USS Blue (DD-387)-- Part 3: Guadalcanal

1942

The USS Blue joined the USS Enterprise  for air attacks on Wojte, Maloelap, Kwajalein Atolls, Marshall Islands on 1 February.

 During March-June she escorted convoys between Pearl Harbor and San Francisco and then proceeded to New Zealand, where she arrive  18 July.

Blue joined Task Force 62.2 (TG 62.2) for the Battle of Guadalcanal on 7 August and provide fire support and screening.  Although present, she took no part in the Battle of Savo Island on 9 August, but helped with evacuation of survivors of the HMAS Canberra that was severely damaged in the battle.

--GreGen

USS Blue (DD-387)-- Part 2: At Pearl Harbor

After spending her first year in shakedown and training cruises along the east coast and Caribbean, the Blue sailed for the Pacific Ocean  in August 1838 to become the flagship of Destroyer Division 7, Battle Force.  She exercised with the Battle Fleet in west coast waters until April 1940 when she accompanied her division to Pearl Harbor.

Except for an overhaul at Puget Sound Navy Yard (February-March 1941) and exercises  out of San Diego during April of that year, she remained based out of Pearl Harbor serving as the flagship of Destroyer Division Seven of Destroyer Squadron Four.

PEARL HARBOR

The Japanese attack on December 7, 1941, caught the USS Blue in port, but she safely made her way out tio sea  with only four ensigns on board.  She served  with the offshore patrol  in the approaches to Pearl Harbor during December 1941-January 1942.

--GreGen

USS Blue (DD-387)-- Part 1

In the last post I wrote that Walter Becker had been a survivor of the USS Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor and also survived the sinking of two ships later in the war.  That would make a total of three ships that sank while he was on them.  Quite a record.

The second ship was the destroyer USS Blue (DD-387),

From Wikipedia.

USS BLUE (DD-387)

The USS Blue was a Bagley-class destroyer and named after Rear Admiral  Victor Blue (1865-1928). She served in World War II.

Launched  27 May 1937 by Norfolk Navy Yard; sponsored by  Miss Kate Lilly Blue, sister of  Rear Admiral Blue.  Commissioned  14 August 1937.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTCS

LENGTH:  341.8 feet

BEAM:  35.6 feet

COMPLEMENT:  158

ARMAMENT:  

four 5-inch guns, four .50 cal guns, 16 torpedo tubes,  two depth charge racks

--GreGen

Walter Becker, USS Oklahoma Survivor-- Part 2

It is so nice to write about men who survived the capizing of the USS Oklahoma, especially one who went on to do so well in life.

After Pearl Harbor, he was on the destroyer USS  Blue which was sunk at Guadalcanal on 22 August 1942.  So, he was on two ships that sank.  Unfortunate, but fortunate.  The Blue had also been at Pearl Harbor, but got underway.

After that, he was assigned to an aircraft carrier  that was attacked and sunk by Japanese kamakaze planes.  Unfortunately, the article did not say which one.  But, I did find a list of U.S. aircraft carriers sunk by kamakazes and the ones listed were Ommaney Bay (CVE-79), USS Bismarck Sea (CVE-95) and USS St. Lo (CVE-63).

That would make three ships he was on that sank.  I would have given up going to sea.

After the war, Becker eventually moved to Casper where he founded the Becker Fire  Equipment Company

Walter Becker died  December 4, 2015, at the age of 94.  His remains are interred at the Oregon Trail Veterans Cemetery north of Evansville.

--GreGen

Herman Schmidt Wasn't Only Wyoming Native on USS Oklahoma: Walter Becker-- Part 1

From the January 3, 2023, K-2 (Wyoming) "Late Casper resident survived USS Oklahoma attack, founded fire truck company" by Tom Morton.

Sheridan native Herman Schmidt was the only Wyoming resident on the battleship USS Oklahoma when it was sunk on December 7, 1941.

Longtime Casper resident Walter Becker, founder of the Becker Fire Equipment Company, was also aboard.

Becker was doing laundry in the engine room when the torpedoes hit.  He ran up four or five flights of stairs and jumped off just as the ship began capsizing.

