steve

OCCUPATION DUTY

10-21-17 Without a doubt, the Signing of the Documents of Surrender on Sept 2, 1945 filled the sailors on the Boston with satisfaction, closure and thoughts of returning Home. From Frank Studenski’s War Diary: September 4, 1945:     Today after the Peace treaty was signed a lot of the ships

V J Day September 2, 1945

9/2/17 Not all Task Force ships could fit into Tokyo Bay for the historic day.   Many of the warships that had endured all those Battles and Campaigns were stacked up in Sagami Wan Bay outside of Tokyo Bay waiting for a “spot” to drop anchor and bear witness

Mid August, 1945

8/12/17 August 10, 1945       We met the carriers this morning, the water was a little choppy and while recovering our 4-SCI Seahawks, one of them cracked up, turned over and sank, we lost the pilot.   During the night while on mid-watch, I heard the first peace rumor.   It

Souvenirs from the Ship

7/21/17 My dad did not have a Cruise Book.   Apparently, they are incredibly rare   –   a limited number were printed (once only – no reprints.)   The National Archives has a copy.   Some crewmembers” families possess one . . . a memento of their loved one’s service aboard the great ship.   While I

Fourth of July, 1944

July 1, 2017 From Frank Studenski: July 4, 1944:   This morning at 0500 our planes were launched to bomb the bases and air strips of Iwo Jima.   At 1530 hours the Boston, Canberra, San Juan, Santa Fe, Mobile and about 15 destroyers went in to bombard the island. We fired

Battle of the Philippine Sea

6-25-17 The (First) Battle of the Philippine Sea (6/19 & 20/44) was a major victory for the ships of Task Force 58.   When we began the invasion of Saipan (6/15/44) – the opening round of our Marianas’ campaign, the Japanese Navy headed north and east to disrupt

June 17, 1775

6-17-17 6-17-75: Bunker Hill Day.   I have just finished gobbling up Season 3 of Turn, AMC’s ambitious retelling of the Revolutionary War (seen through the eyes of “Washington’s Spies.”) If you haven’t watched this fascinating show, the action in Massachusetts (Paul Revere, the Battles at Concord and

Nicholas Zeoli, RdM3c

Memorial Day, 2017 Nicholas Zeoli is a Boston plankowner, reporting aboard on Commissioning Day (June 30, 1943).   During his service on the ship, he was promoted to RadarMan, 3rd class.   Having been part of all the action on CA-69, he mustered off the ship on 12/26/45 and headed

Roland W Roberts, S1c

5-7-17 Roland was an original Boston crewmember.   He mustered aboard on Commissioning Day (6/30/43), and was a ship’s Plankowner.   He served through all the action, including post-war Occupation Duty.   He left the ship on January 20, 1946.   Picture submitted by his son, John Roberts.

John A. Hartman, WT3c

May 2, 2017 John A. Hartman was a Boston Plankowner   –   an original crewmember who came aboard the ship on Commissioning Day – June 30, 1943.   He was still aboard the Boston after the ship returned to the states after Occupation Duty, mustering off on March 2, 1946.   Pics compliments of his

Catch-up Time

Knee surgery 7 weeks ago today.   Coming along nicely, but still at least a month before I can go back to work (ugh!).   Now, I realize this is all incredibly important news to the inhabitants of planet Earth . . . Several more or less recent posts to our Facebook Group page   (you’

March

3-26-17 March, 1946   –   A skeleton crew remains aboard the Boston, docked in the Navy Yard at Bremerton, WA.   They are in the process of salvaging and mothballing the ship.   The entire war-time crew, with a few exceptions, have headed home. March 25, 1945:   Early this morning, I got my first

Random stuff

2-20-17 The Kellys are at it again.   Since Lisa, Bill and I have nothing better to do with our time, we decided to finally get working on our Task Force 58 website.   It is partially done (with MUCH left to do), but it is up and running and if you

Dad Papers

2-4-17 It seems like forever ago – I was working on the first volume of Baked Beans.   Some readers of A Bird’s Eye View and this blog reached out to me with pictures of their dads, memories, and saved documents of various types.   The daughter of Robert Heidl, Barb Smith,

January 21, 1946

1-21-17 The Boston is steaming toward San Francisco for the last time.   By then, about 2/3s of the crew has already mustered off (first large group in Oct 45, second large group in Nov 45).   When the ship docks in San Francisco, all but a very small skeleton crew

Thinkin' about Norm

1-1-17 As I worked on the Baked Beans books, I came to know a handful of old men who served on the Boston.   It all started because a young man emailed me as I was working on the first volume and said his grandfather, Pat Fedele, was a singer on

Happy New Year

12-30-16 Found this great picture of the Boston, while rooting around in the files Bill brought back from the National Archives a while back.   You’re looking at the Boston, taken from sister cruiser USS Quincy (CA-71) in August 1945 near Tokyo Bay.

Christmas '45

12-23-16 Christmas 1945 aboard the Boston . . . .   by this time two major groups of crewmembers had mustered off the ship and headed back to the States.   The remaining men, on Christmas Day 1945, were only days away from hoisting anchor for the last time in Japanese waters and heading home themselves.

"I thought for sure we were gone."

12-17-16 . . . My whole life flashed before my eyes.   I was knocked out of my bunk.   I couldn’t get up because the ship is sideways.   So I’m holding on and I’m saying ‘Oh my God, we’re going . . .’ and it’s shaking and shaking.   Finally, slowly but surely

December 6 and 7, 1943

12-6-16 December 6, 1943:   This morning the coastline of Oahu Island came into view, with Diamond Head standing out above the horizon.   On entering Pearl Harbor we passed through torpedo nets, that are opened and closed by tugs.   This is a beautiful island with high mountains in the background.   We

First Week in December

12-3-16 WHERE WAS THE BOSTON DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF DECEMBER? 1942:   In USS Steel’s Fore River Navy Yard, Quincy, MA   –   being built 1943:   December 2-5, 1943   We continued training exercises, firing at towed sleeves and radio controlled aircraft.   We are also having classroom instruction in plane identification.   The

Goin' Home

Veterans Day, 2016 (If you’re reading this and don’t know who George Pitts was, read the Baked Beans books.)

Operation King II

11-5-16 The US Navy’s contribution to freeing the Philippines from their Japanese Occupation began in earnest on September 1, 1944, when Task Force 58 became TF 38, systematically attacking enemy positions, and supporting a whole series of Landings across the Archipelago by Marines and Army troops. For all intents

Norm Bayley

10-22-16 Readers of my book will recognize the Commanding Officer of the USS Boston Marine Detachment, Norm Bayley. Norm joined the ship late in the War. For a refresher on Norm’s story, check out Vol 3 of Baked Beans. Norm was a student at Santa Clara University, when his

More October

10-13-2016 Posts over the last several years have detailed many aspects of the Battle off Formosa and the subsequent torpedoing of the Canberra (Oct 13), followed by the Houston (Canberra’s replacement in Task group 38.1) being torpedoed not once (first on Oct 14) but twice (then again on