The FReeper Foxhole Remembers Clifford Olds - Warrior Wednesday - Jan. 22nd, 2003

http://www.usswestvirginia.org/stories/they_will_always_be_remembered.htm ^

[SAMWolf]

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They Will Always Be Remembered

Jack Miller and his shipmate, Clifford Olds joined fellow sailor John Szawerda for a night at the "Monkey Bar". It was December 6, 1941 in Pearl City, Oahu, and Miller and Olds were on liberty from the USS West Virginia. A barmaid snapped their picture and offered it for sale. "What a scam" they thought-keep it. Within 10 hours, this photo was to be the last reminder of peace and the terrifying beginning of Clifford Olds demise.

Left to right: Jack Miller, John Szawerda and Clifford Olds

The "WeeVee" was moored next to the USS Tennessee and just ahead of the USS Arizona. The choicest of targets, she took 9 torpedo hits December 7, 1941. Her port side was literally blasted off. The USS Oklahoma, just ahead of the WV, suffered similar wounds and immediately capsized, but BB48 was of a more advanced water-tight construction. The fast thinking of Lt. Claude Ricketts (THE hero of this ship) prevented the Battleship from turning over. Instead, she settled in the mud on an even keel. This was accomplished by closing all hatch compartments and counter-flooding the starboard side of the ship in a procedure called "set zed".

Every sailor knew fate could place them in a doomed area to be drowned like rats. Old Timers would tell 17 and 18 year old "boots" that if that time came "just inhale water quickly and get it over". This, the "grizzled Ones" claimed, was preferable to a slow death in a pitch-black void. For Clifford Olds(20),Ronald Endicott(18) and Louis"Buddy"Costin(21), this would tragically come to pass.

Trapped in the forward fresh water pumping station known as area A-111, their fate was sealed when "set zed" was announced after the first Japanese torpedo struck shortly before 8am. Sinking straight down rather than "turning Turtle" enabled hundreds to escape. Those in the lower compartments were drowned, but Olds, Endicott and Costin were alive and well in their air-tight compartment at the bottom of the ship. They did not know what had happened, nor the extent of the carnage above them. Above deck, the Captain was disemboweled by a bomb blast and the Arizona's explosion 50 yards aft rained "Dante's Inferno" onto the WeeVee. Over 100 died in every way possible. BB48 sank into the Harbor amid burning oil. She burned for 30 hours.



When her fires were extinguished late Monday Dec. 8, Guards were posted on the shoreline of Ford Island, next to "Battleship Row". Jittery over rumors of invasion, Sentries at first didn't hear the noise. WeeVee Marine Bugler Dick Fiske recalls: "When it was quiet you could hear it...bang, bang, then stop. Then bang, bang, pause. At first I thought it was a loose piece of rigging slapping against the hull". Then I realized men were making that sound-taking turns making noise". After that night, no one wanted guard duty, but someone had to do it. Bang, bang. It went on for 16 days, slowing in frequency until Christmas Eve. Then silence.

The adjacent Oklahoma was upside down and holes were drilled in her bottom to allow a precious few to escape their coffin. The pressure of water inside the hull, pushing up on air pockets, meant as soon as the hull was breached, little time was left before remaining air escaped. Shipmates often drowned in front of rescuers eyes before a hole could be made large enough for escape. Cutting torches ignited trapped gasses and exploded, killing more. Jack-hammers jammed and men drowned while looking at a small holes of light. Knowledgeable Mates quickly learned to "rip open" hull plates fast to insure victims survival. A macabre Naval "C-section" with the same purpose.

Olds, Endicott and Costin were sitting on the harbor floor completely surrounded by water, 40 feet down. Cutting through the side of the hull for rescue was out of the question. The smallest of holes in a pressurized compartment would cause a "blow-out", something Submariners knew well. Besides, considering the destruction and carnage above, the problems of three men didn't amount to a "hill of beans" to busy Navy Brass. All Sailors know they are expendable after "set zed". Concerned Shipmates pin-pointed their banging as coming from the bow section, but could do nothing.



Clifford Olds' friend Jack Miller had a sinking feeling Olds was trapped. He knew the pump station well, as Cliff would often invite him there for "bull sessions". It was so air-tight, they often closed the hatch and dared people to hear them cursing wildly inside. Late Spring 1942 found Navy salvage teams finally getting to work on the WV.

An Inventive series of tremic cement patches were fitted to her port side, and enough water pumped out to partially float the once grand ship. BB48 was nudged across the Harbor into drydock and the grim task of finding bodies began.

For Commander Paul Dice, compartment A-111 was expected to be like the rest: Put on gas masks, place some goo into a bodybag and let the Medical boys worry about identification. They had seen it all, but this compartment was different. Dice first noticed the interior was dry and flashlight batteries and empty ration cans littered the floor. A manhole cover to a fresh water supply was opened. Then he saw the calendar. It was 12"x14" and marked with big red Xs that ended December 23. Hardened salvage workers wept uncontrollably as they realized the fate of these men. Word quickly spread among salvage crews: Three men had lived for 16 days to suffer the most agonizing deaths among the 2800 victims at Pearl Harbor.



The Navy told their Parents they were killed in the attack on the 7th. Buddy Costins brother, Harlan, was the first family member to discover the truth.

He joined the Navy in October of 1942, at age 17 and was assigned to the USS Tuscaloosa. A 1944 chance meeting with a friend serving aboard the rebuilt WeeVee brought the awful tale to his attention. It was legend on BB48. Harlan determined never to tell his family; they had suffered enough. A brother had died of meningitis at age 9, and their Father had been killed in a fist fight when shards of bone punctured his brain. The Navy had sent Costin's Mother a wristwatch, found in his locker. Broken and water-logged, it was to be Buddy's Christmas gift to her. She had it restored and wore it until her death in 1985 at age 92. Buddy's sister didn't find out until 1995, when she read a local story revealing the sad story.

Duke Olds learned of his brother, Clifford's fate from a cousin who worked at the Bremerton, Washington Shipyard, where BB48 was rebuilt. It was legend there too, talked about in hushed tones. He too, never told his family. Clifford earned $21/month and always sent $18 to his poor parents. They didn't need to know anything more.

Ron Endicott's Parents last known address was listed in the Aberdeen, Washington City directory of 1956. No one knows where they went, but it is assured they never knew either.

Commander Paul Dice mailed the infamous calendar to Chief of Naval Personnel in Washington, D.C., where it was lost. Bernard Cavalcante (head of Operational Archives for Navy History), has looked for it for 32 years. It remains elusive. A Seth Thomas 8-day clock, retrieved from the pump room was taken by Dice, perhaps as a memento. In later years, Dice donated it to West Virginias Museum at Parkersburg, where it resides today.

Ronald Endicott and Buddy Costin are buried at the National Memorial Cemetery Of The Pacific-the "PunchBowl". Clifford Olds remains were shipped home to Stanton City, North Dakota. All headstones list December 7 as their date of death.

Jack Miller volunteered aboard the USS Lexington and was at sea for two weeks following the attack, looking for the Japanese fleet. When he returned to Hawaii, he made a bee-line for the "Monkey Bar" and located the girl who had snapped their photo "light years" before. She found the negative and gave it to him for free out of respect. This photograph shows from left to right: Jack Miller, John Szawerda and Clifford Olds-Camel cigarette dangling from his care-free fingers. Shipmates, and our Country are represented in this amazing picture of the last hours of peace.

Thanks to Freeper Abner for providing the research on this Thread

[SAMWolf]

The USS West Virginia



Captain Mervyn Bennion was the commander of the USS West Virginia, at anchor just ahead of the Oklahoma. As the first torpedoes struck the Oklahoma, three more reached out for the West Virginia, opening holes in its side. Water poured into the battleship with the force of a flash flood, causing it to list dangerously to one side. From the bridge, Captain Bennion quickly took control, ignoring the crash of bombs around him and the hail of bullets spewed around him by the strafing zeroes. He ordered flooding on the side of the West Virginia opposite the torpedo strikes to balance the flooding from the gaping wounds and turn his ship upright.

