Monthly Archives: August 2023

Faking it with MTBRon 13

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The campaign to evict the Japanese from the Aleutians saw one of the most motley assemblages of troops and vessels ever put together. This was because everything even remotely “top shelf” was needed on the front lines in Guadalcanal and in protecting Atlantic Convoys against U-boats. This left a hash of obsolete old ships– the 1920s “Sugar Boats” had their last operational hurrah in Alaskan waters– and new formations of ground troops including the 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment (later the core of the 10th Mountain Division) and the U.S./Canadian First Special Service Force (later to become the famed Devil’s Brigade in Italy) to carry out this more “sideshow” of a campaign.

An unlikely force sent to help in the liberation of Alaskan Territory was the newly formed Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron THIRTEEN (MTBRon 13) under the command of LCDR James B. Denny, a unit later augmented by the much similar MTBRon 16.

Aleutian Islands Campaign, June 1942 – August 1943. PT Boats lie alongside tender in Attu Harbor in Aleutians, in the background is Consolidated PBY “Catalina” taking off. Photographed by Lieutenant Horace Bristol, July 1943. 80-G-475727 (TR-5219)

These two squadrons were made up of 78-foot plywood Higgins of New Orleans-made PT Boats, each powered by a trio of 1,500shp Packard W-14 M2500 gasoline engines capable of pushing them at 40 knots. Armament was generally four 21″ torpedoes tubes, a single 20mm Oerlikon mount, and two twin .50 cal. machine guns. Other topside armament was fitted as it was “locally acquired.”

MTBRon 13’s PT 76 Womens Bay, Kodiak Island, Alaska NARA

MTBRon 13’s PT 73 Womens Bay, Kodiak Island, Alaska NARA

3 US Navy PT-boats Aleutians in June 1943 eaplane tender GILLIS AVD12 PBY Catalina Higgins boats Mk 19 torpedo tubes.

This beautiful period Kodachrome shows three U.S. Navy PT-boats, likely of MTBron 13, in the Aleutians in June 1943 along seaplane tender USS GILLIS (AVD 12). Note the PBY Catalina to the stern of the tender and the angled Mk 19 torpedo tubes of the Higgins boats– to include a torpedo visible in the uncovered tube. Official USN Photographs (National Archives) 80-G-K-9454 (Color).

The two squadrons participated in the May 1943 Attu Island invasion and in much patrolling but saw very little combat.

Then came the big show: Operation Cottage, which would recapture the island of Kiska and clear out the last of the Emporer’s men from Alaska.

For Cottage, some 80 years ago this month, 11 PTs were attached to Task Force King under RADM Thomas C. Kinkaid.

Of those, five were sent in at 0750 on D-Day for a tour of Vega Bay.

In a diversionary tactic, they were camouflaged with wood to give the impression that large landing parties were aboard.

Caption: PT boats of MTBRON 13 with plywood “troops” in place, ready to masquerade as landing craft in diversionary operations during the Kiska reoccupation. Note torpedo tubes, skiff, and foul weather gear. NH 44304

As noted by Captain Robert J. Bulkley, Jr. in his At Close Quarters:

For a time it appeared that the PTs at last would have some action since it was estimated that the Japanese had 4,000 to 7,000 troops on the island. While the main landings were being made to the north, five PT’s were to join a group of transports in a feint at Vega Point, the southeastern extremity of the island, to draw enemy reserves from the north and prevent concentration of defenses against the main landings. Strips of plywood cut out to resemble the sides of barges surmounted by rows of soldiers’ heads were tacked to the gunwales of the PTs, outboard of the torpedo tubes. The camouflage was crude close-to, but at a little distance gave the PTs the appearance of loaded landing craft.

Lieutenant Commander Denny, in PT 81 (Lt. (jg.) Elbert S. Churchill, USNR), with PT 73 (Lt. (jg.) William R. McQuilkin); PT 76 (Lt. (jg.) Louis R. Fockele, USNR); PT 80 (Lt. (jg.) William G. Jens, USNR); and PT 84 (Lt. (ig.) Joseph A. Sheehan, USNR), left Bird Cape at 0330 on August 15 and entered Vega Bay ahead of the transports at 0715 to begin their demonstration. In a heavy haze, the boats closed within 100 yards of shore and intermittently strafed the beach until 1100. In the afternoon they made several strafing runs in Gertrude Cove, to the north. No matter how close to shore they went, they drew no return fire. That night the boats returned to Constantine Harbor. The landings at Kiska, to the surprise of everyone who took part in them, were entirely unopposed. The enemy had evacuated the island, secretly and completely.

This closed out the PTs’ work in the Far North. The boats ran under their own power to Seattle in early 1944– not an insignificant task– and were transhipped to the Southwest Pacific where it was thought they would be of more use.

Two PT boats were lost in Alaska, neither to combat: PT 28 was wrecked in a storm, at Dora Harbor on 12 Jan. 1943, and PT 219 was damaged beyond repair in a storm, then scrapped, off Attu, in Sep. 1943.

MTBRON 13 and 16  went on to see lots of action at Mios Woendi, Mindoro, and Brunei Bay. As part of Task Unit 70.1.4, they earned the Navy Unit Commendation for action at Mindoro from 15 – 19 December 1944.

Their remaining boats were burned at Samar in November 1945, no longer needed.

Vigilante at 65

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31 August 1958 saw the first flight, with North American Aviation test pilot Richard Wenzel at the stick, of the No.1 prototype North American XA3J-1, eventually to be known as the A-5 Vigilante.

The big American carrier-based supersonic bomber was powered by a pair of General Electric J79-GE-2 turbojet engines each rated at 15,150 lbs trust with afterburning, and the program sped along with the Vigilante going supersonic for the first time just a week later on 5 September.

Some 76 feet long and with a 50-foot wingspan, the big bird had a maximum takeoff load of some 32 tons– nearly twice that of the B-25s that Jimmy Doolittle had to shoehorn onto the deck of the USS Hornet just 16 years before. Likewise, they could carry a much more capable bomb load much further, being dedicated to the strategic nuclear strike role and capable of air-to-air refueling.

A3J-1 Vigilante pictured during an open house at an unidentified air station in 1961. Likely NAS Stanford where VAH-1 was set up

By 1960, the 6th Vigilante (4th production frame) completed carrier suitability tests by making 14 launches and landings on the USS Saratoga (CVA-60).

The 4th production North American A3J-1 Vigilante bomber (BuNo 146697) conducted the type’s initial carrier suitability tests aboard the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CVA-60) during the week of 25 July 1960. Piloted by NATC’s CDR Carl Cruse, LCDR Ed Decker, and LT Dick Wright, the Vigilante made 14 successful launches and arrested landings.

