NNS020131-22. This Day in Naval History - May 21

From the Navy News Service

1850 - Washington Navy Yard begins work on first castings for the Dahlgren guns.
1917 - USS Ericsson fires first torpedo of war.
1944 - Accidental explosion on board an LST unloading ammunition in West Loch, Pearl Harbor, and the resulting fire and other explosions sink five LSTs.
1964 - The initiation of the standing carrier presence at Yankee Station in the South China Sea.

NNS020131-29. This Day in Naval History - May 28

By Navy News Service

1813 - Frigate Essex and prize capture five British whalers.
1917 - First underway fueling in U.S. Navy, USS Maumee fuels 6 destroyers in North Atlantic. LCDR Chester W. Nimitz served as Maumee's executive officer and chief engineer.
1957 - 1st of 24 detonations, Operation Plumbbob nuclear test.
1980 - 55 women become first women graduates from the U.S. Naval Academy.

For more information about naval history, visit the Naval historical Center Web site at http://www.history.navy.mil.

June 4, 5 and 6 is the anniversary of the battle of Midway. US Navy has a pretty cool video of the battle.

http://www.navy.mil/midway/mid_over.html

Tony,
Thanks to you and Paul for sharing information about the Battle of Midway and its anniversary date coming up this week. Also, June 6th is the 65th anniversary of the D-Day invasion in France. I will be posting some information and photos on Friday.

NNS020418-11. This Day in Naval History - June 03

From Navy News Service

1785 - Order received to sell last ship remaining in Continental Navy, frigate Alliance. No other Navy were ships authorized until 1794.
1898 - Collier Merrimac sunk in channel leading to Santiago, Cuba in unsuccessful attempt to trap Spanish fleet. The crew was captured and later received the Medal of Honor.
1949 - Wesley A. Brown becomes the first African-American to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy.
1966 - Launch of Gemini 9, piloted by Lt. Cmdr. Eugene A. Cernan. The mission included 45 orbits over three days. Recovery was by USS Wasp (CVS 18).

For more information about Naval History, visit the Naval Historical Center Web site at www.history.navy.mil.

NNS090603-03. Museum Exhibit Highlights Navy's Role in Timekeeping Exploration

By Mike Randazzo, Naval Support Activity Mechanicsburg Communications

COLUMBIA, Pa, (NNS) -- The National Watch and Clock Museum's Time and Exploration: Earth, Sea, and Space Exhibit opened in Columbia, Pa., and includes the Navy's significant contribution to the advancement of this science.

The exhibit examines the importance of time and timekeeping from the earliest explorers to modern space travel. The museum acquired approximately 25 valuable pieces, including the Shuttle Endeavor's wristwatch, the pocketwatch Adm. Byrd used on his Antarctic exploration, the clock from a Soviet "Soyuz" spacecraft, several legendary ships' chronometers and the Mars clock.

During his keynote address, Capt. Chris Vitt, commanding officer Naval Support Activity Mechanicsburg, chronicled the tradition of the ship's bell, the role of the chronometer and the importance of the master clock maintained by the U.S. Naval Observatory.

"Keeping time is vital to a ship's routine and readiness," Vitt said. "Bells have a centuries-long tradition of timekeeping in the navies and merchant fleets of the world."

Before the advent of the chronometer, time at sea was measured by the trickle of sand through a half-hour glass.

"One of the ship's boys had the duty of watching the glass and turning it when the sand had run out," said Vitt. "When he turned the glass, he struck the bell as a signal that he had performed this vital function."

During the end of the 17th century, mariners fixed their latitude fairly accurately using the quadrant and sextant to measure the elevation of the sun or chartered stars. However, calculating longitude was a problem because it relied upon the ability to accurately tell time at sea.

"In these days of iron men and wooden ships, the chronometer was the most critical and most valued item on the ship. Each and every day, the chronometer was wound at exactly the same time using the same number of turns. This daily revolution was so essential that a report was made each day to the ship's commanding officer," Vitt said.

In 1845, at the request of the secretary of the Navy, the Naval Observatory installed a time ball atop the 9.6-inch telescope dome. The time ball was dropped every day precisely at noon, enabling the inhabitants of Washington to set their timepieces. Ships in the Potomac River could also set their clocks before putting to sea. The observatory's time service was initiated in 1865. A time signal was transmitted via telegraph lines to the Navy Department, and it also activated Washington's fire bells at 7 a.m., noon and 6 p.m.

By a Department of Defense directive, the Naval Observatory is charged with maintaining the military's reference standard for precise time and time intervals. The observatory has developed the world's most accurate atomic clock system; the U.S. Naval Observatory's master clock is the time and frequency standard for all of these systems.

"Highly accurate, portable, atomic clocks have been transported aboard aircraft in order to synchronize the time at naval bases and other Department of Defense facilities around the world, with the master clock," Vitt said.

Vitt also praised the pioneer spirit and those who watch over history's keepsakes and collectibles.

"We owe great debt to those explorers who bravely charted the unknown and drew maps for future generations. We also owe a debt to those, like all of you here tonight, who play a role in preserving our timepieces, artifacts, and collectibles for posterity," Vitt said.

NNS020418-12. This Day in Naval History - June 04

From the Navy News Service

1934 - USS Ranger (CV 4), first ship designed from the keel up as a carrier, is commissioned at Norfolk, Va.
1942 - Battle of Midway (June 4-6) begins. During battle, the four Japanese carriers which attacked Pearl Harbor are sunk; this decisive U.S. victory is a turning point in the Pacific war.
1944 - Hunter-killer group USS Guadalcanal (CVE 60) captures German submarine, U 505.

One of the Great Mysteries of the Sea?
A Frequently Asked Question, and its None-Too-Pleasant Answer.


