USS Orleck (DD-886)

From the January 7, 2022, Florida Times-Union "Announcement scheduled for  Tuesday about plans to bring destroyer to Jacksonville" by Tom Szaroleta.

The USS  Orleck was launched in 1945  and later earned the nickname "The Gray Ghost of the Vietnam Coast" and has been undergoing a seaworthiness test in Texas.

It was transferred from the Turkish Navy in 1982 and finally retired in 2000  It had been berthed in Lake Charles, Louisiana, where it broke loose from its moorings  during 2020's Hurricane Laura and suffered about $250,000 in damage.

It is now in Port Arthur, Texas and being inspected to see if it can make the ten-day trip to Jacksonville, Florida.

The Jacksonville Historic  Naval Ship Association wants to turn it into a museum ship.  The project had an initial $2.6 million cost, but they have gone up a lot.

--GreGen

One of South Florida's Last Pearl Harbor Survivors Dies in 2019, Edward Hammond: "I Think That Will Remain In My Blood Forever"

From the November 19,2019, Valliant News

Edward Hammond fired his first rifle at age 17 on December 7, 1941, as a Navy machinist.  He died September 15 at age 93.  His friends called him "Pearl Harbor Eddie."  There are thought to be around only 2000 Pearl Harbor survivors still alive.

He was always reluctant to talk about the war.  Hammond grew up in Cleveland and returned there after the war and moved to Florida about 35 years ago, living mostly in Deerfield Beach.  A member of American Legion posts in Deerfield and Pompano Beach, he had a close circle of friends.

As for his experience at Pearl Harbor that day, he said he had no idea what was happening and that he had never fired a rifle before, but he had that rifle and intended to defend a ball field from Japanese parachuting in.

Even to his last days, he said, "To this day, if I hear a prop (propeller) plane, I'm waiting for a bomb to go off.  I think that will remain in my blood forever."

After Pearl Harbor, he spent much of his time on an attack transport shuttling troops to places in the Pacific Theater.

Another One of the Greatest Generation.  --GreGen

Pearl Harbor Day Ceremony-- Part 2: One At Pearl Harbor, One in France

Continued from May 17.

JACK EDGE was in sick bay of the USS Pelias (AS-14), a submarine-tender.  Instead of getting an emergency appendectomy, he went on the deck and used a phone to direct gunfire from his ship.

DOUG OSWALD, 94, a native of Marianna, graduated from Marianna High School in 1942 and went to the University of Florida for one semester then joined the Army.  he trained as a combat engineer but when he arrived in England his outfit's equipment had been misdirected and he ended up serving as an infantryman.

He was six miles from the Rhine River in fox holes near Strasbourg, France, in the December 1944 Battle of the Bulge.  Their outer jackets were frozen and they were pinned down by mortar fire during the day.

He was sent out as part of a five-man patrol at midnight February 5, 1945.  The moon shone between parted clouds and one of the patrol was shot and killed and another stepped on a land mine.  Mr. Oswald was wounded in his shoulder and was sent to Paris for surgery.  Later, he was transferred to Belgium.

He served as Ocala.s mayor in 1976 and 1977.

--GreGen

WW II Vets Honored At Pearl Harbor Day Ceremony-- Part 1

From the December 9, 2017, Ocala (Fla.) Today by Andy Fillmore.

The ceremony was held Saturday.  JACK EDGE, 93, is a Pearl Harbor survivor.  he was in the U.S. Navy from 1941-1950.

Three other World War II vets were also honored.

Navy Chief JAMES PHILLIPS survived his ship being sunk by Japanese kamikazes though 200 of his crew mates died.

Former Ocala Mayor DOUG OSWALD  survived freezing conditions and was wounded on a night patrol.

--GreGen

"We've Lost Our Living History": No Pearl Harbor Survivors Found for Florida Event

From the November 14, 2017 Sun Sentinel (Florida) "'We've lost our living history':  No Pearl Harbor survivors found for South Florida Event"  Lisa J. Huriash.

The people of South Florida want to commemorate the event and honor survivors, but this year, for the first time, they can not locate any survivors.

One of the last-known South Florida survivors was Edward Hammond, 93, of Deerfield Beach, but he died in September.  Nationwide, it is believed that fewer than 2,000 of them remain.

The Pearl Harbor Survivors Association was founded in 1958 and dissolved in 2011 because of declining membership.  There motto was "Keep America Alert!  Remember Pearl Harbor!"

