Deaths: Patrick J. Hannifin, Jacques Lazurus

PATRICK J. HANNIFIN (1923-Jan. 9, 2014) Graduated USNA in 1944, eventually becoming a vice admiral. Served in the submarine USS Balao (SS-285)during World War II. Later commanded USS Diodon (SS-349), USS George Washington (SSBN-598) and USS Lafayette (SSBN-616). A member of the Silent Service. //// JACQUES LAZURUS (1916-Jan. 8, 2014) Leader of the Jewish resistance in France after being forced out of the French Army by the Vichy Government. Then joined the Jewish Army which later became the Jewish Combat Organization. Captured by the Getaspo, he escaped from a train headed for Auschwitz. //// The Greatest Generation. --GreGen

Deaths: Joseph L. Coleman, Navy Aviator

JOSEPH L. COLEMAN, 91, Died Jan. 14, 2014. //// Cadet in Navy December 1943. In World War II was an aviator on the USS Swanee (CVE-27) from April 1944 to November 1945. Fought in the Pacific at Philippines, Leyte, Borneo, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Also fought in the Vietnam War. Had two air kills. //// Carriet qualification on the USS Sable on the Great Lakes. Eventually rose to the rank of rear admiral. //// Was in the Navy Cadet Program and commissioned an ensign. Joined Fighter Squadron 40 on the USS Swanee and destroyed two enemy aircraft at Iwo Jima. //// --GreGen

Looted Paintings At Auction in New York City-- Part 2

Two of these had been in German Air Force Chief Hermann Goering's personal collection and had been painted by Jean-Batiste Pater. They had been taken from Baron James Mayer de Rothschild's collection in Paris. Both will be sold together and expected to get $500,000. //// They and the works of two other painters have Nazi markings (who meticulously catalogued looted items) as well as the numbered system on the Monuments Men after recovery. //// The Pater paintings have the Nazi marks R 70 and R 73, meaning they were taken from Rothschild. //// The Nazis scattered their loot across Europe in museums, mines, basements and salt mines. //// Last year, German officials found $1.38 billion of art in a Munich apartment that had been held by Cornelius Gurlitt. //// An unkown number of art works are still missing. //// A lot of history in those paintings. //// Congrats to the Monuments Men. --GreGen

Looted Paintings At Auction in New York City-- Part 1

From the Jan. 27, 2014, Yahoo! News, reuters "Painting looted by Nazis, recovered by the Allies to be auctioned in NY" by Patricia Reaney. //// These paintings were returned to their rightful owners by the "Monuments Men" which is of special interest right now because of the release of the movie. (I saw it yesterday.) Their charge was to find, recover and return Europe's art and culture to their rightful owners. The paintings were sold Thursday at New York's Sotheby's and were among the thousands of items recovered by the unit. //// The scale of the Nazi looting was "absolutely extraordinary." In France, some 36,000 items were taken from institutions and even more from individuals, especially Jews. //// --GreGen

Dravo's Neville Island Shipyard-- Part 2

Starting in December 1942 until February 1944, the shipyard concentrated on te construction of LSTs. They built LSTs 1 through 60. From January 1944 to April 1944, they built destroyer escorts DE-665 to DE 667: Jenks, Durik, and Wisemen. (The Durik had had John D. Catrano, who had commanded the APC-25 during the John Penn rescue, as executive officer,) Later, they built DE 723-738 and were to build DE 873-886 but they wer cancelled at the end of the war. //// They also built the LST-775 to LST-796, LST-884 to LST 905 and LST 1038 to LST-1059. //// Quite a Busy Shipyard During the War. --GreGen