The counter measures seemed to be working, the West Virginia sinking lower in the water but becoming more level. Then more torpedoes were unleashed, followed by bombs dropped from high above. Captain Bennion had moved to the starboard side of the bridge, barking out orders and and doing everything in his power to save his ship.



As intent as the intrepid Naval officer was in keeping the West Virginia afloat, the Japanese pilots were as determined to send it to the bottom of the harbor. A bomb hurtling from 20,000 feet above made a direct hit on the West Virginia, and almost simultaneously a similar strike was made on the neighboring USS Tennessee. The fiery eruptions filled the air with flying shrapnel. Up on the bridge, ragged pieces of hot metal ripped into Captain Bennion's abdomen. Struggling against the unbearable pain, the ship's Captain refused to be evacuated. Fire was breaking out all over West Virginia, secondary explosions erupted around the bridge, and there was little more to be done. Captain Bennion ordered the others on the bridge to get out before it was to late. As they departed to find shelter away from the rapidly sinking battleship, Captain Bennion continued to fight off his pain to receive reports and issue orders as long as he could think clearly. Finally, his horrible wounds became to much for human endurance and he collapsed...unconscious...and then died.

As the smoke of battle filled the heavens, the USS West Virginia slipped beneath the surface of the water. In all, 106 of her crew were killed, including the captain who refused to give up trying to save his ship...or spare his men...until he went down with the ship. Through the smoke little could be seen above the surface of the harbor to indicate that a once proud Naval vessel had floated peacefully at that location on Battle Ship Row. Yet, in its own fitting way, as the West Virginia settled into the mud at the bottom of the harbor, the United States Flag could be seen through the smoke, still waving from its fantail.

[SAMWolf]

The USS West Virginia trapped 70 sailors when it sank to the bottom of Pearl Harbor after six torpedo hits Dec. 7, 1941.

Three sailors survived under the warm waters in a compartment for at least two weeks.

Vern Jacobson of Winlock remembers finding those men's bodies.

"They had marked off a calendar until the 23rd of December," Jacobson said. "They were living off canned peaches until the air ran out."

Remembrance Day

Jacobson and a handful of other Pearl Harbor survivors recounted their memories at the Veterans Memorial Museum on Sunday for the museum's annual Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. About 50 people, most of them veterans, crammed into the front lobby of the Centralia museum to hear the stories -- and share a little cake and coffee.

Dale Gallea was on the USS Vestal -- tied up to the USS Arizona -- when two bombs struck the ship early that Sunday morning.

A piece of shrapnel struck Gallea, and the Vestal's captain was blown over the side.

The second-in-command ordered the men to abandon ship. But the captain hadn't been killed, and he climbed back aboard.

"He said, 'We're not giving up that ship,' " Gallea said.

The Vestal survived and served during the rest of World War II. Gallea stayed on that ship for two to three more years.

Cy Simmons -- the informal master of ceremonies for Sunday's event -- said he remembered going to the Vestal to ask for new clothes after the attacks.

Simmons, who was stationed on the USS Oklahoma, had lost clothes and was saturated in oil.

"I spent half an hour signing chits to get some clean underwear," Simmons said.

'This isn't a drill'

Simmons said he spotted a funny looking airplane with a red circle on it early Sunday morning. He said the plane dropped something from its belly.

"I said, 'If this goes off, this isn't a drill,' " said Simmons.



The Oklahoma sailors manned their battle stations, but the Japanese kept shooting and the boat began to roll over.

Simmons, then 23 years old, decided it was time to jump off the ship. He swam to Ford Island and joined other soldiers who were shooting at the invading planes.

"I don't know if it did anything," Simmons said. "But it sure made us feel better."

After dark, Simmons and other men loaded up a whale boat with provisions to try to reach Oahu.

"We ended up working for eight days loading up bodies," Simmons said.

The attack on Pearl Harbor killed 2,403 people.

"I remember one unpleasant incident," Simmons said. "They dropped a box. It fell open and there wasn't a body, just body parts."

It was enough to make a young Marine sick, Simmons said.

The Oklahoma never was returned to battle duty, although it was raised from the bottom of the harbor.

The West Virginia was raised from the sea floor, and Jacobson was on the ship in Tokyo Bay when the peace treaty was signed on the USS Missouri.

The West Virginia was the only ship that had been attacked at Pearl Harbor and also was present for the surrender.

"I've always said it should have been signed on the West Virginia," Jacobson said.

[SAMWolf]

'As any 19-year-old boy would be, I was scared after I figured out what was going on, but once I realized my captain was dead, that fear was replaced with anger and I looked for any weapon I could get my hands on. There weren't any weapons available except the four or five 50-calibers we kept with us on the bridge. The rest were down below -- a frustration I'm not sure I could ever fully express.'

'It's hard to accept that some people don't know just exactly what that flag means. Our blood is mingled with those red stripes'

-- Master Sgt. Disk Fiske,
bugler assigned to a Marine detachment aboard the USS West Virginia

[SAMWolf]

Thanks, Doughty!

[SAMWolf]

[Sparta]

Good job SAMWolf and good morning. Support President Bush, fly your flag during the State of the Union speech next Tuesday.

[Fiddlstix]

Good Morning Everybody.

You Know The Drill
Click the Pics

Coffee & Donuts J

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Sparta.

[SAMWolf]

It's sure nice to know I don't have to make the coffee and donuts before I post the thread. I can always count n Fiddlstix to have them there. Thanks.

[Jen]

PING to the FReeper Foxhole daily thread in the VetsCoR Forum!

To be removed from this list, Click this link and send a BLANK FReepmail to AntiJen.

If you have comments for me to read, use this link. Thanks!

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Jen.

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Jen.

[SAMWolf]

Thank's Cote, for the poem.

It had to be a horrible way to die, trapped and wondering if anyone was coming, not knowing what was happening outside, realizing what was coming and helpless to do anything about it.

This poem brings out the horror better than all the accounts I've read of the gas attacks of WW I.

[aomagrat]

Today's classic warship, USS Topeka (CL-67)

Cleveland class light cruiser
Displacement. 10,000
Lenght. 608' 4"
Beam. 66' 3"
Draft. 25' 0"
Speed. 31.6 k.
Complement. 1,410
Armament. 12 6", 12 5", 28 40mm., 10 20mm

The USS Topeka (CL-67) was laid down on 21 April 1943 by the Bethlehem Steel Co. yard located at Quincy, Mass.; launched on 19 August 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Frank J. Warren, and commissioned at the Boston Navy Yard on 23 December 1944, Capt. Th omas L. Wattles in command.

After shakedown in the West Indies and post-shakedown repairs, Topeka departed Boston on 10 April 1946 for duty with the Pacific Fleet. The following day she joined Oklahoma City (CL-91); and the two ships steamed via Culebra Island a nd Guantanamo Bay to the Panama Canal. They transited the canal on 19 April and reported for duty with the Pacific Fleet on the 20th. The next day, Topeka and her steaming mate headed for Pearl Harbor, where they arrived on 2 May. Following almost three weeks of gunnery exercises in the Hawaiian Islands, the cruiser sailed west from Pearl Harbor as the flagship of Cruiser Division (CruDiv) 18. She entered Ulithi Atoll in the Western Carolines on 1 June and, after three days in the anchorage, put to sea with Bon Homme Richard (CV-31), Oklahoma City, Moale (DD-693), and Ringgold (DD-500) to rendezvous with Task Force (TF) 38.

On her first cruise with the fast carriers, she screened them against enemy air attack while their planes made three raids against targets in the enemy's home islands and the Ryukyus. On 8 June, TF 38 aircraft hit Kanoya on Kyushu-the home of Japanese nav al aviation. The next day, they struck the Ryukyu Islands-specifically Okino Daito, located a little over 200 miles west of Okinawa. The third and final strike of her first combat cruise came on 10 June and provided the cruiser with her initial opportunity to join the fray. While TG 38.1 aircraft bombed and strafed the airfield on Minami Daito, the ships in the screen-Topeka among them- moved in and took the other installations under fire. At the conclusion of that action, Topeka moved off with the rest of TG 38.1 bound for San Pedro Bay, Leyte.

