“Baptized by Saltwater”: Acts of Remembrance and Commemoration Surrounding the USS Block Islands, CVE-21 & CVE-106 by Benjamin J. Hruska A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Approved April 2012 by the Graduate Supervisory Committee: Victoria Thompson, Chair Jannelle Warren-Findley Kyle Longley ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY MAY 2012 ABSTRACT The Second World War has been portrayed as the central event for understanding the history of America in the 20 th Century. This dissertation will examine the acts of commemoration and remembrance by veterans who served on the escort carriers, USS Block Island , CVE-21 & CVE-106. Acts of remembrance and commemoration, in this case, refer to the authorship of memoirs, the donation of symbolic objects that represent military service to museums, and the formation of a veteran’s organization, which also serves as a means of social support. I am interested in the way stories of the conflict that fall outside the dominant narratives of the Second World War, namely the famous battles of land, sea, and air, have been commemorated by the veterans who were part of them. Utilizing primary source material and oral histories, I examine how acts of remembrance and commemoration have changed over time. An analysis of the shifting meanings sheds light on how individual memories of the war have changed, in light of the history of the larger war that continues to ignore small ships and sea battles. ii Dedicated to Dr. John Allen Gable for being there at the beginning, and Dr. Noel Stowe for being there at the end. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation is the result of much support from a range of individuals and institutions. First, I would like to thank my family and friends for their interest. This project has in fact expanded my circle of friends to include veterans, their wives, and other relations who retain a personal connection to those “baptized by saltwater.” During my entire time at ASU my committee has provided invaluable guidance. Firstly, I would like to thank the guiding support of my Committee Chair, Dr. Victoria Thompson. Her stewardship has allowed for this project to expand in thinking critically about place and space and the notion of commemoration. Her advice on research questions and writing has also greatly improved the original concept for this project. Dr. Jan Warren-Findley, also a committee member, has given advice that has shaped the theoretical development of this topic and, outside the dissertation, provided wonderful advice on seeking grants and job leads. Dr. Kyle Longley, another member of the committee, has given thoughtful feedback on my research questions in dealing with veteran’s groups and national remembrance of conflict and individual service members. I would also like to thank the Board of Directors of the Block Island Historical Society. Since 2003, when artifacts related to CVE-21 and CVE-106 were found in their collection, they have fully supported my continued interest on the subject. This project led to a summer exhibition on the ships, a permanent exhibition at the American Legion Post 36 on the island, attendance at reunions of veterans, and, finally, hosting these veterans on Block Island on May 31, 2007. iv The continued support of the Board led to expanding our institution’s original mission and discovering the heritage of Block Island was not limited to the terrestrial bounds of this small island. This dissertation would not have been possible without the full support of members of the USS Block Island Association. While attending multiple annual reunions, the members, including both veterans and family members, have been nothing but fully supportive in my research interests in the heritage of the story of the USS Block Islands. Interviews conducted, both at annual meetings and at the homes of veterans, have allowed the intellectual exploration of the commemoration of the experience of losing CVE-21. More specifically, I would like to thank Bill and Judy MacInnes for their efforts in dealing with my countless emails and questions with regards to the history of both CVE-21 and CVE-106 and the past activities of the USS Block Island Association. I also want to thank Judge Scott Stucky of the Department of Defense’s U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. In the summer of 2009, my internship with the Court allowed me to live and work in Washington D.C. This granted me extensive time for researching at the National Archives, the military library at the Army/Navy Club, and the Naval Historical Center. Lastly, I would like to thank my parents for supporting me in this effort of intellectual exploration. Without their backing of my exploring new ways of thinking and looking at the world from childhood on, this document would not exist. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF IMAGES………………………………………………………..……viii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………..…….......1 Contribution to Scholarship……………………………..………..9 Methodology……………………………………………..……...14 Related Literature ……………………………………..………...18 Description of Chapters………………………………..