Hero of the Sea John F. Kennedy

 

Before he became President… he was stranded in shark-infested waters, refusing to abandon his men.

 

October 1942. Long before the speeches. Long before the White House. Long before the world knew his name. John F. Kennedy was a young naval officer serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He had joined in the fall of 1941, just as the world was being pulled deeper into conflict. Two years later, he was sent to the South Pacific.

 

Kennedy commanded a patrol torpedo boat known as PT-109. The mission was dangerous. The waters around the Solomon Islands were filled with enemy ships and constant threat.

 

Then, in the dark of night, everything changed. A Japanese destroyer sliced through the black water and rammed PT-109, splitting it in two. The explosion threw Kennedy across the deck, severely injuring his back. The boat sank.

The crew was stranded. Far behind enemy lines, surrounded by open ocean, exhaustion, and uncertainty, Kennedy refused to give up. Despite his injuries, he swam for hours, towing a wounded crew member by clenching the strap of the man’s life jacket between his teeth.

 

Island to island.

Night after night.

He led his men to safety.

 

For his heroism, he was awarded the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Medal.

By 1945, when he was discharged, the war had changed his life in another way. His older brother, Joe Kennedy Jr., whom their father had expected to enter politics first, had been killed in combat.

 

The family’s political hopes shifted. John had once imagined a quieter path, perhaps academia or journalism. Instead, destiny pushed him toward public life. Years later, he would stand before the world as President of the United States from 1961 to 1963.

 

But before the presidency, before the history books, there was a young officer in the Pacific who chose courage over fear. 

 

And that story came first.

Oriskany - The Last WWII Warrior!

As a 3rd Class Petty Officer I served aboard the USS Oriskany CVA34 from July 73 to July 76. Working mainly with the Naval Tactical Data System (NTDS) I was also crypto qualified, HF receivers qualified and Tactical Air navigation System (TACAN) qualified.  

 

Time is cruel to the body, but some memories never fade. I will forever be 20 years old, standing on the flight deck of the USS Oriskany - CVA34, watching the sun set over a calm sea. The smell of salt in the air, its taste in my mouth, the feel of hard steel beneath my feet and an eager anticipation in my heart as I looked out across the sea to my newest adventure. With the coming of the next morning's horizon and the dawn of each passing day I felt like it was a given that I would be there to see it through with each rising sun. 

Now I lay my head down each night in anticipation of the next adventure that my dream will create from the gallant stories of that young man. For my body can no longer sail the seas, but my heart, mind and soul will forever be aboard the rolling deck of a ship of war headed for the battle line. There is something about the adventure, camaraderie, danger and personal risk of service aboard a Navy warship that stays with you and gets intertwined with your very being and it never leaves. 

The Oriskany was the last commissioned Essex Class Carrier.  The Essex-class was a highly successful, class of 24 U.S. Navy aircraft carriers, serving as the backbone of the US Navy’s fleet from mid-1943 through the Vietnam War.

 

No Essex Class Carriers were lost to enemy action, though some were heavily damaged, especially by kamikazes late in WWII. Four remain in existence today as museum ships: the Yorktown, the Hornet, the Lexington, and the Intrepid. 

 

After the WWII, the Essex Class Carriers underwent multiple modernizations and upgrades to handle the new jet aircraft and helicopters of the jet age, including angled flight decks. They continued to form a significant part of U.S. naval air power into the Korean and Thirteen of the Essex carriers were used in action during the Vietnam War. Several Essex-class carriers also saw use in the NASA space program as recovery platforms for space aircraft returning from lunar missions. 

 

My road to Oriskany began while I was stationed at Naval Schools Command, Treasure Island. That's a small flat island in the middle of San Francisco Bay.  I was maintaining electronic test equipment for an Electronic Technician "A" school on the island. I had just received my orders. Sea Duty aboard the USS Oriskany CVA 34. I had never heard of Her so, I started asking others on the island if they knew anything about this ship. The "CVA" told me that she was an attack carrier of some kind but no one I talked to had ever heard of this "Oriskany" thing.

The orders also stated that before reporting aboard I would spend a few weeks in a "C" school learning something called NTDS (Naval Tactical Data System) SRC-16 radio transmitter - receiver system (one of the Navy's first all digital data communications networks) at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, somewhere close to San Francisco.

