Served on the Carriers Lake Champlain and Wolverine-- Part 1

Thursday, I volunteered to help the Goldsboro Salvation Army in their annual barbecue fundraiser and was assigned to go on deliveries.  The man I was to help was 90 years old and a member of the Golden Kiwanis.

While delivering, he mentioned that he was a World War II veteran, having joined the Navy in the last part of it.  He was a graduate of Goldsboro High School in 1939, the same year as my uncle with  whom he was a good friend.

Earlier in the war, he had worked at a war industry in North Carolina.  Training had been at Great Lakes in North Chicago, Illinois, about thirty miles from my house.  His training had been extended because he had been assigned to join the new aircraft carrier USS Lake Champlain.

I had never heard of this ship and thought it might be one of the US light carriers, but it turned out to be (when I looked it up) one of the 24 huge Essex carriers.  It was being built at the same time and in the same place as the USS Shangri-La.  When we lived in Jacksonville, Florida during part of my 4th grade, the neighbors' father was on the USS Shangri-La.  That would be around 1960.

More to Come.  --GreGen

L.A. Internment Camp Considered for Historic Status

From the Feb. 17, 2013, L.A. Times.

The Los Angeles city council reviewed an internment site for possible historical status.  Verdugo Hills Gold Course, a former CCC camp in Tuna Canyon Detention Station.  Civilians of Japanese, Japanese-Peruvian, Italian and German descent were sent here.

The site is threatened by development.

GreGen

Sydney Harbour, Canada, Played Role in Both World Wars

From the March 3, 1913, Cape Breton Post by Rannie Gillis.

Both Sydney and Halifax Harbours in Canada played important roles in the world wars as bases for wartime convoys which could easily accomodate 100 vessels.

The use of convoys in the First World War didn't start until the last year of the war.

During the Second World War, there were two distinct types of convoys.  "Fast Convoys" consisted of ships that could keep up with at least 10 knots and left from Halifax.  "Slow Convoys" left from Sydney Harbour.  Both harbors were also bases for escort ships.

A small naval facility was started at Sydney, HMCS Protector.

Never Heard of Sydney Harbour.  --GreGen

The USS Mason (DE-529): Mostly Black Crew-- Part 2

The USS Mason had 13 officers, only one of whom was black and 191 enlisted men, of which 160 were black.

On September 2, 1944, the ship arrived in New York to escort Convoy 119 which reached England on October 18th after encountering a huge storm on the way.  The little ship was in danger itself, but rescued crews from stricken ships and was critically damaged.  That damage was repaired at sea.

For thirty days the convoy battled record 50 foot waves and 70 knotwind.  Three tugs sank, 8 car floats and 5 cargo barges.

The crew never received letters of commendation for their efforts and heroism until 1994.

Charles Dana Gibson wrote the book "The Ordeal of Convoy NY 119" about the story.

There is now a USS Mason guided missile destroyer in the US Navy.

Sounds Like a Good Movie to Me.  --GreGen

The USS Mason (DE-529): Mostly Black Crew-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

Back on January 5 and 9, I wrote about military tugboats constructed in Deland, Florida.  One, the ST-679, was a part of the "Infamous" Convoy NY-119, which encountered a horrendous storm in September 1944.  One of the ships mentioned in the convoy was the USS Mason.

I wasn't sure why this ship's name would be mentioned and others in the convoy were not.  So, of course, I had to do some more research, especially since I had never heard of the ship.

The USS Mason (DE-529) was an Everts-class destroyer escort and one of only two World War II ships manned almost entirely by a black crew.  The other was the USS PC-1264, a submarine chaser.

Ships being manned by black crews was the result of an NCAAP  to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

It was commissioned March 20, 1944, and decommissioned October 12, 1945, weighed 1140 tons and was 289-feet long.

More to Come.  --GreGen

Some More Pearl Harbor Deaths

Sad, but time is passing by.

March 15 St. Cloud Times (Minn)  Ralph Krafnick, 95, died Sunday.  On the USS New Orleans and getting ready to play a baseball game.  Spoke to classrooms about it.

