USS BELL
ASSOCIATION (DD587)
NEWPORT
REUNION – OCTOBER 16-20, 2001
The reunions just keep getting better. What a great time we had in
Members in Attendence:
George Adams,
Robert (Bob) DeWolf, Jack Ogden, William (Bill) Cavanaugh, Edwin Klenka, Tom
Gutierrez, Jack Forester, Mike DiVeronica, Maurice Moe, James Faith, Randy
Clark, Russell Halberg, Mario Capitanio, Bud Geneste, Richard Daniels, Edward
Flowers, Clement Hacunda
In the June 2001 Newsletter, I
printed a few days of history from the ship’s deck logs. I hoped it would generate some
remembrances from shipmates. Well, I
have received a few memories of that occasion and others and will share them
with you. If you have some special memories you
would like to pass on, please send them to me.
…..Hi, Ann: Here is my 50-yard line
view of the
…..The June Newsletter also contained a
newspaper report of our involvement a
…..Mention of
Help! Help!
…..While at the reunion someone asked me if I had any information on a Charles
Jordan. I did not have any
information but said I would try to locate him.
There must be a thousand Charles Jordan’s. If the person requesting this information
knows a middle initial or the state he was from, it would really help and I
would have a better change at locating him.
Thanks.
Recently Located Shipmates:
Angelo Antonelli – Deceased
William C. Altimari - Deceased
William F. Erickson – Deceased
James A. Sellers – 17503
Division Street, Kennett, MO 63857
Phone 573-888-4607
Paul G. Daniels –
John
Pavlakovic –
Celvin Keith Holser passed away August
16, 2001. Memorial service August
23, 2001 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Foley, Alabama. Mr. Holser was one of the recently
located shipmates
The following poem was written by
shipmate Donald Wall. He wrote it
during the war.
In anyone’s
life can be found
But the one I
hold most sacred happened in this little
Southern town
It was here I
was waiting for the incoming train trying to
Forget parting
from loved ones this thought to refrain.
The old depot
was empty—just the depot agent and me,
The long
benches in the waiting room from dust was far from free
Like all the
servicemen ending this short furlough I was blue
I’d just
finished a long tour of combat back in World War II.
It was then I
heard from this wagon back then a familiar sound.
Wagon wheels
grinding gravel bringing this family into town,
It was early in
the morning the Sun had begun to rise,
This farmer
pulled into the end of the depot
To welcome home
their prize
I could see the
anxiety in their faces as they gazed down this
Railroad track
listening for the whistle of this train
Bringing their
boy back.
I walked up to
the wagon and began to talk to them
I learned their
son was returning and they were meeting him.
I learned from
their conversation they were ill at ease
Fearing the
sight that would meet them from combat overseas.
The children
all sat quietly down in the wagon bed,
Listening to
our conversation of every word we said.
It was then we
heard this faint whistle
The old mules
picked up their ears,
And I saw this
mother’s face was streaming down with tears.
They now walked
out on the depot platform and somehow
You could sense
the fear as the engineer applied the brakes
And the coach
was drawing near.
I saw this
young Marine waving through the window of the train,
And these young
brothers and sisters recognizing him
From joy could
not refrain.
Then the old
colored porter from the coach he stepped down
Then I saw this
young warrior with a cheerful grin.
But a face that
was lined from combat and a body worn thin,
Standing
straight gripping his crutches, throwing his shoulders
Wide apart I
counted 3 stars in his campaign bars
Along with the
Purple Heart
The kindly
porter was steadying him not letting him take a chance
It was then I
saw the pinned up leg of his uniform pants.
To the children
it seemed an eternity before he touched the ground,
But just one
foot one step at a time making sure it was sound.
Then this great
rejoicing from a long absence began to blend
As they
embraced each other, so close of blood and kin.
The train was
now speeding onward and I was on my way,
But this great
emotional scene had helped make my day.
This scene seem
to haunt me as I listened to the clicking of the track,
And I wondered
if I’d be lucky enough again to just make it back.
Or would I be
altogether and free from bodily harm,
For I knew this
young man was just like me the day he left the farm,
He never
dreamed a part of him would be missing
As for months
for home he yearned.
His days of
combat were over and he had now returned,
Only God had
known his suffering that befell him on that day
Through a
semi-consciousness he learned his leg was blown away,
Things that had
been his life before like following the old plow
Would be
changed through rehabilitation and he’d make out somehow,
I thought of
fallen comrades, to return would have been so nice.
Whose bodies
were buried in the deep blue ocean
Making the
extreme sacrifice,
I thought of
those mangled bodies, their loved ones not there to weep.
