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Branch of Service: US Navy
Theater: Pacific
Rank at end of war: Chief Electrician
In 1936 I saw the US fleet anchored in NY harbor and I knew right then that I wanted to join navy. So when war broke out, I volunteered in 1942 for the US Navy. I went to Great Lakes, IL for boot camp then to Iowa St College for electrical training. This training was very intense and lasted for 6 months. With training completed, I received my assignment and went to San Francisco where I boarded the USS Jupiter, a minesweeper.
The Jupiter was designated YMS-265.
> 126 ft LOA / 50 ft Beam / 8 ft draft
I served on the USS Jupiter for 2 years during which time we supported Marine landings at Tarawa, Tulagi, and Guadalcanal.
Part of our job was to participate in "picket duty". This meant the smaller ships like destroyer escorts, transports, and others formed a large perimeter around the carrier. The objective was to protect the carrier, as it was the center of a battle group. We were not heavily armed but we still contributed to the defense of the battle group whenever planes attacked.
Interesting note:
Tom mentioned that any time they were anchored, they installed "jacking gear" on the shafts of the screws to keep the screws turning slowly 24/7. This was to prevent the shaft from warping. The shafts were solid metal, and quite long so they were very heavy. Because of their weight and length, they had the tendency to warp if left in one position for an extended period.
The Jupiter had a crew of 28 men. Because it was a minesweeper, the hull of the ship was made of wood. The exterior of the hull was covered with copper sheets called "de-gaussing" plates. This prevented detonation of magnetic mines.
This was the most memorable service in the war for me. I felt we had the "Best officers in fleet" as they were knowledgeable men who knew their job extremely well. They were also good to the men.
This incident is a good example of the attitude of our officers. One day during a lull, the Captain pulled in close to shore of an island and lobbed in 3-4 3" shells. When no response came back from the island, he ordered us to put the launch in the water with 4 men.
The men were offloaded on beach and repeated trips were made until much of the crew was on the beach. At that point, we had a baseball game on beach! This was great relaxation for the crew and built respect for our Captain.
I also served aboard the Shangri-La, a light aircraft carrier (CV-38) and the Mauna Loa (AE-8) a munitions ship.
" Magic Carpet ride"
At end of war, a points system determined when a serviceman would get to go home. I had 46+ points so I was high on list. I was asked to re-enlist, with a promotion, to dismantle the "war machine". I turned it down and took the " Magic Carpet ". This was how we described the ride back to the States. Turned out my Magic carpet was anything but that. It was a WW I vessel the DD-19, Osmond. It was a "4-piper" (which means it had 4 exhaust stacks) The trip took 48 days to get back to Philadelphia!
Tom had several family members who served in W.W.II and later:
Joe, a brother, Navy - Submariner - W.W.II
Pete, a brother, Army - W.W.II
Bill, a brother, Navy - W.W.II
Jim, a brother, Army - Korea
> Jim was awarded the Silver Star
Charlie, brother in law, Army
THANK YOU Tom for your service and for your family's service to our country! GOD BLESS YOU!
Read more about the ships Tom served on
at the website below:
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