On December 13, 1960, an A3J-1 crewed by CDR Leroy Heath and LT Larry Monroe set a new altitude record of 91,450.8 feet– beating the previous record by over 4 miles. They did this with an operational 2,200-pound payload. The Vig was capable.

The first squadron, VAH-3, was set up in 1961 and the operational debut of the Vigilante was in August of 1962 when VAH-7 deployed aboard the USS Enterprise (CVAN-65) for a short cruise in the Mediterranean. 

Heavy Attack Squadron (VAH) 7 “Peacemakers” aircrew pictured in front of an A-5A Vigilante on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Enterprise (CVAN 65) on its first cruise, 1962, just four years after the type first flew– note the brown shoes

However, with the Navy wanting more nuclear eggs in one SSBN-shaped basket, they soon started converting the A-5 to the RA-5C recce bird, and 10 RAVH squadrons were ultimately established, with eight of those seeing service over Vietnam– and 18 Vigilante left there, numbers that qualified as decimation by the old Roman standard.

With air bosses wanting more room on their flight decks for sexy new F-14s, post Vietnam the Vigilante’s days were numbered.

The size difference between the A-5 Vigilante and A-4 Skyhawk. She was a big bird that took up lots of space. 

The last RA-5C squadron, RVAH-7, completed its final deployment to the Western Pacific aboard USS Ranger in late 1979 and the type was retired by the end of the year.

RA-5C BuN0 156608 of RVAH-7 Peacemakers of USS Ranger (CV61)– the last operational Vig

In all, just 170 Vigilantes of all variants would be produced, one of the shortest runs of U.S. carrier tactical aircraft in modern times. Compare this to 188 S-3 Vikings.

Warship Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023: Weaving the Falls

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Here at LSOZI, we take off every Wednesday for a look at the old steam/diesel navies of the 1833-1954 period and will profile a different ship each week. These ships have a life, a tale all their own, which sometimes takes them to the strangest places. – Christopher Eger

Warship Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023: Weaving the Falls

Admiralty Official Collections of the Imperial War Museum, Catalog no. A 3295 by Harold William John Tomlin, a Royal Navy official photographer.

Above we see a circa 1941 image of a Royal Canadian Navy officer aboard the 4th group Town class destroyer HMCS Niagara (I57) making his bunk with a very interestingly camouflaged Mk I “battle bowler” style helmet at the ready. As for the U.S. Navy crest on a bunk cover?

There is a good reason for that, one that goes back 105 years ago this week.

The Wickes

Our ship was one of the iconic first flights of “Four Piper” destroyers that were designed in 1915-16 with input from no less an authority as Captain (later Admiral) W.S. Sims. Beamy ships with a flush deck and a quartet of boilers (with a smokestack for each) were coupled to a pair of Parsons geared turbines to provide 35.3 knots designed speed– which is still considered fast today, more than a century later.

The teeth of these 314-foot, 1,250-ton greyhounds were four 4-inch/50 cal MK 9 guns and a full dozen 21-inch torpedo tubes.

They reportedly had short legs and were very wet, which made long-range operations a problem, but they gave a good account of themselves. Originally a class of 50 was authorized in 1916, but once the U.S. entered WWI in April 1917, this was soon increased and increased again to some 111 ships built by 1920.

Wickes class USS Yarnall (DD-143): Booklet of General Plans – Inboard Profile / Outboard Profile, June 10, 1918, NARA NAID: 158704871

Wickes class USS Yarnall (DD-143): Booklet of General Plans – Main Deck / 1st Platform Deck / S’ch L’t P’f’m, S’ch L’t Control P’f’m, Fire Control P’f’m Bridge, Galley Top, After Dk. House and 2nd Platform Deck. / June 10, 1918, Hold NARA NAID: 158704873

Wickes class. A close-up of her stern top-down view of plans shows the Wickes class’s primary armament– a dozen torpedo tubes in four turnstiles and stern depth charges.

Of the 111 Wickes completed, there were three subclasses besides the 38 standard-design vessels built at Bath Iron Works, Cramp, Mare Island, and Charleston. Then came the 52 Bethlehem-designed ships built at the company’s Fore River (26 ships) and Union Iron Works (26 ships) led by USS Little, the Newport News-built variants (11 ships) starting with USS Lamberton, and New York Shipbuilding-built variants (10 ships) led by USS Tattnall.

The subclasses were constructed to a slightly different set of plans modified by their respective builders, which made for some downright confusing modifications later. In addition, the Bethlehem-designed Little variants tended to have shorter legs and proved unable to cross the Atlantic in a single hop without stopping in the Azores for refueling or completing an underway replenishment.

Anyway…

Meet Thatcher

Our subject was the first warship commissioned to honor RADM Henry Knox Thatcher, USN. Born in 1806, this grandson of Maj. Gen. Henry Knox (George Washington’s artillery master) was first appointed to West Point in 1822 then, after being out sick and resigning, subsequently received an appointment as a midshipman with the Navy the following March at age 16, spending the next four years at sea aboard the frigate USS United States in the Pacific. Then came a string of seagoing assignments as a junior officer in the antebellum period (schooner Porpoise, sloops Erie and Jamestown, frigates Delaware and Brandywine, storeship Relief) before earning his first command, that of the sloop Decatur in 1857.

The Civil War saw him promoted to captain and later commodore, commanding the sloop Constellation in European waters, the screw frigate Colorado with the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, and a division of Porter’s squadron against Fort Fisher. The war ended with him in command of the Western Gulf Squadron tasked with the reduction of Spanish Fort and Blakeley– the last two holdouts in Mobile Bay– then accepting the surrender of Sabine Pass and Galveston, the last rebel ports.

Promoted to rear admiral in 1866, he held command of the North Pacific Squadron and was placed on the retired list in 1868 after a 45-year career, Thatcher passed in 1880, aged 73.

Appropriately, USS Thatcher (Destroyer No. 162) was laid down on 8 June 1918 by Fore River at Quincy, Massachusetts; launched 105 years ago this week on 31 August 1918 sponsored by Miss Doris Bentley, the grandniece of RADM Thatcher; and, too late for the Great War, was commissioned on 14 January 1919, with LCDR Francis Warren Rockwell (USNA 1908)– a Navy Cross holder for his time on the destroyer USS Winslow (DD-53) during WWI and future VADM who later commanded the 16th Naval District in the Philippines at the outbreak of World War II in the Pacific— as her first seagoing skipper.

USS Thatcher (Destroyer # 162) At the Boston Navy Yard, Massachusetts, 14 January 1919. Panoramic photograph by J. Crosby, Naval Photographer, # 11 Portland Street, Boston. NH 99264

In all, USS Thatcher’s construction only lasted just 220 days, a wonder of wartime shipbuilding.

