Survival at sea

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Laster, John Thomas Survival in the Mediterranean
John Laster described other ships and other missions that were dangerous but never fatal. Once, the SS Alcoa Patriot...
Celaya, Adolfo Surviving Indianapolis Sinking
Adolfo V. Celaya first encountered a man laying on his back [Annotator’s Note: while in the Pacific Ocean after the...
Carroll, Wesley Surviving the Crash
[Annotator's Note: The interviewer asks Wesley Carroll what was going through his mind when his plane was going down.]...
Shown, Donald Surviving the Indianapolis Sinking
Donald Herbert Shown picked up a lifejacket from the grouping he found in nets on the boat deck [Annotator’s Note:...
Shaw, Claude Surviving the Sinking of the USS Walke (DD-416)
Claude Bufford Shaw spent his entire wartime service in the Pacific, except for two short trips to the United States to...
Edwards, Randall Taken Prisoner
After Corregidor fell to the Japanese, Randall Edwards was held there for about a month, during which time the Japanese...
Lents, Robert Taken Prisoner
When the crew abandoned the USS Perch (SS-176), Robert Lents said some of the guys in the water turned on their...
Beaman, William Tense Moments aboard the USS Flasher (SS-249)
One time that scared William Beaman happened when the USS Flasher (SS-249) was firing electric torpedoes. They were...
Fulton, Robert The ABDA Fleet
Robert Fulton and the USS Houston (CA-30) did not obtain any ammunition from the Dutch. Added antiaircraft ammunition...
Smith, John The Admiralty Islands Campaign
When the 1st Calvary Division was preparing for the landing on Manus, John Smith was in the reconnaissance patrol sent...
Clay, Russell The Battle of Kula Gulf
Russell Clay and the USS Helena (CL-50) headed for Kula Gulf. That was the same location that John Kennedy [Annotator's...
Biernacki, Chester The Battle of Kula Gulf and Loss of the USS Helena (CL-50)
Chester Biernacki and his ship [Annotator's Note: USS Helena (CL-50)] and other Allied ships engaged ten enemy...
Curtis, William W. The End of the War and Leaving France
The skipper went ashore [Annotator's Note: in Bournemouth, England] and went to headquarters but told William Curtis...
Blackwell, Astley The F4F and Loss of the USS St. Lo (CVE-63)
[Annotator's Note: Astley Blackwell was a plane captain servicing Grumman FM-2 Wildcat fighter aircraft aboard the USS...
Ramage, James D. "Jig Dog" The Mission After Darkness
One of the guys that James Ramage was flying with looked back at one of the burning Japanese carriers and said, "Look...
Epstein, Ben The Moral of the Story
Ben Epstein reiterated that his mother's influence, and her mantra "Don't ever give up," saved his life the night the...
Payn, Thomas The Ship's Mess
The English Navy provisioned the Canadian sailors' mess and Thomas Payn said they ate a lot of strong smelling mutton....
Swanson, Richard The Sinking of the SS Dorchester
[Annotator's Note: Interviewer asks Swanson about a downed army transport and a female off-camera reminds him of the...
Reitmeier, George The Sinking of the SS Léopoldville
Reitmeier was aboard a troopship [Annotator’s Note: the SS Léopoldville with Company F, 2nd Battalion, 264th Infantry...
Carmody, Martin "Red" The Sinking of the USS Hornet (CV-8)
Martin Carmody and Les Ward finally joined back up with each other. They had both consumed a lot of fuel during their...
Harrell, Edgar The Sinking of USS Indianapolis (CA-35)
Edgar Harrell was born in October 1924 in Cadiz, Kentucky. He was 18 when he joined the United States Marine Corps in...
Tarkington, Frank The USS Indianapolis (CA-35)
Frank V. Tarkington was fortunate to have a mild and unexcitable experience in the war. He got a break by having...
Goodwin, Hersey Thoughts on Combat
Hersey Goodwin and the gunners spent a lot of time with flight recognition. When the plane flew into the one in front,...
Lewis, Donald Torpedoed
Donald Lewis has no memory of the ship's cabin and knows this from his mother's written summary of their trip. [...
Wilterdink, Virginia Training and Deployment
Making her way alone, Virginia Wilterdink arrived at Camp Devens in Massachusetts to begin her military career. She met...
Wilkerson, H. Training and Deployment to the Pacific
H. Lloyd Wilkerson was hosting business acquaintances at a hotel in Charleston, South Carolina when he heard a radio...
Schafer, Leon Training and Losing Men
In England, Leon Schafer went through a series of training periods. The ship's [Annotator's Note: USS LST-502] crew had...
Myers, Jr., William Training and the Submarine Base Pearl Harbor
William Myers, Jr. described submarine school at Pearl Harbor as good and not good; he hated training in the pressure...
Roy, William Trying to Save the USS Yorktown (CV-5)
[Annotator's Note: William G. Roy served in the Navy as a Photographer's Mate 2nd Class aboard the aircraft carrier USS...
Addison, Robert Tulagi and Guadalcanal
Robert Addison [Annotator’s Note: with the 1st Marine Raider Battalion] fought on Guadalcanal. The battle of Bloody...
Harris, Rufus Typhoon and Atomic Bomb
The biggest problem on Rufus Harris' ship [Annotator's Note: the USS Miami (CL-89)] was a typhoon [Annotator's Note:...
Epstein, Ben U-Boat Attack on the Dorchester
Describing the journey on the SS Dorchester, Ben Epstein said it was a terrible trip. But he pointed out that in every...
Thrift, Clem Undisclosed Suicide Mission
The Army had not yet finished on Leyte because of bad weather, and Clem Thrift said that in the process of readying to...
Foy, John Unit Assignment and Ovwerseas Deployment
On his first trip outside of New York, John Foy traveled to Fort Benning, Georgia for basic training. He had a...
Frisco, Paul USS Cushing (DD-797)'s Wartime Experiences
Paul J. Frisco was aboard a Fletcher-class destroyer, the USS Cushing (DD-797), during World War 2. He was impressed...
Tizzard, Thomas USS Denver (CL-58) Torpedoed
Thomas Tizzard was assigned to the USS Denver (CL-58) and was interviewed by an officer asking what his previous jobs...

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