The S.S. Vancouver

Annotation

Australian contemporary folk artist Ken Mansell, active in the protest and labour movement in Melbourne, in the 1960s and 70s. He later wrote several scholarly articles about the history of the movement, including "The Yeast Is Red: A History of the Bakery (Off-Campus Centre of the Monash University Club 1968-71)", for Labour History Melbourne, published April 1994, and "Taking to the Streets against the Vietnam War: A Timeline History of Australian Protest 1962-1972", also for the Labour History Melbourne, published 8 May 2020. Mansell composed the song "The S.S. Vancouver", although no recording has been identified at the moment. The lyrics of this song featured in The Vietnam Songbook published in 1969, and compiled by Barbara Dane and Irwin Silber (founders of Paredon Records) - containing 100+ Vietnam War protest songs, 9 of which came from Australia & New Zealand. According to the notes in the book: "this song was written in 1965 on the arrival of the U.S.S. Vancouver in Australia". The title dropped the "U", leaving just the "S.S.", a reference to the infamous Nazi paramilitary group. The U.S.S. Vancouver (LPD-2) was an amphibious transport dock, commissioned on 11 May 1963, and deployed at various point in the Vietnam War. In April, 1965, it departed Huế, South Vietnam, having off-loaded marines there.1 It arrived in Sydney on 1 May 1965, taking part in the The Battle of the Coral Sea commemoration, which recalled World War Two naval engagements off the north-east coast of Australia (4-8 May 1942), between the US and Australia, against the Japanese.2 The song took an anti-war position, arguing that "our army boys are used as pawns" and "foreign mercenaries". The lyrics noted the historical importance of the alliance during World War Two: "on our own we could not have saved the Coral Sea". However, the song-writer believed that the situation in Vietnam was "another kind of war". So, while the ship docked in Australia "to celebrate...this anniversary", people must "protest if you can", to stop "bombs...showered in our name". Sources1Wikipedia: USS Vancouver (LPD-2)↩2anzacday.org.au: Ww2 the battle of the coral sea↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: There's commotion at the wharf / All to see a warship off / That seeks a small assistance in the escalation game / They promised in our name / There's commotion at the wharf / All to say they won the battle / For our land of the Wattle / So at Canberra great commitments are promised in our name / Bombs are showered in our name / Who doesn't feel shame? / Don't listen to what these Yankees say / Protest if you can / We'll drive them from our land / Demand negotiations or we'll all be blown away. Some say there was a time of a bravery sublime / For on our own we could not have saved the Coral Sea / But the years have passed and gone / Another kind of war is on / Now they say that we should stabilize / Dictator Marshall Ky / The Vancouver will be floating across the Southern Ocean / While many of our countrymen couldn't give a damn / They say us folks down under shouldn't stop to wonder / About the nature of relations that we have with Uncle Sam / They're here to show their strength / With this vessel of great length / To celebrate amongst us this anniversary / Meanwhile, our army boys are used as pawns and toys / To stem a revolution as foreign mercenaries There's commotion at the wharf / All to see a warship off / That seeks a small assistance in the escalation game / They promised in our name / There's commotion at the wharf / All to say they won the battle / For our land of the Wattle / So at Canberra great commitments are promised in our name / Bombs are showered…

About the artist

Unreleased. Lyrics featured in "The Vietnam Songbook". Australian artists

Themes

Anti-War · ANZUS

In collections

Australian & New Zealand Songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years]