When I got to Mare Island and started the school, I also started asking around if anyone knew anything about this "Oriskany" ship. I found one old instructor that knew about her. He broke out into a huge laugh when I mentioned I was going to the Oriskany. He asked me who I pissed off. He said she was the OLDEST THING AFLOAT! Her SRC-16 system was serial number XN1 #1. That meant it was experimental model number 1 and was nothing like the machine I learned in school. Well, at least I now knew something about this thing called "Oriskany."

 

On the 17th of April 1973, I stood at the head of a pier in Alameda California. On my port side stood the USS Enterprise. Pride of the Navy, Queen of all the seas. She was all decked out to start her sea tour tomorrow. Today she stood tall sleek and shinny. A necklace of aircraft around her island, She looked like an Ensign standing inspection, not a scratch or bruise on her skin, wrinkle in her uniform, and not a hair out of place. So beautiful and "sexy" - A sailor's "dream boat". I could almost feel her tugging at me, whispering a sweet beautiful sea chantey in my ear, trying to lure me away from my destination on the opposite side of the pier.

On the starboard side, stood the Old Bitch of the Sea - Oriskany. Just back from her sea tour yesterday. There she stood, Her uniform of grey: dirty, torn, wrinkled and tattered. Her skin scratched, bruised, covered in soot, salt and seagull crap. As I walked up her after-brow I could smell her sweat. Sweat from hundreds of miles in scorching sun and rough stormy seas, sweat from dozens of weeks at Yankee Station with flight ops sometimes going 24 hours a day. She was old, ugly and decrepit and she smelled of death.

At the head of her brow I stopped, turned and saluted her ensign. As I turned a 180, grabbed my packet of papers to hand to the Brow Watch, I thought: What the hell am I doing here? Did I piss off God? Why couldn't I be ridding that sleek young thing across the pier? The world knew her name and who's girl she was. Why am I, just turning 20 years old, why do I have to ride this lonely Old Bitch of the Sea that no one knew, and from the looks of her, no one cared about?

On 14 June 1976, I stepped out on her flight deck for the last time. Slated for decommissioning instead of being cleaned up primed and painted, she was being stripped of all of her equipment. As I looked around I saw Her uniform of grey, still dirty, torn, wrinkled, tattered and Her skin scratched, bruised, covered in soot, salt and seagull crap from Her last Westpac. She was older and probably a bit uglier, but she wasn't the old bitch of the sea that I thought she would be. Once you got to know her she became a Fighting Lady. "The Mighty 'O' "is what we called her. A bitch to her enemy, but a Mighty Fighting Lady to her crew. She was the last of her kind, the last Essex Class Carrier, the last of the mighty fighting ships that took back the Pacific from the Japanese. From Alaska in the north to all the little islands that dot her south, the Essex Class Carriers fought and won the Pacific war. No, Oriskany wasn't the old bitch of the sea, She was the proud mother of the modern carrier, the first "SUPER CARRIER." Without the Essex Class Carriers like Oriskany, we would not have the sassy, sleek and sexy carriers of today.

As I walked down her after-brow for the last time, I walked slowly so that I could savor her sweet sweat from missions to Korea and Vietnam, all the flight-ops involved in those wars along with the storms and typhoons we weathered. Along with her sweat is the always welcoming aroma of Subic bay with just a hint of Olongapo bar-maid perfume mixed with the breeze off shit-river.

...Sorry, I just couldn't help a little Westpac reminiscing. 

 

"I can imagine no more rewarding a career. And any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction, 'I served in the United States Navy'." - John F. Kennedy at the commissioning ceremony of the USS Oriskany in 1950 (my first ship).

ETN3 Harbit - Proud to say "I served on the USS Oriskany CVA 34" - Relatively unknown to most Americans but highly feared by America's enemy's. 

  

 

January 28, 1973 in the South China Sea…The nuclear-powered attack aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVAN-65) (Center), the attack aircraft carriers USS America CV-66 (left of center) and USS Oriskany (CVA-34)(above & behind Enterprise), the escort ships USS Bronstein (DE-1037) and USS Fanning (DE-1076) and the destroyers USS Corry (DD-817), USS William C. Lawe (DD-763) and USS Cone (DD-866) cruise together in the multiple aircraft carrier force at the end of the hostilities with Vietnam." Photographer: SA Larry Hayes  

 

As I grow older I realize the magic of "belonging" to some place or time. I was on the USS Oriskany CVA-34 for an incredibly short time considering the length of my life at the present moment (74 years) and I remember the day I came aboard and the day I saluted her ensign for the last time. I did not realize it but I was taking a part of her with me and leaving some of myself behind. I now realize that I will never truly leave her, nor will she ever leave me. She is a part of my makeup today. The things she taught me I have used through out my life. Of all my education, the 3 years aboard her was by far my greatest learning experience. 