As last rites
were said for them and they were sent down through the deep,
So many young
American men on battlefields were put to rest.
I thought Oh!
God, why does this have to be?
But, Oh! God,
You know best I thought of the resurrection morning
In the Bible
has been said
When G.I.’s
will be united together when the sea gives up the dead.
DESTROYERS LOST DURING WWII (CONTINUED)
LAFFEY(DD-459)
Sunk by Japanese battleship Hiyei during Battle of Guadalcanal 13th
November 1942. A violent explosion ripped her apart. 56 killed.
LANSDALE (DD-426)
Torpedoed and sunk by German aircraft off Cap Bengut, Algeria, 20th
April 1944. 119 survivors. Sank at 2150.
LEARY (DD-158)
Torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-275 in North Atlantic, 24th
December 1943. Loss of 97 of crew.
LITTLE (DD-803)
Hit by 4 Kamikaze planes off Okinawa and sunk, 3 May 1945, 60 killed.
LONGSHAW (DD-559)
Ran aground off Naha, Okinawa, and destroyed by U.S. ships 18th May,
1945. Loss of 56 of crew. Sank to keep from
falling into Japanese hands.
LUCE (DD-522)
Hit by 2 Kamikaze planes off Okinawa and sunk, 3rd May 1945. Loss of 126 of crew. Sank approximately 0740.
MADDOX (DD-622)
Bombed and sunk off Gela, Sicily, 10th July 1943.
Only 74 survivors. Sank in
two minutes.
MAHAN (DD-364)
Hit by 3 Kamikaze planes off Ormoc, Leyte and sunk 7th December 1944. Sank by USS Walke an hour later. 5 killed and 13 wounded.
MANNERT L. ABELE (DD-733) Sunk
by Kamikaze and glider bomb attack off Okinawa 12th April 1945. Hit by a piloted rocket powdered glider
at 1446. 2600 lb. Warhead. Only ship sank by the Baka Bomb. 82 killed and 37 wounded.
MEREDITH (DD-434)
Sunk by Japanese aircraft south of Guadalcanal 15th October 1942. Only 63 survivors.
MEREDITH (DD-726)
Damaged by mine and later sunk by German aircraft off Normandy, 9th
June 1944. Loss of crew members, 50 wounded. August 5, 1960 the hulk was raised and
scrapped.
MONAGHAN (DD-354)
Foundered in typhoon off Luzon 18th December, 1944.
Only 6 survivors.
MONSSEN (DD-436))
Sunk by gunfire of Japanese warships during Battle of Guadalcanal 13th
November, 1942. Loss of over half of
crew.
MORRISON (DD-560)
Hit by 4 Kamikaze planes off Okinawa and sunk 4th May 1945.
Los of 152 crew members. 1957
hull was donated along with 26 other ships sank, to the Ryukyus Islands.
O’BRIEN (DD-415)
Torpedoed by Japanese submarine north of Espiritu Santo, 15th
September and foundered off Samoa en route to base, 19th October
1942. Sank at 0800 after steaming 3000 miles
after being torpedoed.
PARROTT (DD-218)
Irreparably damaged in collision with SS John Norton at Norfolk, Va. 2nd
May 1944 and scrapped, 5th April 1947.
PERRY (DD-226)
Sunk by Japanese aircraft at Port Darwin, Australia, 19th February
1942. Loss of 80 crew members, 13 wounded, sank
at 1045.
PERKINS (DD-377)
Sunk in collision with m.v. Duntroon off Buna, New Guinea 29th
November 1943. Loss of 4 crew members. Sank at 0200.
PILLSBURY (DD-277)
Sunk by Japanese warships south of Java, 1st March, 1942. Loss of all hands. Japanese left and picked up no survivors.
POPE (DD-356)
Sunk by Japanese aircraft in Java Sea 1st March, 1942. 31 killed and 8 wounded.
PORTER (DD-356)
Torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-21.
Sank by the USS Shaw to keep it from falling into Japanese hands. 15 killed and 8 wounded.
PRESTON (DD-379)
Sunk by Japanese cruiser Nagara during Battle of Guadalcanal 14th
November, 1942. Loss of 16 crew
members. Sank at 2346.
PRINGLE (DD-477)
Sunk by Kamikaze attack off Okinawa, 16th April 1945.
Only 258 survivors.
REID (DD-369)
Hit by 2 kamikaze planes off Ormoc, Leyte and sunk 11th December
1944. Only 150 of her crew survived.
REUBEN JAMES (DD-245) Torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-562 600 miles
southwest of Iceland 31sst October 1942.