After going through our pictorial coverage of the Battle of Midway, researchers often ask "So, where are all the photographs of Kaga, Akagi and Soryu during and after the attacks that sank them?". To which we reply, sadly, "Well, there don't seem to be any!"


The unfortunate fact of the matter is that the only existing views of Japanese ships during the Battle of Midway are those taken by the Army B-17s as they tried to hit the Japanese carriers on 4 June 1942, two photos of the wrecked Hiryu taken from a Japanese aircraft early on 5 June, and several photographs of the cruiser Mikuma after she was bombed on 6 June.


Undoubtedly, there were photographers on board the Japanese carriers during the Battle of Midway, as there were on earlier and later operations. However, either their pictures were destroyed with the ships, or afterwards, when the Japanese Navy went to great lengths to conceal the disaster from the rest of their nation. In addition, some of the attacking U.S. planes carried cameras, but most apparently did not have an opportunity to use them.


It has been related, in a particularly unhappy tale, that a Bombing Squadron Six SBD flown by Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Wilbur E. Roberts and Aviation Machinist's Mate First Class W.B. Steinman had a camera, and that Steinman took a number of photographs. This plane was one of two Enterprise SBDs to land on USS Yorktown shortly before she was bombed. Later in the day, after Yorktown was torpedoed, LtJG Roberts took the camera and film with him as he abandoned ship. After reaching USS Portland (CA-35), he had the film developed and printed. He has reported that the resulting photographs showed a Japanese carrier, which would probably have been Kaga. However, while he examined the freshly developed prints, a more-senior officer came along, saw what they represented, and confiscated them. Roberts never saw them again.


There the trail ends. No such photographs were included in any of the Midway action reports, and they are not with the Portland photography that became part of the Navy's official photographic collection that is now held by the National Archives.

Thanks Paige. Sort of depressing to hear there are so few pictures.

I'm posting something that is a little different today. This week commemorates both eht Battle of Midway on the 4th and the D-Day Invasion today. But hisotry is being made each and every day. This is a story that was posted in the Penny Press yesterday about the dedication to being closure to families from a very difficult time in our recent past....the Vietnam War. As Terry and several others on the site can tell you, many Americans did not come back from that conflict, but thanks to the hard work of at least one sailor, four families can feel a little more closure today.


Lincoln Chief gives closure after 44 years
By Petty Officer 3rd Class Kat Corona
USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN 72)
Public Affairs
June 3, 2009


The year was 1965. Lyndon B. Johnson was President, the Beatles released the movie and album "Help!," the mini skirt made its premier into pop culture, and in the Gia Lai Province of Vietnam's central highlands, a U.S. Army helicopter failed to return from a routine mission. Rescue aircraft spent months scouring the jungle, looking for traces of a crash site or the four Soldiers who had been on board.
The mountainside's dense jungle made recovery efforts impossible. The crew was never heard from again and was presumed dead. Their families were never able to gain closure.
Forty-four years later, a 15-person team from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) (a military organization responsible for recovering the remains of U.S. troops who went missing in combat during any of the nation's past conflicts) departed Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, for the crash site. Their mission: to find out what happened that fateful day to bring closure to the families who were still waiting for their Soldiers to come home.
USS Abraham Lincoln's (CVN 72) Chief Aviation Structural Mechanic (AW/SW) Quang Dang, of Tacoma, Wash., volunteered for the mission to Vietnam after reading a message sent by JPAC asking for volunteers.
Born and raised in Vietnam until age 21, Dang realized he would be the perfect choice for the mission since he could speak Vietnamese fluently.
"I asked my master chief if he thought it was a good idea for me to go, and he said yes," said Dang. "So I volunteered and was accepted."
Dang was flown to the JPAC headquarters in Hawaii where he was given an introductory course in the proper way to excavate a crash site.
"We had to be taught how to dig," Dang said. "If you don't dig the right way, you might miss something or damage anything you find."
After mastering the technique, Dang and his team boarded cargo planes to begin their journey to the crash site.
Once in Vietnam, the JPAC team realized their mission was not going to be an easy task. The mountain was so remote and so thickly covered in jungle, trucks couldn't be used to bring supplies to the team. The only way to get on or off the mountain would be by helicopter. A landing zone at the mountain's top was created by the team and a trail to the bottom was blazed.
Even with the helicopter, getting to the mountain was still a game of chance. Thick fog often rolled in, creating an impenetrable blanket. The helicopter couldn't land because of the diminished visibility.
Before work at the crash site could begin, the teams built two camps. One, at the base of the mountain, would house the 60 locals hired by the JPAC team to assist in the excavation. The other camp, closer to the actual crash site housed the team throughout the dig.
The teams battled the inhospitable jungle, which was plagued with poisonous snakes and spiders and teeming with leaches and mosquitoes. Even many of the trees were toxic, as they produced a sap that could burn skin on contact.
"It's such a harsh environment for anybody to be in," said Dang. "It's so isolated there; no one had ever been able to get there before. That's why we had to go and find those four Soldiers. We had to bring them home."
A grid was designed over the crash site in four-by-four, square-meter sections. Starting in the middle of the grid, digging would begin. Every shovelful of dirt would be poured into a bucket, the full bucket taken to a screening station and dumped onto the top of the screen. Then carefully, the dirt would be sifted through the screen, leaving the dirt on the bottom and any remains on the top. The remains were then cleaned, labeled and cataloged. As each square in the grid was finished, the team would move outward until remains were no longer found.
"It's a little like looking for a needle in the ocean," said Dang. "Every bit of dirt we dug had to be sifted."
In the end, the team dug and sifted 6,000 square meters of dirt in 37 days on the mountain. They recovered remains of all four Soldiers including: Army air assault badges, aviator badges, dog tags and teeth.
"The first day I found a tooth, I couldn't believe it," Dang said. "Then I ended up finding four or five that day."
The remains were placed within flag draped coffins and flown to Hickam. Team members wore their dress uniforms and performed the solemn ceremony to honor their fallen comrades.
"These guys have been waiting, in a jungle they didn't belong in, for 44 years to come home," Dang said. "Their families have been waiting and wondering. The wound never really healed for them and to be able to find them, identify their remains and bring them home is beyond my feelings. I am happy and sad for the families. Happy that we are able to finally give them answers, but sad at the same time."
The remains were turned over to JPAC's identification laboratory for analyzing before being turned over to the family members.
"I cannot imagine the day when we actually hand over those dog tags to the family," said Dang. "I cannot imagine what that day will feel like."
According to Dang, JPAC's mission had Congressional level interest, but for him that wasn't the reason why he went.
"I was there for the guys who hadn't made it home," he said. "We should be able to bring them home. It isn't a mission you can hire out to just anyone. They deserve to be honored and brought home by the military."
Dang has been home for nearly two months and is still trying to readjust to life on board Lincoln.
"One month out there in the jungle is [physically] harder than a seven month deployment," he said. "I'm still sore from all the hiking and digging we did, but if they asked me to go again, I would go."
According to JPAC, there are over 88,000 American servicemembers listed as missing in action from previous wars, and more than 1,780 of them are from the Vietnam War. JPAC and volunteers like Dang will continue to search for those servicemembers until everyone has been found. For more information on JPAC visit their Web site at www.jpac.pacom.mil.

