steve

Hiroshima

8-5-15 Tomorrow marks the 70th anniversary of the devastation unleashed by the United States upon the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Here is my post from last year: August 6, 2014 Discussing the last days of the war, Pat Fedele says this: We were ordered to prepare for ship-to-ship battle with

William O. Plante, SK3c

7-19-15 {SK3c = StoreKeeper, 3rd class}   William enlisted in Providence, RI on March 11, 1943. After boot camp, he was assigned to the Boston. He was a plankowner, reporting aboard with the original crew on Commissioning Day (6-30-43).     He mustered off the ship on April 2, 1946, after the ship was

George Pitts

7-10-15 I received an email Tuesday morning (7/7) from Sue Cowan, telling me that her father, Signalman George Pitts, had passed away. On February 20, 2012, I flew in to Boston and met George, his wife Mary, and their daughter Sue, and spent several hours at their Dedham (MA)

Adrys W. Kohl, S1c

7-4-15 Adrys reported aboard the ship on April 1, 1945, while she was berthed in San Pedro, CA.   (The Boston was ordered to return to the States for repairs and radar upgrades in advance of the planned Invasion of Japan.   She missed the bulk of the Okinawa Invasion, but was

She's ready, Pal, Are you?

6-27-15 In mid-March, 1943, my father reported to the Fargo Building, a USS Navy Receiving Station (and barracks) in Boston, MA. He and hundreds of other fresh-faced recruits waited there while the heavy cruiser, CA-69 (under construction in the Fore River [Bethlehem Steel] Naval Yard in nearby Quincy MA) was

James D. Harker, SF3c

6-6-15 James D. Harker reported aboard the Boston on Oct 29, 1944, while the ship was anchored in Ulithi.   Jim arrived just as the ship retired to anchorage after the Second Battle of the Philippine Seas.   Two days later, the Boston, reprovisioned, went right back into the thick of things

Memorial Day

5-25-15 Since beginning the website / blog, we’ve been careful to keep politics out of the discussion.   Pretty much everything has been politicized over the last decades, frenzy-feeding the deep divide in this country.   Today is the day we temporarily put aside the political cauldron and take time to honor

...But not a drop to drink

5-18-15 During the height of the Philippines Campaign, the task force ships, including TG3.1 (the Boston’s task group) engaged in a strong and prolonged air war against targets on the Japanese super-stronghold island of Formosa (Taiwan).   TG38.1 was less than one hundred miles offshore when the first

Water, water everywhere . . .

5-9-2015 I grew up in central Massachusetts.   My backyard was an urban lake (Indian lake in Worcester).   Winters were spent iceskating, summers swimming and boating.   Water, water everywhere . . .   I now live in the Bay area of Northern California.   In case you haven’t heard, we are in year four of

UP THE DOWN STAIRCASE

5-2-15 In the Welcome Aboard booklet, a few things really caught my eye.   Let’s take a look at the section on TRAFFIC.   So you have a ship full of guys –   more than 1,500 sometimes, berthed on several levels below the main deck, and the General Quarters alarm sounds.

Welcome Aboard

4-25-15 Sue Cowan, daughter of George Pitts, sent me this really interesting piece of USS Boston history. It is a 5 x 6″ booklet given to the men before they mustered onto the ship officially for the first time on Commissioning Day, June 30, 1943. The booklet gives the new

Kenneth W. Flisher, MM3c

4-19-15 Kenneth Flisher reported to the Boston while the ship was reprovisioning in the lagoon at Eniwetok (Marshall Islands).   While Ken missed some of the earlier engagements of the Pacific Campaign (including the March 1944 Crossing of the Equator Shellback Initiation), he jumped right into the hot seat as the

A Sailor's Prayer

4-12-15 Laurie Wasilewski sent me this: She came across this while perusing the ShipMates’ collection of BeanPots during the reunion (Portland) in 2008.   Somehow or other, we were chatting about the Great Typhoon, and how terrifying it must have been for our dads and their shipmates those rough days in

The Easter Bunny

4-3-15 We have seen that Thanksgiving and Christmas were celebrated on the Boston with great feasts.   Apparently, the Easter Bunny never made it out onto the ship   –   it was way too far to hop! Readers of Volume 2 of Baked Beans will remember that Julian Goldstein talked a bit about

Another Sad Loss

3-24-15 I received an email yesterday from Joe Farkas, telling me his dad, John Farkas, has passed away. John “Joey” Farkas, age 89, of South River, passed away peacefully on Saturday March 21, 2015, at Village on High Ridge, Lake Worth, Florida.   Born in Nicholson Township, Pennsylvania he had resided

mom, dad and yens

3-22-15 Been an unusual month for me.   I’ve been recovering from knee surgery, and have been at home (not working).   I figured that after a couple of weeks, I’d have free time before I go back to work, and I could spend time writing, including doing some entries

Nick Loren, FC3c

2-28-15 Nick (born Nicholas DiLorenzo) enlisted in the Navy on March 3, 1943 in New York City. He is a USS Boston Plankowner, reporting aboard on Commissioning Day, June 30, 1943. Nick left the ship on November 6, 1945 (the same day as my father.) After the war he married

THE TEMPLE BELL

1-28-15 From our friendly Emerald Necklace Conservancy (Boston) docent, Lola Heiler-Stillman, comes this “heads-up” about her upcoming presentation about the Temple Bell at UMass Boston: Hi Steve – sending you some info on my latest presentation on the bell to be held at UMass Boston Harbor Campus sometime in March.   It

Tokyo Rose

1-17-15 “Tokyo Rose” is the name Allied troops and sailors applied to English speaking female broadcasters of anti-American “morale-buster” propaganda aimed at them during WWII.   The most famous (or infamous) Tokyo Rose was Iva Toguri D’Aquino, a native Los Angelino, who by fate was visiting her parents in Japan

the Arizona

1-2-15 On December 6, 1943, the USS Boston entered the protected anchorage at Pearl Harbor for the first time.   It was a day shy of two years after the infamous sneak attack on the American fleet by Japanese carrier planes.   The men were shocked to see great ships still on

Still More Cobra

12-20-14 (From Frank Studenski) December 19, 1944:   This morning we met the tankers and refueled, a couple of DE’s [Destroyer Escorts] are also missing. After fueling we started looking for survivors.   Te smaller ships are picking up survivors. December 20, 1944:   This morning we are back in the area

More Cobra

12-18-14 Original crewmember Bob Knight posted this comment today about THE Typhoon: How well I remember that time.   I was in radio 2 in the after superstructure when a call came from radio 1 that a receiver was breaking loose and send someone to help. The officer in charge in

Typhoon Cobra - December 1944

12-17-2014 Today marks the 70th anniversary of the intersection of the infamous Typhoon Cobra and the ships of Task Force 38 and service ships of TF 30 (tankers and support vessels)   east of the Philippine Archipelago.   The following is excerpted from Frank Studenski’s War Diary: December 17, 1944:     Today

3 THANKSGIVINGS

11-26-14 On November 14, 1943, the heavy cruiser USS Boston, full of 18 and 19 year-old freshly minted sailors, slipped her lines and headed off to the War in the Pacific.   The ship transited the Panama Canal en route to Pearl Harbor (by way of San Francisco) on November 25.

Veteran's Day

11-10-2014 As we take time to honor our Veterans on Tuesday, November 11, let us reflect for a moment on the history of our world.   Is there anything more constant in the recorded histories of all regions and nations than War? What does that say about us (humans)?   I don’