70 years ago this week, a chance meeting San Pedro

USS Zeilin AP-3 by Wayne Scarpaci

The transition of time for most of the world is now January 1st. As the celebrations of the year 2013 were ushered in from Sydney, Tokyo, Shanghai, Dubai and across Europe as Paris, then London lit the night sky with the spectacle of fireworks worthy of any independence celebration or in the case of our own history, a nation born of martial combat.

It is also significant that we in the US mark the transit of anniversaries as they reach milestones. This year past we marked the bi-centennial of the War of 1812, the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War, and as we move through this decade, the 70th anniversary of the events of World War II. This brings me to write about an event that occurred 70 years ago this past week, that is seminal to my existence. It was during the week between Christmas and New Years in 1942, that my mother met my father at a USO dance. The chance meeting came about when dad's ship the USS Zeilin AP-9, was attacked on the eve of the First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal and escaped being sunk through the efforts their escort the USS Atlanta CL-51, and her own crew's gunnery who claimed two planes, and their efforts after a bomb glanced of off the side and blew out several hull plates.

USS Atlanta defending the USS Zeilin Nov 11, 1942

Jay B Wade, 1942

After temporary repairs, my father's ship returned to San Pedro, California, arriving on December 23, 1942 where she entered dry dock until March 1943, when she sailed for Aleutian Campaign followed later with the invasion of Tarawa and Kwajalein in the spring of 1944. My dad, was sent home on leave and joined the new carrier USS Bon Homme Richard CV-31 and ended the war off Japan.

My Dad returned from the war and in the first half decade of my life, left me to wonder why. I wrote the several posts in the early days of this blog about my memories of him, and how I came to discover that I had two long lost brothers from different mothers who have become as close as if we were raised together in the same home. My brother Vince, shares a love of history and the Navy, inspired by our father's service. Over time I was able to construct my father's service history and when the USS Iowa BB-61 became a museum ship in San Pedro, I began to spend all my spare time as did Vince. It was during this time that Vince quietly commissioned a remembrance that I will cherish forever. He had a mutual friend and gifted naval artist Wayne Scarpaci, make a painting of the USS Zeilin passing Angels Gate as she sailed into San Pedro, setting the stage for me to sit here typing this heartfelt thank you to my brother Vince, and Wayne, for a superb tribute to my dad's memory.

Reflections on History and the War in the Pacific

USS Iowa BB-61

May 14, 15 2011 Chino, Ca

SS Lane Victory

Fort MacArthur Battery Osgood-Farley

Over the past couple of weeks, as my work load permits, I have been engrossed in time travel back to the waters off Guadalcanal with exotic sounding names like the Sealark Channel, Cape Esperance and the waters off Savo Island, where over a period of 116 days the United States Navy fought seven major naval battles with the Imperial Japanese Navy. The conveyance of my travel was the superb account, Neptune's Inferno by author James D Hornfischer who is turning out to be this generation's Samuel Elliot Morison for his vivid and moving accounts of the United States Navy in the Pacific.

This brings me to the subject of this post. For most Americans today, World War II is fast fading into the rearview mirror as veterans pass from our midst and history in general is thought to be treated as no longer relevant in a world where things are moving fast forward. Even the United States Army is considering closing their Army Heritage Education Center. History has been modified and marginalized in many colleges and universities where the focus is on teaching management and social skills before reflection on what history has to teach us about ourselves. My personal experiences in both teaching history and in being approached by people in my personal life has reinforced my belief that people have an innate desire to know about the events and experiences of those who came before them. It is in that vein that I want to share some of the great sites around Southern California that offer opportunities to learn about World War II.

For those wanting to experience what it was like to be a pilot in World War II, a short journey east of Los Angeles will bring one to Planes of Fame Air Museum where dozens of aircraft are on display and each May sees an excellent Air Show which this year is dedicated to 100 years of Naval Aviation.

