Peleliu: Dream Island Littered With Deadly Relics-- Part 1

From the Feb. 8, 2012, Spiegel On Line International "Pacific Battlefield Tourism: A Dream Island Littered With Deadly Relics" by Stephen Robert WeiBenboru.

Peleliu is an island paradise. Arriving on the island, you see a sign reading "Welcome to Peleliu-Land of Enchantment." Another reads "Remember that WWII ordnance is still dangerous and can injure or kill."

Peleliu is the site of one of the Pacific Theater's bloodiest battles between American and Japanese forces. There are rusty grenades and rifles strewn about as well as warplanes and tanks covered up in the vegetation.

Most of the debris was simply left where it was after the fighting.

Careful Where You Step on Peleliu. --GreGen

SS Port Nicholson-- Part 1: Treasure Ship?

From Wikipedia. Yesterday, I blogged about a 2012 article saying that treasure hunters had found this sunken vessel off Cape Cod which was loaded supposedly with several billion dollars worth (today's money) of Soviet payments for weapons during World War II. I had also written about it back in 2012. I was unable to come across anything about whether they found this treasure, however, and there is still some question as to whether it actually had the treasure in the first place.

The SS Port Nicholson was a British refrigerated cargo ship owned by the Port Line and completed 13 May 1919. Before World War II, the 481-foot long ship sailed between the U.K., Australia and New Zealand. During those years, it had several serious accidents.

More to Come. --GreGen

Treasure Hunters Find Billions in Sunken Ship Off Boston

From the Feb. 8, 2012, Fox News.

They found the sunken ship off Cape Cod in 2008 after a three-month search but kept it quiet while resources and legal rights were obtained. The S.S. Port Nicholson was torpedoed by a German U-boat in 1942. The stricken ship drifted before sinking 700 feet deep in George's Bank, a popular fishing channel with lots of shipwrecks.

The ship was carrying a cargo of precious metals from the Soviet Union to the United States with an estimated worth of $3 billion in today's dollars.

The site is divable but very difficult.

A Treasure-Hunting We Go. --GreGen

The Early Days of the War at Wilmington, NC

From the Feb. 1, 2012 Wilmington (NC) Star-News "Back Then" by Scott Nunn. These are articles taken from the papers from back then.

JANUARY 18, 1942: Air warden McKean Maffit (one of the Maffitt family?) announced plans for sentries to stand guard on top of several tall downtown buildings to be on the lookout for fires or bombs set off by saboteurs. (This would not be surprising coming just over a month after Pearl Harbor was attacked. However, I notice they weren't on the lookout for enemy bombers.)

JANUARY 20, 1942: Herbert Frank Melton, 25, of Masonboro Sound (near Wilmington) was killed at Pearl Harbor. He was a B.M. 2nd Class on the USS Oklahoma and the son of Mr. and Mrs. George Melton. Graduating from New Hanover High School in Wilmington, he enlisted in the Navy in 1936. (His remains were never found.)

There was another sailor killed from the Oklahoma with the same last name, Edward Rudolph Melton, but evidently no relation. John Russell Melton died aboard the USS West Virginia at Pearl Harbor, also no relation.

The War Hits Home. --GreGen

Old News, But Kind of Sad: Doolittle's Raiders

From the Feb. 2, 2012, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette.

The five remaining Doolittle's Raiders were planning to attend their group reunion at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force near Dayton April 17-20th, for the 70th anniversary of their daring feat.

On April 18, 1942, just months after the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, 80 flyers under Lt. Col. James "Jimmy" Doolittle gave the Japanese a taste of their own medicine.

This year's event features a banquet, memorial service, autograph sessions and they were also hoping for a massive fly-over by 25 B-25 bombers.

This year, they will also have the Chinese survivors who risked their lives in Japanese-occupied China, to save the flyers. Surviving crewmembers of the USS Hornet will also be on hand.

Then, the real sad part of the story: all five survivors of the Doolittle raiders are able to travel and will attend. Now, we are down to four with one unable to travel for health reasons who will be attending the very final get-together in Dayton, Ohio, November 9th.

Like I Said, the Greatest Generation. --GreGen

Wilmington, NC, at Pearl Harbor

From the January 18, 1942, Wilmington (NC) Star-News.