The commemoration will be held December 3 at the Coast Guard Station Fort Lauderdale in Dania Beach.

--GreGen

USS Arizona Relic Coming to Coast Guard Auxiliary in Florida

From the April 5, 2017, Treasure Coast Palm "USS Arizona relic to be presented to Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla" by Hank Cushard.

The USCG Auxiliary Flotilla 59 at Stuart, Florida was formed April 11, 1942 to combat the menace of German U-boats off the Florida coast in the first months of the war.  As such, the group marks their 75th anniversary today.

Members of the group during the war rode horseback along beaches looking for U-boat activity or ships or persons in distress.  They manned the tower at House of Refuge on Hutchinson island and had offshore patrols.

In 1986, a member of the group, Captain Spence Kidd, brother of Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd, who commanded the USS Arizona at Pearl harbor and whose body was never recovered, donated a model of the USS Arizona to the group.

The USS Arizona relic will be given to the group on April 29.  Unfortunately, the article did not say what the relic was and I was unable to find out in other sources what it might be.

--GreGen

Death of Pearl Harbor Survivor Myron Carraway

From the Pensacola News-Journal "Carraway one of last Pearl Harbor survivors" by Troy Moon.

Myron "Jay" Carraway died August 11, 2016, at age 94.

He helped found local Pearl Harbor Survivors Association in 1976 when it had 64 members.  It is down to just three now.

At the attack, he was 19 and a signalman on the seaplane tender USS Hulbert.  He was in the forward crew compartment waiting for breakfast when they heard, "Man your stations!"  He thought it was a drill.  "We just yelled 'Get our breakfast down here.'  We don't drill on Sundays."

A nearby explosion rocked the ship and he rushed topside and manned an anti-aircraft gun.  Japanese planes flew by so close "that you could see the pilots' faces.  Bombs were dropping everywhere."

He served the rest of the war in the Pacific Theater.

We Lose Another One.  --GreGen

One of Last Pensacola Pearl Harbor Survivors Dies, James Landis

From the Jan. 7, 2015, Pensacola (Fla.) News-Journal "One of the last Pearl Harbor survivors passes" by Troy Moon.

James Landis was 21 and a Navy machinist mate on Ford Island and about 500 yards from the planes parked near the USS Utah, the first battleship sunk in the attack.

He ran to a plane but jumped in the wrong side.  A bullet went through his hand as he reached to open the canopy, but he managed to return with weapons from it and began firing.  He didn't even know he was wounded.  Mr. Landis went on to serve 30 years in the Navy, serving also in the Korean and Vietbnam wars  and received three Purple Hearts.

He died Nov. 24, 2014, at age 94.

--GreGen

Suspected WWII Bombs Found in Water Near Vero Beach in 2014

From the Jan. 25, 2014, TC Palm (Fla.) by Will Greenlee.

Residents were asked to stay inside their houses or leave on Tuesday after two suspected bombs were found in eleven feet of water, fifty feet apart.  This was at the site of the former Fort Pierce Naval Amphibious Training Base during the war.

These were found while divers were looking for "Horned Scullies," which were obstacles built to damage landing craft.

Explosion and Ordnance Disposal Unit was called in to excavate them this weekend.  It is not known if they had explosives in them.

Follow up:  one was a 1000 pound bomb and the other a 500 pound.  They were detonated Tuesday.  I guess they were still dangerous.

First Sharks, Now This.  --GreGen

Brevard Pearl Harbor Survivors "Never Forget"

From the Dec. 7, 2012, Florida Today by R. Norman Moody.

Fred Robinson, 90, of Rockledge was in the Army on the island.

George Herold, 88, of West Melbourne was at the submarine base and said, "They didn't hit the sub base.  They hit all around us."

John Hatcher, 91, of Pembrook Pines was preparing pancakes for breakfast.

James Mitchell of West Melbourne.

Richard Jeffrey, 95, of Vicra.

--GreGen

USS Mohawk Becomes a Florida Reef

From the July 3, 2012, Huffington Post "USS Mohawk, World War II Ship, To Become a Veteran's Memorial Reef After Being Sunk Off Florida Coast" by Nick Wing. //// The USS Mohawk was a Coast Guard cutter launched in 1934 and will be towed 30 miles off Sanibel island and scuttled with six charges arranged in such a way so it will sit upright on the bottom in 90 feet of water. It will then begin a new tourism career for divers and fishermen. //// The 165-foot long cutter served in the served in the North Atlantic and at one point was damaged by British fire. It is the last remaining ship from the Battle of the Atlantic and had been a floating museum in Key West. //// It has been stripped of dangerous items, but a case of aged Caribbean rum and an 18th century rum bottle with a treasure map inside have been left for the first divers. //// The first group of divers were there just hours after the ship sank. //// Wonder What They Were Looking For? -GreGen

Three Pearl Harbor Survivors Speak

From the December 15, 2013, Tampa Bay Tribune "Pearl Harbor survivors speak."