San Pedro a community aside the Port of Los Angeles is already home to the SS Lane Victory a fully functional World War II victory ship and the Fort MacArthur Museum at Battery Osgood-Farley. It appears that this fine duo of historical sites is soon to be joined by what should be the crown jewel of World War II historical museums on the West Coast the battleship USS Iowa BB-61. Currently all is in place and awaiting the Navy's decision on where the ship will be located. The benefits to both visitors and for local schools will be a legacy to those who left these local waters and sailed into harms way. My family has a personal reason for supporting this project. My father met my mother at a USO dance when his ship the USS Zeilin AP-3 was being repaired after an encounter with a few Japanese bombers the day before Naval Battle of Guadalcanal.

Finally, across the bay on the Long Beach side lies the majestic Queen Mary who's wartime service saw her carrying whole divisions across the Atlantic in preparation of the invasion of Europe.

So if all goes according to plan, the Summer of 2011 will find San Pedro a target rich environment for learning about the history of the Pacific War. Reflecting on the war this way offers a person the opportunity to gain some insight on the experience of the sailor and soldier and what they felt as they stood at their stations or maned their guns or in the cockpit. The lessons of duty and courage are enshrined in the decks of these ships and in the sound of the engines of those planes that take to the air every May to honor those who willingly put their futures on the line so that others might live. We will always own these men and women our lives and the lives of all who come after us.

The Pacific-An Introspection

This weekend the HBO mimi-series The Pacific a ten part 600 minute tribute to those who fought in a series of campaigns that in the words of Richard B. Frank, author of Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle, is an "Overdue Pacific War Prospective." I would urge everyone to set aside time over the next three months to travel back and join the young men who plunged into a caldron of war, fought on a scale not seen in modern times.

off loading a tank

Landing at Tulagi Island

My family feels a special affinity and pride that HBO, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg have produced this long overdue tribute to the men who fought against a determined foe across half the planet's surface, because my father, Jay B. Wade was a young sailor who served aboard the USS Zeilin APA-3 one of the transports that delivered the 3rd Marine Defense Battalion onto Tulagi Island. . The "Mighty Z" as she was known stuck fast to her duty to get her charges ashore and secure, before withdrawing to resupply and return again and again during the course of the campaign; bringing supplies and reinforcements, then evacuating the wounded and survivors of the naval battles in the surrounding waters.

Damaged HMAS Canberra

One thing not really mentioned when discussing Guadacanal, is that the United States Navy lost more sailors in the naval battles in the waters off shore, than the total number of Marines and soldiers lost in six months of land combat. The Navy lost 2 carriers, 6 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers, 14 destroyers and several transports and support ships in the six month campaign to wrest the Solomon Islands from the Japanese Empire. The men of my fathers ship were present on the first night of the invasion to wittness the Battle of Savo Island, where they watched the worst defeat in US Naval history unfold a few miles across the bay. Then take onboard survivors of the battle before sailing to Noumea, New Calidonia on August 9, 1942.

Landing the Marines

ENEMY AIR ATTACKS ON THE TRANSPORTS forced a delay in unloading operations, but caused only light damage 7 August. This Japanese Mitsubishi "Hap" was flying fighter cover for the aircraft whose bombs are seen exploding off the stern of the transport. White streaks are wakes of landing craft scattering for safety.

I have written some about my father and how I came to learn of his service during World War II on this blog. Thanksgiving Tribute to My Dad, Why I Joined the Navy and Watchtower and Memories of My Father. The service experience of those who carried and cared for those Marines and soldiers has been mostly missing from the narrative, along with the role of those support ships that made each island conquest possible. In my quest to research my fathers legacy, I discovered that the USS Zeilin was the subject of an oral history published by Infinity Publishing as Attack Transport: The USS Zielin in World War II-An Oral Hisory. Learning of about this little piece of my family history prompted me to write about the Zielin and her sister ships in this article for Military History Online.

USS Zeilin

As I close out this post. Think of those men who gave their lives and for most, the chance to pass their physical legacy along to the next generation. We owe it to not only those who survived, but to those lost souls and their parents who mourned their loss, to pause and pay tribute by watching, reading and pondering the sacrifice of generations of Americans.

