Return to Miscl. Page USS CONY Presented by Ann Sleight Harrison and Jill Hume Harrison June 2, 2012 Welcome! Headlines from around the U.S. August 16, 1942* • 11 Ships Launched in US in one Day! • Maine Launches 8 Ships Today! • A slogan of one shipyard read: “One a day will keep Hitler, Hirohito and Mussolini away!” * It was the greatest mass launching in US history. Admiral Emory Land on launch day said: • “We must make time work for us and allow none of that time to be wasted. You are helping to answer the challenge of Hitler’s submarines –a challenge that we know we must not fail. Every time you hit a rivet, think of it as Hitler and hit it again. Hit harder! Our production must replace each ship that Hitler’s U-Boats are sinking. Every time you weld a seam, think of it as a Jap and turn on the heat, plenty of heat! Every day as you finish your jobs, think to yourselves, “That’s a good lick put in for Uncle Sam.” Uncle Arthur’s Letter 1942 The Commissioning Oct. 30th, Boston After the launches, Uncle Joe, a cousin of Joseph S. Cony, writes: Dear Bessie, Big day –very big day here! Melon, eggs, sausages, baked beans, fishcakes, pie and doughnuts for breakfast at the expense of the Bath Ship Co (aka BIW Corp)! Never saw such a meal at 8:00 AM –and Sunday at that! Maine newspaper reporter wrote: Today is a great day in Maine history –the day on which this State is to give into the arms of old Father Neptune eight new ships to help with the war for freedom… Once upon a time each one of these vessels was a dream in the back of somebody’s mind…. _______________________________________ In Maine, Governor Sumner Sewall issued a Proclamation announcing August 16, 1942 Maine Shipbuilders Day. Launching Party 1942 Senators, including Harry S. Truman with Alice Sleight The christening ceremony, as described by Uncle Joe’s letter: • Finally, Alice and Bill, the • admirals, generals, senators and press photographers arrived; and, as Alice, with a slightly and very becoming flush on her face, made some practice shots with the bottle of champagne, all the photographers and movie camera men took pictures of her from every angle… August 16, 1942 The Big Splash! The Celebratory Feast, as described by Uncle Joe: • It was now 5:00 P.M. and we all took special busses out to the clam bake at Rock Hill Inn on a lovely lake about five miles out of Bath toward Brunswick. Here some 450 people sat down at two tremendously long tables out under the trees on the high field above the • lake, covered with plates of bread, doughnuts, and pickles. Later everybody had to line up at a counter and get a tremendous helping of lobster, clams, green corn, chicken, hard boiled eggs and potatoes which had all been baked in two large piles of seaweed nearby. Christening Bottle USS “Cony” Mrs. William R. Sleight Sponsor August 16, 1942 Bath Iron Works Corp. Bath, Maine Joseph Saville Cony (Nov. 1834 – 10 February 1867) Born in Eastport, Maine Lost at sea off Cape Hatteras 10 February 1867 Cony Beach and Homestead Broad Cove, Eastport, Maine Civil War Heroism • From the USS Shokokan, on the evening of August 22, 1863, Ensign Cony led two small boat crews ashore near New Topsail Inlet, NC. • Carrying their dinghies on their shoulders, the men quietly crossed behind the Confederate encampment. • The small group of sailors caught them by surprise and Cony captured 10 men, an army howitzer, and 18 horses. They also destroyed the blockade running schooner Alexander Cooper. • For gallantry in action, Cony was promoted to Acting Master. This was the first documented “gallantry in action” for which he was honored. Ellen “Nelly” Holmes Cony and Joseph Saville Cony Married November 1863 Other Positions, Other Battles for Joseph S. Cony • Executive Officer, USS Shokokan of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron in 1864-65 • Acting Master of the steamer Britannia, on which he remained until the end of the Civil War • In January 1865, Cony volunteered to be one of the 2000 sailors and marines to attack Fort Fisher. The Union army advanced through woods while the naval brigade charged across an open beach. After the War… • Captain Cony was honorably discharged in 1865 from the US Navy as Acting Master. • On Nov. 7, 1865, he resumed a civilian career as a sea captain. He and his wife Ellen moved to Boston, out of which he sailed as Master of several steamships. • By February 1867, he was captain of the 400 ton City of Bath, which had served as a troop ship during the war, and now ran between Boston and Savannah. “Abandon Ship!” Cony ordered • On the City of Bath, on Feb. 7, 1867, the vessel left