The USS Boston in World War II (Page 15)

The USS Boston in World War II

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AUGUST

By the beginning of August 1943, the men (a hundred or more, according to plank-owner Pasquale (Pat) Fedele) stationed in Boston and barracked at the Fargo Building, were doing “able-bodied” labor aboard the not-quite finished heavy cruiser Boston. She was nearly complete, and had been moved from the Navy shipbuilding

JULY

1944: After dispatching the Japanese Combined Fleet on June 21, the ships of TF 58 attacked Iwo Jima again on the 24th, and on the 26th they dropped anchor in the lagoon at Eniwetok (the westernmost atoll in the Marshall Islands.) After reprovisioning the ships supply of food and armaments,

JUNE 20, 1944 - NIGHT LIGHTS

On the morning of June 20, both Japanese and American commanders launched search planes trying to find each other’s whereabouts. Throughout the day, search missions proved fruitless. Japanese Admiral Ozawa, whose flagship carrier was sunk the day before, still planned to implement A-GO on June 21. He had been

June 19, 1944

The A-GO plan for defeating America in a decisive naval battle required a combination of successful attacks on US ships from carrier planes launched from the west and from land-based planes in Guam and Truk and the Bonins hitting the ships from the east. Unfortunately for Japan, Task Force 58

Mid June, 1944, aboard the BOSTON

After four days of steaming west toward the Mariana Islands, the ships of Task Force 58 finally came into carrier plane range of Guam. On June 11 and 12, they launched wave after wave of fighter and bomber planes, hitting targets up and down the island. Attacks against enemy bases

JUNE ABOARD THE BOSTON

1943: More men arrive daily as the construction of the ship nears completion. The men are barracked in the Fargo Building in South Boston and work as able hands on the ship as her commissioning day approaches. 1944: After two weeks anchored in Majuro, the ships of Task Force 58

Getting your father's records (UPDATED)

A few of you have let Steve and I know that the there is a new policy from the Naval Personnel Records administration to charge $60 to copy your father’s records. I think this charge is new and I want to let the readers of this blog know that

MAY aboard the BOSTON

1944: On May 5, the ships pull into Majuro, the southernmost deep lagoon anchorage in the Marshall Islands. The fleet is regrouping and preparing for the upcoming campaign to capture the Mariana Islands. On May 19, the Boston regroups outside of the lagoon into a new Task Group, 58.6,

Bean Pot

In an earlier post, I mentioned that a few copies of the ship’s weekly newsletter, the Bean Pot, were sent to me by family members of seaman Augustus Harris. I waxed on about how words can touch us – even when they float across a period of 65 years . . . Well,

Announcing new Crew List

Based on my work at the National Archives, I’m excited to announce and have implemented a new crew list for the Sailors of the USS Boston. If you click on the ‘Crew List’ in the navigation menu, you’ll see a current listing of the database of the Sailors

LATE APRIL / EARLY MAY ABOARD THE BOSTON

1944: On the 18th and 19th, the ships of Task Force 58 steam west towards New Guinea. The dawn fighter launches from the carriers on April 20 marks the beginning of Operation Reckless — the support of General MacArthur’s invasion of Hollandia. On the 29th, the ships left the area

Life at the National Archives

Life at the National Archives

I arrived today at the National Archives in College Park Maryland. This is a world like no other. If you’d like to visit here and look at some of these records for yourself, it’s a wonderful place. It’s a wonderful place with it’s own rules, pace,

ROBERT HEIDL

Courtesy of: the family of Robert O. Heidl, EM2C, CA-69 Born: April 14, 1923 Died: January 27, 1994 Robert attended boot camp at the USN Training Station, Great Lakes, IL. He was a plank owner, serving on the USS Boston from pre-commission until he was transferred for discharge December 20,

FROM A DIFFERENT WORLD

In the early 40’s, our country was still trying to shake off the devastation of the Great Depression. Whole sections of Rural America were still not yet Electrified, nor did they have telephone service, or highways for that matter. For those Americans who had electricity, listening to the radio

The Hard Way

April 3, 2010 Dear Dad, Five years ago today, a few minutes before 2 am Pacific Time, you died just the way you lived — The Hard Way. Admitted to the hospital around 6 am on April Fool’s Day, you were in a coma. You faced death just the way

APRIL on the BOSTON

1944: April opens with the men still involved in Operation Desecrate, the raid on the Japanese stronghold in the Western Carolines (halfway between The Marianas and the Philippines). The men had spent most of their time between March 29 and April 2 manning their battlestations and shot at and shot

Crew Lists

At the end of the month, I’m planning a trip to the National Archives outside of Washington D.C. to research more information about the USS BOSTON. The archives have the original deck logs, war diaries, photographs, etc. from the USS BOSTON. The preparation has been a little daunting

OKINAWA

Task Force 58 (and its alter-ego Task Force 38) was the “first-man-in” as the United States (the Allies) advanced methodically westward across the Pacific toward Japan. The ships would attack island groups and enemy bases in advance of amphibious landings in which Marines and infantrymen would slug it out with

LOGISTICS

In my early research prior to writing A Bird’s Eye View, I was struck by the magnitude of the logistics of the Pacific War — the moving of men, equipment and materials. For example, Task Force 58 (and TF38) was a collection of 97 warships that ranged widely all across

Late March aboard the Boston

1944: The men, still sore from their Crossing the Line hazing, pull into anchorage at Espiritu Santo (in the New Hebrides) on March 10 and remain at anchor with liberty ashore until March 24. On the 25th through the 31st, CA-69 participates in the Task Force raid on the Japanese

Getting the Naval Records of your Father

Getting the Naval Records of your Father

We’ve had a few requests from people who are trying to find their father’s naval records. I went through this process a few years ago and here is the process: http://www.archives.gov/veterans/evetrecs/index.html If you are the Spouse, Son or Daughter, you can

MARCH 9th ABOARD THE BOSTON

MARCH 9th ABOARD THE BOSTON

1944: The Boston, on it’s way to the South Pacific (to participate in Operation Reckless — the support of Gen. MacArthur’s invasion of Hollandia and other enemy strongholds on New Guinea), crosses the Equator for the first time and the men are inducted into the Realm of King Neptune

Web Site Progress March 8th, 2010

Web Site Progress March 8th, 2010

I finished uploading a set of pictures I received from the national archives (the above picture is one of the entries). Please click on the left hand tab ‘Official Photos CA-69’. Most were shot in boston harbor after the first shakedown cruise. One was taken off the coast of California

The USS BOSTON and IWO JIMA

As I mentioned in my last post, the tiny island of Iwo Jima was very important to both sides in the War for the Pacific. The Boston set sail for the Bonin and Volcano Islands four times between mid-June of 1944 and Feb/March of 1945. In the lead-up to