Why I Joined the Navy

USS Zeilin AP-9

Burial at Sea, USS Zeilin Tarawa November 1943

Anyone who has followed this blog for a time will know that I served in the United States Army in my youth. My pride in that service moved me to dedicate the photo of my deployment to Vietnam as "The beginning of a quest to understand our world." For the past several weeks the link above that photo calls attention to the Operation Valor Fundraiser for Soldier's Angels. Looking closer you will notice that I am supporting the Navy in their effort to beat the Army in a competition to raise money for this excellent program. Although I still love the Army, I was moved to "join the Navy" as a way of honoring the service of my father Jay B. Wade, who served in the Navy from December 8, 1941 to October 1945 A Thanksgiving Tribute to my Dad and my brother Vince who followed our father down to the sea and proudly served aboard the Spruance-class destroyer USS Ingersoll in the 1980's. Vince so loves the Navy that he served for a three years as a live aboard caretaker on the USS Hornet museum ship. His fondest memories of our dad, is the day he came home in his "Cracker Jacks" and saw our father weep with pride.

My father saw a lot of combat as a gator sailor aboard the USS Zeilin AP-9 in five campaigns from Guadalcanal, the Aleutians, and back to Tarawa and Kwajalein. He was then sent home for leave and became a plank owner on the new Essex class carrier, USS Bon Homme Richard (CV-31) and participated in 15 air strikes against the Japanese home islands, the last being recalled on August 15, 1945 the day Japan surrendered. When he came home, the transition to civilian life took it's toll and before I was six he disappeared from my life. He returned to my life after I went searching for him and found that he had passed back in 1985, leaving a legacy of three long-lost brothers, two of which I have reconnected with. My brother Vince had the strongest memories of our father, and was able to relate the lost time and how much our father cherished his service in the Navy. The stories of what our father saw and experienced only came to Vince's ears after he returned home on emergency leave as our father lay dying. They talked and Vince learned about the sights and ghosts that our father saw in his dreams every night for the rest of his life. Our dad never wavered from his pride in that service and the memories of war that were burned into the mind of a young man in the last years of his teens.

So here I stand, ready to serve to honor the spirit of my father by supporting the United States Navy in this cause to raise money for our injured service people. The cause is every bit as important as the mission they were originally tasked to complete. I urge everyone to click on the Operation Valor widget and contribute however much you can to honor the sacrifices these fine people made for all of us.

WATCHTOWER AND MEMORIES OF MY FATHER

USS Zeilin AP 9

Air Attack November 11, 1942

Air Battle off Guadalcanal November 11, 1942, USS Atlanta in lead.

I have been closely following the series of posts over at the United States Naval Institute Blog that commemorates the 67th anniversary of the assault on Guadalcanal that began on August 7, 1942. This campaign holds special interest for me, as my father was a participant in this great campaign.

This post examines the background of WATCHTOWER the code word for this campaign in a post by UltimaRatioRegis: The Last Arguement of Kings.

In the aftermath of a desperate and decisive battle, those of us who look back across the years, decades, and centuries at such events, inevitably ask the question; “Why there? What made that place worth the price in sweat, blood, and sacrifice?” Something must have drawn the cross hairs of history to such a place, made its possession worth the titanic struggle for control.
Megiddo, the most fought-over place on earth, is a hillock that dominates the ancient Haifa road in modern-day Israel. Such a symbol is it of man’s propensity for war that its very name is where scripture ascribes the end of the world to occur- Har Megiddo. Armageddon.

Gettysburg’s extensive road and rail junctions were keys to Robert E. Lee’s successful foray into Pennsylvania, once the Federal Army of the Potomac could be dislodged from the dominating high ground east of the town.

The terrain of Gallipoli overlooks the Dardanelles, and access to the Bosporus and the Black Sea, and was envisioned as a way to break the ghastly stalemate on the Western Front that had been consuming Europe’s youth for a year.

The Battle for Guadalcanal and the Solomon Islands Campaign is no different. Except that by the Summer of 1942, it was not just what nature had made, but also what man had built, that drew the respective armies and navies into the fiery maelstrom that churned the jungle and the waters around them some sixty-seven years ago. As author Eric Hammel states; “There was no reason inherent in the value of the Bismarcks and the Solomons that made them worth a fight. Only a confluence of events would make them a focal point for a desperate gamble.”(1)Read more:

The Solomons Campaign: WATCHTOWER — Why Guadalcanal?