Her active-duty U.S. Naval career was correspondingly short, spanning just 40 months but she was part of the support group for the pioneering NC-4 flying boat crossing of the Atlantic in May 1919.

USS Thatcher (DD-162). Leading other destroyers into a harbor, circa 1919-1921. The next ship astern is USS Crosby (DD-164). This was likely during the NC flying boat crossing as Thatcher operated on picket station number 9, one of 21 stations strung out from Newfoundland and Labrador to the Azores, between her sister ships Walker (Destroyer No. 163) and Crosby. Underway at sea, she provided visual and radio bearings for the flying boats as they passed overhead on their way toward Lisbon, Portugal. NH 41952

USS Cuyama (Oiler # 3) at Acapulco, Mexico, circa 1919, with several destroyers alongside. Destroyers off Cuyama’s starboard side are (from left to center: USS Walker (Destroyer # 163); USS Crosby (Destroyer # 164); and USS Thatcher (Destroyer # 162). USS Gamble (Destroyer # 123) is moored along Cuyama’s port side. Courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1976. NH 85033

USS Thatcher (DD-162) underway, circa 1920. NH 41953

Transferred to the Pacific in the autumn of 1921, Thatcher operated out of San Diego, conducting exercises and training cruises off the West Coast with reduced manning (her last three skippers were ensigns and LTJGs) until decommissioned there on 7 June 1922.

Pacific Fleet Through Panama Canal US Destroyer “162”, Balboa Inner Harbor July 25, 1919. National Archives Identifier 100996438

Destroyers at the Mare Island Navy Yard, 1919 (from left to right): USS Tarbell (Destroyer # 142); USS Thatcher (Destroyer # 162); USS Rizal (Destroyer # 174); USS Hart (Destroyer # 110); USS Hogan (Destroyer # 178); USS Gamble (Destroyer # 123); USS Ramsay (Destroyer # 124); and USS Williams (Destroyer # 108). Donation of Rear Admiral Ammen Farenholt, NH 42537

Destroyers at the Mare Island Navy Yard, 1919, L to R: USS Tarbell (Destroyer # 142); USS Thatcher (Destroyer # 162); USS Rizal (Destroyer # 174); USS Hart (Destroyer # 110); USS Hogan (Destroyer # 178); USS Gamble (Destroyer # 123); USS Ramsay (Destroyer # 124); and USS Williams (Destroyer # 108). Donation of Rear Admiral Ammen Farenholt. NH 42538

She would sway quietly along with others of her kind in the California mothball fleet for another 17 years.

Brought back to life

With war coming again to Europe, Thatcher was recommissioned at San Diego on 18 December 1939, then transferred to the Atlantic the following spring after shakedowns and workups.

Transiting the Panama Canal on 1 April 1940, just before the German blitzkrieg against France and the Low Countries, Thatcher conducted Neutrality Patrols and training cruises off the east coast and in the Gulf of Mexico through the summer of 1940.

USS Thatcher (DD 162) off Brooklyn Navy Yard, New York. Lot 5124-2

Headed to serve the King

With Europe again at war, on 2 September 1940, FDR signed the so-called Destroyers for Bases Agreement that saw a mix of 50 (mostly mothballed) Caldwell (3), Wickes (27), and Clemson (20)-class destroyers transferred to the Royal Navy in exchange for limited basing rights on nine British overseas possessions. Canada would receive seven of these ships including five Wickes, doubling the number of destroyers in the Canadian Navy in days. 

In respect of Canada’s naming tradition for destroyers, all seven RCN flush deckers were named for Canadian rivers, ideally, those that ran in conjunction with the U.S. border, a nice touch. Thatcher, therefore, became HCMS Niagra, so named after the river that becomes the Falls in New York.

Sailed by scratch USN crews from Philadelphia, Thatcher and five of her sisters arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia, on 20 September 1940, the third group of the “flush deckers” transferred.  

Transfer of U.S. destroyers to the Royal Navy in Halifax, Sept 1940. Wickes-class destroyers USS Buchanan (DD-131), USS Crowninshield (DD-134), and USS Abel P. Upshur (DD-193) are in the background. The sailors are examining a 4-inch /50 cal deck gun. Twenty-three Wickes-class destroyers were transferred to the RN, along with four to the RCN, in 1940 under the Destroyers for Bases Agreement. (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3199286)

Decommissioned from the U.S. Navy on 24 September 1940, Thatcher was renamed HMCS Niagara (I57) and, headed for a refit for RN service by HM Dockyard Devonport, departed Halifax on 30 November; proceeded eastward via St. John’s, Newfoundland where she joined Convoy HX 080 as an escort on 10 December.

She wasn’t struck from the U.S. Navy List until 8 January 1941.

Besides HX 080, she would ride shotgun with no less than 13 Atlantic convoys in 1941 as part of the Newfoundland Escort Force (NEF), 17 in 1942, 16 in 1943, and one in 1944 for a total of 48 wartime convoy runs.

During this service, she was often a lifesaver, for instance escorting the battered Danish merchantman Triton into Belfast in January 1942, rescuing the survivors of the American merchantman SS Independence Hall two months later, then picking up 12 shaken survivors from the sunken steamer SS Rio Blanco, which had been torpedoed by U-160 in April; followed by 8 survivors from the Norwegian tanker Kollskegg that sent to the bottom by U-754.

Harold William John Tomlin, a Royal Navy official photographer, took a series of detailed shots of the (reserve) officers and crew of HMCS Niagara in action, likely in 1941, and they are preserved in the collections of the Imperial War Museum.

HMCS NIAGARA, TOWN CLASS DESTROYER, ONE OF THE FIFTY DESTROYERS HANDED OVER BY THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IN EXCHANGE FOR THE USE OF THE BASES. 1941, ON BOARD THE DESTROYER, SHE HAS AN ENTIRELY CANADIAN CREW, SOME OF WHOM ARE EXPERIENCING THEIR FIRST TASTE OF NAVAL LIFE. AMONGST THEM ARE LUMBERJACKS, FARMERS, WAREHOUSEMEN, ETC., WHO UNTIL THEY BROUGHT THE NIAGARA ACROSS THE ATLANTIC HAD NEVER BEEN TO SEA. TYPES OF CANADIANS FORMING THE CREW OF HMCS NIAGARA SOME WEARING THEIR UNUSUAL HEADGEAR, ETC. (A 3289) HMCS NIAGARA. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205137695

THE ROYAL CANADIAN NAVY DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR (A 3277) Jack Farrell, a sailor in the Royal Canadian Navy, walks across the deck carrying a sack over his left shoulder aboard HMCS NIAGARA an ex-American Town class destroyer, 1941. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205119367

