| Soldiers from the United States Army 1st Infantry Division on the deck of USS Samuel Chase (APA-26) as they cross the English Channel. They are preparing their weapons and equipment that can be seen here: M1928 Haversacks, assault vests, M7 assault gas mask bags, M1910 “T-handle” entrenching tools, M1943 folding entrenching tools, and United States Navy inflatable lifebelts, some of which have been attached to equipment. The pack board at the lower right has 12 cardboard transport tubes tied to it containing M9A1 anti-tank rifle grenades. This unit is armed with almost 20 M1903 bolt-action rifles, many of which are protected by pliofilm bags. The men rest their weapons and get against the rests that carry landing craft on deck. Note the 5-inch (127 millimeter) gun tub behind the soldiers. USS Samuel Chase was a United States Coast Guard-manned transport and the gun crew is standing by for air attack. USS Samuel Chase arrive off Omaha Beach at 0315 Hours on June 6, 1944. At 0510 Hours she sounded general quarters and set condition 1A2. By 11100 hours, the 1st Infantry Division was completely unloaded with all vehicles. USS LCI 85 came alongside at 1115 Hours to offload casualties and personnel before she sank at 1340. At 1200 Hours Chase sen all available landing craft, 15 in all, to assist in unloading Landing Craft, Infantry. Chase continued to load casualties until 1800 Hours and weighed anchor at 1833 Hours; after anchoring with USS Charles Carroll at 1912 Hours, left the Omaha Beach area at 2026 Hours and set sail for the United Kingdom, arriving in Yarmouth Bay at 0515 Hours on June 7. HMS Queen Empress took off her casualties, and she sailed for Portland, England at 1500 Hours. 40 minutes later, she tied up in the harbor, where she remained until June 19. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0403.jpg |
| Image Size | 913.54 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2935 x 2404 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | Coast Guard |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | June 6, 1944 |
| Location | |
| City | |
| State or Province | Normandy |
| Country | France |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | 26-G-2336 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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