She was decommissioned on 30 September 1976. The old girl was slowly torn apart but she did not whimper or cry, she realized she had stood her watch and it was her time to be relieved.

 

She did not die because she lives with in the 10's of thousand of sailors that have crossed her deck during her watch and to me she will always be "the Grand Old Lady ...... the Mighty 'O'. The last Essex Class ship made. The last Great Warrior of WWII. 

ETN3 Harbit OE division, July 1973 - July 1976.

 

 

For more information visit:

A Day in WestPac Aboard the Mighty Oriskany 

America's Mighty Essex-Class Aircraft Carriers Were Almost Invincible

 Oriskany (CV-34)

 Wikipedia - USS Oriskany (CV-34)

Angels of the Oriskany - Fire, 26 October 1966

 USS Oriskany CVA34 on YouTube 

 

A SAILOR'S WORST NIGHTMARE - A FIRE AT SEA!

 For more on the Oriskany Fire: 

 

How Fire and Fatigue Almost Destroyed an American Carrier

USS Oriskany fire

The USS ORISKANY (CVA-34) fire and munition explosions Hell Afloat 

"Fire, fire, fire in frame 42 This is no drill! This is no drill." 

Fire in Hanger Bay 1

 

"I can imagine no more rewarding a career. And any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction, 'I served in the United States Navy'." - John F. Kennedy 

Endurance - Found

"Lost for Over a Century: The Incredible Discovery of Shackleton's Sunken Ship"

In 1915, the ship of legendary explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, The Endurance, sank after being trapped in sea-ice. Over a century later, a team of scientists made a groundbreaking discovery in the depths of the Weddell Sea. The remains of the ship were found to be in remarkably good condition, shedding new light on Shackleton's expedition and providing an opportunity for scientists to learn more about the ship and the conditions it faced during its final voyage. This incredible discovery is a testament to the power of modern technology and the relentless pursuit of knowledge. Click the link to learn more about this historic find.

 

Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew took bitter defeat and turned it into heroic survival.Early this century, members of the imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition watched as their ship, the Endurance was crushed by the frozen sea.They were left with no radio and no hope of rescue.For more than a year, they drifted on packed ice, surviving on seal, penguin, and eventually dog meat, while battling freezing temperatures and mind-numbing boredom.When Shackleton, along with all 28 members of the expedition, emerged at Stromness whaling station in May, 1916, almost two years after their departure, the world was shocked.

Queen Anne's Revenge

 

Named after Anne Bonny, the pirate queen, Queen Anne's Revenge was an early-18th-century ship, most famously used as a flagship by Edward Teach, better known by his nickname Blackbeard. Although the date and place of the ship's construction are uncertain, it was originally believed she was built for merchant service in Bristol, England in 1710 and named Concord, later captured by French privateers and renamed La Concorde. After several years' service by French sailors (both as a naval frigate and as a merchant vessel – much of the time as a slave trading ship), she was captured by Blackbeard in 1717. Blackbeard used the ship for less than a year, but captured numerous prizes using her as his flagship.

 

In May 1718, Blackbeard ran the ship aground at Topsail Inlet, now known as Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina, United States, in the present-day Carteret County. After the grounding, her crew and supplies were transferred to smaller ships. In 1996, Intersal Inc., a private firm, discovered the remains of a vessel that was later determined to be Queen Anne's Revenge, which was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The shipwreck was discovered off Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina. 

 

https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/queen-annes-revenge/

 

https://ancientnc.web.unc.edu/exhibits/shipwrecks/queen-annes-revenge/

 

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/queen-annes-revenge-blackbeard

 

https://www.dncr.nc.gov/programs-services/featured-programs/blackbeard-300-pirate-portal

 

https://www.qaronline.org/

 

https://www.archaeological.org/conservation-of-the-queen-annes-revenge-shipwreck/

 

 

USS North Carolina

 

USS North Carolina, the lead ship of her class, emerged from the horizon, slicing through the waves with determination. Her nine 16-inch guns thundered, hurling 2,700-pound shells toward the distant enemy. 

 

The Imperial Japanese Navy fleet approached without hesitation, her for the dominion of the Pacific. With her engines throbbing, North Carolina charged guns blazing to open a gap in the enemy lines. 