As I noted above, this campaign was the first of several campaigns that my father participated in as the United States fought back to regain control of the Pacific and defeat Japan. I first wrote about my father in this post, A Thanksgiving Tribute to my Dad and Tribute continued:

The focus of most of what has been written has rightfully been on the great land and sea battles that raged from August 7, 1942 to February 9, 1943. Less known is the actions of the men and ships of the amphibious forces who supported the landing and kept the forces resupplied with men and material. The following is a tribute to those men and ships.

My father shipped out on the USS Zeilin (AP-9) on his first voyage to deliver the men of the 3rd Defense Battalion on several islands adjacent to Guadalcanal.

The "Mighty Z" as she was called was a member of the Harris Class APA's. and earned eith battle stars for her service in World War II.

The early morning of November 11, 1942 found the Zeilin, 1 mile off Lunga Point preparing to discharge troops in support of the Marines at Henderson Field. She was protected by the USS Atlanta (CL-51), a ship with only two more days to live, Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. At 9:00 an air raid warning was broadcast of approaching bombers.

Here is the Zeilin's WAR diary and Action report of that day.

This is a summary of the attack.

FIRST ATTACK

This vessel in company with U.S.S. BETELGUESE and LIBRA, escorted by ATLANTA and Destroyer Division TWELVE, arrived off the designated unloading area east of Lunga Point, Guadalcanal Island, anchored, and commenced unloading at 0540.

At 0857 a radio message reported that enemy bombers and fighters were headed for Guadalcanal; subsequently a message by radar set the arrival time at 0935.

The ship ordered boats to remain clear and at 0919 proceeded to get underway. At 0936 enemy planes were observed coming in over the western tip of the island and ten were identified as dive bombers, type Aichi 99-N-DB. The fighters were to high to be accurately counted, however a message reported twelve.

At 0940 the hip commenced firing 3"/50 cal. AA batteries using 1.5 second fuse settings. The enemy planes took diving formation and proceeded to peel off. One was hit by shrapnel and the port wing was afire. This plane did not dive. Five planes dived on this vessel, releasing bombs at approximately 1,200 feet. There were three near misses registered on the ship; two on the port side - one about amidships, the other aft; and one on the starboard side at about frame 45 opposite No. 8 hatch, depth about 15-30 feet. The ship suffered severely from this bomb.

The ship sustained the following damage from this attack:

Number 8 hold was flooded to the third deck; number 7 to the fourth deck. Starboard shaft alley was completely flooded. Port shaft alley is leaking and is kept dry by pumping. Number four 3"/50 cal. AA gun carriage was sprung by shock. A 3/8" pipe of inboard water column line on No 5 boiler in No. 2 fireroom was broken by shock. A 1 ? overboard water cooling line from generators was broken by shock next to overboard valve. Fresh water tank, starboard side of No. 7 hold, c-611, opened to the sea. Feed water bottoms under engineroom are leaking slightly. Starboard propeller shaft was either broken or coupling bolts sheared. This shaft was broken about one-half hour after ship left CACTUS and no examination can be made until after the shaft alley is dewatered. The bulkhead between No. 7 and No. 8 holds, starboard side, is torn for a space of 30 inches. This hole was wedged practically tight before No. 7 hold was flooded. On starboard side aft of No. 7 hold at lower first platform deck rivets are sheared for about 6 feet. This leak could not be stopped because of inaccessibility, the magazine being loaded at the time. The flooding was controlled by closing of non-watertight door, shoring and wedging, then by pumping. Later the trunk leading into the magazine, 10'x10', was closed by welding over the whole trunk. A few rivets were sheared in No. 9 hold at the skin of the ship, starboard side, between No. 8 and No. 9 holds. This leak was controlled by plugging and welding. There is a dent in the starboard side of No. 8 hold about 1 and ? in depth, caused by glancing bomb. There are numerous small leaks in after part of ship, including leaks in after peak tank and small leaks in the feed water tank under the engine room. There is approximately 2,000 tons of water in the ship.

Examination by diver upon arrival at BUTTON disclosed 5 shell plates between frame 45 and 46 are cracked, one stove in about 2 feet. One rupture is across three plates, 16 feet long and varies from nothing to 2 and one-half feet wide. There is another crack 8 feet long across 2 plates. This crack is about one-half in. in width.