Loss of 115 of her crew. She was the
first U.S. Navy ship sank by hostile action in WWII.
Sank at 0525.
ROWAN (DD-405)
Torpedoed and sunk by German m.t.b. off Salerno 10th September 1943. Loss of 202 crew members.
SIMS (DD-409)
Sunk by Japanese aircraft during Battle of the Coral Sea 7th May
1942. Only 16 survived.
SPENCE (DD-512)
Capsized in typhoon off Luzon 18th December, 1944. Sank at 1100.
Only 24 survivors.
STRONG (DD-467)
Torpedoed and sunk in destroyer action off Bairoko, Solomon Islands 5th
July 1943. Loss of 46 crew members.
STURTEVANT (DD-240)
Sunk by mine off Marquesas Key, Florida 26th April, 1942.
Loss of 15 crew members.
TRUXTON (DD-229))
Wrecked in gale, Placentia Bay, Newfoundland 18th February, 1942. Loss of 110 crew members. She broke up immediately after grounding.
TUCKER (DD-374)
Sunk by mine off Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides 4th August 1942. Loss of 6 crew members. Sank at 0445.
TURNER (DD-648)
Sunk by explosion off Ambrose Light, NY 3rd January, 1944. Loss of 138 crew members. Sank at 0829.
She was the first ship to receive a helicopter in saving life. Flew 2 cases of blood plasma to the ship.
TWIGGS (DD-591)
Sunk by Kamikaze and aerial torpedo off Okinawa 16th June 1945. Loss of 192 crew members.
WALKE (DD-416)
Sunk by torpedoes and gunfire during the Battle of Guadalcanal 14th
November, 1942. Loss of 76 crew
members.
WARRINGTON (DD-383)
Foundered in hurricane off the Bahama Islands 13th September, 1944. Loss of 248 crew members, 73 survived. Sank at 1250.
WILLIAM D. PORTER (DD-579)
Sunk by Kamikaze attack off Okinawa 10th June 1945. Hit at 0815. Sank at 1127.
No fatal injuries.
WORDEN (DD-352)
Wrecked on Amchitka Island, Aleutians, 12th January 1943. Loss of 14 crew members.
In addition to the Destroyers other ships were lost:
Battleships (4)
Fleet Tugs (10)
Aircraft Carriers (5)
Miscellaneous Auxiliaries (7)
Escort Carriers (6)
Transports (7)
Cruisers (10)
High Speed Transports (11)
Destroyers (70)
Minelayers (3)
Destroyer Escort (11)
High Speed Minesweepers (6)
Submarines (50)
Minesweepers (15)
Patrol Vessels (8)
Submarine Tenders & Rescue Vessels (3)
Seaplane Tenders (3)
LST’s (40)
Oilers (7)
LSM’s (6)
Cargo Vessels (6)
PC’s (5)
SC’s (13)
PGM’s (3)
VMA’a (20)
CG’s (3)
…..Enclosed are a couple of photos that
Russell took at the reunion. We had a wonderful time in Newport. Thanks for all the time and work to get
it all ready. Hoping to see you at
the next reunion in Baton Rouge.
…..Meryl A. Russell
…..Thank you for sending me the USS
Bell DD587 news. I enjoy hearing
from you and about my shipmates. May
God bless and protect all of you.
…..Harold & Mavis Hughes
…..I am writing this for Jim. He sure appreciated hearing from you. My niece made copies from her computer
and gave them to him. He has
pictures we will have copied and send them later. Jim is a retired farmer and I
am a retired nurse. We live in a
small town of 11,000 people.
…..Mrs. Jim (Chris) Sellers
…..My name is Paul G. Daniels. I was on the Bell from early 1945 til
June 1945. Went aboard when the ship
was in dry dock at Bremerton, Washington.
Fireman 1st class was my rank. My job on board was operating
the distillers making fresh water from seawater.
…..Paul Daniels
…..Thank you for the new hats. They are great. I also read the news letters several
times. Great news. I have a newspaper that the Bell printed
on board. I am sending a copy I had
made. The original copy is old and
yellow but the words, as you will see brought joy and happiness at the news.
(Japanese surrendered). There was a note in the newsletter last time that Wesley
Warren’s son wanted information on him.
I was a loader on the 40-Mg and he was the one who passed me the ammo.
He was always there. We called him Pop. He took my place as loader when I was
transferred to help the sick bay, Dr. McGovern and Chief Olson and Gordon.