Paul, thank you for sharing the Vietnam War story with us.

D-Day Introduction
June 1944 was a major turning point of World War II, particularly in Europe. Although the initiative had been seized from the Germans some months before, so far the western Allies had been unable to mass sufficient men and material to risk an attack in northern Europe.

By mid-1944 early mobilization of manpower and resources in America was beginning to pay off. Millions of American men had been trained, equipped, and welded into fighting and service units. American industrial production had reached its wartime peak late in 1943. While there were still critical shortages -- in landing craft, for instance -- production problems were largely solved, and the Battle of the Atlantic had been won. Ever increasing streams of supplies from the United States were reaching anti-Axis fighting forces throughout the world.

By the beginning of June 1944, the United States and Great Britain had accumulated in the British Isles the largest number of men and the greatest amount of materiel ever assembled to launch and sustain an amphibious attack. Strategic bombing of Germany was reaching its peak. In May 1943, the Combined Chiefs of Staff had given high priority to a Combined Bomber Offensive to be waged by the Royal Air Force and the U.S. Army Air Forces. By late summer 1943, Allied bombers were conducting round-the-clock bombardment of German industry and communications. In general, British planes bombed by night and American planes bombed by day. Whereas an air raid by 200 planes had been considered large in June 1943, the average strike a year later was undertaken by 1,000 heavy bombers.

After considerable study strategists determined to make the cross-channel attack on the beaches of Normandy east of the Cherbourg Peninsula. Early objectives of the operation were the deep-water ports at Cherbourg and at Brest in Brittany.

Three months before D-Day, a strategic air campaign was inaugurated to pave the way for invasion by restricting the enemy's ability to shift reserves. French and Belgian railways were crippled, bridges demolished in northwestern France, and enemy airfields within a 130-mile radius of the landing beaches put under heavy attack. Special attention was given to isolating the part of northwestern France bounded roughly by the Seine and Loire Rivers. The Allies also put into effect a deception plan to lead the Germans to believe that landings would take place farther north along the Pas de Calais.

Opposed to the Allies was the so-called Army Group B of the German Army, consisting of the Seventh Army in Normandy and Brittany, the Fifteenth Army in the Pas de Calais and Flanders, and the LXXXVIII Corps in Holland -- all under command of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. Commander of all German forces in western Europe was Field Marshal von Rundstedt who, in addition to Group B, also had at his disposal Group G composed of the First and Nineteenth Armies. In all, Von Rundstedt commanded approximately fifty infantry and ten Panzer divisions in France and the Low Countries.

Despite unfavorable weather forecasts, General Eisenhower made the decision to attack on June 6, 1944. At 0200 that morning one British and two American airborne divisions were dropped behind the beaches in order to secure routes of egress from the beaches for the seaborne forces. After an intensive air and naval bombardment, assault waves of troops began landing at 0630. More than 5,000 ships and 4,000 ship-to-shore craft were employed in the landings. British forces on the left flank and U.S. forces on the right had comparatively easy going, but U.S. forces in the center (Omaha Beach) met determined opposition. Nevertheless, by nightfall of the first day, large contingents of three British, one Canadian, and three American infantry divisions, plus three airborne divisions, had a firm foothold on Hitler's "fortress Europe."

[Note: The primary source for this text is the U.S. Army Center for Military History.]

I recently received an intersting e-mail for a friend that I thought I would post:

PHOTOS STORED IN AN OLD BROWNIE CAMERA

Thought you might find these photos very interesting; what quality from 1941.
Pearl Harbor photos found in an old Brownie stored in a foot locker. and just recently
taken to be developed.

THESE PHOTOS ARE FROM A SAILOR WHO WAS ON THE USS QUAPAW ATF-11O.

I THINK THEY'RE SPECTACULAR!

PEARL HARBOR

December 7th, 1941

Pearl Harbor

On Sunday, December 7th, 1941 the Japanese launched a surprise attack against the U.S. Forces stationed at Pearl Harbor , Hawaii By planning his attack on a Sunday, the Japanese commander Admiral Nagumo, hoped to catch the entire fleet in port... As luck would have it, the Aircraft Carriers and one of the Battleships were not in port. (The USS Enterprise was returning from Wake Island , where it had just delivered some aircraft. The USS Lexington was ferrying aircraft to Midway, and the USS Saratoga and USS Colorado were undergoing repairs in the United States .)