The battleship USS North Carolina was commissioned April 9, 1941, and the Star noted that there were 15 sailors aboard her from North Carolina, including Robert E. Cook of Wilmington.

The Jan. 9, 1942, Wilmington, NC, paper noted that there were many Wilmington area people serving in Honolulu on the day of the attack:

HENRY MELTON of Masonboro Sound, MARION JEFFORDS of Carolina Avenue, CONRAD LOTT of Leland, GEORGE LATHAN HARRIS of Masonboro Sound, A.L. JONES of Masonboro Sound,

Three Wilmington brothers: CLYDE MOORE, RALPH MOORE and ROBERT MOORE, ANDY WEBB of Wrightsboro, JOHNNY DAVIS of Carolina Beach, GEORGE THOMAS BORDEAUX of South 3rd Street,

WALTER JONES of Southport, CURTIS VARNUM of Supply, BRYANT and FRANK PORTER of Southport, ROSCOE A. COLE JR, M.S. DOBSON, WILLIAM H. BARRY, LINWOOD BATSON, NELSON ROBBINS, BENJAMIN ADAMS of 315 Dock Street, and J.W. THOMPSON of MacRae Street.

--GreGen

Another Pearl Harbor Survivor Dies

From the Jan. 27, 2012, Onalaska (Wis.) Courier-Life "Pearl Harbor Survivor 'Dutch' Albitz dies" by Jessica Larsen.

Died at age 89. There are only about 40 Pearl Harbor survivors remaining in Wisconsin. He was a 19-year-old gunner on an anti-aircraft battery on the USS Oklahoma.

When it began listing over, he jumped into the fuel-oil covered waters where a small boat pulled him out and took him to the USS Maryland. Once there, he helped pass ammunition to an anti-aircraft battery.

After the battle, he was assigned to the light cruiser USS Helena. From there he served on the new battleship USS Indiana in the Pacific for the duration of the war.

Another of the Greatest. --GreGen

Singapore World War II Bomb Shelter Open Again

From the Jan. 27, 2012, Jakarta Globe "Singapore WW II Bomb Shelter Open for Tours" by Lim Yang Liang.

It is perhaps the last civilian air raid shelter in the city and on the ground-floor of Block 78 Guan Chuan Street, 1,500 square meters and used for up to 100 people.

It was used during the Japanese air raids in December 1941 and January 1942 until Singapore fell. Built in 1940 in public housing in response to mounting war pressure with Japan.

The National Heritage Board has opened it for the 70th anniversary. It is in good condition, though not original. Along with the tours, there are photos and oral accounts of the time. Japanese air attacks began December 8, 1941, and the city was not ready.

 --GreGen

Britain's HMS Olympus Submarine

From Wikipedia. Continuing with the last blog entry.

The HMS Olympus was an Odin-class submarine. This class was designed for use by the Royal Australian Navy for use in long-range patrolling in the Pacific Ocean. The Olympus, however, was intended for British service.

Commissioned in 1930, it served on China Station from 1931 to 1939 and then off Ceylon for a year before redeployment in the Mediterranean in 1940. It was damaged in an air raid by Italian aircraft while in dock at Malta. It was repaired and sent to sea again.

When it was sunk, May 8, 1942, it was carrying members of the crews of three other submarines (the Pandora, P-36 and P-39) which had been sunk in aerial attacks at Malta. The nine survivors had to swim seven miles back to Malta.

--GreGen

HMS Olympus Submarine Found

From the January 12, 2012, Huffington Post "World War II Submarine HMS Olympus Found By Divers Near Malta."

The submarine was found and identified nearly seventy years after sinking after it struck a mine on May 8, 1942, near Malta in the Mediterranean Sea. Only seven of almost one hundred aboard survived.

Florida-based archaeology group Aurora Trust found it last year but were not allowed to tell about it until now. The submarine is sitting upright and in pristine condition other than damage sustained when the mine blew up. It is considered a war grave as crewmember bodies are still aboard.

The 80 meter-long Odin-class submarine was built in 1927 and is seven miles off Malta' coast. Many of the dead aboard her were survivors of the sinkings of three other submarines in the area because of German bombing as the British base at Malta was considered crucial.