He swam under then harbor's surface which was covered with burning oil and then picked up by a raft, reached the shore, then went back to the Oklahoma where he and others drilled through the ship's hull in an attempt to find other survivors.

After a couple days it became apparent that no one was left alive in the hull.

--GreGen

Nation's Oldest Pearl Harbor Survivor (105) Goes to WW II Museum in New Orleans: Joseph Eskenazi

From the January 6, 2023, CBS News Los Angeles.

Joseph Eskenazi, 105, was treated to a  heroic sendoff at Union Station Friday as he embarked on his journey from Los Angeles to the National  WW II Museum New Orleans.  This was part of the Gary Sinise Foundation's Soaring Valor  Program.  For the last eight years it has invited World War II veterans to visit the museum built in their honor.

He was joined by several other WW II veterans on the trip.

Eskenazi, a Redondo Beach-resident, is the oldest-living survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor.  He joined the Army in 1941 and was stationed at the Schofield Barracks during the December 7, 1941, attack.

He drove a bulldozer across an open field while being strafed and nearly hit by Japanese planes.

He was heading to repair train tracks for the expected invasion of Oahu and Hawaii.

--GreGen

Remains of Illinois Airman Identified

From the January 7, 2023, ABC Eyewitness News (Chicago)  "Remains of World War II airman from Illinois finally identified thanks to new technology."

The remains of a WW II airman have finally been accounted for.

Harold Kretzer, a 32-year-old Odin man in downstate Marion County, was a U.S. Army  Air Forces  tech.

In the summer of 1943,  he was on board a bomber that was hit by enemy fire and crashed in Romania.  He was buried there as an unknown hero,  but new technology has allowed his remains to be identified.  

He will be reburied in Springfield, Illinois.

--GreGen

Obituary for Herman Schmidt (Died on the USS OKlahoma)

From the previous post.

MAN KILLED IN ACTION HONORED

SHERIDAN--  Sheridan's first Memorial services for one of her sons who died in action  in World War II were held this week at the Immanuel Lutheran church.

The services were in honor of Herman Schmidt, 28, gunner's mate 3rd class, U.S. Navy, who was lost in action at Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, while he was on duty on a U.S. warship.

The body was not recovered.

--GreGen

Remains of USS Oklahoma Unknown from Wyoming Identified

From the January 3, 2023, Casper (Wyoming) Star Tribune "Remains of Wyoming sailor killed at Pearl Harbor identified."

Navy Gunner's Mate 3rd Class Herman Schmidt, 28, of Sheridan, Wyoming, was on board the USS Oklahoma on December 7, 1941.

His remains were officially identified two years ago, but announcement was put off by the Defense Department  until his family could be briefed.

He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery as some future date.

Since 2015, the remains of six other fallen  soldiers from Wyoming have been identified, including three killed in WW II, two from the Korean War and one from the Vietnam War.

--GreGen

USS Oklahoma-- Part 5: Pearl Harbor

On Sunday, December 7, 1941, the USS Oklahoma, along with about half of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, consisting of some 150 vessels, was at anchor in Pearl Harbor on the Hawaiian island of Oahu when the Japanese came a-calling with a surprise attack.

Moored on Battleship Row alongside the USS Maryland, the Oklahoma was one of the first vessels hit.

Sadly, the Oklahoma was actually supposed to be out at sea patrolling, but the crew had been told there was to be an admiral's inspection on Monday.  So there they were in harbor.

When the attack began at around 8 a.m., Sunday morning, most of the crew were sleeping in their racks below decks and never made it up to the main deck.

At approximately 7:55 a.m., the first wave of Japanese attack planes struck the Oklahoma with three torpedoes.

The Oklahoma began capsizing as enemy planes strafed the decks.  The stricken ship was then struck by six more torpedoes and the port side was torn open.  Within fifteen minutes of the first torpedo, the Oklahoma rolled completely over, trapping hundreds below decks.