In spite of the latest intelligence reports about the missing aircraft carriers (his most important targets), Admiral Nagumo decided to continue the attack with his force of six carriers and 423 aircraft. At a range of 230 miles north of Oahu , he launched the first wave of a two-wave attack. Beginning at 0600 hours his first wave consisted of 183 fighters and torpedo bombers which struck at the fleet in Pearl Harbor and the airfields in Hickam, Kaneohe and Ewa. The second strike, launched at 0715 hours, consisted of 167 aircraft, which again struck at the same targets.

At 075 3 hours the first wave consisting of 40 Nakajima B5N2 'Kate' torpedo bombers, 51 Aichi D3A1 'Val' dive bombers, 50 high altitude bombers and 43 Zeros struck airfields and Pearl Harbor Within the next hour, the second wave arrived and continued the attack.
When it was over, the U.S. Losses were:

Casualties
US Army: 218 KIA, 364 WIA.
US Navy: 2,008 KIA, 710 WIA.
US MarineCorp: 109 KIA, 69 WIA.
Civilians: 68 KIA, 35 WIA.

TOTAL: 2,403 KIA, 1,178 WIA.
-------------------------------------------------

Battleships
USS Arizona (BB-39) - total loss when a bomb hit her magazine.
USS Oklahoma (BB-37) - Total loss when she capsized and sank in the harbor.
USS California (BB-4 4) - Sunk at her berth. Later raised and repaired.
USS West Virginia (BB-48) - Sunk at her berth. Later raised and repaired.
USS Nevada - (BB-36) Beached to prevent sinking. Later repaired.
USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) - Light damage.
USS Maryland (BB-46) - Light damage.
USS Tennessee (BB-43) Light damage.
USS Utah (AG-16) - (former battleship used as a target) - Sunk.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cruisers
USS New Orleans (CA-32) - Light Damage..
USS San Francisco (CA-38) - Light Damage.
USS Detroit (CL-8) - Light Damage.
USS Raleigh (CL-7) - Heavily damaged but repaired.
USS Helena (CL-50) - Light Damage.
USS Honolulu (CL-48) - Light Damage..
-------------------------- -- ---------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------
Destroyers
USS Downes (DD-375) - Destroyed. Parts salvaged.
USS Cassin - (DD -3 7 2) Destroyed. Parts salvaged.
USS Shaw (DD-373) - Very heavy damage.
USS Helm (DD-388) - Light Damage.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Minelayer
USS Ogala (CM-4) - Sunk but later raised and repaired.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seaplane Tender
USS Curtiss (AV-4) - Severely damaged but later repaired.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Repair Ship
USS Vestal (AR-4) - Severely damaged but later repaired.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Harbor Tug
USS Sotoyomo (YT-9) - Sunk but later raised and repaired.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aircraft
188 Aircraft destroyed (92 USN and 92 U.S. Army Air Corps.)

Paul, thanks for sharing. I've seen alot of photos taken on the day of the attack, but I haven't seen any with the quality and clarity of these photos. They are "spectacular"!! I'm curious to know more about the foot locker and where it was for so long before its contents were gone through. Maybe we will be able to learn more about that part of the story one day.

Those pictures are simply amazing. Thanks Paul. Great photos.

Hi Ya'll.... I really look forward to learning more about Navy History...

This is the ship my uncle served on and was on this ship when this happened, his name, Commander Donald Gary USN (deceased). For his actions on that day he and the Chaplain received the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Before dawn on 19 March 1945 the U.S.S. Franklin, who had maneuvered closer to the Japanese mainland than had any other U.S. carrier during the war, launched a fighter sweep against Honshu and later a strike against shipping in Kobe Harbor. Suddenly, a single enemy plane pierced the cloud cover and made a low level run on the gallant ship to drop two semi-armor piercing bombs. One struck the flight deck centerline, penetrating to the hangar deck, effecting destruction and igniting fires through the second and third decks, and knocking out the combat information center and airplot. The second hit aft, tearing through two decks and fanning fires, which triggered ammunition, bombs and rockets. The Franklin, within 50 miles of the Japanese mainland, lay dead in the water, took a 13° starboard list, lost all radio communications, and broiled under the heat from enveloping fires. Many of the crew were blown overboard, driven off by fire, killed or wounded, but the 106 officers and 604 enlisted who voluntarily remained saved their ship through sheer valor and tenacity. The casualties totaled 724 killed and 265 wounded, and would have far exceeded this number except for the heroic work of many survivors. Among these were Medal of Honor winners, Lieutenant Commander Joseph T. O'Callahan, S. J., USNR, the ship's chaplain, who administered the last rites, organized and directed firefighting and rescue parties, and led men below to wet down magazines that threatened to explode, and Lieutenant (junior grade) Donald Gary who discovered 300 men trapped in a blackened mess compartment, and finding an exit, returned repeatedly to lead groups to safety. The U.S.S. Santa Fe (CL-60) similarly rendered vital assistance in rescuing crewmen from the sea and closing the Franklin to take off the numerous wounded.

The Franklin was taken in tow by the U.S.S. Pittsburgh until she managed to churn up speed to 14 knots and proceed to Pearl Harbor where a cleanup job permitted her to sail under her own power to Brooklyn, N.Y., arriving on 28 April. Following the end of the war, the Franklin was opened to the public, for Navy Day celebrations, and on 17 February 1947 was placed out of commission at Bayonne, N.J. On 15 May 1959 she was reclassified AVT 8.

The U.S.S. Franklin received four battle stars for World War II service.

Here are some pics of the USS Franklin:

Thanks for sharing with us Susan...it's rare that we have such a personal connection to such a piece of history on the site. So many of the heroic vets are now gone and with them much of the history that has shaped the US Navy. I look forward to learning more about the amazing story of the Franklin.