THE ROYAL CANADIAN NAVY DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR (A 3273) Gerald Moore, a sailor in the Royal Canadian Navy, smokes a cigarette whilst sitting on the deck of HMCS NIAGARA an ex-American Town class destroyer, 1941. He is wearing a peaked hat with tied-up ear covers commonly worn by Canadian servicemen. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205119365

THE ROYAL CANADIAN NAVY DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR (A 3275) Ski Doyle, a sailor in the Royal Canadian Navy, leans against the railings of HMCS NIAGARA an ex-American Town class destroyer, 1941. Rather than the standard bib, Doyle is dressed in a woolen roll-necked jumper. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205119366

THE ROYAL NAVY DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR (A 3293) Two Canadian sailors from HMCS NIAGARA hand washing from improvised lines strung across the deck of their ship. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205185254

THE ROYAL NAVY DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR (A 3284) The Navigating Officer of HMCS NIAGARA uses a sextant to get a bearing at sea. He is wearing a heavy coat to protect him from the cold of the open bridge. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205185253

THE ROYAL NAVY DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR (A 3297) The Blue watch has a sing-song on board HMCS NIAGARA, a Town class destroyer. An accordion, guitar, and mandolin are being played by some of the sailors. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205185255

THE ROYAL NAVY DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR (A 3299) The Engineer Officer of HMCS NIAGARA carries out an inspection of the boiler room to make sure that all is ready for sea. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205185256

HMCS NIAGARA, The First Lieutenant, a veteran of the last war makes the rounds of the ship. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205137709

HMCS NIAGARA, Up on the signal deck, Signalmen receive a signal instructing the Commanding Officer to take his ship to sea. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205137704

HMCS NIAGARA, Down on the mess deck members of the Red Watch play cards. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205137701

HMCS NIAGARA, In the Wardroom, officers enjoy a quiet spell while awaiting orders to put to sea. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205137698

HMCS NIAGARA The gun sight setter with his voice tube awaits orders. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205137692

HMCS NIAGARA The Mate, (a rank not used in the British Navy) Sub Lieutenant G H Doty, who until he joined the Canadian Navy was a newsreel cameraman, works out the course on the chart. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205137705

HMCS NIAGARA Petty Officer Ben Pearse was a lumberjack on Vancouver Island. The eye cover is the result of a slight accident. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205137685

HMCS NIAGARA Gordon Charlebois, French Canadian, of Alexandria, Ontario, who before joining the NIAGARA had never been on board a ship. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205137687

HMCS NIAGARA, Down in the engine room, the Telegraph rings ‘half speed ahead’. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205137707

HMCS NIAGARA In his cabin the Engineer Officer, Lieut E Surtees, enters up details of the work done by his staff. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205137702

HMCS NIAGARA Members of the crew fix the fuse caps to projectiles for the ‘Twelve Pounder’ gun. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205137690

HMCS NIAGARA On the Bridge, the Captain prepares to take the ship to sea. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205137706

HMCS NIAGARA The boiler room receives instructions on the boiler room telegraph. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205137708

HMCS NIAGARA In the Galley the cook prepares for the next meal, going to sea makes no difference to his routine. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205137697

HMCS NIAGARA A member of the ship’s company having a haircut on deck by the ship’s barber. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205137699

HMCS NIAGARA Jack Lawrence, age 21, of Newfoundland, had served in yachts and merchant ships. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205137684

HMCS NIAGARA Lou Kiggins was a drugstore assistant on Prince Edward Island. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205137688

HMCS NIAGARA Leading Seaman Les Porter, who was the Mate of a Lake Steamer. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205137686

HMCS NIAGARA Replacing the oil fuel jets after ensuring the efficiency of these important sections of the motive power. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205137703

HMCS NIAGARA Action Stations, loading the ‘Twelve Pounder’. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205137691

HMCS NIAGARA When at sea the Captain can only leave the bridge for brief snatches of sleep. Here is the Commanding Officer of HMCS NIAGARA having a well-earned nap, but fully clothed ready for instant summons from the bridge. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205137693

HMCS NIAGARA Tom Williamson was a cable maker at Niagara Falls. Now he is the ship’s rigger in HMCS NIAGARA. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205137689

HMCS NIAGARA HMCS NIAGARA. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205137696

U-570

Niagara’s most famous exploit was in the capture of U-570, a low-mileage German Type VIIC boat operating out of Trondheim, in August 1941.

After being damaged by depth charges from a British Hudson aircraft (269 Sqn RAF/S) in the North Atlantic south of Iceland and surfacing showing a white bed sheet on her tower, Niagara and the destroyer HMS Burwell (H 94)— another destroyer for bases vessel, formerly the Clemson-class four-piper USS Laub (DD-263)— together with a quartet of armed trawlers– HMT Kingston Agate, Northern Chief, Westwater and Windermere— were dispatched to the scene, arriving the next morning.

U-570, its German crew on the conning tower; evident to the left of the conning tower is the white sheet used to surrender to the RAF Lockheed Hudson of No. 269 Squadron.

A camouflaged Niagara stands by as a Royal Navy boarding party of four armed men from the HMS Kingston Agate has taken the U-570 under control, their Carley Float (rubber raft) can be seen tied alongside; photo taken from an Iceland-based PBY Catalina during a low pass — Morning, August 28, 1941.

Taking off 43 Germans under the bizarre Kptlt. Hans-Joachim Rahmlow, just seven days into his first war patrol, then installing a prize crew aboard, the trawlers took turns towing the damaged U-boat to Thorlakshafn, Iceland where she was beached, and very thoroughly inspected, detailed plans of her forwarded across all Allied channels.

The U-570 beached on the coast of Iceland at Þorlákshöfn, photo taken probably August 30, 1941.

General Plan of the U-570, U.S. Navy ONI Report Enclosure of the redrawn and translated plan of the submarine captured on board — prepared by the David W. Taylor, Model Basin, U.S. Navy (1941).

While Rahmlow had managed to jettison the boat’s the boat’s Enigma machine and codebooks, an officer from HMS Burwell retrieved documents with plain language and enciphered messages which helped the British to read Enigma messages.

Further, the boat was in fine shape with British inspectors noting, “Internally the damage was negligible and consisted mostly of a few broken gauges, gauge glasses, and light fittings probably caused by the depth charges and also by ignorantly conceived attempts to destroy various fittings.” Her motors, engines and pumps, compressors, auxiliaries, etc., appeared to be undamaged and battery compartments dry and sound.