…..James Henson
…..I’d like to add my thanks to those
who’ve already expressed appreciation for the USS Bell Association’s newsletter
and activities. My dad, Robert T.
Baker, has greatly enjoyed being a member of the association and having access
to the newsletter. He’s shared the
letters and some remembrances of his time aboard the Bell with me. For this I, too, am grateful. I especially appreciated the memory lane
log entries of Commander Gabbert. I
laughed as I pictured the little PT boat delivering mail on one side of the ship
as it fired its guns on the other side in support of the Australian troops. I
was somber as I realized that my dad could have been one of the 95 men who lost
their lives on board the USS Ommaney Bay.
But most importantly I became ever more aware of just what men and women
endured and contributed on my behalf and the behalf of everyone in this country
to secure our freedom. I’ll share a
couple of dad’s remembrances of his time aboard the Bell and then say good-bye
and thanks again! Dad remembered
being in a fierce storm, lying in his bunk and listening to depth charges that
had become unsecured rolling back and forth across the deck of the ship. Didn’t make for a great night’s sleep! He also said they were long at sea
without anything green to eat when a crate of celery was unloaded on the ship. Though he’d never been a celery fan
before, he became one that day and is till this day!
…..Pat Southard
(Proud daughter of Robert T. Baker, “The Salt Water King
…..My name is Rick Pavlakovic. My father John served on the Bell in
WWII. He was on the Bell from
February 1944 to June 1944 as an Electricians Mate Second Class (EM-2). He served in the Marshall Islands, Guam
and Truk. After serving on the Bell,
he was transferred to the aircraft carrier Shangri-la CV-38, and served until
the end of the war. I ran across
tour page in Military.com while browsing for other info.
I understand that there is a reunion on October 16-20 of this month.
After talking to my dad today, he hopes that quite a few men will attend this
reunion. Maybe next year my father will attend if
this reunion is still being held.
One question my father has is if anyone knows how many service stars the Bell
received during its duty tours and the final disposition of her after the war.
Any answers you have will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for now.
…..Rick Pavlakovic
…..Please accept my apology for taking
so long to reply to your letter which you sent to my sister-in-law, Catherine
Altimari, and which she forwarded to me.
My father, William C. Altimari, did indeed serve aboard the Bell in 1943. He was a signalman striker and a loader
on a 20mm gun and served on the Bell on her shakedown cruise to Cuba. Afterward, he was transferred off, but I
don’t know the reason for that. He
had shore duty until early 1945, when he volunteered to serve aboard the USS
Mississippi, BB-41, in the Pacific with the Seventh Fleet. As a Boatswain’s Mate and gun captain on
a 5in gun on the starboard boat deck, he served in the Philippines and at the
Battle of Okinawa and was present at the surrender of Japan in Tokyo Bay on
September 2, 1945. He frequently
told me he preferred his service on the Bell because it was smaller and more
like a family. He died of lung
cancer September 12, 1986 at the age of 62.
Thank you for your interest in my father.
I know he would be very touched.
…..Bill Altimari, Jr.
…..Because I was born just five years
after WWII, my father’s war service was still fresh in his mind when I was
growing up. One other thing I
remember his telling me is that his bunk on the Bell was right near the ship’s
magazine – above it, I believe and that if the Bell ever took a hit when he was
sleeping, he would have just disappeared.
Several years before he died, I made him a model of a Fletcher Class
destroyer, and rarely had I seen him so touched. He did not express his emotions
easily, but that was one time when he truly did. Like so many men of that generation, he
saw his war service as simply a job that had to be done. I’m sure he would be stunned and
speechless to know you had been trying to track him down.
When the war was over, he never bragged about his service, though the
Mississippi earned many battle stars, took two kamikaze hits (one when he was
aboard off Okinawa), and lost many men in battle. He and his shipmates were training in the
Phillippines for the invasion of Japan when the atomic bombs were dropped. He was grateful to Harry Truman forever. Please know that my father will be there
with you in spirit. Thank you again.
…..Bill Altimari, Jr.
…..Hi – I am Florence Bishop – wife of
Walter Bishop. I am responding to
your letter of Feb 8th regarding locating shipmates of the USS Bell. I am not sure you have the right person,
as my husband’s middle name is Francis.
But he did serve in the Navy during WWII and was in the Pacific. I am not sure of the ship’s name but he
served on LSM246. I am also curious
as to how you located him. He is in
a nursing home now as he has Alzheimer’s Disease.