Did many of you know that the main ship for that time was the ship for the famous flying squadron.. The Black Sheep Squadron. Robert E. Gentry, Sgt, USMC, (Jun 8, 1924 – Dec 26, 1967) served on the Franklin that day. He was with many of his Marine buddies, Kenneth (KK) Thompson, Mike Sansone, John Norman, Joe Titus, Patrick Sculley, all members of the infamous group, Black Sheep Squadron. Half of the squadron assigned to the Franklin perished; lost, but not forgotten.

If you want some intresting stories frm the Uss franklin...check out this web page: http://www.ussfranklin.org/menu/stories.html

Hans,
Thank you for joining our Navy History group!

I picked up a 4-DVD set at Costco a couple of days ago that I would reccomemnd to anyone interested in the history of some amazing Navy vessles. It's called Hero Ships from the History Channel (Click for Link) and it tells the stories of some amazing ships--- from the LSTs that severed with little recognition in WWII to the Samuel B Roberts to the Yorktown, these are some stories that everyone should know that appreciates Navy history.

Thanks Paul, I'll look for that DVD set the next trip I make to Costco.

Two Generations Reflect on Navy's History of Maritime Security
Story Number: NNS090718-07
Release Date: 7/18/2009 11:22:00 AM


By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (AW/SW) Shawn D. Graham, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans Public Affairs

JEFFERSON, La. (NNS) -- Plankowners and crew members from USS Pamanset (AO-85) gathered for a reunion in Jefferson, La., July 16.

Following its commissioning April 30, 1944, Pamanset served in numerous campaigns during World War II, including service in the U.S. 3rd Fleet.

"It's an honor to interact with such an amazing group," said Capt. Bill Snyder, commanding officer of Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans (NAS JRB), who offered the keynote address. "Your actions and the actions of service members from that era ensured the freedom this country enjoys today. You are all trailblazers."

Snyder shared his father's World War II-era Bluejacket's Manual with crew members and many remembered specific pages and phrases from the manual.

Snyder also said that current Sailors could learn a lot from the former Sailors' experiences.

"The crew performed with distinction under adverse conditions and pressure," said Snyder. "Your crew consistently refueled and provided repairs to other ships under the threat of enemy ships and aircraft."

Jack Darrington, former water tender and plankowner aboard the ship said that today's Sailors remind him of his old shipmates.

"Uniforms, ships and people change," said Darrington.
"What doesn't change is the spirit and courage of the Navy. We have always been there for the country. My generation of Sailors and this generation, share a lot of qualities and similarities. Both generations stood up and helped defend the country."

Crew members shared stories about their lives on the sea and the many close calls, including the dangerous refueling operations that were conducted in very heavy seas.

"The Pacific Ocean was unforgiving," said Darrington.
"You would handle lines in high seas while constantly on the lookout for enemy ships. It was dangerous but very necessary. The U.S. Navy's ability to replenish fuel helped keep our ships on station so they could block supply lines to the enemy."

Toria Morgan, whose father David Morgan served as a radioman, said that the Pamanset played a vital role in her father's life.

"My dad talked about the Navy a lot while I was growing up," said Morgan. "He told us stories of his adventures during the war and the friendships he forged. His shipmates are family to him."

After extensive combat operations, Pamanset was decommissioned March 18, 1946 and was later transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service Oct. 1, 1949. It was commissioned during the Korean conflict but was later decommissioned again Feb. 24, 1956.

This year the Naval Postgraduate School is having its 100 year anniversary. I got the opportunity to visit the campus with my daughter yesterday. It was a very impressive campus.

NNS090729-20. Two New Historical Booklets Take A Fresh Look At Vietnam

From Naval History and Heritage Command Public Affairs

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) released two booklets in its new and very revealing commemorative series, "The U.S. Navy and the Vietnam War."

The first is "Edward Marolda's The Approaching Storm: Conflict in Asia, 1945-1965."

In this publication Marolda highlights the 25 year history of the United States and its allies in their attempt to preserve the independence of free governments in South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.

The author goes on to say, however, that,"The struggle for Southeast Asia …was only one episode in the even longer Cold War that began in 1946 and ended with the collapse of global communism in the late 1980s."

The book covers the global, regional, and ideological stimulants of the conflict, setting the stage for subsequent NHHC booklets on the fight for the rivers and canals of Vietnam, naval special warfare, the Prisoner of War experience, the Rolling Thunder bombing campaign, Navy medicine at war, coastal operations, the Linebacker bombing campaign, and several more.

John Sherwood's "Nixon's Trident: Naval Power in Southeast Asia, 1968-1972" is the second in the series.

In his introduction to his insightful and intriguing expose, Sherwood plunges the reader into the psychological shock that the Tet Offensive had on the American viewing public and the tragic sense of defeatism felt in the United States particularly by then-President Lyndon Johnson.

"Despite suffering over five times as many military casualties as the Americans and their allies," writes the author, "North Vietnam won the Tet Offensive in a strategic sense," because "…After Tet, President Johnson looked for a way out of Vietnam that would not involve further major combat operations against North Vietnam."

With this preface Sherwood sets the stage for Nixon's Trident of military action from the air, sea and land to achieve his goal of "peace with honor" – called the Vietnamization of the conflict designed to withdraw U.S. ground forces from Vietnam and the turning-over of the country's defense to the Vietnamese.

According to Marolda, "It is the objective of the series to honor the faithful service of the men and women who, as John Paul Jones said, went "in harm's way" to fight for freedom.

For more news from Naval History and Heritage Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/navhist/.

Naval Historical Center Photo #19-N-86911
USS Indianapolis off Mare Island 10 July 1945

USS Indianapolis (CA-35), 1932-1945
USS Indianapolis, a 9,800-ton Portland class heavy cruiser, was built at Camden, New Jersey. Commissioned in November 1932, she operated in the Atlantic and Pacific during the peacetime years. During the 1930s, she hosted President Franklin D. Roosevelt on several occasions, among them a voyage to South America in November and December 1936.