After spending the latter half of June at Leyte for relaxation and replenishment, the light cruiser returned to sea on 1 July with TF 38 for the final six-week carrier sweep of the Japanese home islands. The task force made a fueling rendezvous on the 8th and then began a run-in toward Tokyo which the American planes bombed on 10 July. Next, the ships moved north to Honshu and Hokkaido for a two-day antishipping sweep of the area around Hokadate and Muroran. They retired from the area for another fueling rendezvous on the 16th, but returned to the vicinity of southern Honshu and resumed the aerial blitz of Tokyo on the 17th and 18th. On the night of the latter date, Topeka had another opportunity to strike the enemy directly when she joined Atlanta (CL-104), Duluth (CL-87), Oklahoma City, and the destroyers of DesRon 62 in an antishipping sweep of the entrance to Sagami Nada near the sea approaches to Tokyo. During that sweep, she fired her guns at Japanese installations located on Nojima Zaki, the point of land which marks the eastern terminus of the entrance into Sagami Nada. Completing another replenishment retirement between 19 and 23 July, the task force resumed its air raids on central Japan with two extensive forays against shipping in the Inland Sea on the 24th and the 28th, respectively.

A typhoon at the end of July forced the task force to take evasive action and postpone further air operations until the second week in August. At that time, Topeka steamed north with TF 38 while the carriers moved into position to send sortie after sortie against heavy concentrations of enemy aircraft on northern Honshu. Those raids-launched on 9 and 10 August-proved eminently successful, wiping out what was later learned to be the transportation for 2,000 shock troops being assembled for a one-way, suicide mission to destroy the B-29 bases on Tinian. The carrier planes paid return visits to Tokyo on the 12th and 13th and were taking off to repeat those attacks when a message arrived on the 15th, telling of Japan's capitulation.

Topeka patrolled Japanese waters until mid-September, at which time she entered Tokyo Bay. She remained there until 1 October, the day she began her homeward voyage to the United States. The cruiser stopped briefly at Okinawa on the 4th to embark 529 veterans and resumed her eastern progress on the 5th. On 19 October, she arrived in Portland, Oreg., and disembarked her passengers. Ten days later, she steamed south to San Pedro, Calif., for overhaul. On 3 January 1946, the warship put to sea to return to the Far East. She reached Yokosuka, Japan, on the 24th and began duty supporting American occupation forces in Japan, China, and in the Central Pacific islands. During that tour of duty, which lasted until the following fall, she called at Sasebo, J apan, Tsingtao and Shanghai in China; Manila in the Philippines; and Guam in the Marianas. The cruiser returned to San Pedro, Calif., on 20 November.

Following an overhaul and operations along the west coast, she headed back to the Orient on 22 September 1947. Upon her arrival at Yokosuka, Japan, on 10 October, she became a unit of TF 71. Operating from bases at Shanghai and Tsingtao, the warship patro lled the north China coast while civil war raged on shore between Nationalist and communist factions. She concluded that duty early in March and entered Nagasaki, Japan, on the 8th. Following visits to Sasebo and Kure, Topeka sailed for the United States on 25 April and arrived in Long Beach on 7 May. Later that month, she moved to Pearl Harbor for a four-month overhaul at the completion of which she returned to the west coast. Late in October, the warship resumed local operations out of Long Beach and out of San Diego. She remained so occupied until February 1949. On 25 February, she arrived in San Francisco to prepare for inactivation. Topeka was decommissioned there on 18 June 1949 and berthed with the local group of the Pacific Reserve Fleet.

Early in 1957, Topeka was towed from San Francisco to the New York Naval Shipyard which she entered on 15 April to begin conversion to a guided missile cruiser. On 23 May she was officially redesignated CLG-8. During the almost three years it took to convert her, the cruiser was extensively modified. She retained only half her original gun battery, losing her two after 6-inch triple turrets and her three after 5-inch double mounts. The removal of those guns made room for the installation of her twin Terrier surface-to-air missile launcher and related ancillary equipment.

On 26 March 1960, Topeka was recommissioned, Capt. Frank L. Pinny, Jr., in command. In July, she made the passage from New York to the west coast. From August to October, the refurbished cruiser conducted shakedown training in the southern Californ ia operating area and then reported for duty at her home port, Long Beach. During the ensuing three years, Topeka alternated two peacetime deployments to the western Pacific with repair periods and local operations on the west coast. Her two tours in the Orient were characterized by visits to such places as Hong Kong, the Philippines, Okinawa, and a number of ports in Japan as well as exercises with other ships of the 7th Fleet and of Allied navies. When not deployed to the Far East, she conducted training operations, upkeep, and repairs.

In March 1964, she embarked upon her third deployment to the western Pacific since being recommissioned. That deployment began routinely enough with fleet exercises in May and calls at Japanese, Taiwanese, Malaysian, and Philippine ports. However, in August, North Vietnamese torpedo-boats attacked Maddox (DD-731) on the 2nd and then returned to attack Maddox and Turner Joy (DD-961). This action-known as the Gulf of Tonkin incident-gave the remaining part of Topeka's deployment a more wartime character. Topeka cruised the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin while American involvement in the Vietnam conflict began to gather momentum. It was more than a year, though, before she steamed into war in earnest. Late in October, she started for home and reentered Long Beach near the end of the second week of November. For the next 12 months, she viewed the developing war from afar-operating out of west coast ports, undergoing repairs and modifications, and conducting exercises with the 1st Fleet.

On 29 November 1965, however, she headed back to the western Pacific for the first deployment during which her primary mission was to support the American and South Vietnamese forces fighting the communists. On that tour of duty, she served as the flagship for the Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Group, 7th Fleet. In that capacity the ship operated in the South China Sea and in the Gulf of Tonkin providing naval gunfire support for the troops ashore and supporting carrier air operations by conducting search and rescue missions for downed aircrews. She punctuated tours of duty in the combat zone with port visits to Yokosuka, Japan, Hong Kong, and the Philippine ports of Manila and Subic Bay. Her six-month deployment ended on 28 May 1966 when Topeka reentered Long Beach.

Five months of normal west coast operations-upkeep, training exercises, and the like-followed. On 31 October, the guided missile cruiser entered the naval shipyard for an overhaul during which her weapons systems were updated, and her engineering plant was overhauled. On 13 March 1967, she completed the yard overhaul and began sea trials and, later refresher training. She finished those evolutions early in June and resumed local operations. On 1 August, the warship put to sea from Long Beach for her first deployment to the Mediterranean Sea. She stopped at Norfolk on 12 and 13 August to embark the Commander, Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla 12, and his staff and then sailed for Palma de Majorca on the 14th. On the 20th, Topeka joined the 6th Fleet and, on the 22d, relieved Galveston (CLG-3) as flagship for TG 60.2. During her five months with the 6th Fleet, she ranged the length of the "middle sea." In late September and early October, the warship participated in NATO exercise "Eager Beaver," conducted in the eastern end of the Mediterranean. In mid-October, she conducted operations in the Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas on her way back to the western end.

In January 1968, she concluded her first tour of duty in the Mediterranean with another NATO exercise-this one an amphibious operation. On the 12th, she was relieved by Columbus (CG-12) at Rota, Spain. The cruiser then headed back to the United States. After stops at Puerto Rico and in the Canal Zone, Topeka reentered Long Beach on 29 January.

On 2 February, the warship began a five-week availability at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard. The guided missile cruiser departed Long Beach again on 15 March, bound for her new home port, Mayport, Fla. After arriving at her destination on 21 March, Topeka remained in port for upkeep until 6 May when she returned to sea for refresher training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Returning to Mayport on the 26th, the ship began preparations for another deployment to the Mediterranean-the last deployment of her career.

