Author: steve

8-4-19

A busy month in 1945.   While the task force moved up the coast of Honshu (8-4 through 8-9) so the heavy ships could bombard the industrial city of Kamaishi, a couple of bombs went off that changed the world.   Little Boy (8-6) and Fat Man (8-9) were unleashed on two densely populated cities   –   the ultimate abandonment of U.S. policy at the beginning of the War banning attacks on civilian targets . . .

On 8-9, the Boston, along with cruisers Quincy, Chicago and St. Paul met up with battleships Massachusetts, South Dakota and Alabama for daylight bombardment of Kamaishi.

“When we bombarded Japan, we had the British battleship King George the Fifth.   She was firing at targets and we had to fire on a bridge over a deep ravine.   We knocked it out and went on to bombard where King George was bombarding with their 16″ guns.   We fired our 8’s right over their heads.                 You should have seen that!”                 John Farkas

“As soon as we got back from San Pedro, we bombarded Japan twice.   The ship actually bombarded three steel mills and the like.   I never thought a thing about all that we were doing;   being in the Navy –   I just wanted to get out, get home, drop everything.   That’s what you did.   It wasn’t until I got home   –               and years later the light bulb went on and I realized I was making history               out there.”               George Pitts

August 15, 1945:     This morning we returned to the Tokyo area and the carriers launched their planes for the first strike when we heard the final news of the Japanese surrender.   So the war ended for the U.S.S. Boston, 21 months after we left home port.         Frank Studenski

Brother Bill and sister-in-law Lisa have been working diligently to mitigate recent attacks on the website.   What a pain in the ass!   Looks like I can now satisfy the log-in security requirements to be able to post to this site (and www.taskforce58.org)

At the moment, I don’t have much to say except “hi.”   But here’s a “size-of-ship comparison scale” that I scanned from the 1942 Blue Jacket’s Manual, which I think you’ll find interesting.

Steve

Memorial Day, 2019

The Boston was a very lucky ship.   No man was lost on the receiving end of enemy fire while she was in the Pacific.   There were several deaths in the line of duty, however.   One such death befell pilot Lt. E.E. Grutzmacher.

I remember the time we lost Lieutenant Grutzmacher, one of the Gooney Bird pilots.   He was spotting for us on one of the operations.   I don’t remember if it was Iwo Jima, but it was one of the islands where we were firing our 8 inch guns.

He came back to get on board   —   they have cranes to pick him out of the water —   anyway, the ship turns in such a way that it smoothes all the water near the stern.   A big area is nice and smooth and he lands in there, motors it in close to the ship and they put the hook on and they pick him up.   Well, this time he hat a ground swell and it flipped the plane upside down.   He got caught in it.   He didn’t have time to get out and went down.   Gone.   I saw it with my own eyes.   he died.   There’s all kinds of ways of getting killed out there.   Pat Fedele.

Thanking and honoring all our soldiers killed in the line of duty.

Steve

5-12-19

OKINAWA, May 1945.   Two mothers’ sons.

4-20-19

About nine years ago I was blessed with a gift of serendipity.   A young man emailed me after finding and buying “A Bird’s Eye View” for his grandfather’s birthday.   Mike told me that his grandfather was the “ship’s tenor” and he was alive and well and wanted to meet me.   A guy named Pat Fedele.   The drive from where I live to his house is 8 1/2 hours (on a good day), depending on the mad road conditions in and around Los Angeles.   I finally got to meet him.   Over several additional visits, Pat told me many Boston stories (which are scattered throughout the Baked Beans books.)

There’s no way to talk about Pat and not talk about his love of singing.   I mentioned in an earlier post that whenever we talk on the phone, I get a song.   In a post just before Christmas, I included a song from a c.d. that he gave me.   (He was 87 years young when he recorded it.) In honor of Pat on his 95th birthday, here’s another:

Keep singing, my friend.   Happy Birthday.   Love this guy.

Steve

p.s.   to all our friends celebrating Easter and/or observing Passover   –   Peace.   To everyone else, Happy Spring.   Peace.