Following the U.S. entry into World War II, Indianapolis operated with carrier task forces in the southwestern Pacific until Spring 1942, when she took up station in the Alaska area. She served there for over a year, sinking a Japanese transport in February 1943. Later in 1943, Indianapolis became Fifth Fleet flagship. In that role, into mid-1944, she took part in operations to capture the Gilberts, Marshalls and Marianas, plus strikes on Japanese positions elsewhere in the central Pacific. She also participated in the Peleliu invasion in September 1944.

In February and March 1945, Indianapolis, again flagship of the Fifth Fleet, joined in attacks on Iwo Jima, the Japanese home islands and the Ryukyus. During the latter operation, on 31 March 1945, she was damaged by a Kamikaze plane. In late July, following repairs, Indianapolis made a high speed transit from California to Tinian to deliver atomic bomb components. She then sailed for the Philippines. Shortly after midnight on 30 July 1945 she was torpedoed by the Japanese submarine I-58 and sank quickly. Due to communications and other errors, her loss went unnoticed until survivors were seen from a passing aircraft on 2 August. Rescue efforts over several days saved only about a quarter of her nearly 1200-man crew.

I'm a Physical Therapist & work in Nursing homes.... one of my pts had just retired off the USS Indianapolis a matter of days before her last voyage when the below happened... He voiced so many yrs later a lot of guilt b/c so many of his buddies were on this ship at that time & were killed or mamed & he was safely in Hawaii...

Kathleen, thank you for sharing the story from your patient. His circumstances turned out to be very fortunate for him. I also have read other stories where it was mentioned that many sailors lost their lives due to shark attacks while they floated in the ocean awaiting their rescue. It is truly a tragic story.

NNS020718-25. This Day in Naval History - July 31

From the Navy News Service

1815 - Commodore Stephen Decatur concludes agreement with Bey of Tunis to compensate U.S. for seizure of merchant ships during the War of 1812.
1865 - East India Squadron established to operate from Sunda Strait to Japan.
1874 - Commissioning of USS Intrepid, first U.S. warship equipped with torpedoes.
1912 - First attempt to launch an airplane by catapult made at Annapolis.
1933 - USS Constitution commences tour of principal U.S. seaports.
1964 - All-nuclear task force with USS Long Beach (CGN 9), USS Enterprise (CVN 65) and USS Bainbridge (CGN 25) leaves Norfolk, Va., to begin voyage, Operation Sea Orbit, to circle the globe without refueling. They returned October 3.

Hello all...just joined this group...I lvoe military hsitory, and especially Navy history.

About me: I am a third generation sailor...my father was a lifer, and his father served on the Hornet in WWII as a GM. My dad made chief (he went in as a Missle Tech, was switched to FT when the rate was created) then mustanged to WO then to full commissioned officer. I was enlisted and served as an FC on board the USs William H. Standley (CG-32...now decommed and sunk in an exercise in 2005) in the mid 80s. My great uncle was in the army during WWII and was captured by the Japanese in the PI. He was a survivor of the deathmarch, and survived the long POW status by being attached to a small repair group that was better treated than the main camps. My wife also has Navy history behind her...her father and gradfather were also Navy men...and her uncle was as well, losing his life in the Battle of Coral Sea, on board the Lexington.

We have two kids in the Navy right now...our son is an IT on the USS Vandegrift (FFG-58) out of San Diego. Our daughter is currently in boot camp to become a CTI.

Oh...and I just finshed an EXCELLENT book for those who like Navy history. It is called "Six Frigates" and is baout the founding of the US Navy. It really begins after the revolution...so it covers the formation of the actual US Navy...not our revolutionary Navy. It is fascinating...I elarned so much about that period of history that just is not disucssed much. Such as the Qiusi-war with France and a lot about our North African dilemmas...like our war with Tripoli and struggles with the Barbary pirates. It finishes up with the conclusion of the war of 1812...which it covers in great detail. The book reads well too...not too dry or lecturing. Lots of very interesting tidbits thrown in. Well worth the read.

A little more about the book "Six Frigates"...

The first 6 sips commissioned by our country were over-sized frigates. They were the: Constitution, Constellation, President, Congress, United States and the Chesapeak. The Chesapeak was the only one built to slightly different standards and the only one not named for an item from our constitution. It was also the only ship of the bunch considered a dog or unlucky. The book covers the design and building of these ships, as well as their quite extraordinary action. The book also coveres some great naval heroes and bums. Decatur, Bainbridge, Preble, Sterrit and Rogers to name a few.

Again...excellent book. I am actually considering a second reading. :-)

Larry, welcome to the Navy History group!!

Thank you for sharing your family's military history with us. It is long and distinguished. I'm sure it is an honor for you to have such a strong military background.
Also, thank you for the book recommendation of the "Six Frigates". I will keep it in mind when selecting my next book to read. I just recently purchased the book "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors". It was highly recommended by other members on this site.

Paige & Larry; who are the arthors of those books & who published them???? I need that info just in case I have to order it..... Thx

Kathleen, the author of The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors is James D. Hornfischer. This is a true story about the most famous battle fought at sea during during WWII. If you have trouble locating a book dealer/store who sells it, just let me know and I'll tell you where I found my paperback copy of the book.

I want to mention a "related" story and book you may want to investigate. When you read The Last Stand you will learn of the heroic efforts of the USS Samuel B Roberts. It went down during the battle--- and has become one of the most revered names in the US Navy. There have been two other ships named Samuel B Roberts. The most recent generated another heroic story of survival which is detailed in the book No Higher Honor by Bradely Peniston. The story is summarized as follows:

"The USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58) was a small warship built for escort duty — much like its namesake vessel, one of the tin-can heroes of Leyte Gulf. But its skipper imbued his brand-new crew with their forebears' fighting spirit, and when the guided missile frigate was thrust into the Persian Gulf at the height of the Iran-Iraq War, there was no better ship for the job.

