New Fees at USS Arizona Memorial

From the March 29, 2023, Beat of Hawaii.

As of April 15, a new visitor fee will be implemented at Pearl Harbor to generate funds for the park's maintenance and provide further exhibits, new technology for visitors and security.

The fee for parking goes from free to $7 a day.  There willstill be no charge for admission and the Pearl Harbor National Memorial and USS Arizona Memorial program will remain free of charge.

To this day, the USS Arizona Memorail remains the number one in-demand destination for Hawaii tourists.

That Is Still Very, Very Reasonable.  --GreGen

USS Arizona

From the February 14, 2023,  KTAR News.  "5 things you should know about Arizona as it celebrates 111 years of statehood."

USS ARIZONA

Almost half the casualties suffered at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, occurred in the USS Arizona.  The battleship took four direct hits from Japanese bombers.  The last bomb ignited stored gunpowder.  When it blew up, the ship split into two and sank.

It became the final resting place for 1,777 officers and crewmen.

The USS Arizona was commissioned in 1916, but had been ordered to be built in 1913, a little over a year from when its namesake state was admitted to the Union.

The ship did not see action in World War I, but was eventually stationed in Hawaii in April 1940 as war with Japan became a real possibility.  It had been in drydock for repairs shortly before the attack.

Fuel still leaks from the wreckage, spilling into the harbor from the memorial site built over the ship.

The Tears of the Arizona.  --GreGen

USS Oklahoma Unknown Herman Schmidt to Be Buried at Arlington National Cemetery-- Part 1

From the February 14, 2023, Cowboy State Daily (Wyoming) "Sheridan sailor killed at Pearl Harbor to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery" by  Wendy Corr.

In 1941,  28-year-old Herman Schmidt of Sheridan, Wyoming,  was a Gunner's Mate  3rd Class on the battleship USS Oklahoma, a Nevada-class battleship moored in berth Fox 5 on Battleship Row at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Schmidt, who grew up in Sheridan had joined the Navy in 1937 and had been assigned to the USS Oklahoma.  On the morning of December 7, 1941, he and his crewmates on the ship were enjoying a quiet Sunday morning when his and many others had their world came to an abrupt and terrifying end.

At about ten minutes to 8 that Sunday morning, three torpedoes struck the Oklahoma, dropped from Japanese planes from the carriers Akagi and Kaga.  The Oklahoma immediately began listing to,its port side and eventually capsized, trapping hundreds below deck.

A total of eight torpedoes hit the ship and  429 servicemen died.

--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

Illinois Sailor Killed on USS West Virginia at Pearl Harbor Laid to Rest: Keith Tipsword

From the November 16, 2022, Stars & Stripes.

Beecher City, Illinois

An Illinois sailor who died in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor has been laid to rest in his home state more than eighty years after his death.

U.S. Navy Machinist's Mate 1st Class Keith Tipswood was buried Thursday alongside his parents and other relatives at Moccasin Cemetery near the rural  Central Illinois village of Beecher City.

Tipsword was 27 years old when he was killed aboard the battleship USS West Virginia.

His remains were buried as unknown at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, but they were identified this year by the defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA)

Dalyne  Sapp of Effingham, the last of his siblings surviving attended Tuesday's  funeral sefrvice.  Sapp, 86,  said her brother is now buried near the family farm where he grew up  among the "hills and hollers" of Effingham County's Moccasin Township.

--GreGen

Admiral David W. Bagley

I have been writing about the sinking of the destroyer USS Jacob Jones(DD-61) by a U-boat during World War I in my Cooter's History blog.   It was under the command of David W. Bagley at the time.  There was also a second destoyer USS Jacob Jones (DD-130) that was sunk by a torpedo during WW II as well as a destroyer escort USS Jacob Jones (DE-130) that was in the war, but did not get sunk.

David Bagley continued in the U.S. Navy and rose to the rank of admiral and at the beginning of 1941 he was commander of Battleship Division 2, with his flag on the USS Tennessee (BB-43) and was at Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941, when the attack damaged his ship.

On April 14, 1942, he assumed command of the 14th  Naval District (Hawaii) and  the Hawaiian Sea Frontier and served there until January 1943, then he commanded the  Western Sea Frontier from February 1, 1943, and also commandant of the 11th Naval District and eventually the 14th District again until the end of the war.

You can read about his earlier service in my Cooter's History Thing blog.  Just click on the site in My Blogs List to the right of this.

Looks like I'll have to do some RoadTripping Through History.