Topeka departed Mayport on 29 June and, after gunnery exercises at Culebra Island near Puerto Rico, she headed across the Atlantic. On 9 July, she relieved Columbus at Malaga, Spain, and began 6th Fleet operations. The warship's final deploy ment proved to be routine in nature. She visited ports all along the Mediterranean littoral and conducted operations in all portions of the middle sea from the Aegean and Ionian Seas in the east to the Riviera ports in the west. Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, and France-as well as the islands of Malta, Crete, and Majorca-provided her with interesting ports of call. Topeka concluded her assignment with the 6th Fleet on 9 December at Rota when she was relieved once again by Columbus. That same day, she headed for Mayport, arriving 10 days later.

On 30 January 1969, Topeka steamed out of Mayport and proceeded north for inactivation. After a stop at Yorktown, Va., to off-load her ordnance, she arrived in Boston on 5 February. There, she completed inactivation preparations; and, on 5 June, Topeka was placed out of commission. The warship was towed to Philadelphia and was berthed with the reserve fleet group there. On 1 December 1973, her name was struck from the Navy list, and, on 20 March 1975, she was sold to the Southern Scrap Material Co., Ltd., for scrapping.

Topeka was awarded two battle stars for her World War II service and three battle stars for her Vietnam service.

---

Big guns in action?

---

This is more like it!

[Jen]

What an amazing story. How sad those sailors could not be rescued.

Thank you Sam and Abner for your work on this thread!

[Jen]

Good morning to you too Aeronaut!

[Jen]

Thanks for the daily bumps!!

[Jen]

I like your last pix best too. Big guns! Wooooooooooooo!!

[Jen]

I appreciate the coffee and donuts today. Thanks!!

[Fiddlstix]

You're welcome J

[skeeter]

Thats some story. Thanks SAM.

[abner]

What an amazing job you did on this Sam.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks for the big guns picture.

That side view is great, did she have beautiful lines!!

[SAMWolf]

Thanks for leading me to the story and suggesting it be used at the FoxHole. It fits perfectly into Warrior Wednesday.

[firewalk]

Thanks for the ping AntiJen

hope you have a nice day (-:

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on January 22:
1440 Ivan III the Great, Russian czar (1462-1505)/conquered Lithuania
1561 Francis Bacon England, statesman/essayist (Novum Organum)
1571 Robert Bruce Cotton English antiquary, politician
1592 Pierre Gassendi Champtercier Provence, scientist/philosopher
1649 Pascal Collasse composer
1655 Geleyn Evertsen Lieutenant-Admiral (Zealand)
1707 Carl Hockh composer
1709 Joseph Reipel composer
1727 Claude-Benigne Balbastre composer
1729 Gotthold Ephraim Lessing Germany, critic/dramatist
1729 Giuseppe Luigi Tibaldi composer
1748 Lewis Edson composer
1753 Peter Fuchs composer
1756 Vincenzo Righini composer
1766 Antoine-Vincent Arnault French writer (Les Vénitiens)
1779 Stefano Pavesi composer
1781 François-Antoine Habeneck composer
1788 Lord [George Gordon Noel] Byron England, romantic poet (Don Juan)
1802 Richard Upjohn US, gothic architect (Trinity Chapel, New York)
1815 Ferdinand Christian Wilhelm Praeger composer
1820 Hermann von Lingg German playwright/poet
1820 Johan Hendrik Koelman portrait painter (Jahresringe)
1824 Josef Leopold Zvonar composer
1826 [Merriwether] Jeff Thompson Partisan (Confederate Army), died in 1876
1842 Charles Henri Marechal composer
1845 Jacob Verdam Dutch philologist
1845 Paul Vidal de la Blanche France, geographer
1848 Samuel Muller Dutch historian/archivist (Middle Ages)
1849 August Strindberg Sweden, dramatist/novelist (Apologia)
1855 Ernst Kullak composer
1858 Betrice Potter Webb England, economist
1858 Frederick Lugard British captain/baron (Congo)
1861 Karel Stecker composer
1865 Friedrich Paschen German physicist
1870 Charles Arnold Tournemire composer
1871 Leon Jessel composer
1874 Wincenty Witoz Galicia, PM of Poland (1920-21, 1923, 1926)
1875 Bonifacius C de Jonge Governor (Dutch East Indies)
1875 D[avid] W Griffith movie producer/director (Birth of a Nation)
1875 Thomas W Ross actor (Without Limit, Kings Row, 17, Mortal Storm)
1877 Hjalmar Schacht president of German Reichsbank/minister of Economics
1878 Constance Collier Windsor England, actress/writer (Kitty, Whirlpool)
1878 Francis Picabia French painter/illustrator
1886 John Joseph Becker composer
1890 Fred M Vinson Kentucky, 13th Chief Justice of US Supreme Court (1946-53)
1891 Franz Alexander Hungarian/US psycho analytical
1891 Moise Kisling Polish/French painter (La Souris Boiteuse)
1892 Marcel Dassault [Bloch], French airplane builder
1893 Conrad Veidt Potsdam Germany, actor (Cabinet of Dr Caligari)
1894 Charles Morgan England, writer (Fountain)
1894 Matt McHugh PA, actor (Taxi, Freaks, Barbary Coast, Innocent Affair)
1897 Josef Stanislav composer
1897 Rosa Ponselle opera diva (Casta Diva, La Forza del Destino)
1898 Ross R Barnett lawyer/(Gov-D-MS)
1898 Alexander Abramsky composer
1898 Ben van Eysselsteijn Dutch writer (Arid Earth)
1898 Gustaf Paulson composer
1898 Hans van Werveke Flemish historian (Diocese Terwaan)
1899 Guido Kisch Czech/German/US historian (Jews in medieval Germany)
1899 Martti Haavio [P Mastapää], Finnish linguist/poet
19-- Dawn Smith Jackson TN, actress (Jolene-Joe Forrester)
19-- Steve Riley rock drummer (LA Guns-It's Over Now)
1900 Franz Salmhofer composer
1901 Hans-Erich Apostel Austrian composer (Sonata Ritmica)
1903 Robin Humphrey Milford composer
1904 George Balanchine composer/choreographer
1906 Robert E[rvin] Howard US, sci-fi author (Conan the Conqueror)
1906 Willa B Brown (Coffey) US black air pioneer (NAAA)
1907 Marie Dressler actress (Anna Christie, Dinner at 8)
1909 Ann Sothern [Harriette Lake], North Dakota, actress (Lady in a Cage, My Mother the Car)
1909 Lev D Landau Russian physicist (Nobel 1962)