For two months in 1988, captain and crew sailed a Gulf aflame, escorting tankers in Operation Earnest Will, the largest convoy operation since World War II. Forbidden to fire unless fired upon, they relied on wit and nerve to face down Iraqi fighter jets and Iranian warships.

The Roberts' sternest test arrived on 14 April, when an Iranian mine ripped open its engineroom, ignited fires on four decks, and plunged the ship into darkness. With seawater rising around their boots, the crew fought flames and flooding into the night."

That quote is from www.NavyBook.com.....The story is also detailed as a stroy in volume 1 of Hero Ships, a two-DVD set from the History channel.

Read The Lsat Stand first and learn about the Roberts....then read No Higher Honor and see how the heroic efforts continue.

Kathleen, the author of Six Frigates is Ian Toll. Not sure about the publisher. It is a great book about our early navy. I have seen The Last Stand and almost purchased it a couple of times. I think that is my next book.

Regarding the USS Samuel B. Roberts (and in my intro I mistakenly said my son;s ship was FFG-58...it is FFG-48. Both excellent Olivr Hazzard Perry class frigates!)...when I was in we sailed with the Roberts during the Earnest Will Gas King convoy. I was on the USS Wm. H. Standley cg-32. In fact, here is a picture of us doing it! :-)

We are the cruiser aft of the tanker. The frigate in the foreground is the USS Hawes, another OHP class frigate. It was quite an amazing array of ships that carried out that operation. This was my last cruise as well.

Oh...and I would have to say the the USS Wm. H. Standley was the best ship in the gulf at the time. :-)

Decided to do a little family history fact finding this weekend regarding my wife's great uncle. I had been told he had died on a destroyer in the battle of Coral Sea. That was close...he was on the USS Neosho (AO-23)...a US Navy oil tanker on station to refuel the Yorktown. The ship was sunk by Japanese bombers killing 177 men in the initial attack. 68 men, believing the ship was going to sink, jumped into rafts and ended up all bound together adrift. My wife's uncle was one of these men, according to the Navy's memorial department. They only 4 survivors of the 68 were found 9 days later. The other 64 died of starvation, dehydration, exposure or shark attack. Her uncle did not survive, though there is no record (I have found yet) that mentions just how he perished. Amazingly enough, 123 crewmebers (mostly engineering) stayed on board and was able to keep the ship afloat for 3 days until help arrived, and the ship was scuttled.

I was prompted into this discovery mode because I had just finished reading Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors...recommended so highly in this group. It was fantastic...one of the best historical accounts I have ever read. I highly recommend it as well. What an incredible battle that was, and what heroics the men of those tin cans performed. One of those times when history itself can keep you on the edge of your seat...and the people in the story are larger than life and completely true. The feelings I had for htese men as you get to know them and then in some cases learn of their demise...reminded me of my first reading of Band of Brothers.

Glad you found the book to be everything we said it was! Larry-- I'm on the last few pages of another book I highly reccommend called Luck Lady- The WWII Heroics of teh USS Santa Fe and Franklin by Steve Jackson. An amazing story about the Franklin...a carrier that became the most decorated naval vessel of WWII and the Santa Fe which sailied more that 221,000 miles, earned 13 battle stars and did not loose one sailor during the war in combat! The Franklin was hit by two 500-lb bombs and was very close to sinking and the Santa Fe pulled off one of the most daring and amazing rescues ever....pick it up--- you really enjoy it!!

Sounds like a very good read...I will pick it up. Those are exactly the kinds of naval history stories I like.

I am currently reading a great book...and though it is not specifically naval history...naval history is inextricably intertwined with the story. The book is called "The Man Called Intrepid" by William Stevenson. It is about the secret and covert war behind the scenes. It is primarily the story of one man;s vision and perseverance enabling the covert services to be developed prior to WWII even against popular opinion among allied nations. This man then influenced Churchill, Rossevelt and many others to take the courses they did. It is an amazong story that has already altered my view and corrected some of my notions of the time leading up to WWII.

I wil pick up Lucky Lady for my trip to PIR tomorrow. :-)

I maybe misled about the book "The Man Called Intrepid" a little. The book begins covering the period leading up to WWII...but covers the services during the war in great detail...including their efforts to steal and break the enigma code...the formation of resistence armies in occupied countries, etc. Not just baout the years leading up to the war.

Susan J- I finished LUCKY LADY and reading about the feats of your uncle and the rest of the crew of the Franklin and Santa Fe. It is an amazing story and I advise all to read this volume and learn a little more about the heroic efforts of Lt. Gary that earned him the Medal of Honor. It is an inspiring story of those words that the Navy lives by: Honor, Courage, Commitment.

My current book (and suggestion for all to read) is NO HIGHER HONOR - Saving the USS Samuel B Roberts in the Persian Gulf by Bradley Peniston. In April 1988, the thrid ship to be named the Samuel B Roberts found itself in an Irian minefield while escorting tankers through the Persian Gulf. While trying to back out of the area (no simple task with one rudder and one 17-foot prop), it hit a mine and the book details the extraordinary efforts the crew perfomed to save the ship. It is a testament to training and damage control to save the ship. Highly recommended!

How it Was: 13 October 1775....