Claude Anthony Sowada died Feb. 18th.  On the USS Maryland.

Leslie John O'Brien, died March 18th.  Attended USNA and became rear-admiral in 1965.  1938-1940 on USS Maryland.  Joined staff of commander-in-chief of US fleet in 1940.

Richard Nesbitt, 95.  Native of Nevada on USS Nevada at Pearl Harbor.  Graduate of USNA.  Served 23 years.  Retired as a captain.

Sad to See Them Go.

Deaths: Captured Tojo

From the March 4, 2013, Seattle Times "US WWII veteran who captured Japan's Tojo dies" by Chris Carola, AP.

JOHN J. WILPERS, 93

Last surviving member of the U.S. Army intelligence unit that captured former Japanese Prime Minister Hidecki Tojo.  The five-man unit arrested him September 11, 1945, nine days after Japan's surrender.

While the soldiers were outside, Tojo attempted to commit suicide and shot himself in the chest.  Wilpers drew his pistol and threatened a Japanese doctor present into treating Tojo until an American one arrived.

Tojo survived and was convicted of war crimes and executed in December 1948.

There is a famous photo of Wilpers holding the pistol on the doctor.

Japanese Submarine I-70-- Part 1

From CombineFleet.com "HIJMS Submarine I-70: Tabular Record of Movement" by Bob Hackett and Sander Kingsepp.

This being a followup to Dickinson sinking the I-70.

25 Jan 1933--  Laid down at Sasebo Navy Yard, Japan.
14 June 1934--  launched
14 June 1935--  completed

30 March 1941--  became flagship of SubDiv12.
12 May 1941--  the I-69 collides with I-70, damaging the I-70 badly with a long gash on starboard tanks.
15 May 1941--  SubDiv12 flag transferred to I-68.

November 1941 "Operation Z" brief for Pearl Harbor attack on light cruiser Katori.
11 November 1941--  departed Saeki with I-68.

GreGen

Some More Lt. Dickinson and Submarine I-70 Information

Eighteen SBD planes arrived from the USS Enterprise during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and six, including Lt. Dickinson's plane were shot down.

As if in a postscript to Pearl Harbor, three days later, Dickinson, flying another SBD from the USS Enterprise, sank the Japanese submarine I-70 at 23 degrees 45' North, 155 degrees35' West.

GreGen

Deaths: Last Survivor of Hitler Assassination Attempt

EWALD-HEINRICH VON KLEIST, 96

Died March 8, 2013.  As a 22-year-old German Army lieutenant. he volunteered to wear a suicide vest to a meeting with Adolf Hitler with plans to blow himself up and take out the German leader.  This plot did not come to pass.

He did play a key role in the attempt later that year, on July 20, 1944.

A member of a long-time military family, his father, Ewald von Kleist, was an opponent of Hitler who was arrested many times.  In 1938, he had traveled to England to determine if there was enough support for a coup attempt.

The younger von Kleist volunteered for the German Army in 1940 and was serving on the Eastern Front where he was wounded in 1943.  During his convalescence, he was approached by Col. Claus von Stauffenberg with a plan to kill Hitler.  This resulted in the suicide vest.

Then, came the July 20, 1944 plot as shown in the 2008 Tom Cruise movie "Valkyrie."  Von Kleist was to carry a brief case full of explosives, but von Stauffenberg ended up carrying it into the meeting himself.  Von Kleist remained in Berlin where he was supposed to arrest all officers and officials loyal to Hitler.

The bomb went off in the bunker, but had been moved behind a heavy table leg and Hitler was not killed.

Von Stauffenberg and others were arrested and executed.

Von Kleist was arrested, interrogated and sent to a concentration camp, but later released and returned to combat duty.

Quite An Interesting Story.  --GreGen

Japanese Submarine I-70 Sunk Three Days After Pearl Harbor

From This Day in Naval History.

I was wondering about which Japanese submarine Lt. Dickinson sank on December 10, 1941, just three days after Pearl Harbor, so did a Yahoo! Search.

