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| Our predecessor--USS WILKES --Torpedo Boat
#35. Laid down 6/3/1899, Morris Heights, NY. Commissioned Norfolk,
VA--9/18/02. Decommissioned 11/14/13. The first ship named for Admiral
WILKES |
Our birth --5/31/40, Boston Navy Yard.
Christening of WILKES DD44, by Mrs Henry (Bessie) Styer, grand daughter of
Admiral CHARLES WILKES. Left--Rear Admiral W. T. Tarrant. Right--Walter
Stanford, civilian. representing the civilian workers, who built the
WILKES |
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| North Atlantic Convoy Duty --Normal Heavy
Weather |
Winter 1941--Reykjavik Harbor.COLD
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| 12/41 Anchored Reykjavic, Iceland |
11/8/42--Invasion of French North Africa--off
Casablanca--Shells from French BB, JEAN BART--near miss. |
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| 4/43--Practice torpedo firing Chesapeake Bay
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4/43--Depth charge attack on German sub--good
sonar contact--no luck |
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| 7/10/43--Off Licata, Sicily D-day. 40MM gun
crew. Officer with the binoculars, Henry Mobley--looking for Stukas(dive
bombers). This photo was in several published books on WW II--as one of
the best war photos . Our battle flag proudly flying. |
7/11/43-LST 158 burning on Red Beach, Licata,
Sicily. Hit by Stuka dive bombers. It burned for 2+ days. |
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| 9/43--Convoy duty--N. Atlantic. Our signalman,
Lester (Norm) Glasheen--peaceful day. We are leading the convoy |
11/43--North Atlantic convoy duty- OOD--Bill
Mosher 12-1600. Note--recognition signals on the bulkhead. Note--heavy
clothing/mittens--COLD |
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| 11/43--- refueling at sea from a fleet tanker
attached to our convoy (TF) in North Atlantic |
1/1244-- W___ going thru a lock in the Panama
Canal, with the MARSHALL DD676, a new Fletcher type can. This was Gene
Somers' new ship. He was our "gun boss" and was the "gun boss" on the
MARSHALL |
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| 1/28/44--refueling at sea from the Army
transport MORMACDOV. We escorted her from the CZ to Noumea, French New
Caledonia, which was a island in SW Pacific area. |
2/44--loading ammo--5" 38 shells, Buna, New
Guinea. Rusty Miller "supervising" |
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| 2/44--Sy Dennis, as OOD--(Torpedo/sonar
Officer)--on the bridge by the 24" search light. He is holding a signal
gun, which is used by our signalmen, at night. |
3/3/44--Loading soldiers from Troop F & G,
7th Cavalry Reg, Buna, New Guinea. Destination--invasion of Admiralty
Islands |
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| 1/23/44-- Shellback initiation. CO--Cdr
Frederick Wolsieffer welcoming "King Neptune", Beamon Hunkapillar, CGM, on
board to start the ceremonies |
1/23/44-- Shellback initiation--(L-R) Bill
Mosher, Ted Simmons, Alva Faulkner. Royal Surgeon--Nate Ashbacker. Chief
Bear--Charlie Miller. Devil--Don Patterson. CO--Frederick Wolsieffer on
the right margin surveying the festivities. |
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| 1/23/44--Shellback cast--"Baby"-- Alex
Johnson-Ship's cook, "Royal Judge"--John Bayus, Chief Eng., "Royal Scribe"
--Art Cline, Gun Boss. |
3/44 (Easter). Seadler Harbor, Admiralities
Is. PT boat coming alongside for food, water, clean clothes, etc. Their
tender, OYSTER BAY AVP 28, left the PT boats in our care. We gave them all
Easter dinner, with all the "fixings" available in the front lines. We
always shared. We were still actively fighting the enemy. |
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| 4/44- General Walter Krueger with some of our
enlisted men. How many 3 star generals would do this??? Not many
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4/22/44 L-R-- Bennett C. (Buck) O'Berry, our
OOD (with gun), Gen Krueger, Admiral "Uncle Dan" Barby, "the amphib man",
Commodore J. A. Greenacre (with beard), General's aide. |
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| 5/44--A few days off. Dr Bernard Stollman
relaxing on the bridge. Note his fine beard, best on the ship. |
5/44--CO--Cdr Frederick Wolsieffer admiring
our trophies. |
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| 5/7/44. Emergency surgery, preparing badly
wounded soldier for surgery. L-R Dr Stollman, "Doc" Stakus, PhM, Walt
Dixon, asst Gen Boss, Charles Miller, CMM. Soldier died 2 days later. Our
medical facilities were very limited and our crew members had to assist in
surgery. The "operating Room" was our wardroom- and operating table--our
mess table. |
7/5/44 XO--Dick Weiss (bald head) questioning
native officials we captured/liberated. Biak, N.G. Walt Gottschalk looks
on. |
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| 7/44 George Piti, ship's barber, giving
Clarence "Rusty" Miller a haircut--cost 50 cents. |
7/44 George Piti, ship's barber, giving GYRO,
our mascot, a haircut/trim. Note: same scissors/barber cloth. No Charge
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| 8/44--Happy Hour--on our fantail--John McRae
entertaining his fellow shipmates.--good dancer. |
9/1/44-- Hi-lining a pilot back to the
"E"--CV-6, after rescuing him from the sea, off Iwo Jima. Pilot wounded
and in a stretcher |
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| 4/45-Our CO--Herbert Rommel taking a sighting
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5/4/45--We rescued a PBM 5 down near our
picket station, off Okinawa. All hands safe and returned to their base,
along with the plane. |
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| 6/45--We are hi-lined rescued pilot back to
his carrier. The carrier is "deep 6" a badly damaged plane to clear its
fight deck. |
6/45---Heavy weather TU 32.1.1--carrier ops
off Okinawa |
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| 8/15/45 V--J Day--Ringing our ship's bell. Our
celebration was hard won. |
9/45 East meets West. Commodore Robert Brodie
meets Village Elder--Ito Island, Korea. We missed the surrender at Tokyo
Bay and was involved in the surrender of Japanese troops in Korea. Always
a "work horse". |
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| 9/45 Jinsen, Korea One Water Buffalo power
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Cooks & Bakers--Frank Rispoli (L)--Gerald
Cutter (R)-- Without them, a lot of hungry sbipmates |
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| 3/46-- Commodore Robert Brodie, with his CDD
14 pennant, Howard Malstadt & his enlisted staff. |
3/46--Charles Sproul wih his hand made model
of the WILKES. |
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| 3/4/46--CO--Herbert Rommel & friends--our
last day in commission--the end of the long trail. A very sad day for all
hands |