--GreGen

USS Montgomery (DD-121)-- Part 5: One Busy Little Ship

On 11 April 1942, the Montgomery left Hawaii and spent the next 16 months operating from Suva, Espiritu Santo,  and Noumea for escorting and minelaying operations in the Southwest Pacific.    She also assisted in the struggle to take over the Solomons.

One interruption was from  22 September to  12 November, when she sailed north to lay mines in the Aleutians in preparation  for the recapture of Attu and  Kiska.

While laying a minefield off Guadalcanal on the night of  24-25 August 1943, the Montgomery collided with the USS Preble (DD-345) and lost  20 feet of her bow.  Temporary repairs were made at Tulagi and Espiritu Santo before sailing to  San Francisco on October.

Repairs completed,  the Montgomery then  began ten months of activity which included two escort voyages between San Francisco and  Hawaii, defensive minelaying around Kwajalein and two more convoys.

--GreGen

What Did Elvis Presley Have to Do with the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor?

From the November 15, 2021, New Orleans Times-Picayune "Pearl Harbor exhibit features artifacts, stories, shrapnel... and Elvis" by John Pope.

In observance of the upcoming 80th anniversary of the attack on  Pearl Harbor, the National World War II Museum will have an exhibit on it featuring fragments of ships that were destroyed in it, stories of heroic men and women and, Elvis Presley.

Elvis Presley was not stationed there when the attack came (he was just six years old), but he did play a part in raising money to build the USS Arizona Memorial.

By early 1861,  Congress had approved the monument but not the money to pay for it.  Elvis Presley was in Hawaii shooting the movie "Blue Hawaii" and his manager, Col. Tom Parker came up with the idea of staging a concert to raise the money.

The museum has a poster from the concert showing Elvis in a gold lame suit with tickets costing from $3 to $10 apiece (the equivalent of $26.47 and $88.24 today).  Also on the bill were Minnie Pearl of the Grand Ole Opry, the Jordanaires, and Presley's drummer D.J. Fontana and guitarist Scotty Moore.

The concert raised about $54,000 (nearly $477,000 in today's money), but was still about $150,000 short.  U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, a World War II veteran, got Congress to approve the rest.

--GreGen

Death of Nisei Veteran Frank Wada-- Part 2

After high school, Frank Wada moved to San Diego where he worked on his sister's farm in Chula Vista.  The morning after the Pearl Harbor attack, he tried to enlist in the U.S. Army, but like other Nisei, was turned down because he was considered an "enemy alien."

Three months later, his family was ordered to internment.  In mid-1942, his family ended up at a camp in Poston, Arizona, where he met his future wife, Jean Ito of San Jose, California.

In 1942, Japanese American men serving in the National Guard in Hawaii were ordered to form the first Nisei unit, the 100th Infantry Battalion.  Their discipline and success in training were so impressive that it was decided to enlist a second group, which became the 442nd.  Hawaiian Nisei along with Nisei in internment camps were called for this unit.

Frank Wada was one of the first  Poston camp to volunteer.  This did not sit well with many of the other internees.  But his sister had told him that his joining might be the only thing that could get them out of the camp.

Before leaving for training at Camp Shelby in Mississippi, he married Jean at the camp and their marriage lasted for 69 years until she died in 2012.

--GreGen

Leo Thomas Keninger of USS Oklahoma-- Part 3: About That Storm

In the last post, I wrote about the storm that seriously damaged the battleship USS Oklahoma on August 21, 1941.

This is what the Wikipedia article on the USS Oklahoma had to say about it:

The Oklahoma had been based at Pearl Harbor from December 1937 and had patrols and exercises during that time.  She returned to the States twice, once to have anti-aircraft guns and armor added to her superstructure and once to have armor replaced.

"En route on 22 August (1941), a severe storm hit the Oklahoma.  One man was swept overboard and three others were injured.  The next morning, a broken  starboard propeller shaft forced the ship to halt, assess the damage, and sail to San Francisco, the closes Navy Yard with an adequate drydock.

"She remained in drydock, undergoing repairs, until mid-October.  The ship then returned to Hawaii.

"The Washington Naval Treaty had precluded the Navy  from replacing the Oklahoma (which had been commissioned in 1916) , leading to a series of refits to extend her lifespan.    The ship was planned to be retired on  2 May 1942.

