Author: steve

8-12-18

I am “polishing up” A Bird’s Eye View (for many reasons).   This is an interesting process for me.   I wrote this book about the Boston first, relying on Frank Studenski’s amazing diary and research from whatever I could find on the internet.     In retrospect, it is a good chronicling of the (Central Pacific) War and Task Force 58 and 38.   I am on the Okinawa months, during which the Boston headed stateside and was docked in San Pedro, CA for overhaul and radar / weapons control upgrades.

From a damage – injury – loss of life perspective, CA-69 was a lucky ship.   Many other ships were not so lucky.   The Japanese tactic of “kamikaze defense” was in place routinely by the latter days of the Philippines Campaigns.   There were some incidences during Iwo Jima.   However, during the last-ditch desperation of the Okinawa invasion, Japan unleashed wave after wave of savage one-way “floating chrysanthemums” attacks against US ships and landing forces.     The numbers of ships and men lost are staggering.

Just a few examples.   The Boston was truly a “lucky ship.”

8-5-18

7-14-18

For about three months in 1945, the Boston was stateside being repaired at the Navy Yard in San Pedro.   The guys all had three-week leaves (in two shifts).   When they returned to the ship, there was plenty of liberty time for all.   From Baked Beans, Vol 3, Bob Knight tells us:

My aunt had a cousin who lived in Hollywood, right next door to Walt Disney.   I got to meet Walt and tour some of the studios.   Jane Russell was just coming in at that time and I got a quick peek at her in the studio.

6-29-18

The ship was ordered to return to the Navy yard at San Pedro for major repairs and retrofits in March 1945.   After a brief stop at Pearl Harbor, they reached the California coast on the 25th.

Frank Studenski:   Early this morning, I got my first look at the California coast line.   We pulled into Terminal Island Navy Yard flying our homeward bound pennant.   While the N.O.B. band played and Ginny Simms sang “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning,” with a lot of brass and civilians on the pier.   Just about all of the crew were on the port side.

 

6-23-18

While we were in Pearl Harbor, I went to school.   I had to take over the airplane recognition classes for all the divisions who were on the main deck and above.   They were in a position to see aircraft and ships.   I had to teach them how to recognize the planes   –   if they were friendly or if they were the enemy.   I took that duty over, so they sent me to a special school for instructors throughout the Navy where they learned about preparation and how to teach classes and how to keep the guys’ interest up.

That was very important because most of the time, if you get a sailor in a classroom, he’s so tired because of lack of sleep   –   that’s the one thing, we never had enough sleep.   So these guys would start falling asleep in class.   I got cute here and there I’d stick in a picture of Betty Grable in a bathing suit.   That’d wake them up!   That’s how I kept my classes going.         Pat Fedele (from Baked Beans, Vol. 1)

Reminders:   If a loved one served aboard the Boston and you have not sent us a picture (preferably in uniform), my question is:   why not?   Before we launched this web/blog site, my Brother Bill created a computer program that integrated the records of all Enlisted Men who served aboard the ship between Commissioning Day and De-activation Day.             If you scroll through the Crew Records button and type in a name, his crew records will appear.   If there is no picture or no biography, it’s because you haven’t sent us one.   If you have sent us one in the past and it isn’t there – let us know so we can correct that.

Facebook users:   there is a Facebook Group: USS Boston CA-69.   Sometimes I re-post blogs from this site (the 40’s Glam posts will be in both places), but not always.   Join the Group!   Post stuff!

Steve