1909 [Sithu] U Thant Burma, 3rd UN Secretary-General (1962-72)
1911 Bruno Kreisky Austria, bandleader/chancellor (1970-83)
1911 Roberto Garcia Morillo composer
1913 Verdina Shlonsky composer
1914 Dimitri Dragatakis composer
1914 Suzanne Danco Belgian singer
1915 Tom Burtt cricketer (slow left-armer took 33 wickets for New Zealand)
1916 Henri Dutilleux Angers France, composer
1917 Albert "Pud" Brown clarinetist/saxophonist
1917 Herwig Hensen [Flor Mielants], Flemish poet/playwright
1918 Richard Eastham Opelousas LA, actor (Wonder Woman, Falcon Crest)
1920 William Warfield singer (Show Boat)
1920 George Breakston Paris France, actor/director (Jungle Stampede)
1920 Piet Van Lishout Flemish writer (Eva & I)
1921 Andre Hodeir composer
1921 Andy Ganteaume cricketer (West Indies batsman, 112 in only Test innings 1948)
1922 Howard Moss poet/editor (New Yorker)
1923 Diana Douglas Devonshire Bermuda, actress (The Cowboys)
1923 Friedrich Zehm composer
1923 Leslie Bassett composer
1924 J J Johnson composer/jazz trombonist
1924 Margaret Whiting big band singer
1925 Leslie Silver English paint manufacturer/multi-millionaire
1926 Lord Erskine of Rerrick peer
1926 Tom Blackburn writer
1927 Joe Perry NFL Hall-of-Famer
1927 Lou Creekmur Baseball Hall-of-Famer
1928 Birch Bayh (Senator-D-IN)
1929 Rita Gillespie TV director
1930 Roy Cooper London England, actor (Amistad, Julian Po, Trevor-Beacon Hill)
1931 Rauno Makinen Finland, Greco-Roman featherweight (Olympics-gold-1956)
1931 Sam Cooke Clarksdale MS, gospel & blues singer (You Send Me, Another Saturday Night, Twisting The Night Away)
1931 Galina Zybina USSR, discus thrower (15 world records between 1952-58)
1932 Piper Laurie [Rosetta Jacobs], Detroit MI, actress (Twin Peaks)
1934 Bill Bixby San Francisco CA, actor (Incredible Hulk, My Favorite Martian)
1934 Graham Kerr chef (Galloping Gourmet)
1935 Pierre S Du Pont IV (Governor-DE)
1935 Seymour Cassel Detroit MI, actor (Faces, Plain Clothes, Valentino)
1937 Eden Pastora Gomez Nicaraguan contra leader
1937 Joseph Wambaugh East Pittsburgh PA, police writer (Onion Fields)
1940 Addie "Micki" Harris Passaic NJ, singer (Shirelles-Soldier Boy)
1940 John Hurt England, actor (Elephant Man, Alien, Midnight Express)
1940 Tilo Medek German composer
1943 H James "Jim" Saxton (Representative-R-NJ, 1984- )
1945 Michael Cristofer actor/writer (Little Drummer Girl)
1945 Oliver rocker
1946 Andrew Rubin New Bedford MA, actor (Hometown, Joe Bash)
1949 James P Pennington rocker (Exile)
1949 Rein P Hummel Dutch MP (PvdA)
1949 Steve Perry Hanford CA, vocalist (Journey-Open Arms, Oh Sherry)
1952 Karen Moe [Thornton] US swimmer (Olympics-gold-1972)
1952 Teddy Gentry Fort Payne AL, country music star (Alabama-Mountain Music, Take Me Down)
1953 Myung-Whun Chung Seoul South Korea, pianist/conductor
1954 Chris Lemmon Los Angeles CA, actor (Brothers & Sisters, Duet)
1955 Thomas David Jones Baltimore MD, PhD/Astronaut (STS 59, 68, 80, sk 98)
1956 Becky Pearson LPGA golfer
1956 John Wesley Shipp actor (The Flash, Dawson's Creek, Kelly-Guiding Light)
1957 Mike Bossy NHL forward (New York Islanders)
1959 Linda Blair St Louis MO, actress (Exorcist, Chained Heat, Savage St)
1960 Michael Hutchence Australia, rock vocalist/actor (INXS-Need You Tonight, Dogs in Space)
1961 Barb Thomas Whitehead Sibley IA, LPGA golfer (1995 Hawaiian Open)
1962 Robert Mailhouse New Haven CT, actor (Brian-Days of our Life)
1963 Diane Lane New York City NY, actress (Cotton Club, 6 Pack, Big Town)
1963 Jeff Treadway US baseball infielder (Los Angeles Dodgers)
1964 Ann Rowe Auburn Maine, Miss Maine-America (1990)
1964 Maria Ellingsen Reykjavik Iceland, actress (Katrina-Santa Barbara)
1964 Stojko Vrankovic NBA center (Los Angeles Clippers)
1964 Wayne Kirby Williamsburg VA, outfielder (Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Dodgers)
1965 Jazzy Jeff Townes rapper (Parents Just Don't Understand)
1965 Ray Mayhew rocker (Sigue Sigue Sputnik-Love Missile F-111)
1965 Steven Adler Cleveland OH, drummer (Guns & Roses-Sweet Child)
1965 Tim Prukop WLAF linebacker-secondary coach (Amsterdam Admirals)
1966 Carlton Haselrig NFL guard (New York Jets)
1966 Nishantha Ranatunga cricket (brother of Arjuna Sri Lankan ODI allrounder)
1967 Manabu Nakanishi wrestler (NJPW)
1967 Nicholas Gillingham British swimmer (world record 200m freestyle)
1967 Olivia d'Abo London England, actress (Wonder Years, Single Guy)
1968 Andrey Sokolov hockey defenseman (Team Kazakhstan Olympics-1998)
1968 Brian Jones NFL linebacker (New Orleans Saints)
1969 Christina Marie Leardini St Petersburg FL, playmate (April 1991)
1969 Keith Gordon US baseball outfielder (Cincinnati Reds)
1969 Ousmane Bary WLAF cornerback (Barcelona Dragons)
1969 Shelley Sandie Australian basketball guard (Olympics-88, 96)
1969 Vinnie Clark NFL cornerback (Jacksonville Jaguars)
1970 Brian Gaskill actor (David Michaels-Models Inc, Bob-All My Children)
1970 Keith Wagner NFL/WLAF tackle (New York Giants, Redskins, Scot Claymores)
1971 Bucky Brooks wide receiver (Jacksonville Jaguars)
1971 Jennifer Christine Joseph Wendover NV, Miss Nevada-America (1995)
1972 Steve Scifres guard/tackle (Dallas Cowboys)
1972 Toddrick McIntosh NFL defensive end (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
1973 Deon Minor Paris Texas, 400m runner
1973 George Noga CFL linebacker (Winnipeg Blue Bombers)
1973 Reggie Barlow wide receiver (Jacksonville Jaguars)
1973 Said Larossi soccer player (Emmen/Vitesse)
1973 Vincent Bradford linebacker (San Francisco 49ers)
1974 Pavel Mikhalevitch soccer player (NEC)
1974 Stephanie Rottier St Niklaas Belgium, tennis star (1995 semi Prague)
1975 Lee Maxwell Francis Vertongen Palmerston North New Zealand, cyclist (Olympics-96)
1976 Balthazar Getty actor (Young Guns 2, Lord of the Flies)
1979 Melanie Winiger Miss Switzerland-Universe (1997)
1982 Kevin Sheridan actor (Soul Man)
2179 Hikaru Walter Sulu San Francisco CA, (character on Star Trek)

