Updated 03/18/00
The picture was taken when they were on leave in Worchester, Mass. about July of 1944. The ship was being repaired at the Bremerton navy yard across the bay from Seattle Washington, to repair damage received on June 19, 1944, from the bomb 500 pound bomb during the battle of the 'Marianas Turkey Shoot.'
I have a Japanese sniper rifle which I got with five other seamen who, while at anchor in Tokyo Bay one evening, speculated at the possibility of going ashore to get the quite ssential souvenir - a Jap gun.As soon as it was dark enough we got out on the yard arm near the stern, and with more luck than brains - rowed the boat to shore, to a dock - and got the guns - got cught - and surreptitiously got some of our guns - a crazy story in itself - the gun, I still have, as it was then. The next morning, the master of Arms group towed the sleek sampan out a ways, low in the water, loaded with the rest of our guns, fired on the hull, and just sunk that boat in the bay, to the dismay of all who watched. Oh! - for the want of a souvenir!
I wonder if there is anyone out there who remembers this incident, or who was with me on the sampan that night. We managed to get about 40 guns off the boat and I can account for the two I received, one of which I gave to a shipmate, my uncle. So there are about 38 seamen who got a gun - where are you ?We received a Deck Court Marshal for our trouble.
Nichola P. Russo
Rochester, NY
This letter from Terry E. Pangbum was a pleasant surprise.
I live in southern New Jersey, my father worked at the New York Ship yard during World War two, as a welder. I have heard about "Battleship X" many, many times. Thanks to your web pages, I have now seen photos and read the history of what my father was so proud of. he passed away in June of this year. He lived to be 87 and many of his proudest accomplishments were made at the Camden ship yard.
How many nights he would sit and talk about
"Battleship X". I guess that the work he put into that ship was a labor of love. I wish he were still with us, I would definitely show him your web site and I am sure it would have brought a tear to his eye.
Thanks again and I salute you !
Terry. E. Pangbum
ANYBODY REMEMBER Leonard Meyer, AKA Curly ?
>Leonard is looking for some of his old buddies to share stories with. he was with the 7th Division and manned the 5" gun, turret 5 & 7. He served aboard the BB57 from August 1943 until it drydocked in Phileadelphia in 1946.
Leonards daughter, Pam Winistorfer, tells his story about when he enlisted. "He went with several buddies to join the Army. The recruiter looked at him and said, 'You look like a sailor to me', and that was the beginning of the excitement.
If you know Leonard and would like to spend some time chatting with him, write to: ussdakota@aol.com>
FRED C. BECKWITH
Nephew of Lawrence Corey,US Navy, WWII (deceased)
My uncle, "Larry" Corey served on the USS South Dakota after enlisting in the Navy on Dec. 8th, 1941(day after Pearl Harbor attack). I have only dim memories of him since he died years ago while I was quite young. I only know what my mom (his sister) told me about his service.
She often told about an incident where he helped clean up dead and wounded after some attack on the ship. She says he was excited to enlist after Pearl Harbor but hated every day in the Navy after he got in.
Once, when he surprised her with a homecoming,she happened to be cooking beans for the meal- probably the last thing he dreamed about having to eat on a Navy leave. He died young, probably in part due to the Malaria he carried home from the war. He worked on telephone poles and suffered a bad fall in the 50's or early 60's. I would be interested in any accounts by anyone who might have known him aboard the USS South Dakota.
FRED C. BECKWITH
A POEM WRITTEN BY A CREW MEMBER WHILE ABOARD THE BB57
Thanks for the memory,of working with Radar,the Super-Sleuth by far.
Thru fog and rain, its mechanical brain sees targets near and far.
We thank you so much.
Yes, thanks for the memory, of targets on our scope, friendlies we sure hope,
ATBF showing 'IFF', Boy that guy is no dope. We thank you so much.
Oh, manys the time they have faded, and those are the times we have hated. To re-appear we anxiously awaited but the screen is clear, no pips appear.
So thanks for the memory, of the littl 'ASE' the powerful 'SG' its electric Bye called P.P.I., can trace both land and sea, we thank you so much.
Oh, thanks for the memory, of hell from the O.O.D. for tyhe targets we could not see, that were so close to land echoes, that rose right out of the sea. we thank you so much.
Oh, manys the raid that we tracked in, and manys the pilot that we called in, and manys the thrill that we shared in, when the F.D.O. claimed a Tally-Ho !
So thanks for the memory, of being in the know, as to where goes Bogey Joe, be he near or far, F.D. Radar will surely steal the show, we thank you so much.
by John Peles, Jr.
Radarman 1st Class, USS South Dakota
July '43 - Sept. '45
Return to the Past
This email was received from Margie Busko, daughter in law of Marion Busko who served aboard the BB57.
I love to sit on the internet and pull information down before his eyes to see the interest. The smile on his face could make anybody's day. Thank You so much for your fantastic site. A freak thing happened yesterday. Pap(Marion) came over to visit, believe it or not, with pictures of his Navy days in his pocket from showing them at the coffee shop. I had not mentioned anything about the ship for about one month, and was planning to sit him at the computer that night. I believe there is someone more powerful than us behind this reunion. He knew surprisingly, a lot of the people on the web pages. What a look on his face ! He was oblivious to his surroundings.
We took him on the sister ship about 2 years ago on a surprise trip. When thhe dinner bell rang on the ship, he started running without even thinking about what he was doing, proceeded by embarrasment afterwards.
Looking for the Artist of the BB57
My father served on the South Dakota in the South Pacific.I have three original line drawings depicting him in humorous prediciments, done by an unknown artist who was on board the ship. The drawings are pen and ink on large index cards, and are of professional quality. They are highly detailed, and unsigned. I would love to know who the artist might be. If anyone has any leads, please contact me at: Bazrguy@aol.com
FROM ACROSS THE MILES,
Finally after many years, Craig Crippen has owned up to Jerry Bailey! It was Craig who put the .45 bullet through Jerry's bunk & foul weather jacket, not Brumbeloe as Jerry has thought all these years. Craig was a part of the landing party that went ashore at Yokosuka in the intial occupation. But Craigs confession is a "keeper" for Jerry.
DID YOU KNOW JAMES V. MOONEY ?
Jim Mooney, son of James V. Mooney would like to share with us a couple of his dads pictures from his time aboard the BB57. Jim found his dads certificate that was given to each shipmate when they crossed the equator. The strange part of this story is that he also found a paper that belonged to his dads friend. Jim wonders why his dad would have another shipmates certificate. This certificate was signed by an officer named John Uehlinger. If you should have any stories you might want to share with Jim, you can reach him at jimmoon@email.msn.com
IF YOU WERE IN THE 1ST DIVISION, YOU ARE PROBABLY IN THIS PICTURE
Picture was sent to us by Jim Mooney, 2nd Generation
There are many stories that have been sent to us, but this one depicts just how young and inexperienced these sailors were.
The 9th Division, which I was part of, had many 20mm machine guns. When we left for the South Pacific, our gun crews had many practice alerts, but could not hit the target.
The target was a large black balloon which floated in many directions when the wind current caught it. The balloons were usually released while we were on gun watch and playing cards.
The captain seemed to get disgusted when we kept missing the targets. One day while we had an alert, the captain came down and asked if he could get behind the gun and show us how to shoot.
With a few bursts, the target was shot down. The captain said that there is nothing to it. We got better after that demonstration. the practice really helped later on. The ship shot down at least 64 planes during the war.
Chester Usowski, 9th Division,USS South Dakota
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