The swashbuckling pistol-wearing skipper of Niagara, LT Thomas P (“Two-Gun”) Ryan, OBE, RCN, a Great War minesweeper veteran, one-time mercenary in South America, and a former police inspector in Ireland, conducted the initial interrogations of the captured German POWs, who were relieved to be (in their understanding) headed to a much quieter life in Canada.

“Two Gun” Ryan aged 51 at the time of U-570’s capture. A recipient of the Bronze Medal in WWI, he later went on to command HMCS Ingonish (J 69), HMCS Dawson (K 104), and HMCS Shediac (K 110) post-Niagara, then shipped out in 1946 to Manilla to distribute Red Cross supplies and write a memoir.

Formal RN interrogators cited U-570’s crews’ shocking lack of experienced hands, noting, “The chief petty officers, and to a lesser extent, some of the petty officers, expressed great concern at the inadequacy of the training and the lack of U-Boat experience, not only of the men but also of the officers and petty officers; no attempt was made to disguise the incompetence of the crew and the officers were severely criticized by all the men.”

U-570 became the British submarine HMS Graph on 5 October 1941 and, as the first operational German U-boat under Allied control– the more famous Type IXC U-505 wasn’t captured by the U.S. Navy until June 1944 — was key to understanding the tactics that would go on to win the Battle of the Atlantic.

German U-Boat U-570 entering the dock at Barrow-in-Furness after her capture by the Royal Navy. IWM Photo, FL 951

Importantly, the U-570/Graph was the only U-boat to see active service with both sides during the war, sent back out for her first Royal Navy war patrol on 8 October 1942.

Back to the war…

Niagara served and served hard, the unforgiving life of a tiny and aging greyhound in the North Atlantic. Suffering from structural weakness and with her boilers worn out, coupled with the fact that other, more modern escort ships were joining the fleet and needed crews, by March 1944 she was pulled from frontline service.

She continued to serve as Torpedo Branch training ship at Halifax throughout 1944 and, shifting to St. John, New Brunswick the following year, would endure in this important service.

Loading practice torpedoes on HMCS NIAGARA – Sep 1944

Niagara with the British Royal Navy Submarine HMS P553 (former USS S-21) alongside. This image was taken at Halifax circa 1943-44 as P553, transferred to the Royal Navy at New London on 14 September 1942, was then based at Halifax as an anti-submarine warfare training boat until returned to the USN at Philadelphia on 11 July 1944 and sunk as a target.

Paid off and placed on the Disposal List on 15 September 1945, Niagara was sold to International Iron and Steel for demolition on 27 May 1946 then taken in tow to Hamilton where she arrived at the Breaker’s Yard on 12 December 1947.

Epilogue

The old HMCS Niagara is well remembered by the Royal Canadian Navy Historical Project, For Posterity’s Sake.

Her wartime replacement bell (the original USS Thatcher bell was retained by the U.S. Navy, disposition unknown) has for some time been in the Niagara Falls Museum.

As for the U.S. Navy, a second USS Thatcher, a Fletcher-class destroyer (DD-514), was built at Bath in Maine– just miles from where RADM Thatcher was born– and commissioned on 10 February 1943. She was rushed to the Pacific– helping to sink the Japanese destroyer Hatsukaze during the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay in November 1943– and earned 12 battle stars for World War II service.

The newly commissioned USS Thatcher (DD 514) in Boston Harbor, Massachusetts, on 28 February 1943. Note 20mm guns amidships and forward using the photographing aircraft as an opportunity for tracking practice. Worn out from her WWII service which included surviving two kamikaze hits off Okinawa, a post-war survey board decided that the ship should be scrapped, and she was decommissioned on 23 November 1945 and then sold for scrap. National Archives photograph, 80-G-36537

There has not been a third USS Thatcher.

As for the name HMCS Niagara, the Royal Canadian Navy’s liaison base as part of the Canadian Embassy in Washington D.C. was known as the shore establishment HMCS Niagara from 1951 to 1965.

Ships are more than steel
and wood
And heart of burning coal,
For those who sail upon
them know
That some ships have a
soul.

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Batfish evicted?

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The Balao-class submarine USS Batfish (SS/AGSS-310), is a famed “sub-buster,” credited with sinking no less than three Imperial Japanese Navy submarines– RO 55, RO 112, and RO 113— in only four days while on a single war patrol. The secret was radar warning receivers picking up on Japanese emissions– the classic trace buster-buster, so to speak.

Navy photographers were waiting for her return to port to record the mighty Batfish’s sixth war patrol.

USS Batfish (SS 310). Battle flags fly from the boat’s superstructure as she heads for her base at the end of a war patrol, in May 1945. Note radars, periscope, and battle flag at the top of the scope. 80-G-468626

Batfish was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation and earned six battle stars for her World War II service.

She claimed 14 ships sunk (7 warships and 7 merchantmen) and three others damaged during her seven war patrols. Over a period of four days in February 1945, she sank three Japanese submarines. For this feat, the “sub killer” was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. Her other WW II exploits included blasting a grounded destroyer, bombarding a Japanese village, and rescuing downed aviators.

Postwar, she was never Guppy’fied like most of her sisters, and instead largely kept her WWII layout, continuing to serve in USNRF training operations in the Caribbean and along the Gulf and East Coast until 1960 when she was laid up in Orange Texas. 

Beating the scrappers, the Navy agreed to allow her to be epically towed up the Arkansas River system in 1972 for installation at Muskogee, Oklahoma for use as a museum.

Since then, she has been largely safe and sound on dry ground (except for a historic 2019 flood that left her afloat for the first time in 47 years), and it looked like she would endure as the last preserved Balao save for the USS Drum, which is likewise ashore in Mobile.

However, that may not be the case.

As reported by local news in Muskogee, the boat may be homeless at the end of the month:

The Muskogee Memorial Park, popular for its World War II submarine the USS Batfish, is being forced to move.

“To have a museum like this is just a reminder to the rest of the population what history is,” said James Erb, the museum’s curator.

For the last 50 years. the park has leased its property from the Port of Muskogee.

This year, the port didn’t renew their lease and is asking them to move. This has lead to rumors of the Batfish being scrapped. Erb says that isn’t true.

The park plans on moving everything to Three Forks Harbor.

“The land is confirmed, we just have to make financial arrangements to do it,” said Erb.

More here.

The King’s Bicentennial Smith, Liberator Action & Gen. Fuller’s NorK Mosin

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I had my eye on Rock Island Auction Company’s premier auction over the weekend and almost pulled the trigger on one item of interest. Some of the more newsworthy and curious pieces were as follows.

Elvis’s Russell Smith-signed and factory engraved exhibition grade Smith & Wesson Model 53 in .22 Magnum Jet. One of the neat things about this hogleg is that it was silver inlaid in a Bicentennial Commemorative theme as it was produced for Presley in 1976 by S&W on spec from Hiram’s of California.