Always Glad When a Lost Ship Is Found. --GreGen

WWII's "Ship That Wouldn't Die" Survives Again-- Part 2

The USS Laffey is also the only surviving World War II destroyer that served in the Atlantic and took part during D-Day. It was decommissioned in 1975 and brought to Patriot Point in 1981.

Lee Hunt, 89, said, "It's where I spent my youth. I grew up on that ship." He is a Plankholder, meaning that he was a member of the original crew. "I was on it when I was 17 and spent my 18th birthday killing people in Germany in the invasion of France and right on to Okinawa and the Philippines and what have you."

Hunt was not surprised on that March 1945 attack. "We knew we were going to get hit. Every destroyer out there on picket duty knew they were going to be attacked."

Renovation of the Laffey was paid by a state loan which the museum intends to pay back from operating expenses.

Next Time in Charleston, I Know Where I'm Headed. --GreGen

World War II's "Ship That Would Not Die" Survives Again-- Part 1

From the January 23, 2012, Washington Post "WWII destroyer USS Laffey returns to SC home after 29 million in repairs."

"The Ship That Would Not Die" returned Jan 25th to its berth at the Patriot Point Naval and Maritime Museum in Charleston (SC) Harbor. It was towed doen the Cooper River after two years in drydock.

A group of fifty, including more than a dozen former crew members watched from the deck of another World War II ship, the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga.

The USS Laffey was built at the Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine in 1943 and got its nickname in March of 1945 when it was attacked by at least 25 Japanese planes, hit by four bombs and five kamikazes and suffered 103 casualties, but did not sink.

Quite a Valiant Ship. --GreGen

"No, I Have to be Able to Fly This Plane Back to England"

From the Jan. 22, 2012, My SA (San Antonio's Home Page.

Harry Seidel died January 20th at age 88.

At the onset of the war, he was working on B-17 bombers at Kelly Airfield and dreamed of flying a "Flying Fortress." He enlisted in the Army Air Force, became a pilot and flew 23 missions over Germany.

He received a Purple Heart on his final mission over Dresden. They had completed their run and were on the way back home when the plane was hit. The pilot was killed immediately. Mr. Seidel, as co-pilot, was hit in the stomach and elbow. Although losing blood rapidly, he took control. They were now down to two engines and the landing gear was damaged.

He was offered morphine for the pain, but replied, "No, I have to be able to fly this plane back to England." According to his son Sam Seidel, "He had one mission, and that was saving everyone's lives."

Mr. Seidel safely landed the plane in Molesworth, England.

It took him two years to recover from his wounds. Returning to the United States, he got lucky at poker and won enough to start Seidel Iron Works which does intricate welding on many historic structures, including the Joske Building, the River Walk ironwork and brass planters and railings at Trinity University.

America's Greatest. --GreGen

Doolittle Raiders Gather One Last Time Next Month

From the Oct. 11, 2013, War History Online.

There are now only four remaining raiders from the 80 who took off with Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle that April 18, 1942, on a raid the Japanese didn't believe could happen. It did and provided a huge boost to U.S. morale and blow to Japanese pride.

Three of them: Lt. Col. Dick Cole, 98; Lt. Col. Ed Saylor, 93 and Staff Sgt. David Thatcher, 92, will attend the last reunion in Dayton, Ohio, next month. Lt. Col. Robert Hite, 93, will not be attending because of health issues.

Only an additional 1,000 are invited to attend. Regrettably, one of those won't be me, but I sure would like to be there.

They will lift their glasses and sip some 117-year-old Hennessy Very Special cognac and say goodbye to a decades old tradition.

I'll sure be writing about the ceremony.

The Greatest Generation. --GreGen

Duke University During World War II-- Part 3

The final game of Coach Eddie Cameron's 1942 season was against the Jacksonville Naval Air Stattion, an all-star unit called "The Flyers" who beat Duke 13-0 behind McAfee, the 1939 Blue Devil leader in total offense as as senior that year.

Wallace Wade, meanwhile, became a Lt. Col in the Army and served 15-months in France and Germany. Before shipping out in the summer of 1942, he coached the West Army All-Stars to a 2-3 exhibition record against NFL opponents to sell war bonds.

He was awarded a bronze star during his service and returned as Duke's head coach in 1946 before retiring in 1950 with a 110-36-7 record.