---

Deaths which occurred on January 22:
1336 Louis III last Earl of Loon, dies
1531 Andrea del Sarto Italian artist, dies at 43
1552 Edward Seymour Duke of Somerset, beheaded for treason
1581 Joost de Damhoudere Flemish lawyer, dies
1581 Seerp Galama Dutch nobleman/military/politician, dies at 52
1599 Cristofano Malvezzi composer, dies at 51
1640 Erasmus Quellinus I Flemish wood carver, dies at about 55
1700 Jacob Balthasar Schutz composer, dies at 39
1781 Johann Siebenkas composer, dies at 66
1796 Bernhard Hupfeld composer, dies at 78
1798 Lewis Morris US farmer (signed Declaration of Independence), dies at 71
1798 Matija A Reljkovic Croatian writer (Satire of Wild Man), dies at 66
1799 Horace B de Saussure Swiss physicist/geologist/alpinist, dies at 58
1847 Georges-Julien Sieber composer, dies at 71
1850 Vincenzo Pallotti Italian saint, dies at 54
1852 George Rodwell composer, dies at 51
1868 Moritz Ganz composer, dies at 61
1879 Anthony Durnford British Colonel, dies in battle
1879 George Shepstone British political affiliate, dies in battle
1893 Vincenz Lachner composer, dies at 81
1895 Edward Solomon composer, dies at 39
1901 Victoria [Alexandrine], Britain's Queen (1837-1901), dies at 81
1909 Richard A C E Erlenmeyer German chemist, dies at 83
1913 Ferdinand van der Haeghen Flemish librarian/bibliographer, dies at 82
1914 Frederik Rung composer, dies at 60
1916 Iwan Knorr composer, dies at 63
1922 Benedictus XV [Giacomo Markies D Chiesa], pope (1914-22), dies at 67
1923 Max Nordau [Südfeld], German physician/zionists leader, dies at 73
1924 Maurice du Plessys French poet (Le Feu Sacré), dies at 59
1936 Louis Glass composer, dies at 71
1942 Reimond Tollenaere leader Flemish National Front, dies at 81
1942 Walter Richard Sickert British painter (Free House!), dies at 81
1945 A Wolfenstein writer, dies at 61
1945 Carlo Felice Boghen composer, dies a day before 76th birthday
1945 Else Lasker-Schüler writer, dies at 48
1945 Johan Eykman theologist (World Church), dies at 52
1950 Alan Hale Sr actor (The Seahawk, Yellowstone), dies at 57
1951 Eastwood Lane composer, dies at 71
1952 Roger Vitrac French poet/dramatist (Mysteries of Love), dies at 52
1956 P A M Speet Dutch broadcast CEO (KRO), dies
1959 A J Else Mauhs German/Dutch actress (Hamlet, Nora), dies at 73
1964 Marc Blitzstein US composer (Cradle Will Rock), dies at 58
1966 Herbert Marshall actor (Dark Angel, Duel in the Sun), dies at 75
1967 Jobyna Ralston actress (Wings, Girl Shy, Freshman), dies at 66
1968 Duke Kahanamoku Hawaii, 100m swimmer (Olympics-gold-1912, 20, 24), dies at 77
1969 Judy Garland singer/actress (Wizard of Oz), dies at 48 of an overdose
1973 Lyndon B Johnson President (1963-69), dies at his Texas ranch at 64
1974 Leon Lontoc actor (Henry-Burke's Law), dies at 64
1975 Klaas Voskuil Dutch journalist, dies at 79
1978 Herbert Sutcliffe cricketer (54 Tests for England 4555 runs), dies
1979 Ali Hassan Salameh [Abu Hassan], killed by car bomb; believed to have helped mastermind massacre of 1972 Munich Olympics athletes
1980 Iris Meredith actress (Lawless Land, Gambling Terror), dies at 64
1981 Fannie Thomas US, dies at 113
1982 Eduardo Frei Montalva President of Chile (1964-70), dies at 71
1983 Fred Bakewell cricketer (dashing England bat of 30s, 6 Tests), dies
1987 R Budd Dwyer Pennsylvania State Treasurer, facing prison for conspiracy & perjury, shot himself to death at a televised news conference
1988 Georgi M Malenkov Russian premier (1953-55), dies at 86
1988 Parker Fennelly actor (Kettles on Old MacDonald's Farm), dies at 96
1992 A J Antoon director (That Championship Season), dies at 47
1992 Ali Amini PM of Iran (1961-62), dies
1993 Alexander Bodon Hung-Dutch architect (RAI, Dollywood), dies at 86
1993 Charlie Gehringer baseball player, dies at 89
1993 Kobo Abe Japanese writer (Wife in the Sand), dies at 68
1993 Maria Vlamynck Flemish author, dies at 75
1994 Frances Gifford dies of emphysema, at 71
1994 Irving B Kahn inventor (teleprompter), dies at 76
1994 Jean-Louis Barrault French actor (La Ronde), dies at 83
1994 Telly Savalas actor (Kojak), dies of prostate cancer at 70
1995 Christopher Francis Palmer orchestrater/author, dies at 48
1995 Mahmoud Sayed Selim Egyptian Muslim leader, shot to death at 29
1995 Margaret Barbara Lambert British historian (Saar), dies at 88
1995 Nico Adriaans founder of Rotterdam Junkiebond, dies of AIDS at 37
1995 Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy mother of President John F Kennedy, dies at 104
1996 Edward Thomas historian/intelligence expert, dies at 77
1996 Efua Theodore Sutherland writer, dies at 71
1996 Mabel Leigh potter, dies at 80
1996 Yisrael Eldad extremist politician, dies at 85
1997 Ian Arthur Hoyle Munro medical journalist, dies at 73
1997 Irwin Levine composer (Tie a Yellow Ribbon), dies at 58
1997 Mollie Panter-Downes writer , dies at 90
1997 Wally Whyton musician/broadcaster, dies at 66