Dravo's Neville Island Shipyard-- Part 1

From Shipbuilding History Site. //// While looking for information on the Fulton Shipyard in Antioch, California, I came across another major shipyard in the American war effort that I had never heard of before, the Dravo's Neville Island Shipyard, by Pittsburgh, Pennseylvania, in the Ohio River. //// This shipyard started in 1919 and was contracted by the U.S. Navy in World War Ii to construct those all-important LSTs (Landing Ship Tank). They invested $12 million. After the war, it turned into a ship scrapping facility for several years then returned to building barges and tow boats as it had before the war. ///// They built two ships in 1919. From 1932-1933, it built five dredges for the Corps of Engineers and in 1942 built subchasers for the Navy: PC-490-495, 573-577 and 593-595. In 1943, five minesweepers, AM-89 to AM-93: Despite, Direct, Dynamite, Effective and Engage. //// --GreGen

Real "Monuments Men" Records on Display-- Part 2

The movie "The Monuments Men" opened yesterday starring George "Ain't Michigan Winter Wonderful" Clooney, Matt Damon, Kate Blanchett, Bill Murray and John Goodman, tells their story and introduces most people, including myself, to the exploits of this group. //// On of the real "Monuments Men" was George Leslie Stout, an art conservator at the Fogg Museum in Boston, who drafted the plan for a special military team to protect Europe's art from Allied bombings. He even enlisted in the Navy to ensure his plan being carried through. //// The Monuments men were right in the middle of the fighting and mapped important sites to save and later worked returning stolen artwork to their rightful owners. //// Some of te images that can be seen at the Smithsonian Art Museum show a garden sculpture at the Palace of Versailles draped in camouflage netting protection, the Neuschwanstein Castle in germany where the Nazis amassed stolen art and the rescue of Michaelangelo's 1504 sculpture "Madonna and Child" which was stolen from a church in Bruges, Belgium. ///// -- GreGen

Real 'Monuments Men' Records on Display-- Part 1

From the Feb. 6, 2014, Kenosha (Wi) News by Brett Zongker AP. //// When Paris fell to the Germans in World War II, art historians knew that Europe's vast number of cathedrals, monuments, art and architecture were at risk. Efforts began to save as much as they could. The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. became the center for lobbying to get FDR and Allied forces to prevent the destruction of these. The efforts created a group of British and American soldiers who worked for their preservation and to recover stolen art during and after the war. They became known as "The Monuments Men." And, of course, there is the movie by the same name opening today. //// Now, for the first time, photographs, maps, correspondence and records, including lists of Adolf Hitler's (and other Nazi leaders) amassed collection are on display at the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian Archives of American Art and the National Archives. //// This Is Going to be a Real Good Movie. --GreGen

Submariner Recounts Experiences

From the Jan. 25, 2014, Lehigh Valley (Pa.) Express Times "World War II veteran recounts days aboard Blackfin submarine" by Jim Deegan. //// "Walter Taverna, 91, can still hear the sound-- the click that precedes a depth charge. It was a sound he heard while serving five war patrols on the USS Blackfin" in the South China Sea. //// "Once you get a click, the thing detonates. As long as you're below the depth charge, you don't get that much damage inflicted. When it's happening, you think about 'Am I going to make it?' But you pay attention to what you have to do." //// Today is the 69th anniversary of the Blackfin sinking the Japanese destroyer Shigure. This ship was considered to be lucky because twice begore in engagements, it was the only Japanese destroyer to come out of it. //// On Jan. 25, 1945, the Blackfin was getting ready to attack a Japanese tanker. Just before the attack, the sub's skipper turned the periscope and spotted the Shigure bearing down on him. The Blackfin sank it and then turned its attention back to the tanker and sank it as well. //// In all, 36,950 Navy personnel died in action and nearly 38,000 were wounded. //// Taverna belongs to the 27-member Lehigh Valley base of the U.S. Submarine Veterans, Inc.. //// A Frightening Service. --GreGen

