Need help with WWII Naval history ...

[aspeck]

Most of you might have read that my FIL passed away yesterday. He was a PHM-3C during WWII. He would tell me more than anyone about his time in the Navy, and in the orient (most of which would be too politically incorrect for this forum).

However, we are trying to piece some things together of his history. We know that in ealy 1945 he traveled to Okinawa on the USS Nobel. From there he was on a "Flat Bottom" ("Yellow" ?????) to China and he was attatched to a Marine division while patroling the Yangtze River, staying on a "Floating Hotel." We have a couple of personal stories, again, not PC. But we are trying to piece together the time frames and any other info that would tell us what Pap had been involved with. Any history buffs that could help us out would be appreciated.

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Need help with WWII Naval history ...

Try some of these links to get a sense of timelines and objectives.
www.history.navy.mil/library/online/yangtze.htm
www.geocities.com/Vienna/5047/YANGTZE
www.nps.navy.mil/library/yangtze/slides/YangSlidSho.ppt

 

[CN Spots]

Re: Need help with WWII Naval history ...

Different spelling but could this be the same ship?...

http://ussnoble.com/pg/history.shtml

Sorry to hear about your FIL Art.

Daryl

 

[triumphrick]

Re: Need help with WWII Naval history ...

I regret to hear of the loss of your FIL. Our best wishes for you and yours. I read recently that over 1,000 WW2 soldiers and sailors die each day.

Although I was not a WW2 sailor, I was curious about your post and him being stationed in China. Also wondering about the PC mentioned in your post. I started first grade in a military school in Japan in 1953. To this day I can remember how gracious and humble the Japanese people we would come in contact with us were. I learned to speak Japanese and learned many of their customs. They were so amazed this little American kid was trying to converse with them! In their language...
OK, so I am way off base here, and I don't have any direct answers to the question...will be following this post to see if others chime in!

 

[woosterken]

Re: Need help with WWII Naval history ...

sorry to hear about your fil.
just a quick google serch came up with this.........
http://ussnoble.com/

woosterken

 

[aspeck]

Re: Need help with WWII Naval history ...

Oh, and Pap was always grateful for THE bomb being dropped ... he was on a ship with many others waiting for the landing invasion that was coming to Japan ... He said the bomb kept many good men alive, and he was probably one of them.

 

[JB]

Re: Need help with WWII Naval history ...

I don't speak PC, but I can tell you from my times in Japan that, at least in the '50s, the Japanese were the most civilized people on earth.

Clearly, the behavior of their military during the war was governed by a different set of rules and beliefs than ours, but they were as loyal and faithful to their beliefs as we were to ours.

The evil was in the beliefs, not in the individual.

Sorry not to have any history for you aspeck. I didn't get there until 1954 and we were out of China before that.

 

[aspeck]

Re: Need help with WWII Naval history ...

Yes, JB, I hear what you are saying, and agree with that. In war, however, they were quite vicious, and that was all that Pap knew. Recently we were able to introduce him to several Asian friends, and in the latter years his attitude changed towards the race, but he still despised the soldiers he fought against, provided medical attention for, and tried to fix the wounds they inflicted.

 

[thefairlaneman]

Re: Need help with WWII Naval history ...

You should be able to track where he went if you know the place he left from or the date and ship name for a start.His division name would also help a great deal. I found out a ton of where my Dad went in a short time surfin the net. Sorry for your lose. There arent many of them left to tell their story and thats everyones lose. I agree that being able to give specific info about his service will give a special meaning to everyone.

 

[joed]

Re: Need help with WWII Naval history ...

Can you apply for a copy of his military record? In Canada famaily members can get copies of military records of relatives. It gives name and dates of places they were stationed to.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Need help with WWII Naval history ...

Try this:

National WWII Museum
945 Magazine Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
(T) 504-527-6012
(F) 504-527-6088
info@nationalww2museum.org


You can also go directly to the research office by asking for Extension 312, or by contacting seth.paridon@nationalww2museum.org

 

[garry454]

Re: Need help with WWII Naval history ...

http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/


You can get his service record copied, as your wife is the NOK. However, there was quite a fire at the depot in the early/mid 70's, and they lost a lot of records in the blaze. It is still worth the try though.

Don't wait though. When I was in, I knew the guy at the depot - Art IIRC, but anyhow, he is the only person assigned to Navy records - so he is a bit overwhelmed.

If you can get his record, then you can line up dates and duty stations and search for the history that way.

Sorry to hear about your FIL. May he find fair winds and following seas where ever he is now.......

 

[idrownworms]

Re: Need help with WWII Naval history ...

Just learned something the county I live in had a ship named after it.
Noble county In. which also has the Grand Army of the Republic highway ( U.S. 6 ) running through it.