---

On this day...
0871 Battle at Basing Danish invasion army beats Ethelred of Wessex
1371 King Robert II Stuart of Scotland crowned
1510 Jews are expelled from Colmar Germany
1517 Turks conquer Cairo
1528 England & France declare war on Emperor Charles V
1575 English queen Elizabeth I grants Thomas Tallis & William Byrd music press monopoly
1584 Parts of Switzerland adopt Gregorian calendar (& parts in 1812)
1588 Pope Sixtus V decrees "Immense aeterni" (Reformed curia)
1673 Postal service between New York & Boston inaugurated
1689 Lord Halifax becomes Speaker of English House of Lords
1689 Prince Willem III calls English parliament together
1690 Iroquois tribes renew allegiance to British against French
1758 Russian troops occupy Königsberg, East Prussia
1760 Battle at Wandewash India British troops beat French
1771 Spain cedes the Falkland Islands to Britain
1775 Marshal Oscar von Lubomirski expels Jews from Warsaw Poland
1798 Coup of Midderigh
1813 Americans capture Frenchtown, Canada
1814 1st Knights Templar grand encampment in US held, New York City NY
1816 Lord Byron completes "Parisina" & "The Siege of Corinth"
1817 English freighter Diana sinks off Malaysia
1831 Charles Darwin takes his Bachelor of Arts exam
1837 Earthquake in southern Syria kills thousands
1850 Alta California becomes a daily paper, 1st such in California
1857 National Association of Baseball Players founded, NY
1859 Brahms' 1st piano concerto (in D minor) premieres, Hanover
1862 Confederate government raises premium for volunteers from $10 to $20
1863 Union General Burnside's "Mud March"
1873 Britains SS Northfleet sinks at Dungeness England, 300 die
1879 James Shields (D) elected US senator from Missouri after previously serving as US senator from Illinois & Minnesota
1879 Zulus attack British Army camp in Isandhlwana South Africa
1881 Ancient Egyptian obelisk "Cleopatra's Needle" erected in Central Park
1883 England complete 1st innings victory in Tests vs Australia MCG
1890 José Marti forms La Liga (Union of Cuban exiles) in New York City NY
1895 National Association of Manufacturers organized in Cincinnati OH
1901 After 63 years England stops sale of Queen Victoria postage stamps series & begins King Edward VII series
1905 "Bloody Sunday"; Russian demonstrators fired on by tsarist troops
1909 Vassily Kandinsky forms Künstlerverein in Munich
1910 The opera "Germania" is 1st performed in New York City NY
1914 Paul Claudel's "L'échange" premieres in Paris
1918 Ukraine proclaimed a free republic (German puppet)
1924 KGO-AM in San Francisco CA begins radio transmissions
1924 Baldwin government resigns in England
1924 Dutch Blast Furnace & Steel Factory opens
1925 Albania Republic proclaimed under President Achmed Zogu
1926 Belgian chief of staff General Maglinse quits
1930 -35ºF (-37ºC), Mount Carroll IL (state record)
1931 French government of Steeg falls
1931 VARA begins experimental TV broadcast in Diamantbeurs Amsterdam
1932 British Anglicans & Old-Catholic church merge
1934 Dmitri Shostakovich's opera "Lady MacBeth" premieres in Leningrad
1936 French Laval government falls
1938 "Our Town", Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer-winner of small-town life in Grover's Corners NH, performed publicly for 1st time (New Jersey)
1939 Aquatic Park, near Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco CA, is dedicated
1939 Uranium atom 1st split, Columbia University
1940 1st radio broadcast of "Road to Happiness" on CBS
1941 1st mass killing of Jews in Romania
1941 British/Australian troops capture Tobruk from Italians
1942 Japanese air raid on Rabaul, New Britain
1942 Sietze de Groot wins 8th Dutch 11 city skate (8 44 06)
1943 66.3 cm precipitation at Hoegees Camp CA (state record)
1943 Joint Chiefs of Staff determine invasion in Sicily for July 10th
1943 Temperature rises 49ºF (9ºC) in 2 minutes in Spearfish SD
1944 Battle of Anzio (Italy); Allies stopped on the beach
1945 Burma highway reopens
1945 Heavy US air raid on Okinawa
1946 US President sets up CIA, Central Intelligence Agency
1947 KTLA TV channel 5 in Los Angeles CA (IND) begins broadcasting (1st commercial TV station west of Mississippi)
1948 Jim Laker takes 7-103 in his 1st Test Cricket innings vs West Indies Barbados
1949 Chinatown telephone exchange closed
1949 "All for Love" opens at Mark Hellinger Theater New York City NY for 121 performances
1950 Polly Riley wins LPGA Tampa Golf Open
1951 Fidel Castro ejected from a Winter League game after beaning batter
1951 Bollingen Prize for poetry awarded to Johncrowe Ransom
1953 Arthur Miller's "Crucible" premieres in New York City NY
1955 Norwegian government of Einar Gerhardsen forms
1956 30 die in a train crash in Los Angeles
1956 Betsy Rawls wins LPGA Tampa Golf Open
1956 Canadian Football Council forms
1957 Israeli forces withdraw from the Sinai Penisula
1957 Mad Bomber (George P Metesky) accused of 30 explosions, arrested
1958 KRSD (now KEVN) TV channel 7 in Rapid City SD (ABC) 1st broadcast
1959 USAF concludes less than 1% of UFO's are unknown objects
1960 10th NBA All-Star Game East beats West 125-115 at Philadelphia
1960 Coal mine of Johnburg caves-in, 417 die
1960 French President De Gaulle escapes attempt by General Massu
1960 Paul Pender beats Sugar Ray Robinson for middleweight boxing title
1963 Ruth Jessen wins LPGA Naples Professional Golf Tournament
1964 World's largest cheese (15,723 kg) manufactured, Wisconsin
1964 Kenneth Kaunda becomes premier of North-Rhodesia (Zambia)
1965 US launches TIROS 9 weather satellite
1967 NFL Pro Bowl East beats West 20-10
1968 "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" premieres on NBC
1968 Apollo 5 launched to Moon; unmanned lunar module tests made
1968 NBA announces it will expand to Milwaukee & Phoenix
1969 Billy Preston becomes the 5th Beatle
1969 Orbiting Solar Observatory 5 launched into earth orbit
1969 "Celebration" opens at Ambassador Theater New York City NY for 110 performances
1969 Roy Campanella & Stan Musial elected to baseball Hall of Fame
1970 1st commercial Boeing 747 flight (Pan Am), New York to London in 6½ hours
1970 Test debut of Barry Richards, South Africa vs Australia, Cape Town
1971 John & Yoko record "Power to the People"
1972 "Emergency" with Robert Fuller premieres on NBC TV
1972 22nd NBA All-Star Game West beats East 112-110 at Los Angeles
1973 George Foreman TKOs Joe Frazier in 2 for heavyweight boxing title
1973 Roe vs Wade US Supreme Court legalizes some abortions
1973 US, North & South Vietnam & Vietcong sign boundary accord
1975 Landsat 2, an Earth Resources Technology Satellite, launched
1976 Bank robbery in Beirut nets $20-50 million (record)
1980 PGA begins a senior golf tour
1980 Dissidents Andrei Sacharov & Jelena Bonner banished to Gorki
1980 West Indies beat England 2-0 to win 1st World Series Cup
1981 40th Islander shut-out opponent-3-0 vs Red Wings-Billy Smith 15th
1981 O A "Bum" Phillips becomes head coach of the New Orleans Saints
1982 75% of North America is covered by snow
1983 2nd flight readiness firing of Challenger's main engines; 22 seconds
1983 Houston is 1st NBA team to be held scoreless in an overtime Portland Trail Blazers out score them 17-0 & win 113-96
1984 Annette Kennedy of SUNY sets women's basketball record with 70 points
1984 Hilbert van de Thumb becomes European all-round skates
1984 Super Bowl XVIII Los Angeles Raiders beat Washington Redskins, 38-9 in Tampa; Super Bowl MVP Marcus Allen, Los Angeles Raiders, Running Back
1985 -30ºF (-34ºC), Mountain Lake Bio Station, Virginia (state record)
1985 Cold wave damages 90% of Florida's citrus crop
1985 Zak Starkey (Ringo's son) marries Sarah Menikides
1985 Kelly Hu, 16, of Hawaii, crowned 3rd Miss Teen USA
1986 Ghorbanifar 1st suggests diversion of cash to contras, says North
1987 Blizzard in New Jersey, as 334 attend the Devils-Flame NHL game, New Jersey wins 7-5
1988 1st-class cricket debut of Brian Lara, Trinidad & Tobago vs Leeward Island
1988 1st-class cricket debut of Hansie Cronje, OFS vs Transvaal
1988 Mike Tyson TKOs Larry Holmes in 4 for heavyweight boxing title
1989 Super Bowl XXIII San Francisco 49ers beat Cincinnati Bengals, 20-16 in Miami; Super Bowl MVP Jerry Rice, San Francisco, Wide Receiver
1989 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakstan/Semipalatinsk USSR
1990 Will Clark, NL's MVP signs a $15M 4-year contract with San Francisco Giants
1990 17th American Music Award Milli Vanilli
1990 Wasim Akram scores Test century (123) at Adelaide
1992 Space Shuttle STS-42 (Discovery 15) launches into space
1992 Princess Sarah Ferguson wears paper bag over her head on airline ride
1993 Johan Koss skates world record 5 km in 6 38.77
1994 45th NHL All-Star Game East beat West 9-8 at New York Rangers
1994 5.5 earthquake strikes Sumatra
1994 51st Golden Globes Schlinder's List, Steven Spielberg
1995 Palestinian bomb attack in Beit Lid Israel, 21-22 killed
1995 Pat Bradley wins LPGA HealthSouth Inaugural Golf Tournament
1997 Space Shuttle Atlantis Returns to Earth, Successful
1998 NHL's Minnesota franchise selects the nickname Wild
1998 Rickey Henderson, rejoins Oakland A's for 4th time
1998 STS 89 (Endeavour 12) launches into orbit
1998 World League of American Football becomes NFL East

---

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Ukraine : Ukrainian Day (1918)
China : Chinese New Year-The Year of the Monkey (2004/4702)

---

Religious Observances
Roman Catholic, Anglican : Memorial of St Vincent, martyr/patron of wine growers
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Anastasius, martyr
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Vincent Pallotti, Italian priest, founder

---

Religious History
1522 German Reformer Martin Luther wrote in a letter: 'Love cares for the problems of others as if they were one's own.'
1843 Birth of Friedrich Wilhelm Blass, German biblical philologist. His 1896 "Grammar of New Testament Greek" became a foundational work in New Testament studies, and is still in print.
1855 Birth of Carrie Ellis Breck, American Presbyterian poet. Several of her verses later became hymns, including "Help Somebody Today" and "Face to Face with Christ My Savior."
1882 The Fifth Street Presbyterian Church of Troy, New York, became the first church in America to be illuminated by electric lighting.
1963 Swiss Reformed theologian Karl Barth wrote in a letter: 'In Jesus Christ, God and man...are already at peace Ä not as enemies but as true companions. In Him salvation is already present and at work.'

---

Thought for the day :
" Early to rise and ditto to bed, make a man healthy, but socially dead. "

[SAMWolf]

1968 "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" premieres on NBC

"Sock it to me!", "Here come da judge!" and "You bet your sweet Bippy." I loved that show it was soooo crazy.

[Babsig]

Please remove me from your ping list. Thank you.

[SAMWolf]

Please remove me from your ping list. Thank you.

Will do, Thank you.

[SAMWolf]

Cook Third Class Doris Miller, USN

Doris Miller, known as "Dorie" to shipmates and friends, was born in Waco, Texas, on 12 October 1919, to Henrietta and Conery Miller. He had three brothers, one of which served in the Army during World War II. While attending Moore High School in Waco, he was a fullback on the football team. He worked on his father's farm before enlisting in the U.S Navy as Mess Attendant, Third Class, at Dallas, Texas, on 16 September 1939, to travel, and earn money for his family. He later was commended by the Secretary of the Navy, was advanced to Mess Attendant, Second Class and First Class, and subsequently was promoted to Ship's Cook, Third Class.