Estimated Price: $60,000 – $90,000
Price Realized: $199,750

Liberators!

Next was Ralph Hagan’s Liberator FP-45 collection. Perhaps the most complete group of the single-shot throwaways, Hagan was the author of the definitive work on the guns.

His collection consisted of 10 period guns including the millionth Liberator Pistol presented by the Guide Lamp Division of General Motors to Lt. Fred Thacker, U.S. Army, who was the military representative on the FP-45 project. Also included was an incredibly rare CIA Deer Gun– the 9mm plastic version of the Liberator created in the Vietnam era, of which only an estimated 20 remain in circulation.

Made by the Guide Lamp Division of the General Motors Company in Anderson, Indiana, the factory cranked out 1,000,000 LP-45s in just 12 weeks.

They shipped in a cardboard box with instructions, a packet of ten .45 hardball rounds, and a wooden dowel used for extracting fired cartridges.

This one, technically sn 1,000,001, was made from spare parts after the run was complete and presented to Lt. Fred Thacker, the Army inspector for the project. (RIAC)

The Liberator saw a very limited number used in Europe, and most deployed went to occupied Philippines and China. In the end, though, most were destroyed. 

The Liberators went a little low.

Estimated Price: $90,000 – $140,000
Price Realized: $94K

Personally, I think it would be a great idea if some maker were to produce a run of these guns, correct with the picto-instruction sheet and craftboard box. Vintage Ordnance did so in 2011, asking $515 a pop.

Fuller’s Mosin

My choice, which I was watching and almost pulled the trigger on had it not been for the fact that I just bought a whole shelf of T&E guns from FN that I have been reviewing, was this awesomely historic circa 1929 hex receiver Soviet Izhevsk Arsenal Model 1891 Mosin-Nagant Dragoon inscribed as a Korean War trophy bring back presented to Lt. Gen. Francis (“Frank”) William Farrell of WWII 11th Airborne fame.

It seems to have been captured by 1st Bn, 7th Cav Rgt, 1st Cav Division at Tabu-dong in Sept. 1950, early on in the conflict, while Farrell was head of the Korean MAG which was training the nascent ROK Army.

It only went for $2,350.

Man, I should have got this one…

Last stand of the Danish Army

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In a sort of follow-up to the one-day 9 April 1940 invasion that saw an overwhelming German force steamroll the country by lunch, on 29 August 1943– some 80 years ago today– while we covered the actions of the Danish Navy already (see Copenhagen’s Finest), the Hæren made a final attempt to resist their unwanted neighbors to the south when the Germans made a move to stamp out a growing resistance and uprising through an armored fist.

The prelude included the famed Danish “cold shoulder” campaign, no less than 800 sabotage actions in the first eight months of 1943, and a series of strikes and public disorders in Esbjerg (9-11 August), Odense (18-23 August), Aalborg (23-29 August), and Århus (26-29 August), culminated with the Danish government submitting their resignation to the King on 28 August.

This led Gen. Hermann von Hanneken, the supreme commander of the German forces in Denmark, to declare martial law in an “emergency action” (Operation Safari) that led to the Danish military being disarmed and its personnel interned, at least briefly.

Denmark was largely used by the German military during the war as a training ground for its garrison, with many units stationed there long-term filled with older (age 38 was average) men unlikely to do well on more active fronts. Often units were sent to the country– unofficially dubbed the “Whipped Cream Front” due to the widespread availability of dairy products long scarce in Germany– to rest and reform before being shipped out to the Ostfront or elsewhere. 
 
At the time of Safari, the Germans had at their disposal in Denmark three infantry divisions including one Landesschützen (fortress infantry) (416. Inf.Div) and two second-line (160. Res.Div. and 166. Res.Div.), a Luftwaffe Field Division (20. Lw.-Feld Div.) made up of mobilized ground personnel pressed into an infantry role, and a second-line panzer division (233. Res.Pz.Div.) which had just arrived and included a mixed regiment of rebuilt Pz Kpfw IIIs and IVs.
 
A new infantry division (361. Inf.Div.) was being formed in the country from remnants of the battered 86th, 94th, and 137th Infantry Divisions under the command of Ritterkreuz-adorned GenLt. Siegmund Freiherr von Schleinitz, late of the old 9th Infantry.  

Unternehmen Safari: German panzers of 233. Res.Pz.Div. on the move in Copenhagen on the morning of 29 August 1943. FHM-170533

The occupied country’s pre-war left-socialist government had stripped the ostensibly 30,000-man two-division Danish Army by April 1940 to its bare minimum of just 15,000, then furloughing most of them until the force stood at just a 2,000-man cadre and about 6,600 conscripts on month two of their 11-month national service orders.

Even at this, post the German occupation, the Danish Army was paired down even further to just 2,200 men: the battalion-sized Royal Life Guards (Kongelige Livgarde) who were still allowed to protect the King, caretaker forces required for maintenance work at bases, and a small number of reserve officers and NCOs were allowed to train in the Army’s Kornet og løjtnantskole (Cornet and Lieutenant School).

Facing 60,000 panzer- and air-supported German troops, it was a no-win situation.

Still, there was resistance offered and the Danish army suffered about 60 casualties, inflicting roughly half as many on the Germans. 

An understrength company-sized unit at the Holbæk Barracks on the island of Zealand took to the street…

Soldiers from Holbæk Barracks prepare for battle, on Aug 29, 1943. Note the Madsen LMG with its distinctive 40-round magazine forward, Krag rifles, and their iconic Danish M23/38 Staalhjelm. FHM-170147

FHM-170119

…Then, with German armor coming up, saw the futility of their actions and managed to turn the resulting hour-long stalemate into an opportunity to scrap their guns.

They even paraded with their broken weapons before stacking them.

Soldiers from the garrison in Holbæk 29 August 1943 parade with broken guns before the arrival of the Germans. FHM-170129

FHM-170112

Several period color images, snapped by Flemming Find Andersen, detailing the Army Officer’s School detachment at the Jægersprislejren training grounds in Horns Herred, about 50 km from Copenhagen, going on alert on 29 August 1943 endure in the collection of the Nationalmuseet.

Drink in that period Danish battle rattle including Krag rifles and a M35 Swedish-Danish 37mm antitank gun the distance. FHM-159177

FHM-159176

At one point in the morning, they loaded up in privately owned trucks and readied to rush off to meet the Germans. Some discussion was made about a trip into the capital to link up with the Life Guards.

FHM-159178

FHM-159179

FHM-159182

In the end, the prospect of a company or so of officer cadets facing off against a German division proved futile, and they were ordered to lay down their arms.

