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Claremont’s role in the mechanics of atomic warfare

By WAYNE L. MCELREAVY
Claremont Historical Society
CLAREMONT — Robert Cowan Osgood was born in Claremont on March 8, 1889, the first of five children born to Herbert and Lillian (Jewett) Osgood. Herbert was an insurance agent in Claremont until selling his business to Julius Timson in 1899 and moving his family to Lansing, Michigan.

While target shooting in 1900, Herbert had trouble with his revolver. The gun discharged during examination, killing Herbert at age 40. His widowed wife returned to Claremont with their five children.

Robert became a star runner on the Stevens High School track team. Upon graduation in 1909, he attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and then became a mechanical draftsman for the Sullivan Machinery Company. He would rise to the position of chief engineer and manager of the hoist division. Due to being the sole support of his mother, he was exempted from military service in World War I. 

On Feb. 21, 1918, he married Edith Fitch. They would have four sons — Robert, Arthur, Richard, and Harold — and two daughters — Carolyn and Edith.

Like many machine shops in the area, the Sullivan Machinery Company ran at only 50-percent capacity throughout most of the Great Depression. Within months of the Depression ending in 1939, war broke out in Europe, causing the company to see a sharp decline in foreign sales. 

Sullivan Machinery was able to fill the void by becoming a sub-contractor for the United States military. In addition to high demand for their air compressors, the military needed hoists for bomb racks. In secret meetings declassified in the 1950s, officials came to Claremont to meet with Osgood regarding a project — the Manhattan Project. Bombs were being developed that would weigh about 10,000 pounds, and airplanes needed to be fitted with a hoist system to handle the large bombs.

So it was right here in Claremont where Osgood’s crew developed and built the hoists for the planes that would drop two atomic bombs on Japan, bringing an end to World War II.

Very little was ever said about the project until 1963 when the Claremont Daily Eagle published an article about a former Claremonter, Charles B. Officer, Jr. The Thresher, a nuclear submarine, had left the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and sunk. Equipment manufactured by Officer’s company aided in the search for the lost sub. The article prompted Osgood to write to the Eagle with information of previous military aid by Claremont. His letter is reproduced below:

“I read with great interest the recent article in the Eagle regarding Charles B. Officer, Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. C. B. Officer of River Road, Claremont. It was fine to learn that “Chick” Officer was following the old Claremont tradition of aiding the Navy by designing and building equipment used to help locate the sunken submarine.

“This article reminded me of other equipment designed and manufactured in Claremont for the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force. I believe most of the people in Claremont and even those with the Joy Manufacturing Co. today are not aware of the contribution to the U.S. Armed Forces, as some of it was highly classified. For this reason I write this information, hoping it may be of some interest.

“In 1942, at the beginning of World War II, the Sullivan Machinery Co. in Claremont manufactured hundreds of light weight aluminum hand operated bomb hoists of one-ton capacity, to be mounted in U.S. Air Force planes to lift bombs up into their bomb racks.

“In 1943 the Sullivan Machinery Co. Hoist Division in Claremont designed and constructed two much larger light weight aluminum electric bomb hoists of 12,000 lbs. capacity, to be mounted in U.S. Air Force bombers to handle atomic bombs weighing 10,000 lbs. These two Sullivan hoists were mounted in the two U.S. bombers which dropped the two 10,000-lb. atomic bombs on Japan. We are sad because of the great loss of Japanese lives caused by these atomic bombs but without doubt, they stopped the war and thus saved the lives of thousands of our boys in service.

“Also in 1943 the Sullivan Hoist Division designed and built similar but smaller electric bomb hoists for the U.S. Navy.

“The Navy was so pleased with these hoists and their operation that Sullivan was awarded the Navy “E” for excellence in design and construction.

“In 1952 the Hoist Division, now of Joy Manufacturing Co., designed a non-magnetic aluminum electric hoist or paravane winch for the U.S. Navy’s new type wooden non-magnetic mine sweepers. Two of these winches were mounted on each mine sweeper to operate the paravanes extending outward on both sides of the mine sweeper to cut loose enemy mines planted in the oceans. Most mines are of the magnetic type exploded by a steel ship passing nearby. To prevent being blown up by these mines the new mine sweepers are built of wood and equipped with diesel engines, machinery and other equipment as near non-magnetic as possible. Many of these wooden mine sweepers with Claremont winches were built for the U.S. Navy and also for our allies.

“You see that Claremont has done its bit to assist our armed forces besides sending many of our boys to distant lands and seas to try to bring peace to the world. We know what this means, for in World War II, three of our sons were in the Navy and one in the Army, and they all came back safely, thank god.”

Robert C. Osgood Sr. 

Osgood would retire in 1956 after 44 years with Sullivan/Joy. He held over 50 patents. He was directly succeeded by Robert C. Osgood Jr., as head of the hoist division. He passed away at age 94 on May 8, 1983.

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