Some More Shorpy Photos-- Part 1

From the Shorpy.com website. //// Some more pictures of the U.S. homefront during the war. //// 1-24-14 THE WALLFLOWERS-- 1943: June 1943 "Glouceseter, Mass. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Lopez. They have two boys in the armed service. He is a fish skinner in the Gorton-Pew Fishing." Photo by Gordon Parks, Office of War Information (OWI). //// 1-19-14 PLANE SPOTTING-- 1942: July 1942: Training high school boys to identify planes. There's no question about these young people's ability to recognize airplanes by their silhouettes. They're learning this and other essential facts of aviation at Weequahie Hig School, Newark, New Jersey, in a course designed to teach students the fundamentals of flying." OWI They are looking at silhouettes of planes on the ceiling. Many interesting comments from former spotters. //// This training was good both for defense and for future pilots who were always in big demand as the war progressed. //// --GreGen

Deaths: TV Producer and Munchkin

BEN STARR, 92 Died Jan. 19, 2014. Helped develop "Facts of Life" sitcom and other shows. During WW II he was a navigator in the Army Air Corps and won a Distinguished Flying Cross. //// RUTH DUCCIN, 95. Died Jan. 16, 2014. One of the Minchkins on "Wizard of Oz" and during WW II was a "Rosie the Riveter" at Douglas Aircraft. //// I have more wtitten onthese to people on my Cooter's History Thing, Feb. 4th and 5th. ////

Typhoon Louise

From the Naval History and Heritage Command. //// Following along with the minesweeper USS Industry which was essentially destroyed at yesterday's post, Naval Base Buckner Bay, after the war was over, in October 1945 by Typhoon Louise. This was one of the strongest storms on record for the Pacific Ocean. //// It started developing October 4, 1945, over the Caroline Islands and moving northwest in typical storm path. //// However, it unexpectedly swerved north to Okinawa and gained intensity. This sudden shift caught the naval vessels in the bay and they were unable to get out to sea to ride the storm out. //// Winds were clocked at 80 knots and there were 30-35-foot-high waves. Twelve ships and other craft were sunk, 222 grounded and 132 severely damaged. Casualties amounted to 36 killed, 47 missing and 100 seriously injured. //// Eighty percent of the bese's buildings were destroyed. //// One Big Storm. --GreGen

Naval Base Buckner Bay

From Wikipedia. //// Located in Nakagusuku Bay in south Okinawa. It was named after General Simon Buckner and established in June 1945 as an anchorage and repair facility. It still operates as a navy-army base. //// Typhoon Louise struck this base on October 12, 1945 and grounded 15 merchant ships, some beyond recovery, three destroyers beyond saving and 200 other ships were severely damaged or destroyed. One of the ships destroyed was the USS Industry which I have recently written about. Some 80% of the huge base's buildings were also destroyed along with 60 airvraft. //// --GreGen

Deaths: John W. Rogers, Sr., Tuskegee Airman

From the Jan. 22, 2014, Chicago Tribune. ////JOHN W. ROGERS SR, 95 died Jan. 21st. //// After World War II, he received his law degree and was a successful attorney before becoming a Cook County (Chicago) Juvenile Court judge. //// Born 1918 in Knoxville, Tennessee, and moved to Chicago after the deaths of his parents. Graduated from Tilden Technical High School in Chicago and got his pilot's license before enlisting in the Army Air Force in 1941. //// At that time, blacks were banned from flying, but civil rights groups pressured the government to create a black pursuit squadrom which was based at Tuskegee, Alabama. //// He became a part of the Tuskegee Airmen's 99th Pursuit Squadron, eventually flying 120 missions and becoming a captain. //// He was one of the 300 Tuskegee Airmen invited by President Obama to the White House to view the movie "Red Tails" about the group. He had known the president from his days in Chicago. //// Quite a Man Who Never Let Anything Stand In His Way. --GreGen

The USS Industry (AMc-86)-- Part 2

On 1 May 1945, the Industry and two other converted minesweepers left Pearl Harbor and made stops at Eniwetok, Guam and Saipan. It arrived at Okinawa 4 July 1945 and located and raised mines and sunken Japanese midget submarines. During this time, it fought off enemy aircraft in July and August. In September, it rode out a powerful typhoon. //// However, on 9 October 1845, one of the most powerful typhoons ever recorded in the Pacific hit Okinawa and the Industry was driven onto a reef. Its crew kept her afloat until the next morning when rescue arrived. //// It was determined to be a complete wreck and it was stripped of its equipment, decommissioned 22 Dec 1945 and the hulk sunk. //// I found out it was Typhoon Louise that wrecked the Industry. //// --GreGen