--GreGen

USS Oklahoma-- Part 4: Timeline

**  JULY 1929:  Maneuvers were greatly reduced during the Depression because of lack of fuel oil.

**  1933:  An earthquake hit Long Beach, Califirnia, while the Oklahoma was docked there.  Her crew deployed ashore to maintain order.

**  1933:  She  participated in a civil defense drill in Tacoma, Washington,  using the ship's generators to provide all electric power to the city for 24 hours.

**  JULY 1936:  Sailed to Spain to rescue American citizens and refugees during the Spanish Civil War.  While en route to France, a woman gave birth, the first time a baby was born aboard an American battleship.

**  DECEMBER 6, 1940:  Based at Pearl Harbor for patrol and exercises.

**  DECEMBER 7, 1941:  Pearl Harbor attacked by the Japanese.

--GreGen

USS Oklahoma-- Part 3: A Timeline of Her Service

Here is a short timeline of the career of this mighty battleship:

**  AUGUST 13, 1918:  Sailed with her sister ship, the USS Nevada to protect and escort allied convoys  in European waters until World War I was over.

**  DECEMBER 1918:  Participated as an escort to President Woodrow Wilson traveling to France to negotiate the Versailles Treaty.  On June 1919, returned to France to escort the president home.

**  1919-1926:  Part of the Atlantic Fleet for two years and then the Pacific Fleet for six years.  Participated in the Peruvian Centennial and the unveiling of  the San Martin Monument.   

**  The Oklahoma became one of the first warships to have bunks instead of hammocks.

**  1927-1929:  Modernized in Philadelphia, then rejoined the Scouting Fleet.

--GreGen

The USS Oklahoma-- Part 2: Sister Ship of the USS Nevada

Here is the story of the USS Oklahoma.

In 1911, Congress authorized the building of two new battleships -- the Nevada and Oklahoma.  They were to be a modern symbol of U.S. power.  The New York Shipbuilding Company of Camden, New Jersey,  laid the keel of the USS Oklahoma in Otober 1912.

These two battleships were the first to burn  oil as fuel instead of coal.  The Oklahoma was commissioned in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 2, 1916.  The commissioning statement stated:  "That it was hoped that the Oklahoma might never become a mere instrument of destruction nor of strife, but a minister of  peace and a guardian of rights and interests of mankind, protecting the weak aganst the strong."

Attending the commissioning was  Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Franklin D. Roosevelt,   As president, he would ask for a declaration of war on Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The USS Nevada was also at Pearl Harbor that day and was the only battleship  to get underway.

--GreGen

The USS Oklahoma-- Part 1

From the December 27, 2022, Times-Gazette "Story of the USS Oklahoma  and her lost servicemen."

On December 7, 1941, the USS Oklahoma was sunk during a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor entombing hundreds of servicemen.  In 2015, Project Oklahoma began in an effort  to identify 388 men whose remains were unaccounted for. Since then, 355 have been accounted for by the Defense MIA/POW Accounting Agency.

One of those men, Seaman 1st Class Maurice Spangler, born and raised in Defiance, Ohio, will be reburied  in the National Cemetery of the Pacific, or "Punchbowl" on Hawaii on January 4, 2023.

On December7, 2021,  in a ceremony at that cemetery, the remains of the 33 men who could not be identified by DNA were laid to rest with full military honors.  In attendance were the families of both unidentified and identified sailors and Marines.

--GreGen

Another Illinois Pearl Harbor Unknown Identified: Herbert Jacobson-- Part 2

Their bodies were not recovered until the ship was raised much later.  He was identified in 2019, but reburials were delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Jacobson was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery this past September.

McDonald's father was a friend of Jacobson's in boot camp at Great Lakes naval Station north of Chicago.  The father met Jacobson's sister during a visit to Herbert's home in Grayslake and eventually married her.  They've since passed away, never knowing what became of Jacobson's remains.

McDonald, who himself later served as a staff sergeant in the Air Force, said his uncle had considered his assignment to Hawaii like going to paradise.

Before Jacobson's reburial, the family placed a few momentos in the casket-- a USS Oklahoma baseball cap, a handkerchief from Jacobson's mother with the aroma of her perfume and a photo of their home in Grayslake.

