About 1938 or 1939, a sailor smuggled a pup aboard the Cutter Campbell, a 327 foot Coast Guard vessel stationed, at that time, out of New York. The pup had been intended as a gift for a girlfriend, but the landlord would have none of it, so the dog ended up in a seabag as Campbell prepared to get underway. There was nothing to be done, the lines were being cast off as the dog was discovered, so he (soon dubbed Sinbad) became part of the crew. Campbell was a "Combat Cutter" built as part of a class intended to be transferred under navy command in the event of war. These cutters were basically Destroyer Escorts (DE) and as such, Campbell had two 5 inch guns mounted forward, with provisions for additional 3 inch guns to be mounted both forward and aft. When war broke out she was fitted with an additional four 3 inch guns, as well as depth charge racks and various AA and M2 (50 caliber) mounts. Sinbad turned out be a typical Coast Guard sailor. He could be counted on to do his duty splendidly while underway, but tended to get in trouble while on liberty. He created two formal diplomatic complaints in foreign ports. One, a complaint from the Danish government in exile, for harrying sheep in Greenland, another from the government of French Morocco for unspecified debaucheries in Casablanca. The Campbell was assigned to convoy duty in the North and Mid-Atlantic zones, then into the Med for operations in Tunisia, then to the Pacific for the operations in Saipan and Leyte. Campbell got around. And the more Campbell got around, the more famous Sinbad became. Every miserable soul rescued from the North Atlantic, Med or Pacific got an enthusiastic greeting from Sinbad, who had a soft spot for anyone in pain or distress. He didn't distinguish between allied sailors or German U-boat crew, they all got a wet nose and concerned attention. In dozens of U-boat encounters, Sinbad would man his station under the aft rail to watch the action. He didn't get excited or get in the way, just watched the guns go off, not bothered at all by the noise which would have made most dogs flee in terror. Campbell almost sank in 1943 after ramming the U-606 in the N. Atlantic, severely damaging her own hull. Most of the crew was put onto the Polish Destroyer Burza, while the rest were to stay and try to keep the vessel afloat. When Sinbad was about to be transferred to the waiting Poles, the remaining crew (19 men?) took on a stricken look. Sinbad was their good luck charm. The Skipper immediately changed the order and Sinbad remained on board for the dangerous trip back to Boston for repairs. The newspapers discovered Sinbad. He became featured in military magazines and articles. At that time, the Belfast Telegraph had a society column devoted to the comings and goings of top society figures; aristocrats, important government figures, movie stars. Sinbad made that list and every time Campbell escorted a convoy into that port, Sinbad was featured in the society column. Sinbad served on Campbell for eleven years, finally retiring to the Barnegat Light Station, where he died in 1951. He was laid to rest beneath the flagpole there, and a plaque still marks his grave today. https://miepvonsydow.wordpress.com/tag/coast-guard/
I just remembered another tale about Sinbad. There are two versions of the story, one school swearing it occurred in Gibraltar and the other school standing by Naples. The stories are nearly identical, but I prefer the Naples version because it involves hookers. While fueling and taking on stores in Naples, some Brit naval supply officers were so taken with Sinbad and the many tricks he'd been taught that they offered to buy him for some fantastic sum, which (rumor has it) included numerous cases of misappropriated Scotch. The offer was firmly refused, but on the evening before Campbell was due to get underway, Sinbad failed to report for evening muster. Suspecting the limey bastards had kidnapped him, a full contingent of crewmen were issued Shore Patrol armbands and nightsticks to rescue him. They stormed right into the brothel the suspects were known to frequent, and sure enough, there was Sinbad happily lounging in an armchair surrounded by admiring British naval officers and Italian women of questionable moral character. He was rescued with extreme prejudice and due to the circumstances, the Royal Navy thought it best to not file any complaints about any (alleged) broken furniture or damaged officers. They were only supply officers after all, and there was the issue of allied solidarity to keep in mind.
My favorite is this dog with a Fliegerhaube https://fr.pinterest.com/electriclute/dogs-cats-and-mascots-the-world-wars/
Unfortunately he couldn't have been transferred to Burza anyway, for the reason Burza was firmly under the control of his race's sworn enemies: They say the cat queen on the left, landsman Kitty to you, was not only on the crew list, but on the ship's payroll too. She enlisted in 1939. View attachment 25261