The USS Industry (AMc-86-- Part 1

From Wikipedia. //// This article grows out of research on the Fulton Shipyard in Antioch, California, where the APc-25 was built. It also built minelayers, including the Undustry which was the only one that sank in the war, although not from enemy action. //// The Industry was an Accentor-class coastal minesweeper laid down 11 May 1941 at Fulton Shipyard and commissioned 19 December 1941. Wooden-hulled, 195 tons and 97 feet long and armed with two 50-caliber machine guns. //// From 1942-1944, it patrolled the waters of Pearl Harbor. //// In 1944, there was a big need for mine locator ships in the Pacific and the Industry's sweeping equipment was removed and replaced with sounding gear and diving equipment. The ship was recommissioned 15 December 1944. //// --GreGen

Back to the Fulton Shipyard

From Shipbuilding history site. //// The Fulton Shipyard in Antioch, California, along with all the APcs, also launched six minelayers from December 19, 1941, to April 14, 1942. They were all 205 tons. //// AMc-86 INDUSTRY, launched 19 Dec 41 Wrecked in a typhoon off Okinawa 1945. Hulk sunk. //// AMc-87 LIBERATOR-- luanched 22 Feb 42. Later reclassified IX-202, sold 1946 //// AMc-88 LOYALTY-- launched17 Jan 42, destroyed 1946 //// AMc-89 MEMORABLE-- launched 9 Mar 42, sold 1948 //// AMc-90 MERIT, launched 28 Mar 42, To Fish & Wildlife Service 1947 //// AMc-91 OBSERVER, launched 14 April 42 Sold 1947. //// The Cavaliere, 1935 was sold to the USN in 1942 as the YP-307 and returned in 1946. The Leslie J. Fulton, 1936, was sold to the USN in 1941 as the Waxbill AMc-15. Returned in 1945. //// Building and Buying Ships. --GreGen

The USS John Penn (APA-23)

Then, in 1943, the Penn was transferred to the Pacific and in January sent to Guadalcanal where it picked up 1,003 enlisted and 63 officer survivors from the USS Chicago after it was sunk January 29th. ////It spent the next six months delivering supplies, equipment and men to Guadalcanal. It was later reclassified as HPA-23. //// On August 13tgh, the Penn came under attack by Japanese planes. It shot one down which crashed into the ship's mainmast and minutes later, the ship was hit by a torpedo from another plane and sank in 30 minutes. Thirty-five crew members were rescued by the USS Apc-25. //// Today the ship is a popular dive spot.

The USS John Penn (APA-23)-- Part 1

From Wikipedia. //// A civilian ship launched in 1931 and one of the American Export Line's Four Aces. Originally named the Excombion. Acquired by the Navy 8 January 1942, and the only one of the John Penn-class. It was classified as an attack transport. //// Participated in Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa. October-November, it loaded and crossed the Atlantic and landed cargo under heavy enemy shore nattery fire and shot down an attacking plane. //// Two of its fellow Four Aces, the Joseph Hewes AP-50 (formerly the Excalibur) and Edward Rutledge AP-52 (formerly the Exeter) were sunk by German U-boats during Operation Torch. //// --GreGen

USS Durik (DE-666)

From Wikipedia)

John Catrano was executive officer on this ship. Kind of an interesting number with 666. Wonder if any of its crew wondered about it? The ship was built at Neville Island near Pittsburgh, Pa..

Commissioned 24 March 1944 and served primarily on convoy duty and also was a training ship for destroyer escort crews.

Decommissioned 15 June 1946 and sold for scrap30 January 1967.

--GreGen