"I was overwhelmed," McDonald said.  "We've been waiting a long tme."

--GreGen

Another Illinois Pearl Harbor Unknown Identified: Herbert Jacobson-- Part 1

From the same article as the news about Keith Tipsword.

Tipsword wasn't the only Illinois veteran at Pearl Harbor recently identified through the use of DNA.  The remains of Herbert Jacobson, 21, of northwest suburban Grayslake, were recently identified, and his family, some of them who now live in North Carolina, chose to have him buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

The night before the attack, Jacobson had worked running boats from the USS Oklahoma to the dock, according to his nephew, Bradley McDonald.  After his shift, he filed a report, got a meal and retired to sleep in his bunk.

That's where he likely died when the ship was hit by torpedoes, capsized and sank, trapping hundreds of men below decks.

--GreGen

Keith Tipsword Comes Home-- Part 3: The Ceremony

Tipsword's family lived in tiny Moccasin in Effingham County.  Their house was just a mile from the cemetery, but is long gone, with only a silo remaining.  The family still has a salt-and-pepper shaker that Tipsword made aboard his ship and brought home to his mother while visiting.

The Patriot Guard motorcycle group escorted Tipsword's casket from a military base in the East St. Louis to Effingham, with firetrucks on overpasses and bystanders saluting.  Many members of the local veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion and Disabled American Veterans attended.  

Sailors folded the American flag on the casket and presnted it to Tipsword's sister.

"It was pretty moving," said Sapp.

--GreGen

Keith Tipsword Comes Home-- Part 2: On the USS West Virginia

When Japan mounted the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii, Tipsword's ship, the battleship USS West Virginia, was hit by torpedoes and bombs and sank.  The explosions rendered many of the victins impossible to identify.

They were buried in mass graves and labeled as "unknown" in a cemetery located in a volcano crater known as the Punchbowl in the island of Oahu.

In 2015, the federal government began matching the remains to DNA from family members of service members who were missing or killed in action but unidentified.  The program has identified hundreds of missing service members from around the world who served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

--GreGen

Illinois Veterans' Remains Finally Come Home from Pearl Harbor-- Part 1: Keith Tipsword

From the December 7, 2022, Chicago Tribune by Robert McCoppin.

In a cemetery amidst the cornfields of downstate Illinois last month, a military honor guard fired shots in salute before the remains of World War II veteran Keith Tipsword were lowered into the ground.

Tipsword, a machinist's mate, was 22 when he died on the battleship USS West Virginia in the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor.  In the wake of the attack, his body was never identified, and he was listed as m missing in action, until the Navy recently identified his remains through DNA.

His sister, who was 5 years old when he died, and is now 86, vaguely remembers a man in uniform who visited their home in tiny Moccasin, Illinois, her son Greg Sapp said.

"My mom said that her mother always had an expectation the door would open  and Keith would be there," Sapp said.  "She never thought he wouldn't come home. "  Well, he finally has."

With his burial in November, Tipsword is among dozens of Pearl Harbor veterans who have been identified and brought home to be reburied with loved ones.  Through new DNA techniques, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) has been able to sort through remains that were long considered to be unidentifiable.

--GreGen

Another Unknown USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted For

From the December 21, 2022,  WTRF (West Virginia)  "West Virginia sailor  in World War II on USS Oklahoma accounted for."

The Defense Department POW/MIA  Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy Fire Controlman 2nd Class  Donald R. McCloud, 21, of Monaville, West Virginia, killed during WW II, was accounted for on September 23, 2022.

On December 7, 1941, McCloud was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, moored in Pearl Harbor when the attack came.  The ship sustained multiple torpedo hits which caused her to quickly capsize.

The attack resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Don McCloud who was listed originally as MIA, but later declared dead.  His remains were found, but could not be identified  until recently.

To identify his remains, dental records and anthropological evidence were used.  Additionally there was DNA analysis.

He will be buried June 24, 2023, in Dingess, West Virginia.

--GreGen