War Comes to Duke. --GreGen

Duke University During World War II-- Part 2

In 1943, Duke added the Navy's V-12 program, an accelerated training regimen to speed qualified military personnel and high school students into active service as officers. Many were needed to lead the explanded numbers of military members and those killed and wounded.

In the 1941-1942 basketball season, Coach Eddie Cameron's last Blue Devil squad went 22-2, his best record in his 14-year tenure. On March 7, 1942, they repeated as Southern Conference champs.

Football coach Wade resigned in March 1942 and returned to military service (he had been a captain in World War I) and volunteered for the field artillery. (A later Duke legend, Mike Krzyzewski, also was in the field artillery and rose to the rank of captain.)

Cameron, the football backfield coach, took Wade's place as athletic director and "acting head football coach." Cameron's position as head basketball coach was taken over by Gerry Gerald.

In football, the 1942 Duke team lost 21 players from the Rose Bowl unit, but Cameron opened the offense and had four straight winning seasons.

Go Field Artillery. --GreGen

Duke University During World War II-- Part 1: A Navy Connection at Cameron Indoor

From the Jan. 1, 2012, Go Duke Magazine "When the Rose Bowl Called Durham Home" by Barry Jacobs.

Continued from my last four entries. Only this more reflects what happened at Duke during the war years and a whole lot of Duke sports history.

During the war, Duke's biggest military tie was with the Navy. During the summer of 1940, the school added NROTC and had 218 applications that year, accepting 160 of them.

The program was based in a building that later became known as Cameron Indoor Stadium (where the Duke basketball team plays today). A shooting gallery was located in an area that today is offices behind press row. There were store rooms and an armory upstairs. Included was a machine gun, torpedo and a scale model of the battleship USS North Carolina.

Anchors Aweigh. --GreGen

When the Rose Bowl Was Played in Durham, NC-- Part 4

They played in a driving winter rain that began three hours before the game started. Duke fumbled the opening kick-off and never led, although rallying twice to tie it before losing 20-16.

By February 1942, some 200 Trinity College (the name was changed to Duke in 1924) students were on active duty or military-related roles. Curriculum was changed to reflect a wartime emphasis, if only in name. For example, a course on parabolic equations became "Math of Artillery Fire."

Within 14 months, 2/3 of the Duke male students were in some sort of reserve training program. Overall, enrollment dropped and greater numbers of women began attending.

The War Comes Home. --GreGen

When the Rose Bowl Was Played in Durham, NC-- Part 3

The planned-for Rose Bowl game in Pasadena had already sold 65,000 tickets for this Duke-Oregon State match-up.

Duke was not a popular choice. One Los Angeles newspaper reported that when Duke was announced there was "a moment of silent shock" and then "a full-throated chorus of boos."

Duke's previous Rose Bowl appearance, credited with paying for the school's new indoor basketball facility, Cameron Indoor Arena, was also unpopular. At that time, the Iron Dukes, led by Football Hall of Famer George McAfee, Dan Hill and Eric Tipton led Southern Cal until the final 40 seconds when the Trojans scored to win 7-3.

The January 1, 1942, Rose Bowl game, now to be played in North Carolina, nonetheless, sold out in just three days. Demand was so high that exrtra bleachers had to be borrowed from the University of North Carolina to accomodate the 56,000 fans.

And, the Game Was On. --GreGen

When the Rose Bowl Was Played in Durham, NC-- Part 2

Before Pearl Harbor was attacked, a four-day train excusrion was arranged from Durham, NC, (home of Duke) to Pasadena, California, called "The Blue Devil Special" and "The Duke." First-class accomodation aboard a Pullman coach was $125.59 round trip. Duke was playing in the Rose Bowl that year.

The 1942 Duke yearbook, the Chanticleer, said, "Duke students are rabid football enthusiasts and are eager to follow their team all over the country."

In 1941, the winner of the Pacific Coast Conference was Oregon State College, and they got to choose their opponent. Spurning Texas, the Beavers chose Coach Wallace Wade's 9-0 Blue Devils from the much-disparaged Southern Conference (before the ACC). That selection was partly based on Duke defeating the Tennessee Volunteers saddling them with their first regular season loss since 1937.

No Big Ten? --GreGen