………...48 2 THE NATIONAL NARRATIVE: COMMEMORATION OF THE U.S. NAVY AND MARINE CORPS IN WORLD WAR II IN OFFICAL FORM AND POPULAR CULTURE……….…………………….….....53 3. THE ‘JEEP’ OF THE ATLANTIC: THE STORY OF THE CREWMEMBERS OF THE USS BLOCK ISLAND, CVE-21’s MULTIPLE MISSIONS OF TEAMWORK……………………...……121 4. VESSEL IN TRANSITION: USS BLOCK ISLAND , CVE-106, NUMEROUS ROLES IN THE PACIFIC DURING WORLD WAR II AND INTO POST-WAR COLD-WAR AMERICA…………………..184 5. RECLAIMING THEIR SERVICE: INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP REACTIONS TO THE EXPERIENCES OF THE USS BLOCK ISLAND, CVE-21 & CVE-106……………………….…………….….248 6. FINDING THEIR PLACE: ESCORT CARRIER VETERAN’S SELF COMMEMORATION……………………………………………...….312 vi Page BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………368 APPENDIX A LISTING OF U.S. AIRCRAFT CARRIERS SUNK DURING WORLD WAR II.……………………………………………………………………….390 B EXPLANING SAMPLE OF INTERVIEWS WITH VETERANS WHO ATTENDED REUNIONS AND WERE ACTIVE MEMBERS IN THE 1980s AND 1990s…………………………………………………...….392 C COPYRIGHT PERMISSIONS FROM THE BLOCK ISLAND HISTOICAL SOCIETY…………………………….…………………………….…...394 D COPYRIGHT PERMISSIONS FROM THE USS BLOCK ISLAND ASSOICATION………………………………………………….……..396 E DOCUMENTATION OF INSTITUTION REVIEW BOARD ARRPOVAL……………………………………………………………398 vii LIST OF IMAGES Images Page 1. CVE-21 Under Construction………………………………………….. 132 2. CVE-21 Cruising…………………………………………………...…. 134 3. CVE-21 Docking in Belfast……………………………………………142 4. German POWs Onboard CVE-21…………………………………….. 155 5. CVE-21 Listing After Torpedo Strikes………………………………...165 6. Drawing of Torpedo Strikes……………………………………………173 7. Survivors of the Baptism……………………………………………… 178 8. CVE-106 at Anchor…………………………………………………… 193 9. Taking on Weapons at Kerema Retto…………………………………. 211 10. Crew Loading Weapons During Expected Japanese Air Attack……… 213 11. & 12. Recreation Party Visiting Small Island………………………… 217 13. Celebrating the End of the War……………………………………….. 221 14. Block Island Avenger Lands on Formosa…………………………….. 226 15. POWs Posing in Camp Before Transport to CVE-106……………….. 227 16. & 17. POWs Onboard CVE-106.……………………………………... 230 18. USS Block Island, CVE-106, in the Korean Era………………………240 viii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION World War II has been portrayed as the central event for understanding the history of America in the 20 th Century. In addition to being studied by scholars, the U.S. Navy’s contribution to victory has been commemorated in numerous official forms by state institutions like the military, and through popular culture. These forms of commemoration surrounding the U.S. Navy demonstrate what American society has felt is important and worth remembering by broader audiences and for future generations. Like all forms of discourse surrounding complex topics, selections and omissions must take place to produce a coherent commemorative product. The Navy and other government entities produced films and publications that focused on the large sea battles that made newspaper headlines. 1 Similarly, popular examples of commemoration, including books and films, also highlighted major battles. However, the exploits of the U.S. Navy’s escort carriers involved in the conflict do not fit into the nation’s grand narrative of victory on the sea. Far from representing a nation in total control of the high seas, the escort carriers (CVEs) symbolize a nation barely provisioned for war. With only seven large carriers in the entire naval fleet at the U.S.’s entrance into the war, the CVE represents a quick fix sought by an under-prepared nation. With short production 1 Most notably: The documentary war series Victory at Sea , produced by NBC in cooperation with the U.S. Navy. First broadcast on television in 1952-3, the 26 part series was released as a film in 1954. 1 times, these naval workhorses completed a range of missions outside the limelight of famous battles celebrated after the war. Through logistical support, aid of amphibious landings, and pursuit of enemy submarines, the CVEs earned the nickname “jeep carrier”, a reference to the hardy jeep utilized by U.S. land forces that aided the military in numerous roles. 2 While these vessels did receive some attention during the war, this recognition centered on the vessels becoming victims of sinkings, not inflicting victory over the enemy. 3 After a number of the thinly armored first class of CVEs exploded in an amazingly violent nature as the result of a single torpedo, other names highlighting their vulnerability emerged. CVE no longer stood for “escort carrier”, but rather “Combustible, Vulnerable, and Expendable.” 4 However, these vessels are unique in comparison with other larger vessels in the U.S. Navy in terms of christening, which greatly affected their commemoration and memorialization after the war. 2 William T. Y’Blood, The Little Giants: U.S. Escort Carriers Against Japan. (Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1987), vii-viii. 3 Most notably the Battle of Samar on October 25, 1944 in the Philippine Sea when a group composed of six escort carriers and other vessels were completely taken by surprise by the Japanese Empire fleet.