Summer 2010 ESCORT CARRIER SAILORS & AIRMEN ASSN. Non-profit Newsletter of the ESCORT CARRIER SAILORS & AIRMEN ASSOCIATION, INC. 2037 MEADOW LAKE COURT U.S. Postage NORFOLK, VA 23518 PAID Norfolk, VA Permit #360 BOARD OF GOVERNORS Joseph W. Bennett, President (Joyce) John W. Smith, Treasurer (Pauline) Ralph Magerkurth, Membership (Jane) USS Corregidor CVE-58 USS Salamaua CVE-96 USS Sangamon CVE-26 2464 Sandrock Road 7268 NW 16th Street 13114 Blue Bonnet Drive Eden, NY 14057-9574 Ankeny, IA 50023-8823 Sun City West, AZ 85375-2537 Phone: 716.474.1670 Home Phone: 515.289.1467 Phone: 623.628.9589 Charles Howse, Editor Email: [email protected] Fax: 515.289.8408 Email: [email protected] USS Santee, Bogue, Mission Bay, Croatan Email: [email protected] The CVE PIPER is published Charles Howse, Vice President (Betty) Robert Hamilton, Memorial bi-monthly by the ESCORT CARRIER SAILOR USS Santee, Bogue, Mission Bay, Croatan USS Core CVE-13 Editor, CVE Piper 114 Village Green Court & AIRMEN ASSN., INC. 2037 Meadow Lake Court Waxahachie, TX 75165 And is mailed by non-profit Veterans Permit from Norfolk, VA 23518 Home Phone: 972.782.2544 Norfolk, Virginia Phone: 757.855.6663 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Send DUES & CHANGE OF ADDRESS to: Ralph Magerkurth Membership Chairman George Manik, Secretary (Barbara) Bob Evans, Associate Treasurer (Janet) Gerald Styx, Merchandise 13114 Blue Bonnet Drive USS Sangamon CVE-26 USS Sangamon CVE-26 USS Tulagi Sun City W., AZ 85375 50 North Island Drive 1649 Glenhill Lane 9729 S. 52nd Avenue 623-628-9589 Bayville, NJ 08721 Lewisville, TX 75077-2728 Oak Lawn, IL 60453 Email: [email protected] Home Phone: 732.269.0866 Email: [email protected] Phone: 708.422.0916 C-Phone: 732.269.6767 Email: [email protected] Fax: 732.269.6696 Send DONATIONS to: Email: [email protected] John Smith Treasurer 7268 NW 16th Street Ankeny, IA 50021-8823 515-289-1467 Will you assist us and increase our membership? If you have any names of shipmates who you think might be interested in joining our Escort Carrier Sailor & Send items for PUBLICATION to: Airmen Association, please send them to me, or email me and I will send them a CVE Piper. Charles Howse 2037 Meadow Lake Court Norfolk, VA 23518 “Mage” Magerkurth Shipmate CVE: 757-855-6663 Email: [email protected] 13114 W. Blue Bonnet Drive Sun City West, AZ 85375 Address: CVE PIPER SUBMISSION GUIDELINES Phone: 623-628-9589 LEGAL CONSEQUENCES Some members are sending clippings from Email: [email protected] City: newspapers, magazines and books, with a request that we print them in the CVE Piper. You must get written permission from the ST: Zip: source of the article (writer, publisher, photog- rapher, etc.) Before we can legally reprint these articles or pictures. ESCORT CARRIER SAILORS & AIRMEN ASSOCIATION MEMORIAL We have been advised that this written permis- DONATION (BONDED) TREASURER, JOHN W. SMITH, 7268 NW 16TH ST, sion must be in our possession in case of a law ANKENY, IA 50021-8823 INCORPORATED IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF suite which can have substantial penalties for our VIRGINIA, IRS CLASSIFICATION 501-19 I.D. Number 54-1599146 Association. ERROR AVOIDANCE Donor Last Name Donar First Name Many past submissions to the CVE Piper were hand written, and some were difficult to read by Address City St Zip our printers who are not familiar with Escort Car- rier names and Navy terminology. The publisher had to guess. As a result, the editor received Ship or Squadron you served in numerous letters pointing out the errors. All future letters submitted for publishing must Memorial Donations are Tax Deductible under ECSAA’s IRS Classification 501C-19 be typed or clearly printed, This may cause problems for some of you, but it will improve the Check Number Amount $ Date quality of the Piper. CVE Piper - Summer 2010 - Page 2 LUVERNE — Johnny Johnson is fondly referred to as a triple-deck- photographer on the California naval base. Then, in early 1942, a unit er by some of the staff at the Royal C. Johnson Veterans Administra- commander offered him the opportunity to work on the fleet oiler tion Hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D. The nickname refers to the collec- USS Sangamon. The ship was destined for Guadalcanal, a province tion of medals Johnson earned while serving in World War II — the of the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean. Purple Heart, Bronze Star and Navy Commendation. En route to their destination, one of the men on board contracted