Just to see and hear one of these aging warriors is something else, but to have three at once? Wow.

On Dec. 7th,  Zephyrhills Museum of Military History had three of them:

GEORGE CASS on the USS San Francisco
WERNER KLEMM on the USS Dobbin
CHARLES McCLELLAND on the USS Helena.

Sadly, the previous year, nine Pearl Harbor survivors were in attendance, but the other six could not attend for health reasons.

Sorry to See Them Go. --GreGen

A "Rosie" Turns 105: Jennie Truncale

From the April 3, 2011, Fort Myer (Fla.) News-Press.

Jennie Truncale, 105, of South Fort Myers, Florida, is still on the go. During World War II she made bullets for the fighting men and was featured on the cover of "Woman Power Magazine" in 1942, shown cutting out cardboard fuse rings in the press room of Scovill Manufacturing in Waterbury, Ct.

She quit school at age 15 to begin working there. She and hundreds of thousands of other women replaced some two million men in uniform who were off to war. She ended up working there for 38 years.

She is a long-standing member of the Rosie the Riveter Association.

FOLLOW UP:  Since this story is over two years old and because of her advanced age, I did a follow up to see how she was doing. Jennie Truncale is now 107 "years young" and according to the 4-12-13 River Weekly News is living with her daughter and had a birthday luncheon at the Continental Women's Club in Fort Myers.

She was born April 11, 1906 when the average life expectancy was 50. She grew up on a farm.

The Greatest Generation. --GreGen

Fish Lead Florida Diver to Rare WWII Aircraft

From the Dec. 27, 2011, ABC News.

Last week, Randy Jordan was diving off the coast of Jupiter, Florida and discovered what may be a Curtiss Helldiver SB2C, an extremely rare WWII plane, at a depth of 200 feet.

He followed a group of frightened fish to the wreck and went back two days later to film it.

The plane is so rare that there is just one still flying today.

They were first used in combat November 11, 1943 and carried two men.  In 1942, the Navy operated a pilot training facility at Witham Field in Martin County, Florida and this may have been one of their planes.

GreGen

Sunken WWII Ships Off Florida's Coast-- Part 5

All dates for 1942 except the last one which was 1943.  S= sunk off Stuart, between Fort Pierce and West Palm Beach.  B= sunk off Boca Raton.  The last item is how many deaths out of the crew.

11.  May 4 at 11 PM--  DeLISLE--  S--  freighter--  2,00 tons of general cargo--  sunk by U-564--  2 of 26.

12.  May 5 at 11:45 PM--  JAVA ARROW--  S--  tanker--  oil and water--  sunk by U-333-- stayed afloat and later salvaged--  2 of 47.

13.  May 6 at 3:40 AM--  AMAZON--  S--  freighter--  general cargo--  U-333--  14 of 34.

14.  May 6 at 4:55 AM--  HALSEY--  S--  tanker--  3 1/2 million gallons of oil--  U-333--  all 32 survived.

15.  May 8--  OHIOAN--  B--  freighter--  licorice root and wool--  by U-564--  15 of 37.

16.  May 9--  LUBRAFOL--  B-- tanker--  2 1/2 million gallons of oil--  by U-564 13 of 44.

17.  October 20, 1943--  GULFLAND and GULF BELL--S-  two tankers collided at 11 PM--  Gulf Bell was empty and ran aground.  The Gulfland was carrying oil and burned for 7 weeks before sinking.

There Are Sunken Ships In Those Waters.  --GreGen

.

Sunken WWII Ships Off Florida's Coast-- Part 4

Continuing with ships sunk off Florida during World War II.  CC--Cape Canaveral, B--  Boca Raton


5.    April 12--  LESLIE--  CC--  freighter with 3,300 tons of sugar--  U-123--  4 of 32.

6.  April 13--  KORSHOLM--  CC--  freighter with 4,953 tons of phosphates--  gunfire from U-123--  9 of 26.

7.  May 1--  LA PAZ--  CC--  freighter--  U-109--  all 57 survived.

8.  May  3 at 2:15 AM--  OCEAN VENUS--  CC-- freighter with coal and lumber--  U-564--  5 of 47.

9.  May 3 at 4:45 AM--  LAERTES--  CC--  freighter with planes, tanks hit twice, four minutes apart--  U-109--  18 of 66.