--GreGen

Spam Goes to War, the Pacific, Hawaii and Even Korea-- Part 2: A 'Wartime Delicacy'

The writer of the article, Jim Willard, said his first acquaintance with Spam came during World War II.  he was still a child and meat was rationed, but not Spam.  As such, his mom included it in her meal planning.

He recalled her frying it, after which he covered it lots and lots of catsup.    He confessed that not only did catsup go on his Spam, but also on a lot of other things such as scrambled eggs, bread and butter sandwiches, etc..

The war put Spam on a lot of maps.  In the Pacific Theater, Spam was introduced to Guam, Okinawa, the Philippines and Hawaii, where it was a huge hit.

It remains especially popular in our 50th state.  Hawaii residents have the highest per capita consumption of Spam of all states.  Both McDonald's and Burger King outlets on the islands serve Spam (with catsup available).

The Lend-Lease Act also brought the stuff to the United Kingdom.  British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher once referred to it as a "wartime delicacy."  Jim said he'd had British food before  and can understand why she felt that way.

And, what's more, the Korean War brought the 'delicacy" you-know-where.

--GreSpam

Pearl Harbor Survivor Turns 100: David Payne-- Part 1 'Gotta Get To Hawaii'

From the March 3, 2021, WPSD 6 NBC "Service & Sacrifice: WW II veteran, Pearl Harbor  survivor turns 100" by Jennifer Horbelt and Mason Watkins.

Air Force veteran David Payne turned 100 on Feb. 28.  And, he was at Pearl Harbor and has memories of that attack.

In 1939, he was 18 years old and he read in a local paper that he could join the Army Air Corps and then go to Hawaii.  He said, "I said, 'I've gotta get to Hawaii.' "

"I weighed 112 pounds and had a hard time getting into the service.  First sergeant said, 'Uh, ell, you go home, drink some milkshakes, eat some bananas or something.  Come back and see me.'  So I went back to see him several weeks later, and put some silver dollars in my pocket.  I weighed 112 pounds.  He weighed me with my clothes on.  I got up to 115 pounds,"  Payne said with a grin.  "That's how I got in to the service."

And, he ended up in Hawaii, which was a huge change from his native Kentucky.  He remembers being in a store there, "I was in the drug store.  I don't know what I went in for, maybe to get some cigarettes.  I did smoke back then.  And then, John Wayne  walked in."

--GreGen

Effort Underway to Identify 'Unknown' World War II Troops Buried in the Philippines

From the January 5, 2020, Navy Times.  AP

They were buried in the Philippines and now have been sent to Hawaii for identification. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency recently conducted an  "honorable carry" ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for 40 sets of  unidentified remains. They were exhumed from the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.  They will be examined for DNA at a lab at Hickam.

The agency, which has an annual budget of $169 million and hundreds of personnel in Hawaii, investigates, recovers and identifies American military personnel from past wars.

--GreGen

Remains of Isaac Parker of the USS Oklahoma Identified

From the December 23, 2020, Arkansas Democrat Gazette "Remains of Arkansas sailor confirmed" by Brianna Kwasnik.

Navy Mess Attendant 3rd Class Isaac Parker of Woodson was assigned to the USS Oklahoma that was moored in Battleship Row by Ford Island in Pearl harbor that day.  He was among the 429 who died aboard the ship.

The reason so many of the crew were unidentified was that their bodies were no recovered until starting in 1943.  In 1947, thirty-five bodies were identified.  In October 1949,  all the rest of the remains were classified as  "non-recoverable."

However, now, using DNA, most of those Oklahoma "Unknowns" are being identified.

Isaac Parker was a black man and will be buried June 8, 2021 at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis.  His father, Holsey C. Parker was a U.S. Army veteran from World War II and is also buried at that cemetery.

He was born on June 8, 1824, and joined the U.S. Navy at age 17.

--GreGen

Honolulu's Black Cat Cafe-- Part 2:

One very popular concession they had at the Black Cat was the photo gallery where the men could pose for photographs with "hula girls" to send to their families back home.  "Look Mom, I'm in Hawaii!!  Wish You Were Here."

But, for the servicemen, the food was the Big Thing!!  After the war, eating at the Black Cat was one of the sailor's most remembered times of their Hawaiian experience. Prices were rock bottom.

The menu in 1941 listed hot dogs at 10 cents, hamburgers at 15 cents, a roast turkey dinner for 50 cents, and the most expensive  item was the porterhouse steak with mushrooms for a dollar.

One veteran reminisced:  ... the prices at the Black Cat were about the cheapest you could find anywhere, and we would go over and eat breakfast ... as a matter of fact  we would eat all our meals there.  All the sailors knew about the Black Cat."

