The US PC 552 was affectionately referred to as Rustbucket 552. Commissioned July 1942, it served as a patrol craft and escort ship for convoys. The ship was called to England in January 1944 in preparation of D-Day, escorting ship traffic as well as protecting troops during landing exercises. They witnessed the German bombings of England's south coast.
On June 5, 1944, the ships were kept in the dark about Operation Overlord. Unsure whether this was another rehearsal, it soon became apparent that this was indeed the moment as the channel was filled with so many ships, you couldn’t count them. The sea was so rough many of the ships had trouble keeping station. Once the order was given PC 552 practically led the convoy across the channel. The Augusta was the headquarters for the attack. As PC 552 pulled alongside they were told, “Good Luck, you’re on your own.”
Ted Guzda and Willie Kesnick were childhood friends who enlisted to serve together. They were assigned to PC 552. Both of them believed they were going to die that day. Willie lost his helmet when Ted emptied a bucket of sand and tossed it to Willie to put on his head. He often spoke about the ping ping sound of the bullets hitting the bucket.
It was years before they could talk about what happened that day. Once they started talking about it they couldn’t stop. I think they both were so grateful for surviving that day that they lived every day thereafter as a gift.
If you would like to know more about PC 552 and its role in the D-Day invasion on Omaha Beach, there is a great book titled: “Normandy: A Father’s Ship and a Son’s Curiosity. The USS PC 552” written by Dave Cary and available on Amazon.
According to crew member, Bill Kesnick, "When we left, they told us, 'God bless you, 552.' They didn't expect us to come back."