10.  May 4 at 1 PM--  ECLIPSE--  B--  tanker with aviation fuel--  U-564--  2 of 47.

Some Busy U-Boats.  --GreGen

Sunken WWII Ships Off Florida's Coast-- Part 3

Seven ships were sunk by U-boats off Cape Canaveral (CC), seven off Stuart (between Fort Pierce and Palm Beach (S) and three off Boca Raton (B).

All but one were sunk in 1942 and all but four during April and May, the time of the highest U-boat concentration and activity.

Here is a list of those 17 ships: Date, Name, Where (CC,S, B), cargo, U-boat and deaths out of crew.


1942

1.  Feb. 19--  PAN MASSACHUSETTS--  CC--  oil--  U-128, 20 of 38.

2.  Feb. 21--  REPUBLIC--S--  empty tanker--  U-504--  5 of 34.

3.  Feb. 22--  CITIES SERVICE EMPIRE--  CC--  tanker--  U-128--  14 of 50.

4.  Feb. 22--  W.D. ANDERSON--  U-504--  35 of 36.

For some reason, there were no sinkings in March, perhaps the U-boats had left the area to reprovision or had been sent elsewhere?  Anyway, they were back in full force in April and May.

Next.  --GreGen

Sunken World War II Ships Off Florida's Coast-- Part 1

From the July 31, 2011, Palm Beach (Fl) Post "Divers to examine safety of sunken WWII ships off Florida's coast" by Eliot Kleinberg.

On February 22, 1942, crewmember Frank Leonard Terry went to the stern of the SS W.D. Anderson for coffee.  A torpedo slammed into the engine room.  The 500-foot, 10,277 tons oil tanker was heading north, 12 miles off Jupiter, Florida.  The first months of 1942 were prime time for German U-boats operating off the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of the United States.

The Anderson was completely on fire in seconds according to the U-boats commander, Fritz Poske.  He fired off a second torpedo which also struck its target.

Terry was now in the oily water where he bobbed for hours.  It was cold and soon he couldn't feel his legs, thinking that maybe sharks had bitten them off.  He was the only survivor and recalled, "It was my first trip to Florida.  I didn't like the experience."

More to Come.  --GreGen

Doolittle Raiders Wrap Up Last Mission-- Part 2: "We Just Did What We Had to Do"

"At the time of the raid, you know the war was on and it was just a mission we went on, we were lucky enough to survive it but it didn't seem like that big of a deal at the time," said Edward Saylor.  I don't know, taking off from the short flight deck of an aircraft carrier, something people didn't think Army bombers could do, is something in my book.

Sixteen planes, loaded with one-ton bombs took off from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet, knowing that they had just enough fuel to drop their loads and high-tail it for China and hopefully safety.  Of course, there would be no way they could land back on the ship.

Richard Cole said, "We were all pretty upbeat about it.  We didn't have any bad thoughts about what was going to happen.  We just did what we had to do"  Cole was James Doolittle's co-pilot.

The reunion was a week-long event

Thomas Carey, business manager for the Raiders said that the four survivors have decided that because of age and health issues, they can no longer keep up with the demands of public appearances.  "Their mission ends here in Fort Walton Beach on Saturday night, but their legacy starts then."

The Greatest generation.  --GreGen

Doolittle Raiders Wrap Up Last Mission-- Part 1

From the April 19, 2013, USA Today, AP, "Doolittle Raiders wrap up missions."

The final reunion, number 71, took place at Eglin Air Force Base near Fort Walton Beach, Florida.  They met here because it is where they trained in early 1942 for their top-secret mission, a short time after the devastation at Pearl Harbor.

There are still four survivors of the raid and three were present at the reunion.  Robert Hite, 93, was unable to attend.

Richard Cole, 98, can still fly and land a vintage B-25, which he did, waving and smiling from the cockpit at onlookers.

David Thatcher, 91, loves to tell stories about his part in the 1942 Doolittle Raid on Tokyo.

Edward Saylor, 93, still gets laughs from his one-liners that helped U.S. morale as much as it hurt that of Japan.

The Final Toast Taken.  --GreGen