Boston and caught fire three days out to sea, Feb. 10, 1867, about 35 miles northwest of Cape Hatteras. • The seas were rough; and as morning came, the winds became a gale. The crew fought the flames for hours to no avail. • Captain Cony’s small boat capsized many times in the icy waters. At last sighting, it was swamped along the side of the sinking steamer. Of the 26 on board, 22 died. With the timely arrival of the schooner Laura S. Watson, four crew members were saved. St. Croix Historical Society • After Cony’s death, Ellen Holmes Cony returned to Calais, Maine. • She was devoted to the Grand Army of the Republic Veteran’s organization. • Her father’s estate became a museum and is part of the St. Croix Historical Society. • Ellen died at 79 in 1920, and was buried in the Holmes family plot. • Next to her headstone is her husband’s, with a simple inscription: “Joseph S. Cony, Lost at Sea, February 10, 1867. Age 33.” • Cony Coat of Arms Brought from Scotland Four rabbits crouching with eagle head Greenery represents The moors of Scotland Commemorative Marker in Cony Plot 11 Battle Stars earned Engagements by the USS Cony • Consolidation of the Southern Solomons • New Georgia-Vella LaVella Campaign • Treasury-Bougainville Campaign • Marianas Campaign • Palau Islands Assault and Occupation • Occupation of Leyte • Luzon Campaign • Borneo Operations A Letter to Alice: •The letter, although undated, appears to have been written just before the war in the Pacific came to an end, and reads as follows: •I have been stationed on a BIW Built Destroyer ever since I got out of boot training in October 1942. Like all Bath built ships, the Cony is one of the best that ever sailed the Pacific. Since the early part of ’42, we have given the Nips some pretty hard blows and as far as I know, she can still take care of herself. I have talked to several sailors in Bath-built destroyers and they all seem to think they are 4.0, and I think if the men that sail them think so, they must be OK by everyone else. • •We have participated in the invasions on Vella-LaVella, Treasury Island, Saipan, Tinian, Palau, Leyte, Luzon, Mandoro, and several smaller engagements that I can’t mention at this time. We also participated in the Battle for Leyte Gulf, where the Nips really took a good beating from the Navy. And in them all, the Cony did her job and is now waiting for more. •Sincerely, George Beale Pemaquid, Maine Alice’s response: • There is no date on the letter, but it was written in response to George Beale’s letter, probably shortly after the war had ended, on Aug. 15, 1945 • Dear Mr. Dickson: • • Thank you so much for your letter of August 11 enclosing the letter from George Beal (S1/2) telling of the Cony. As that beautiful ship slid down the ways that sunny August day in ’42, it seemed as if a part of me went with her and her gallant Commander and crew. All during the war I have eagerly scanned newspapers, magazines, and newsreels in the hope of some word of her. She has been constantly in my thoughts and it seems as if my prayers for her had been answered. Now that the great victory has come, I hope she will soon return to her port for a well deserved rest. • • The Bath Iron Works must be proud of her ship. • • Sincerely yours, • • Alice Hume Sleight Nearly 3 years to the day…the war is over! August 14, 1945 Photo by Alfred Eisenstaedt After the war… • After performing minesweeping operations and coastal control throughout Asia, on Dec. 15, 1945, Cony received orders she had been waiting for: “Come home. Well done.” • Approximately six months later, she was decommissioned and placed in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at her homeport of Charleston, SC on June 18, 1946. Nov. 17, 1949 Recommissioning Event Boston Naval Shipyard Admiral Watt , Jr., Alice Sleight, and Congressman John F. Kennedy with Congressman John F. Kennedy Letter from David Dean, aboard the USS Cony, 1964: • “The Cony still indeed is on active duty, and while the years have taken their toll, she is still counted upon to do the job, as well as her more youthful sisters. We presently operate out of Norfolk, Virginia, in Destroyer Squadron 28, which presently includes seven other ships of the Cony’s class and age. While there are many newer ships with much more sophisticated equipment, you will be proud to know that during the Cuban crisis of 1962, Cony was one of the first ships to be called and received recognition for her performance.” USS Cony is given a burial at sea Peavey Memorial Library honors USS Cony Servicemen •Today you can see a rose grant marker with inscription and outline of U.S.S.