.SECOND ATTACK

At 1055 following the earlier attack by dive bombers, the ship received word that enemy planes were again headed for Guadalcanal.

Although damaged from the attack the ship got underway. At 1127 a flight of enemy planes identified as heavy bombers, possibly Mitsubishi 97M or 96, about 27 in number, were observed on a course towards Henderson Air Field.

Fire was opened by all ships, this ship firing all 3"/50 cal. AA guns as they could be brought to bear. Fuse settings were 21 and 30 seconds. Fire was controlled locally after the initial salvo and was checked once to change fuse settings and again to allow two guns to bear. Bursts were well grouped and appeared to be reaching up to and a little ahead of the planes. No hits were observed. Fighter planes from Henderson Field began engaging the enemy and "cease fire" was ordered on all ships.

Following the conclusion of the attack the ship returned to the unloading area. The enemy's objective appeared to be Henderson Field on Guadalcanal.

3. The officers and crew preformed their duties in a most highly creditable manner. Particular mention may be made of Lieutenant Commander Russell J. Bellerby, U.S. Navy, Lieutenant Einar N. Eriksen, D-M, U.S. Naval Reserve, Carpenter Allan R. Carlson, U.S. Navy, and the repair parties for prompt, efficient, and fearless work in damage control; of Frank Grasso, gunner's mate second class, U.S. Navy, for excellent gunnery on the 20mm battery; and Thomas Ralph Dobbins, boilermaker first class, U.S. Navy, for prompt and efficient action in closing a valve on a ruptured steam line in No. 2 fireroom. The action of Privates XXXXXX, U.S.M.C., and XXXXXXXX, U.S.M.C.R., of the Second Replacement Battalion are subject to censure. From statements obtained these men deliberately remained on board after debarkation of troops. A separate report of the circumstances has been made to the Commanding General, First Marine Division. P. BUCHANAN.

The links to the action report contains hand maps showing the approach of the bombers and the positions of the ships involved.

After this action, the Zeilin retired to Espiritu Santo, in the New Hebrides where she was attended too by another famous ship, Pearl Harbor survivor, USS Vestal (AR-4).

The Zeilin went on to participate in more campaigns and my father served aboard until 1944, when after the invasion of Kwajalein Atoll , he was given 30 days leave and then joined the new carrier, USS Bon Homme Richard (CV-31).

There is a little postscript to this story. My brother Vince, whom I wrote about in the tribute post, came to visit me last week. We spent a day visiting San Diego and touring the USS Midway Museum ship. Our fathers love of the Navy rubbed off on Vince, he still proudly wears the cap of his ship the USS Ingersoll and spent three years as a live-aboard caretaker of the museum ship USS Hornet. http://www.uss-hornet.org/. I learned more about the navy and shipboard life in those few days than a whole week of posts could convey. During our visit to the Midway, Vince began to attract an audience and at times he looked like the Pied Piper of Hamlin, with a train of visitors tagging along to hear his description of life aboard ship. Vince's visit reminded me of our father's role in WATCHTOWER, and it seemed appropriate to honor those who served in the Gator Navy.

For more on the USS Zeilin

http://www.buybooksontheweb.com/Product.aspx?ISBN=0-7414-0614-4

And for Guadalcanal

Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle

Three Reads for a Sunday Afternoon.

China as an Island, from strange maps.

The Solomons.

Here are trio of reads that involve islands, not the tropical getaways. so often dreamed of on a lazy Sunday afternoon, but the kind that stimulate reflection and remembrance.

Shannon Love has an interesting post on Chicago Boyz that looks at the celestial empire as An Island People in a Sea of Humanity.

This Forbes article talks about China being an empire, i.e., a polity composed of many different ethnic groups but trying to behave as a nation, i.e., a polity based around a single ethnic group. [h/t Instapundit] This reminded me of a mock map at the very interesting blog Strange Maps.

Next month marks the 67th anniversary of the opening of the Solomons Campaign. This is not a landmark anniversary date, but deserves attention because of a series of posts introducing the campaign has begun over at the United States Naval Institute Blog.

The first in this series introduces the reader to the geography and politics of the region.