For those stationed in Hawaii  during the war it was truly "hotsy-totsy" with gravy.

--GreGen

Life on USS Oklahoma Before Attack-- Part 3: 'We Were in 7th Heaven'

This interview is very interesting.  I haven't read much about what life was like on those old battleships before the attack.  I also did not know  about the collisions with the USS Arizona and Enterprise.  I don't know, two collisions or near-collisions might mean a problem somewhere.

This was from an interview with USS Oklahoma survivor Paul Goodyear in 2002.

************************

QUESTION:  What do you hear when the Oklahoma collided with the Arizona?

ANSWER:  I recall the scraping of metal, and crunching sound, but you are so busy, you don't pay attention.

*************************

QUESTION:  When you were going above the armored deck, where were you going?

ANSWER:   I was heading toward the signal bridge.  (His station)

*************************

QUESTION:  When did the ship pull in the first week of December (1941)?

 ANSWER:  It was Dec. 5.  I went on liberty  and went to Capulani (Kapiolani) Park and listened to 'Hawaii Calls'.  We put on bathing suits and went swimming.  We were in 7th heaven.  We didn't have much money so we couldn't do much.

(I am going to have to do some research on the Enterprise and Arizona collisions.)

--GreGen

Aircraft Carriers Serving As Air Transports

Continued from previous blog entry.

During World War II, smaller aircraft carriers often performed the role of aircraft delivery.

More recently, in the late 2000s, the USS Bon Homme Richard transported "red air" aggressor jets to Hawaii for exercises.

In 1992, two B-25 Mitchell bombers took off from the aircraft carrier USS Ranger to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Doolittle Raid on Japan in 1942.  That operation involved sixteen b_25s taking off from the carrier USS Hornet.

The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson brought another group of warbirds to Hawaii for the 50th anniversary of the end of the war.

--GreGen

USS Essex Delivers Warbirds to Hawaii for 75th Anniversary of End of WW II

From August 11, 2020, Drive  "Amphibious assault ship USS Essex carries load of gorgeous World War II warbirds to Hawaii" by Joseph Trevithick.

The U.S. Navy's Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex recently served as a transport ship, bringing  a load of WW II-era warbirds to Hawaii.  Included were  a P-51 Mustang fighter,  and a B-25 Mitchell bomber.  They are to take part in the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II on Friday, August 14.

There were other planes as well, such as two Catalina flying boats, an F8F Bearcat fighter, an FM2 Wildcat  fighter, two Texas  trainers and a Boeing -Stearman PT-17  biplane.

There were a real lot of photos of them moving the planes off the ship.  Go to the site and check them out.

Hopefully the Planes Will Remain for the 75th Official Anniversary of the End of the War with the Signing of the Japanese Surrender on the USS Missouri.   --GreGen

World War II Surrender Ceremony on Board the USS Missouri to Be Held September 2, 2020

From the August 24, 2020, "WW II surrender ceremony in Hawaii limited to local veterans" by Hannah Patrick.

This 75th World War II anniversary at Pearl Harbor will likely be the last  opportunity for many of that war's aging veterans to attend a commemoration, but sadly will only be limited to those veterans living in Hawaii because of coronavirus concerns.

Originally plans called for 200 to assemble on the deck of the battleship USS Missouri, where the original surrender ceremony took place in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.

Organizers are working on a way to make the event virtual for WW II veterans on the mainland.

Here's Hoping They Find a Way to Make It Virtual.  --GreGen

Coronavirus Has Parallels With WW II's Home Front-- Part 2: Toilet Paper the Hawaiian Way

A big pressure today with the "V" is the hoarding of toilet paper.  This was also a problem of sorts in World War II, however, it was more of a problem with a smaller supply of the commodity rather than an increase in demand as we are having.

The TP problem was especially acute in the Hawaiian Islands.  The lack of trees on them and the fact that paper was used for packaging and transporting weapons, ammunition and blood plasma.

Instead of toilet paper, Hawaiians cut strips of newspaper for bathroom use.  If the person cutting the strips was especially kindhearted, they might crinkle and unkrinkle the strips to make them softer to make them softer.

We are also seeing current shifts in automobile production as Ford Motor Co. is now making ventilators and respirators.  During the war, the auto industry really did an about face.  No new cars were made between 1943 and 1945.    Automakers built jeeps, tanks, trucks and airplanes.

--GreGen