According to This Day in Naval History, on Dec. 10, 1941, aircraft from the USS Enterprise sank the Japanese submarine I-70 north of the Hawaiian Islands, the first Japanese combatant ship to be sunk in the war.

Also on December 10th:

A Navy PBY aircraft piloted by Lt. Utter shot down a Japanese Zero in the first US Navy air-to-air kill of the war.

Guam surrendered to Japanese forces.

GreGen

Clarence Earle Dickinson Jr: Won Three Navy Crosses-- Part 2

SECOND NAVY CROSS

After Pearl Harbor, Dickinson moved back to the USS Enterprise.  Just three days later, December 10, 1941, while searching for enemy submarines and ships, he sighted a submarine on the surface and dove through anti-aircraft fire and dropped a bomb.  The submarine "went down in a manner that indicated it had been damaged, or possibly destroyed..  There was no evidence of a dive, such as propeller wake, while a large bubble of oil and air came to the surface."


THIRD NAVY CROSS

This one Dickinson received at the Battle of Midway June 4-6, 1942.


AIR MEDAL

He also received an Air Medal for his actions February 1, 1942 at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

Quite the Air Hero.  --GreGen

Clarence Earle Dickinson Jr: Won Three Navy Crosses-- Part 1

From the Military Times Hall of Valor.

This is a follow up to the March 12th blog entry.

Clarence Earle Dickinson Jr was born December 1, 1912 in Jacksonville, Florida and died October 4, 1984.  His home of record was in Raleigh, North Carolina.

He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1934 and became the first person in history to receive three Navy Crosses, something he did at the same time as fellow pilot Lt. Noel A.M. Gayler.

FIRST NAVY CROSS

He returned to Pearl Harbor in a Scouting Plane from the carrier USS Enterprise.  he and his gunner engaged Japanese planes.  His gunner was killed and Dickinson was shot down in flames and parachuted near Ewa Airfield and proceeded to Ford Island where he was assigned to a post-attack 175 mile aerial search operation for the Japanese fleet.

And, That Was Just the First One.  --GreGen

World War II's Floating Docks

Until the March 11th entry, I had not heard much about floating docks.

From Wikipedia.

During World War II, more than 150 floating docks were constructed in the United States and 78 saw action in battle zones.  Of them, 44 were used for commercial ships, 21 for naval activity, 3 to the Army, 2 for the Coast Guard, 5 sent to the United Kingdom.

They were classified as PFDs, for floating drydocks.

One was lost in action and another sunk at the Bikini Island atomic tests after the war.

Now, You Know.  --GreGen

The USS Shaw-- Part 2: Comebacks

The third bomb struck the bridge.  Fire broke out, attributed to a rupture in the fuel tanks.

The Shaw might have come under attack in the second wave because of the proximity of the battleship USS Nevada, which had gotten underway and ran aground nearby.

The flames were out of control and abandon ship was ordered.  Water was not available to fight the fires.When the fire hit the forward magazine, there was a huge explosion (the one often shown in battle photos)  It severed the bow off and sank the drydock.

The fire was made even hotter from the fuel oil and the wooden blocking under the ship in the drydock.

Twenty-four lost their lives.

temporary repairs were made in Pearl Harbor after the attack and the Shaw made its way to San Francisco where the bow was replaced and repairs made in June 1943, and the destroyer returned to service at New Guinea and the Philippines.

The YDF-2 was raised and restored to use, rejoining the fleet in May 1942.

The Story of a Dock and a Destroyer.  --GreGen

The USS Shaw-- Part 1: Floating Drydocks

Earlier this week, March 11th, I was writing about Clyde Moore from Wilmington, NC, who died aboard the USS Shaw at Pearl Harbor.  Here is a follow-up to the story.

From  the Time and Memory and Blood Blog.

The USS Shaw (DD-373) was in Floating Drydock YFD-2 when the attack came.  The drydock was also called New Orleans after where it had come from., Naval Station New Orleans.  It had arrived at Pearl Harbor August 23, 1940. 