I am currently reading a book called "Down To The Sea" by Bruce Henderson. It has been a very good read so far. It follows four destroyers through WWII: The Monaghan, Hull, Spence and Tabberer (The first 2 were pre-WWII class Farugut destroyers...the Spence was a new Fletcher class...and the Tabberer was a new Destroyer Escort, the same class as the Samuel B. Roberts). It begins with Peasrl Harbor and the actions of Monaghan and Hull. It traces their paths through the war as well as the building and commissioning of the newer ships. While I have not gotten to the climax of the tale yet...it culminates in the fact that these ships were all sunk during Halsey's typhoon...when Bull Halsey decided to ignore weather warnings and take his fleet through a terrible storm at sea. After having been through many encounters with the enemy, each of these ships having been awarded more than 10 battle stars a piece, in the end it was bad leadership and the weather that took them out. One of several actions that tends to dim Halsey's star a little and deny him the credit due so many of our Naval leaders in the war. A note on this book...On Amazon in the reviews section, there was a review that caught my attention. Only 4 men survived from the Hull when it went down...one of those men wrote a very good review for this book...stating that it was a very accurate and well done account of what happened. That was what prompted me to get the book. So far it has been good.

I wanted to mention something else...I don;t know about any of you...but ever since Ambrose wrote Band of Brothers, I have been utterly captivated by those men and their stories. Of course I read the book, then watched the HBO miniseries. But then, I found more and more of those men writing books. I must admit that I thought that this would just be the same story told over and over again. I was wrong. I have read Maj. Dick Winters book..."Biggest Brother"...which was terrific. I then read a book called "We Who Are Alive and Remain: Untold Stories from the Band of Brothers" in which the author rounds up a dozen or members of Easy company that were not ehavily involved in any of the other books or the miniseries...guys like Shify Powers and Carwood Lipton. It is a great book...it divides the story into chronological events (before the war...Pearl Harbor...Taccoa...Jump School...etc) and then under the heading it provides each of these guys views or stories from that time or event. Very well done and extremely interesting. I then got Sgt. Don Malarky's book "Easy Company Soldier"...fully expecting to finally be bored by the same story over and over. It never happened...the story was as fresh as if I had never heard it, because of the entirely different perspective. There are two more books that I know of...one is called "Call of Duty" by Buck Compton...and the other is a join effort by Bill Guarnere and Babe Heffron called "Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends". I fully intend to get each of these and read them. If any of you enjoyed the story of Easy Company and admire them and enjoy reading about them as much as I do...do not neglect all of these other books. The really amazing thing is...each guy's story of the same story is fresh and full of new and interesting insight. I think the fact is...that entire sequence of events was so big...so profound...that there is no way any one person;s account can be complete. In each book I have learned new and interesting things about Easy Company and what they went through...and who they were. I just finished Sgt. Malarky's book and it was a very emotional and heartfelt story...he put his feelings right out on his sleeve...and it makes the story live.

I know this is a Naval History group...but the truth is, I am sure most of us like military history and not just Naval history. I am a WWII history junkie myself. I have an unexplained affection for those who fought that war.

Larry....not a lot know that Halsey was invloved with another typhoon in '45....in that storm Admiral John S McCain (yep...the senator's grandfather), on the orders/advice of Halsey put Task Force 38 on a course into the storm. McCain did not want to follow that course-- he had advised another to avoid the storm, but.....

No ships were lost, but a number were damaged including 4 carriers. Forrestal was prepared to relieve Halsey and McCain of their commands, but was convienced by Admiral King to not do so. Regardless, two months later McCain was ordered to relinquish his command effectively ending his career. He died the day after he returned home from the war.

Just as a point of interest, the senator's son is the fourth generation of McCains to attend the Naval Academy.

Regarding Halsey: I grew up a Navy brat. I lived on bases most of my young life, and was surrounded by all things Navy. My dad was a lifer officer. When I ws young I read a short little kid oriented biography of Bull Halsey (there was a series of books that were about 100 pages each, and they covered war heroes...Patton, MacCarthur, Nimitz, Ike...I lvoed those books...hehe). The book was nothing but favorable as I recall...did not even hint that he may not have been what his legend suggested. For wahtever reason I latched onto him as a hero, and made this view known to my dad one day. I remember very clearly, though I did not understand why at the time, my father kind of chuckling about it and saying something like, "Yeah, well, there were others in WWII who were much more deserving of being called heroes for what they did than Halsey." It baffled me why my Navy officer dad would say something like that.

As I got older and began to study...I have always been a military history buff...I learned why my dad said what he said. He was right, Halsey never really led in an engagement where he outsmarted or out-leadershipped the enemy, as Nimitz, Fletcher and Kincaid (to name a few) did. Even Midway, which he would have figured prominantly in, he was in Australia with a severe skin rash. Who knows, after learning of his record when he is on station, maybe it was fortunate that he was not part of Midway.

I think Halsey, as much as any other, is an example of a person's mythology standing taller than his actions. Sure, his service cannot be doubted...he was a career sailor, and I am sure he earned his reputation though all of those early years leading up to the war, deservedly. During the pre-war years, I am also sure that his larger than life persona and the bravado with which he carried himself heped to give people confidence and secured his legendary status. But, when you look at his wartime actions, his mistakes and bad decisions overshadowed any positive wartime actions. It makes him an enigma of the war.

When it comes to it, Halsey was marketable and sold tons of war bonds. I think it is a prime example of the sum of the images of someone is greater than the individual....it is something everyone should be vigilant for when placing people in leadership roles............

I have a book recommendation: In Harm's Way by Doug Stanton. It details the sinking of the USS Indianapolis and extraordinary story of the survivors. After delivering the atomic bomb to Tinaian, the Indy was sunk by a Japanese sub and was not reported as missing for 4 days. Of the estimated 800 that went into the water, due to sharks and exposure only 317 came out after up to 100 hours in the sea with no food or water. The captain was court-martialed for the sinking of his vessel in combat....finally in July of 2001 Captain McVay (he shot himself in '68) was exonerated by the Navy.....56 years after the sinking. It is an amazing story of survival and I would highly recommend it for anyone interested in learning more about one of the pivital naval events of 1945.