When WWII came, this Maine island gave up 50 sons — and their last ferry home

Swan’s Island’s Wartime Sacrifice and Isolation

When World War II hit, Swan’s Island changed fast. The small Maine community of 570 folks saw about 50 men join the fight.

Brothers Wes and Bud Staples even bumped into each other by chance in Europe. Then in 1941, the Navy took their lifeline – the steamship North Haven – for war duty.

Cut off after sixty years of steady service, many islanders had to leave home. They found jobs in South Portland, building Liberty Ships for the war.

Mail slowed, supplies dwindled, yet neighbors still helped each other through tough times. The Burnt Coat Harbor Light Station now tells this story of an island that gave much but lost even more.

War News Reached Swan’s Island By Radio in 1941

About 570 folks lived across Atlantic, Minturn, and Swan’s Island village when Pearl Harbor got hit. This out-of-the-way Maine community counted on daily boat trips on the North Haven to stay in touch with the mainland.

Most families first heard about the Japanese attack on their crackling radios or from newspapers that came by boat. Men soon started talking about joining up while families got ready for big changes.

The tight fishing and lobstering community had stuck together through the Depression, now facing an even tougher test.

Fifty Young Men Left Their Island Home For War

Guys from Swan’s Island joined all branches of the military throughout the war.

Family members often ended up in different units, like the Staples brothers Wes and Bud who joined separate Army groups.

The Wheaton brothers – Johnny, Burton, and Nelson "Booby" – all wore different uniforms during the fighting. Many islanders picked the Navy because they already knew boats.

Military folks made special trips to the island to help eager volunteers sign up.

The North Haven Boat Got Drafted Too

Swan’s Island lost its key link to the mainland when the government took the North Haven steamboat for war use in 1941.

This sudden move ended over sixty years of steady boat service that had connected the island to Rockland since the 1890s. Mail, supplies, and passenger travel all stopped without warning.

The island hadn’t been this cut off since its early days. No new ferry came right away, leaving folks scrambling to find ways to reach the mainland.

Shipyards Called While Island Jobs Disappeared

Many working-age islanders went to South Portland’s busy shipyards to help build Liberty Ships for the war. Families faced hard choices about moving for work.

Between military service and mainland jobs, Swan’s Island lost many workers almost overnight. Traditional island jobs like lobstering and fishing kept going but with fewer hands.

The once-busy harbors grew quieter as more boats sat unused.

Neighbors Stepped Up When Supply Boats Stopped Coming

Island life got harder without regular deliveries during wartime rationing. Local stores struggled to keep basic goods on shelves as shipments became spotty.

People shared what they had, bringing families closer together. Women took over farms, shops, and homes while men were away.

The island’s habit of looking out for each other became more important as outside help grew scarce.

Two Brothers Found Each Other By Pure Luck In Europe

Wes and Bud Staples served in different Army units fighting across Europe. In a lucky break, someone in one group asked if anyone knew someone from Maine.

This simple question led to finding out that Bud was serving with another unit nearby. Their surprise meeting in the middle of a war zone became one of the most talked-about stories back on Swan’s Island.

Such rare good news gave hope to families waiting for their own soldiers to come home.

Fishing Boats Sat Empty In The Harbor

The island’s main jobs took hard hits as workers left for military service or mainland work. Lobster traps piled up unused on docks while fishing boats lacked enough crew to go out regularly.

The once-active granite quarries mostly shut down. Boat building and repair work slowed with skilled craftsmen gone.

Many families who had counted on these old island jobs for generations faced money troubles during the war years.

Women Ran Everything While The Men Were Gone

Swan’s Island women kept things going by taking over businesses, farms, and family duties. They created support groups to help families struggling without their breadwinners.

Many learned tasks that had always been "men’s work," including some fishing and boat upkeep. Local schools and churches came to depend heavily on women volunteers.

Letters from overseas became treasured connections, read over and over until the paper wore thin.

Mail Took Weeks To Reach The Isolated Community

Without regular boat service, getting mail became hit-or-miss for island families. Letters from sons and husbands fighting overseas sometimes took weeks or months to arrive.

Families gathered around radios for war news, even when reception was poor in bad weather. Phone calls to the mainland stayed expensive and hard to arrange for most people.

Winter storms made the isolation worse, sometimes cutting off all travel for days at a time.

Gas Rations Hit Fishing Boats The Hardest

Wartime rationing created unique challenges for the island community. Gas limitations meant fishing boats couldn’t go out as often or as far.

Families grew bigger gardens and caught more fish to make up for food rationing. Rubber shortages affected everything from boat equipment to household items like boots.

Metal was so scarce that fixing fishing gear or boat parts became nearly impossible. Islanders got creative, fixing and reusing things they would have replaced before the war.

The Island Never Quite Returned To Its Pre-War Size

The war’s end in 1945 brought Swan’s Island men home from military service, but not all returned to stay. Many veterans chose mainland jobs they’d found during the war years.

The island’s population stayed well below pre-war numbers for a long time afterward. Ferry service eventually started up again, though the beloved steamboats never returned.

The community had weathered one of its toughest challenges, but emerged forever changed by the wartime experience.

Visiting Burnt Coat Harbor Light Station, Maine

You can reach Burnt Coat Harbor Light Station by taking the Maine State Ferry from Bass Harbor Terminal for a 40-minute ride to Swan’s Island, then driving 3. 5 miles to 433 Harbor Road.

The Keeper’s House opens June 17-30 and August 19-September 13, Tuesday-Saturday 11am-3pm. You can climb the light tower during these hours and explore the trails and beaches for free.

This community lost many residents to mainland shipyard work after their steamship was taken for war duty.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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