spi- Johnson, of Luverne, is among more than 60 World War II veterans nal meningitis and died, resulting in a quarantine placed on the entire who have already submitted applications to take part in the first ever ship. When the quarantine was lifted, the ship headed toward some of Southwest Minnesota Honor Flight, planned in the spring of 2010. the smaller islands in the South Pacific. World War II veterans will be flown “The Japs had taken over so many of them,” to the nation’s capital free of charge Johnson recalled. to view their memorial in a whirl- His job aboard the USS Sangamon was to wind, two-day trip. Fundraising is work in the 100-octane gas room, manag- just getting under way to provide ing the fuel hose and aviation fuel tank for the trip for up to 120 veterans. America’s military airplanes needing to Sitting in his home on East Warren refuel. Street earlier this week, just a few “One thing about the fuel system that people blocks down from where he grew don’t know — for every gallon of fuel that up on West Warren Street, Johnson went out, a gallon of water replaced it,” said he just wants to see all of the Johnson said. The water sank to the bottom World War II veteran Johnny Johnson of Luverne names of his fellow comrades etched and left the remaining fuel floating on top, holds the display of the medals he garnered while in stone in the World War II memo- while also keeping the ballast of the ship on serving in the Navy. His honors include the Purple rial, which was completed in 2004. an even keel. Heart, Bronze Star and Navy Commendation medals. With the exception of the four years Two electric and two saltwater turbines were (Julie Buntjer/Daily Globe) he served in the war, and a brief stint used to pump the fuel to the hangar deck and in Worthington, Johnson is a life-long the flight deck, several decks above the fuel resident of Rock County. He was 21 years old when he and a trio of room. other guys from Luverne went to Sioux Falls to enlist in the service. Because of his job several decks below sunlight, Johnson was often Two of the guys didn’t pass the test and were sent home, but Johnson unaware of what was going on around the ship during its journeys, and Lloyd Licht were accepted. Each enrolled in the Navy. unless it was under attack. When that happened, orders were sounded “I’d seen so much of the Army fighting, and the Navy recruiter said throughout the ship. we’d never have to crawl on our hands and knees, but we crawled on our hands and knees just to survive,” he said. Johnson completed his basic training in San Diego, Calif., while Li- Continued on age 9 cht went elsewhere. The two men never saw each other again. As he awaited assignment to a ship, Johnson worked briefly as a CVE Piper - Summer 2010 - Page 3 USS BAIROKO (As told by Allan Gardner) About 4 months earlier, although I never knew it during my entire “You have been assigned to the Bairoko...an escort carrier now be- time aboard, Archie was on a ship that sank during the massive ing built in Bremerton, Washington.” typhoon off Luzon in December 1944 as part of Halsey’s fleet pro- And so in April 1945 began my CVE adventure. tecting MacArthur’s invasion of the Philippines. Over 800 men were lost...more than in the Battle of Midway. Archie was in the water 23 I had been in Great Lakes boot camp and had just finished hours before being picked up. But that’s another story; I will include Quartermaster school in Chicago. A three day train ride brought me it later. to my destination...orders in hand. During the trip I heard that Presi- With only a short time in the Navy behind me at that time, my dent Roosevelt had died...we had a new Commander in Chief. personal hierarchy went something like this: first there was God... The crew was assembled over the next few weeks. We went then the President, next the Captain and then the Chief. to training sessions in temporary buildings alongside the carrier, On many occasions the Chief displaced the Captain and now in the final stages of completion. Work President and tied with God for first position. was going on around the clock. The ship- During training we had moved onto the ship...I was in a yard was turning out CVE’s at the rate of very small berthing compartment with about 30 others...in about one a month...remarkable then and the second tier of a 4 bunk stack. About 20 inches sepa- now. Standing dock side the ship was about rated me from the canvas underside of the next bunk...that the biggest thing I had ever seen. Platforms was to be “home” for the next year.