 

North Carolina’s objective was easier said than done: protect the US Navy’s aircraft carriers at all costs. As both task forces clashed, her mission turned more difficult. 

 

Japanese aircraft swarmed the US vessels, ready to strike them down with either conventional bombs or devastating kamikaze attacks. Still, North Carolina, in her protector role, did not flinch and opened fire with more than 40 guns from her secondary armament. 

 

The sky soon turned into a deadly maze of anti-aircraft fire, smoke, and gunfire from American and Japanese fighters. 

 

Despite the relentless Japanese waves, North Carolina's thick armor openly defied the enemy bombs and torpedoes, with her crew focused on safeguarding the task force from being scattered by the enemy. 

 

 USS North Carolina fired salvo after salvo until her barrels ran hot, fending off her attackers as the sun went down…

The USS North Carolina (BB 55) was commissioned April 9, 1941. During her shakedown period she steamed into and out of New York Harbor so many times she earned the nickname "The Show Boat". She more than earned that nickname during her service in World War 2. The North Carolina participated in every major naval offensive in the Pacific Theater carrying out 9 shore bombardments, sinking an enemy troop ship, shooting down 24 enemy aircraft and survived being torpedoed. Earning 15 battle stars, USS North Carolina was the most decorated American battleship of the war. The ship survives today as a museum in Wilmington, North Carolina.

 

North Carolina was the first battleship built by the USA in almost 20 years. First in Class and the first “fast battleship”. As such there were lots of adjustments to be made before it was fully operational. The more powerful drive caused lots of vibrations. That’s why she was in and out of port so much. The extra shake down resulted in the rear rangefinder being reinforced with extra braces.

 

 

 

The "Other" USS North Carolina 

USS North Carolina SSN-777 Virginia class attack submarine US Navy

 

North Carolina SSN-777 Virginia class attack submarine is the fourth ship of the Navy to carry the name North Carolina. The original was USS North Carolina (1820-1836), the second (ACR 12) (1908 - 1921), and the third (BB 55) (1940 - 1947). North Carolina received 12 battle stars for World War II service.

North Carolina (SSN 777) was built by General Dynamics Electric Boat Division in Groton, Conn., and Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Va., and joined the fleet in December 2006.

As the Navy's next-generation attack submarine, the Virginia class provides the U.S. Navy with the capabilities it requires to maintain the nation's undersea supremacy well into the 21st century. North Carolina has improved stealthiness, sophisticated surveillance capabilities and Special Warfare enhancements which enable it to meet the Navy's multi-mission requirements.

Virginia class submarines are able to attack targets ashore with highly accurate Tomahawk cruise missiles and conduct covert long-term surveillance of land areas, littoral waters or other sea-based forces. Other missions include anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare; special forces delivery and support; and mine delivery and minefield mapping. With enhanced communications connectivity, the submarine also will provide important battle group and joint task force support, with full integration into carrier battle group operations.

North Carolina's keel was laid May 22, 2004. The first major milestone for the submarine North Carolina was the keel authentication ceremony held at the shipyard on May 22, 2004. The submarine's sponsor, Mrs. Linda Bowman, wife of Admiral Frank "Skip" Bowman USN (Ret), the former Director, Naval Reactors, inscribed her initials on a section of the pressure hull that were, subsequently, duplicated in weld by a shipyard worker, who, uniquely, resides in North Carolina. The pressure hull welding completed in September 2006, with work on the interior of the submarine continuing.

In October 2006, the ship's Commanding Officer, Cdr. Mark E. Davis reported aboard.

On May 5, 2007, the submarine was lowered into the water for the first time and moved to complete her construction.

On December 12, 2007, North Carolina got underway for her first builder's sea trials. The successful trials led to her second builders trials just before Christmas. Following the third and final round of builder's sea trials in February, Northrop Grumman delivered the submarine to the Navy on February 21, 2008.

The ship was brought to life during her commissioning ceremony at the Port of Wilmington in North Carolina on May 3, 2008. More than 6,500 guests, including submarine veterans and battleship North Carolina alumni attended the ceremony welcoming the submarine as the 4th vessel named after the "Tarheel State."

Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES)

In 1946, Joy Brigh Hancock was appointed Director of the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES). Hancock began her Navy career as Yeoman (F) during WWI, when women were mass recruited as a result of shortages in clerical positions. In 1942 she was commissioned as a Lieutenant in WAVES and quickly rose in rank, by the end of the war she was established as the program's Director. Photograph courtesy of Captain Joy Bright Hancock, USN (Retired).