FHM-159181

FHM-194501

They were interned at the Jægersprislejren until 31 October and then paroled, with most of the men going on to join the local resistance movements alongside the Freedom Council and donned their uniforms again during the final days of occupation, girded by both homemade STEN guns and weapons dropped via the SOE and OSS.

Perhaps the most important contribution the Danish Resistance had to the war was to smuggle acclaimed Danish physicist Niels Bohr out of the country to Sweden, where the RAF further extracted him to England and then to the U.S. where he met with Oppenheimer’s crew on the Manhattan Project. While Bohr only made minimal contributions to The Bomb, he did shed light for Opie and the gang on just what German big brain Werner Heisenberg was working on for Hitler– the two had met in Copenhagen in 1941— and importantly that he was doing it wrong– one of the most unsung kernels of strategic intelligence in WWII. 

Flash forward to May 1945

The Hæren effectively reformed in the streets and countryside on 4 May 1945, when upwards of 20,000 armed Danes took their country back.

Old helmets and uniforms were taken out of attics, and new guns added to old stocks carefully put away, as “The Day” had come. 

Meeting of Danish Resistance fighters in a farm in Rødvore just after the Freedom message aired on the BBC at 20:35 pm on the 4 of May 1945. (DINES BOGØ)

Rally of Danish Resistance fighters (Rødvore company) in the periphery of Copenhagen, days after the Freedom declaration of the 4th of May 1945. (DINES BOGØ)

Danish resistance fighters leading collaborators to the courthouse in Copenhagen, following the liberation of Denmark in May 1945. The resistance fighters are wearing black-painted Danish Army M23/40 Staalhjelms (without the front emblem) and are all armed with 9mm Swedish M37/39 Suomi pattern submachine guns.

Members of the Danish Resistance Movement (den danske modstandsbevægelse) photographed in Kalundborg in 1945. They are armed with Swedish-made 9mm Kpist M37/39 submachine guns (licenced-made variants of the Finnish Suomi KP/-31) and are wearing M23/40 Staalhjelms.

Freedom fighters in Aalborg after the liberation on 5 May 1945 FHM-238616

German soldiers surrendered to Danish Resistance FHM-218347

Danish resistance Frederiksberg Castle. Note the mix of Army, Navy, and police uniforms, helmets, and arms. FHM-320918

Battles in Odense 5 May 1945 FHM-239539

Resistance groups from Kulhuse, Kyndby, and Strandgården reoccupied the Jægersprislejren, on 6 May 1945, two days before VE-Day, and fired a salute on the parade ground as the Dannebrog was raised once again.

Today, the total strength of the Danish Army is approximately 9,000 professional troops, excluding conscripts undergoing basic training which brings total active strength to nearly 23,000, bolstered by some 60,000 reserves. Meanwhile, the Danish Home Guard counts some 40,000 members.

Training continues to be held at the Jægersprislejren.

Growing Hell..ion

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Springfield Armory has been importing its American take on the Croatian-made VHS2 5.56 NATO chambered bullpup carbine for a minute, and now they have expanded the lineup to include both 18- and 20-inch variants, really growing the family.

The HS Produkt VHS is a legit combat rifle, already seeing some real-life service around the globe in some very armpit-quality places even though it is only about 15 years old. The improved second-gen VHS2, which was introduced back in 2013, first came into the U.S. in early 2022 as a semi-auto version with enough Section 922 tweaks (BCM Gunfighter grip, Magpul mag, etc.) to make it compliant.

The standard 16 inch model, which I reviewed in 2022

Debuted over here as the Springfield Armory Hellion with a 16-inch barrel, it has gained a reputation as a reliable, easy shooting, accurate, and feature-rich (user-adjustable gas system, fully ambidextrous, 5-position collapsible stock, swappable ejection port, excellent flip up iron sights on a full Pic rail, etc.) bullpup, outclassing a lot of the competition such as the Tavor, AUG, and FS 2000.

I have put upwards of 2K rounds through one on a T&E and loved it enough to buy it.

Well now, Springfield has introduced two new variants that share every feature and only change with the barrel length and type.

The new models include an 18-inch and a 20-inch, the latter with a ribbed forward section for enhanced cooling as well as an integrated bayonet lug (with the company promising compatible bayonets on the way). Springfield points out that the 20-inch model sports a similar configuration to that of the Croatian Army’s VHS-D2, a super accurate designated marksman version of the VHS-2.

16, 18, and 20…

Hellion 18-inch model

Hellion 20-inch model. Note the ribbed barrel and bayonet lug. Springfield says this model is a ringer for the VHS-designated marksman rifle

 

Hellion 16

Hellion 18

Hellion 20

Barrel Length:

16 inches

18 inches

20 inches (includes bayonet lug)

Overall Length:

28.25 – 29.75 inches

30.25 — 31.75 inches

32.25 — 33.75 inches

Weight:

8 pounds

8 pounds, 3 oz

8 pounds, 6 oz

MSRP:          

$1,999

$2,016

$2,031

 

The neat thing is that the price point is practically the same, and, while some other Springfield platforms (looking at you, Prodigy) have gotten some downright mixed to bad reviews, it seems like everyone kind of likes the Hellion.

Time will tell.

Coastie 154s Keep Chugging in the West Pac

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At a time when China is applying a lot of soft pressure to make friends in places like the Solomon Islands (won with $730 million in financial aid) important strides are being made with a hardscrabble trio of new U.S. Coast Guard cutters roaming West from their home in Guam, where they have been pulling 8,000-mile patrols lasting as long as six weeks, which is impressive for 154-foot patrol craft. 

From USCG Pacific Area PAO:

U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam’s Fast Response Cutters conducted four patrols over 44 days, enhancing safety and prosperity in the Pacific Islands region while combatting illicit maritime activity, including illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing and the illegal and unsafe transport of passengers.

Lt. j.g. Sims and Ensign Salang welcome the Marine Corps Detachment in Chuuk for Operation Koa Moana aboard the USCGC Frederick Hatch (WPC 1143) for a tour while visiting Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia, on July 28, 2023. The crew conducted a patrol in FSM in support of Operation Rematau. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

The crews of USCGC Frederick Hatch (WPC 1143), USCGC Myrtle Hazard (WPC 1139), and USCGC Oliver Henry (WPC 1140):

  • Conducted seven boardings and five observation reports.
  • Completed over 20 training evolutions.
  • Qualified 18 new shipboard members.
  • Supported the investigation into the transport of 11 people aboard an overloaded vessel transiting to Guam from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands on an illegal charter following their rescue by DoD partners.
  • Supported operations such as Operation Blue Pacific, Operation Rematau, Operation Nasse, and Operation Koa Moana.
  • Operational Achievements and Highlights
  • USCGC Frederick Hatch (June 21 – July 2 and July 18 – Aug. 3): Enhanced international relations, streamlined boarding processes, qualified new personnel, and improved communication with FSM Maritime Police.
  • USCGC Myrtle Hazard (July 3 – 16): Strengthened connection with CNMI, ensured maritime law enforcement presence in less patrolled areas, and enhanced collaboration with customs and public safety departments.
  • USCGC Oliver Henry (July 18 – 23): Increased U.S. presence, enforced fishing regulations, and fostered crew readiness with weapons proficiency and collaboration.