We have been married for 52 years and have three grown children and six
grandchildren. I am anxious to hear
from you and it would be wonderful to think that this was his ship. I think if I mentioned some shipmate
names he would probably recognize them as he has long-term memory sometimes. Hoping to hear from you, I am sincerely,
Florence Bishop.
…..My name is George F. Jones and I
reside in New Jersey. I am in receipt of your8/26 letter seeking information on
George Forest Jones. Unfortunately,
I cannot provide much assistance in this regard.
I’ve surveyed the family but we have no relative with that particular
name. Still, I did want to write and
express my gratitude to the veterans who served on the USS Bell. As a student of history, particularly the
Second World War, I am very aware of the awesome risk and sacrifice thrust on
those who went forward into harm’s way in that critical time. Though this conflict ended just more than
a decade before I was born, its successful resolution has certainly blessed my
life by making the world a much better place.
I hope you will extend my thanks and appreciation to those who risked
more than could ever be adequately acknowledged. Their sacrifice and service are greatly
appreciated. Good luck in your
ongoing efforts to locate these special shipmates.
Best Regards.
George Jones
…..I received your letter in the mail
yesterday regarding your search for missing members of the USS Bell. Unfortunately I’m not the Edward Hunt you
are looking for. I was not living
during WWII. My father’s name is
Edwin and he didn’t serve in the war either.
Good luck with your search and I wish all the war veteran’s the best of luck and
health and thanks for all they have done for our country and benefactors like
myself.
…..Edward Hunt
…..Just a few lines to tell you that
Lupe and myself had a good time at the reunion.
Mr. & Mrs. Daniels did a good job of putting it together. Also here are a few pictures. Hope you enjoy them.
…..Tom Gutierrez
…..My name is Paul G. Daniels. I was on the Bell from early 1945 til
June 1945. Went aboard when the ship
was in dry dock at Bremerton, Washington.
Fireman 1st Class was my rank. My job onboard was operating the
distillers and making fresh water from seawater.
…..Paul Daniels
…..It pains me
to tell you that my husband, Keith, passed away on August 16, this year. He was diagnosed with cancer on April 2,
and went very quickly. I miss him so
much. He was a good husband. May your reunion be a success. I have located Keith’s discharge papers
from the U.S. Navy. It shows his
rank and classification to be Fire Controlman 2c V6 USNR. It is kind of you to include Keith in
your list of Bell shipmates. I know
he would like that.
…..Doris Holser
…..We now have
caps and golf shirts available.
Screen printed caps are $5.00 plus $1.50 postage.
Embroidered caps are $10.00 plus $1.50 postage. The golf shirts are $25.00
plus $1.50
postage. The men’s shirts are pique
and come in Large and Extra Large.
The ladies shirts are smooth combed cotton and come in Large and Extra Large.
They are very nice shirts.
…..It is said
that when the Holy Family fled to Egypt, they stopped to rest on a hillside
beside a little stream, where Mary washed the baby’s clothes. She spread the tiny garments on a
fragrant bush to dry in the sun. For
its humble services the plant was named rosemary, and God rewarded it with
delicate blossoms of the same heavenly blue as the Madonna’s robe. According to legend, rosemary decorating
the altar at Christmas brings special blessings to the recipient
THE SAGA OF GUN 42
At the reunion
in Newport, Mike DiVeronica and two or three of us recalled the time when Gun 42
shot down a kamikaze. Gun 42 was a
twin mount 40-mm located forward on the port side. In this position it was almost constantly
bathed in salt spray or sometimes green water.
The business end of the gun stood this treatment very well but the
electrical system became very unreliable.
Gun 42 and further aft Gun 44 and all of the portside 20mm could be
controlled by the main battery director, the Mk51 director which was situated
amidships or manually by the pointer (who controlled the elevation) and the
trainer (who controlled the horizontal angle.)
On this occasion we were under attack by several kamikazes. The main battery started firing at a
bandit on the port quarter about 5 miles out.
Suddenly, a second bandit appeared on the port bow coming in low and
fast. The Mk 51 started tracking but
of course the electrics went out on gun 42 and the crew shifted to manual
control. Mike DiVeronica was the
trainer and the gun Captain took over as pointer.
Gun 42 opened fire and after a few rounds I saw the canopy of the plane
explode from a direct 40 mm hit. The
pilotless plane glided harmlessly into the water. Thanks to Mike and all members of the Gun
42 crew, we made it through another engagement.
I wish I could remember the name of the Gun42 Gun Captain. He bounced up and down between Seaman 1st
and Gunner’s Mate 2nd frequently, but he really knew his ordnance.
Dick Daniels