Floating drydocks (the FD in YFD-2) were u-shaped drydocks that could be lowered by letting water into ballast tanks to allow the ship to enter while still afloat.  Then water in the ballast tanks would be pumped out and the ship would rise above the water.  These were very convenient as they could be towed anywhere.

Fortunately for the Shaw's crew, when the attack came, most were ashore as their services were not needed.

The first wave of Japanese planes concentrated primarily on the battleships, but the Shaw was hit in the second wave.  The first two bombs hit the machine gun platform, forecastle and main decks where they exploded in the crews' mess room.



More to Come.  --GreGen

Wilmington NC's Role at Pearl Harbor-- Part 6

Here are some Wilmington civilians at Pearl Harbor that day.

Justus Sistrunk, Hickam Field, recently discharged from the Army Air Force.

Drexel High--  naval shipyard

Blanche Stewart, nurse, who airmailed her mother, "We are working day and night.  Everything has been orderly, and we are not expecting another attack."

Mrs. Emil (Rosa Bunch) Peterson

Mrs. Glenn Frazier whose husband was on the USS Arizona.

A North Carolina City Quite Involved In It.  --GreGen

Wilmington, NC's Role at Pearl Harbor-- Part 5

More Wilmington area residents at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941:

Seaman First Class William Wesley Troutman.

Lt. Col. Brooke E. Allen, a B-17 Flying Fortress pilot and graduate of New Hanover High School, took off from Hickam Airfield around 11:40 AM and circled Diamond Head and was in the air for seven hours looking for the Japanese fleet.

He tracked false reports the fleet was to the south before figuring the attack must have come from the north.  He said he "returned with a minimum of fuel and heart full of disgust that I had been unable to locate them."

Tech Sgt J.W. Thompson Jr
Marsden S. Ward Jr.

At the Army's Schofield Barracks:
Private William S. Smith
Harry Redrick

GreGen

Wilmington, NC's Role At Pearl Harbor-- Part 4

Seaman 2nd Class Lawrence Homer Henderson from Hamstead was on the USS California.

Baker Taylor Marion Jeffords, New Hanover High School Class of 1939, was on the USS West Virginia.

Joseph C. Nesbitt, later long-time Wilmington Star-News photographer, was on seaplane tender USS Avocet.

Lt. Nelson Robinson was on a destroyer.

Lt. Benjamin Adams was on a submarine.  His wife, Catherine Cantwell Adams lives on Waikiki.

U.S. Mintz, New Hanover HS Class of 1939 was on the USS Oklahoma.

Conrad Lott of Leland was on the USS West Virginia.

Roscoe A. Cole, Jr was in a harbor defense unit.

M.C. Dobson was at a Naval Air Station.

Nelson Robinson was on a destroyer.

William H. Barry

More to Come.  --GreGen

Wilmington, NC's Ties to Pearl Harbor-- Part 3

There is no memorial to the USS Shaw at Pearl Harbor.  Survivors do not attend anniversaries and none were at the 70th anniversary in 2011.  The Navy still uses Dry Dock No. 2 (but this might be the regular drydock, not the one the Shaw was in which was a floating one, the YFD-2, which was raised, repaired and rejoined the fleet in May 1942.

There is, however, a Honolulu grave site for one Wilmington man, but he wasn't at Pearl Harbor during the attack.  Navy Pharmacist 2nd Class William D. Halyburton Jr gave his life to save another and is interred at the Punchbowl National memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Here is information on the Wilmington Pearl Harbor survivors:

LT. CLARENCE EARL DICKINSON JR.  was in Scouting Squadron Six from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise and offshore.  He and other pilots were planning to land their planes at Naval Air Station Pearl Harbor and flew into the midst of the attack.

He was shot down after he shot a Japanese plane down and crashed into a sugar cane field near Ewa.  He made it to Ford Island and commandeered another aircraft and took off looking for Japanese planes.

For his actions that day and for sinking the first enemy surface ship of the war a few days later, he received the first of his three Navy Crosses.

More to Come.  --GreGen