve Force on May 7, 1918. Seaman Conway was assigned to the Naval Training Station, Great Lakes, and IL from enlistment until June 5, 1918 where he was assigned to the Receiving Ship in New York Harbor. On the 10th of June Seaman Conway was assigned to the USS Covington, which was a seized German Passenger liner, formerly the Cincinnati, now being used by the Navy to transport American troops to the war in Europe.

Seaman 2c Conway was on board the Covington the day she was torpedoed and sank and on the 14th of July after he was rescued, reported to the District Commander in Rochefort, France. He remained there until August 28, 1918 when he was assigned to the converted Yacht USS Aphrodite and served on her until the end of the war and until he was released from the navy on August 15, 1919 at the Demobilization Station in Pittsburgh, PA.

Seaman 2c Conway then reverted back to Reserve status and when finally discharged from the Reserve Force on September 30, 1921 was at the present rank of Engineman 2c. At that time his discharge from the Navy was due to the lack of funds from the government.

After his service in the navy Horace Conway began his career working for the railroad in Dennison, Ohio. He and his wife Marie lived in Dennison, Ohio in a rented home at 67, 10th Street with his wife and two sons. The rent was $28 per month and the family enjoyed one of the early radio sets in their home. Marie was born about 1900 in Ohio and Horace and Marie were married in 1921 when he got out of the navy. On April 16, 1930 Horace worked as a Railway Express Manager in Columbus, Ohio. Horace and Marie’s two sons were born in Dennison, Ohio. They were Fred who was born in 1923 and Clair, born in 1925. They later had two daughter’s, born in Columbus, Ohio, Marianne, born in 1931 and Susan born in 1936.

Horace worked for the railroad all his life as his Social Security number was issued through the Railroad Board. Horace lived in Columbus, Ohio when he passed away in March of 1979.

Joseph Albert Geery Engineman First Class

Joseph Albert Geery was born on February 14, 1893 to Joseph F., and Bertha Geery. The Geery’s lived in Queens, New York in April of 1910 where Joseph F. the father, worked as a clerk at a local lumber-yard, and his son Joseph Albert who was now 16-years old work with his father as a helper in the lumber-yard.

Joseph Albert Geery joined the navy before America entered WWI on August 16, 1916 and served briefly aboard the converted Yacht USS Aphrodite from February 26, 1919 – March 9, 1919. She was then employed as station ship at Harwich and Portland, England, and at Hamburg, Germany. While in the Navy Geery was classified as Engineman First Class. He was then assigned to be part of the new crew of the Ex-German Submarine recently taken over by the United States Navy.

By the terms of the armistice, Germany was required to destroy her aircraft and submarines or surrender them to the Allies. On 26 November 1918, UB-148 was surrendered to the British at Harwich, England. Later, when the United States Navy expressed an interest in acquiring several former U-boats, to use in conjunction with a Victory Bond drive, UB-148 was one of the six boats allocated for that purpose. Her American crew, sent to England early in March 1919, took her over later that month, and began preparing her for the voyage to America, and placed her in commission with Lt. Comdr. Harold T. Smith in command.

Engineman Geery and his fellow shipmates departed England on 3 April 1919 sailing the UB-148 in company with Bushnell (Submarine Tender No. 2) and three other Ex-German submarines-U-117, UB-88, and UC-97. That task organization, the Ex-German Submarine Expeditionary Force, steamed via the Azores and Bermuda to New York, where they arrived on 27 April 1919. After a period of repairs, the Ex-German submarines were opened for visits by the general public. Tourists, reporters and photographers joined Navy technicians and civilian shipbuilders in swarming over UB-148 and the other submarines. Following that, UB-148 received instructions to call at ports along the east coast of the United States in the immediate vicinity of New York City in conjunction with the bond drive. At the conclusion of the drive that summer, she and U-111 were subjected to extensive tests and trials to evaluate their performance capability.

When that experimentation ended, UB-148 joined U-117 and U-140 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, where they were laid up pending final disposition. She was dismantled at Philadelphia; and, during the summer of 1921, her hulk was used in gunnery and aerial bombing tests conducted off the east coast. Following those tests, UB-148 was sunk by gunfire from Sicard (DD-346).

Before the UB-148 was laid up at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Engineman Joseph Geery left duty aboard her and was assigned duty at the New York Navy Yard. This is known from the 1920 Federal Census where on January 8, 1920 Joseph Geery was listed as a machinist at the Navy Yard. He was now married, and he and Margaret his wife lived in Brooklyn, New York. He and Margaret lived in a rented apartment on Moffate Street in Brooklyn. Margaret was born on January 28, 1892 in New York.

By the spring of 1930 Joseph and Margaret Geery had moved to East Rockaway, New York where they owned a home located at 10 First Avenue in East Rockaway. Joseph was now out of the Navy and now worked as a lineman for the local telephone company. He and Margaret had begun to grow the family as in 1923 the first child was born, a son named Walter and then in 1926 a daughter was born she was named Margaret after her mother.

Joseph and Margaret would live the rest of their lives in New York. Joseph Albert Geery would pass away on May 26, 1961 and was buried in the Long Island National Cemetery, section 2J site 3704. Margaret would later pass away on December 31, 1973 and was buried on January 4, 1974 next to her husband in the long Island National Cemetery.