Following training at the Naval Training Station, Norfolk, Virginia, Miller was assigned to the ammunition ship USS Pyro (AE-1) where he served as a Mess Attendant, and on 2 January 1940 was transferred to USS West Virginia (BB-48), where he became the ship's heavyweight boxing champion. In July of that year he had temporary duty aboard USS Nevada (BB-36) at Secondary Battery Gunnery School. He returned to West Virginia and on 3 August, and was serving in that battleship when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. Miller had arisen at 6 a.m., and was collecting laundry when the alarm for general quarters sounded. He headed for his battle station, the antiaircraft battery magazine amidship, only to discover that torpedo damage had wrecked it, so he went on deck. Because of his physical prowess, he was assigned to carry wounded fellow Sailors to places of greater safety. Then an officer ordered him to the bridge to aid the mortally wounded Captain of the ship. He subsequently manned a 50 caliber Browning anti-aircraft machine gun until he ran out of ammunition and was ordered to abandon ship.

Miller described firing the machine gun during the battle, a weapon which he had not been trained to operate: "It wasn't hard. I just pulled the trigger and she worked fine. I had watched the others with these guns. I guess I fired her for about fifteen minutes. I think I got one of those Jap planes. They were diving pretty close to us."

During the attack, Japanese aircraft dropped two armored piercing bombs through the deck of the battleship and launched five 18-inch aircraft torpedoes into her port side. Heavily damaged by the ensuing explosions, and suffering from severe flooding below decks, the crew abandoned ship while West Virginia slowly settled to the harbor bottom. Of the 1,541 men on West Virginia during the attack, 130 were killed and 52 wounded. Subsequently refloated, repaired, and modernized, the battleship served in the Pacific theater through to the end of the war in August 1945.

Miller was commended by the Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox on 1 April 1942, and on 27 May 1942 he received the Navy Cross, which Fleet Admiral (then Admiral) Chester W. Nimitz, the Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet personally presented to Miller on board aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) for his extraordinary courage in battle. Speaking of Miller, Nimitz remarked:

This marks the first time in this conflict that such high tribute has been made in the Pacific Fleet to a member of his race and I'm sure that the future will see others similarly honored for brave acts.

On 13 December 1941, Miller reported to USS Indianapolis (CA-35), and subsequently returned to the west coast of the United States in November 1942. Assigned to the newly constructed USS Liscome Bay (CVE-56) in the spring of 1943, Miller was on board that escort carrier during Operation Galvanic, the seizure of Makin and Tarawa Atolls in the Gilbert Islands. Liscome Bay's aircraft supported operations ashore between 20-23 November 1943. At 5:10 a.m. on 24 November, while cruising near Butaritari Island, a single torpedo from Japanese submarine I-175 struck the escort carrier near the stern. The aircraft bomb magazine detonated a few moments later, sinking the warship within minutes. Listed as missing following the loss of that escort carrier, Miller was officially presumed dead 25 November 1944, a year and a day after the loss of Liscome Bay. Only 272 Sailors survived the sinking of Liscome Bay, while 646 died.

In addition to the Navy Cross, Miller was entitled to the Purple Heart Medal; the American Defense Service Medal, Fleet Clasp; the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; and the World War II Victory Medal.

Commissioned on 30 June 1973, USS Miller (FF-1091), a Knox-class frigate, was named in honor of Doris Miller.

On 11 October 1991, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority dedicated a bronze commemorative plaque of Miller at the Miller Family Park located on the U.S. Naval Base, Pearl Harbor.

[Darksheare]

Present.

Sad read bump.

[Tony in Hawaii]

Is this the sailor played by Cuba Gooding Jr. in the recent movie Pearl Harbor? One of the few high points of that movie.

[SAMWolf]

Yes, it was.

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning, Darksheare.

[Darksheare]

Morning.
The guys on the Squalus were luckier than the these guys.
And Squalus shot itself.

What's the saying, "The dumb luck of war"?

[SAMWolf]

USS Squalus (SS-192), a diesel-electric submarine built at the Portsmouth Navy Yard, Portsmouth, New Hampshire and commissioned there on 1 March 1939, suffered a catastrophic valve failure during a test dive off the Isle of Shoals at 0740 on 23 May. Partially flooded, the submarine sank to the bottom and came to rest keel down in 60 fathoms (240 feet) of water. Navy divers and salvage ships responded quickly, and the following day began operations to rescue the surviving 32 crew members and one civilian from the forward sections of the boat. At 1130 on 24 May, USS Falcon (ASR-2) lowered the newly developed McCann rescue chamber--a revised version of a diving bell invented by Commander Charles B. Momsen--and, over the next 13 hours, all 33 survivors were rescued from the stricken submarine. On 13 September, after long and difficult salvage operations, Squalus was raised and towed into the Portsmouth Navy Yard. The boat was formally decommissioned on 15 November, renamed Sailfish on 9 February 1940, and recommissioned on 15 May 1940.

[Darksheare]

Garn. There I go with the black hole brain again.
Okay, which one was it that had the torp do a circle back?
At the moment I am now drawing a blank.

But still.. the guys on Squalus were still luckier.
Usually, once something sinks, it's done.

[manna]

Present!

[SAMWolf]

Off hand I can't think of it, I know we lost a few subs to torpedoes circling back.

[FourtySeven]

Thank you. A very touching story.

[Darksheare]

So now we're BOTH in the same boat?
Hoo-boy.....

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

What a story. Ouch.

My dad took me to the Arizona Memorial when I was about 12 or 13 years-old, I guess...I was a typical kid, interested in boys and music and little else, and I sort of walked around disinterested - but I'll never forget Dad's somber demeanor and wondering what the "big deal" was.

I really need to go back there.

Thanks for the thread, you guys. This one is going to stay with me a long time...

[SAMWolf]

Hi DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet, glad you stopped by the Foxhole today.

Going back to the Arizona Memorial now would be a totally different experience for you now, I believe you'd understand better what your dad was feeling.

[SAMWolf]

You're Welcome.

[abner]

My grandfather was on the WeeVee. While looking him up on their website, I found this story. It brought me to tears.

[GailA]

Today's graphic

[SAMWolf]

Richard W. " Wallie" Morgan / USS West Virginia


I had just finished breakfast in the mess hall, with my buddies.

My battle station was in steering aft and our assigned eating area was in the first division area of the ship, which was about as far away from steering aft as possible. It was from one end of the ship to the other and down about 4 or 5 decks.

I am not sure which it was, anyway I was in the first division area when we took the first hit and by the time I got to “E” Division, the part of the ship where there was a ladder to use to get down to third deck, the third deck was already flooded.

There was no place to go so we were told (there were several of us in the area) to stay where we were as there was nothing for us to do. We remained in the in that area until we heard abandon ship called over the intercom. At that point there was a hatch that led to the quarterdeck so we went up to the main deck through that hatch.


We had to boost each other up, as there was no ladder. The last guy was a rather tall person so he could jump up and grab the comming of the hatch. After getting a life jacket, which was near number 4 turret, I just walked off the ship as she had quite a list on her by that time.

I was picked up by a motor launch, off the USS Dobbin, a destroyer, and there just happened to be a guy on the launch from the black gang of the Wee Vee, who knew me. He had been an engineer on one of the boats and recognized me and knew that I had run the staff duty boat several times.

A.B. Dick the regular coxswain for the boat and a close friend of mine had taught me. When I had nothing to do I would make trips with him? Anyway he told the coxswain of the launch to let us off at the sub base as there was an officers boat tied up there. And wanted he and I to get this boat and go pick up survivors in the water, which sounded good to me.

As we approached the boat a Marine came running down the dock and told us to stay away from the boat or he would shoot us. We tried to explain to him what we wanted to do but all he could say was that he was responsible for that boat and we had better get the hell away from there.

We ended up in the recreation center where they gave us each a mattress and told us to put it any where we wanted and that sooner or later we would be assigned to another ship. I was then assigned a job, which was to deliver ammunition to the gun emplacements, which were set up around the base. We also delivered some deciphering machines to several of the ships. I did this until I was assigned to go aboard the USS New Orleans which was on the following Thursday December 11th