Myrtle Hazard has also been invited by Papua New Guinea (PNG) to join their lead in maritime operations to combat illegal fishing and safeguard maritime resources during August 2023. This comes after Oliver Henry became the first U.S. Coast Guard Fast Response Cutter to call on port in Papua New Guinea during their southern expeditionary patrol in the fall of 2022 to build relations, conduct engagements, and resupply and the two countries inked a security agreement a couple of months ago.

The crew of the USCGC Myrtle Hazard (WPC 1139) arrive in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea on Aug. 20, 2023. The U.S. Coast Guard is in Papua New Guinea at the invitation of the PNG government to join their lead in maritime operations to combat illegal fishing and safeguard maritime resources following the recent signing and ratification of the bilateral agreement between the United States and Papua New Guinea. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Warrant Officer Sara Muir)

Via USCG:

This collaborative effort marks the first time a joint patrol effort will be executed at sea since the signing and ratification of the recent bilateral defense agreement between PNG and the United States, which allows the U.S. to embark ship riders from PNG agencies aboard the ship to conduct at sea boardings on other vessels operating in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) under their national agency authority. This is the U.S. Coast Guard vessel deployment first announced during Secretary of Defense Austin’s engagement with Prime Minister James Marape in July.

The Coast Guard has ordered 65 Sentinel (Webber)- class Fast Response Cutters (FRCs) to date.

With the recent commissioning of USCGC Patterson (WPB 1153) in Portland Maine earlier this month–the fourth of six FRCs to be stationed in Boston– 53 FRCs are in service: 13 in Florida; seven in Puerto Rico; six in Bahrain with PATFORSWA; four each in California and Massachusetts; three each in Alaska, Guam, Hawaii, Texas and New Jersey; and two each in Mississippi and North Carolina. Future FRC homeports include Astoria, Oregon; and Kodiak and Seward, Alaska.

At least one more FRC will be sent to Guam, where she will no doubt be put to good use. 

LTJG Bob Barker, Corsair Jock

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The late Robert William “Bob” Barker, who was the brightest part of staying home sick as a kid, also did his bit as part of the Greatest Generation.

Bob enlisted in the Navy Reserve Aviation Cadet (AvCad) program in November 1942 at age 18 while attending Drury College in Springfield, Missouri on a basketball scholarship. 

He trained at 11 locations including eight Navy air bases on six different types over the next three years:

  • William Jewell College – Liberty, Missouri: 6th Battalion Cadet ground school and athletic training.
  • Ames, Iowa—Iowa State University: Taylorcraft L-2 Grasshopper flight training.
  • University of Georgia: Preflight School and Navy Basketball Team.
  • Millington Naval Air Station- Memphis, Tennessee: Stearman NS2 Biplane Training.
  • Corpus Christi, Texas Naval Air Station: Completed flight training and received Commission as a Navy Ensign.
  • Cabaniss Field Texas: Vultee BT-13 Valiant Training.
  • Beeville, Texas: SNJ Texan flight training.
  • DeLand Naval Air Station—DeLand, Florida: FM2 Wildcat flight training (during his honeymoon)
  • Great Lakes Naval Air Station—Lake Michigan: Carrier landing qualifications on USS Wolverine (IX-64)— the infamous paddlewheel “Covered wagon of the Great Lakes.”
  • Banana River Naval Air Station: Gunnery runs on U.S. Navy Mariner aircraft to train their crews.
  • Goose Island Michigan: F4U Corsair training with VF-97 and advancement to Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG).

He was in line to be deployed to the Pacific to fight the Empire in August 1945 when the whistle was blown.

As Barker summed up:

“I was a Naval Aviator, a Fighter Pilot. I completed all facets of my training, including my qualifying landings on a carrier. I was all ready to go, and when the enemy heard that I was headed for the Pacific, they surrendered. That was the end of World War II.”

Demobilized in November 1945, he remained in the inactive Naval Reserve until 1960.

You will be missed, sir.

And, with that, I’ll leave you with one of his greatest three minutes, which he filmed at a spry 73.

USS High Point hits her lowest point

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NHHC L45-125.04.01

A few years ago, we covered the story of the experimental 115-foot “hydrofoil sub chaser” USS High Point (PCH-1) being up for sale in poor condition in Astoria, Oregon.

Built by Boeing in 1962, she was the first of a series of hydrofoil craft designed to evaluate the performance of this kind of propulsion in the modern Navy, one that ultimately led to the design (by Boeing) of the Pegasus-class patrol combatant missile hydrofoils, or PHMs.

Decommissioned by the Navy in March 1975 after a decade of testing, High Point was used briefly by the Coast Guard until her main turbine exploded, then was stricken in 1980.

428-GX-K108129 Patrol Craft, Hydrofoil, USS High Point (PCH-1) underway during a search and rescue exercise off San Francisco by JOC(AC) Warren Grass, 25 April 1975

428-GX-K108129 Patrol Craft, Hydrofoil, USS High Point (PCH-1) underway during a search and rescue exercise off San Francisco by JOC(AC) Warren Grass, 25 April 1975

Powered just by her auxiliary Detriot Diesel, she was retained as a non-commissioned experimental hulk until finally disposed of by MARAD in 1991. She passed through a series of private owners until she came up for sale once again for $70,000– with no takers.

Now, as detailed by Scotty Sam Silverman over at the Museumships group, she met her end earlier this month.

Silverman’s photos: 

All is not totally lost as a number of relics from the vessel were apparently passed on to a local, free cannery museum on the condition they set up and display the foil propeller.

A Requiem for a Ship that Could Fly;
A Ship of local notoriety,
USS HIGH POINT PCH-1

There were no flags flying, no bands playing on the pier, no dress uniforms with gold braids waiting to congratulate the captain and crew for a successful mission. No, there was none of that. Only an excavator with a hydraulic crusher awaited. And over a period of four days, in the middle of August, this once proud foilborne warrior was reduced to a heap of scrap and hauled away.

She deserved better, but you can’t save them all.

The only American “fighting foil” left afloat is the ex-USS Aries (PHM-5) museum in Gasconade, Missouri. Please pay them a visit or at least throw them a few dollars.

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