Like a broken strand of pearls, the Solomon Islands form an open and extended chain from the Santa Cruz Islands in the south-east to the larger islands of Bougainville and New Britain in the west. Further to the south-east lie the New Hebrides. The islands, primarily volcanic in origin with outer coral barriers, are lushly populated with rain forests and mangrove swamps. Prominent, wide-open and level terrain is rare. What little there is, is densely vegetated. Temperatures tend to the steamy with a prolonged wet season and drier months and “cooler” temperatures in the June through August period. Rainfall on average, is about 120 inches per year.

For the rest and an excellent set of maps.

The Solomons Campaign: Geographical and Political Background

This week the series continues by providing the status of the United States Navy after Midway.

The story is introduced in a look back via a time machine.

If you were to step into the Wayback Machine with Mr. Peabody and Sherman, traveling back to Pearl Harbor on the morning of the 7th of June 1942, to talk to Admiral Nimitz he may have covered several issues including the current status of the fleet, current ops going on in the theater, and current discussions about what to do next. The final issue would be how to seize the initiative causing the Japanese to react to us instead of the Allies reacting to the Japanese.The current status of the Pacific Fleet is looking pretty grim. This morning [7th of June 1942] the radio reports of the torpedoing and loss of the Yorktown would arrive. That only leaves three Allied carriers in the Pacific: USS Enterprise, CV-6; USS Hornet, CV-8; and USS Saratoga, CV-3. The Saratoga is just leaving Mare Island Naval Yard recovering from the torpedo damage she took in late May while in transit from Pearl to the West Coast. In reality the Allies only have two functional carriers deployed any place close to the Japanese fleet.

For the rest of the story. The Solomon’s Campaign: Status of the United States Fleet and Plans After Midway

This series has more than the normal historical interest for me. My father Jay Wade was a member of the crew of the USS Zeilin (AP-9) at Guadalcanal on August 7, 1942. I look forward sharing these posts as they appear.

Memorial Day 2009

Burial at sea, off Tarawa: USS Zeilin, November 16, 1943

This Memorial Day weekend, I decided to dedicate this post to the American military and the men who served, like my father who joined the Navy December 8, 1941 and served in campaigns from Guadalcanal to the end in Tokyo Bay.

This first post is by Galrahn of Information Dissemination who continues to amaze me with the depth of his analysis. For someone who describes himself as a technologist, entrepreneur, and owns a technology consulting company, he remains front and center in my book, for his razor sharp focus on naval centric affairs.

His post, What Does a Duck Look Like? Naval Flag Officers in 2002, is a perfect example of the breadth of his interest in all things naval.

Galrahn describes why he posted a seven year old report.

This article was originally submitted as a special research project for the Naval War College in October 2002 by the LCDR Michael Junge, United States Navy. Purchased but never published by the United States Naval Institute for publication in Proceedings, this article seems to align itself very well to recent discussions regarding leadership and promotions tracks.

Nested in the report is a reference to Naval Aristocracy: The Golden Age of Annapolis and the Emergence of Modern American Navalism by Peter Karsten. One of the commenters to this post described Karsten this way.

The use of Karsten as a foundation source troubles me. If one reads him, he exhibits a highly prejudiced view of the officer corps, particularly in his disparaging use of terminology in re: Naval Academy officers...why has no one ever challenged his biases?

This imediatly caught my eye as I had written an article about American Forces in World War II some of which, examined Karsten's negative view of the naval officer corps.

I wrote in part:

Prior to the twentieth century, the U.S. Navy and their marine detachments were the only American military forces with extensive overseas experience. The army, with the exception of the Mexican War had been purely in a defensive position with regard to other wars. Peter Karsten’s book entitled, The Naval Aristocracy looks back into the mid-nineteenth century and the emergence of the United States as a major naval power. His primary focus is his interpretation of the role of the navy in protecting the emerging business interests of American companies as they sought overseas markets. Karsten disagrees with the assessment of many leading historians such as Fletcher Pratt, Samuel Eliot Morrison and McGeorge Bundy and others who saw the navy’s role as one of “innocent” American diplomacy.[1] The author takes the opposite view expounded by Charles Beard that the navy was totally an instrument of American business interests abroad. Looking into the mindset of the American naval officer of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, Karsten attempts to show that the navy had developed a philosophy that in the words of Henry Simpson, made “Neptune God, Mahan his prophet, and the United States Navy the only true church.”[2]

Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan and his messmates became the main target of Karsten’s thesis. By focusing on the frailties of human spirit and overlooking the positive accomplishments of securing a rule set for safe commerce, the author fails to recognize the possible outcome had the United States Navy remained in a purely defensive role. If one reads this work unaware of the past histories of nations, their impression would be of an “evil empire” bent on dominating a world filled with lesser sorts. The views of American naval officers are not much different from the views of any person who is in the service of their respective nation during any time period. This can be attested from the writing of the earliest historians from the Bible and Classical Greece.[3] The role of navies since the man first went to sea was to defend the shores, protect the sea-lanes and project the power of the nation it served.

Karsten reveals his views most clearly in his final chapter when he asks the question. “Must we have every new naval, army or air force weapon that the weapons merchants create?”[4] His less that balanced thesis thinly disguises his anti military bias and is important to be recognized. Awareness of it allows the reader to understand that these men whose personal views a person today may find offensive were the instruments that created a navy that was able to resist the aggression of countries in the twentieth century.

A digression into the world that Karsten would have us live would find a navy similar to Sweden’s where America would have a large flotilla of coastal patrol craft to guard our shores. Our only capitol ships would be hospital ships sent to the scene of natural disasters worldwide. By the advent of World War I we would not have been able get our men to Europe without the help of the British Navy. World War II would have been different story. We of course would not have had possessions in the Pacific. War in the Pacific would not have occurred because Japan would have conquered Asia unopposed. The United States would have been reduced to a vassal state watching the world carved into two spheres between Germany and Japan. For all their faults we must be thankful that such men as Mahan did exist. Their role in shaping the future of a “Blue Water” navy is best revealed in Steven Howarth’s To Shining Sea a definitive history of the United States Navy.

The men who captained the U.S. Navy during World War II grew up at the altar of the philosophy of Alfred Thayer Mahan. During the 1930’s the fact that President Roosevelt was a great fan of the navy, began a ship building program to stimulate the economy, this would gain many new ships such as destroyers and submarines.[5] Aircraft carriers were built as plans for battleships were reduced. This turned out to be an act of providence. Aircraft carriers their planes and the smaller ships that protected them became the primary tools that secured the seas. Battleships although vital in shore bombardment and as anti-aircraft platforms were relegated to a supporting role. At the outbreak of the war, American naval power was driven back across the Pacific. Our Eastern Shore was the perfect backdrop for German submarines to sink coastal shipping. The fight to regain control of the seas was the doctrine that had been developed in the previous century by those “aristocratically” naval officers whom Peter Karsten wrote so derisively about in his book. In the same vein the American business interests that were portrayed as colonializing the world would become the source of thousands of planes and ships with which to regain control of the seas and carry the fight back to the aggressor’s door.

Contrasting the written history found in Howarth’s book with Karsten’s benign role of how the navy should be employed, one would not need too great of an imagination to see Howarth’s history would not have occurred as written. It would have been a history written by a German or Japanese historian about the demise of the United States as a great power. Several factors would contribute to our naval success in World War II that stand in opposition to the role we should have played as defined by Karsten. We would have not have had any presence in the Pacific, so during the 1930’s as Japan rose to military prominence the Pacific would become their personal pool. One could perhaps argue that had Perry never opened the door to Japan becoming an industrial power it would still be a feudal kingdom. Our commitment to Great Britain would not have been possible as our navy; being in a defensive role could only protect our eastern shoreline from attack. Hitler would have not been impeded in his quest for empire and in a short time his sights would have turned to North America.

Howarth’s book covers the history of the United States Navy; he devotes two chapters to World War II. In those chapters he outlines the time from the 1933 to 1945. The United States Navy was not only responsible for confronting the Japanese Navy and supporting the Marines in their island hopping campaigns across the Pacific, but destroying the German submarine menace in the Atlantic and moving a million men across the sea to confront Germany and Italy. The Soviet Union owes its survival to the U.S. Navy who protected convoys that brought thousands of tons of material to their shores. None of these events would have taken place had the navy remained as it was before men like Alfred Thayer Mahan and his “messmates” came with their views of American naval power. Stephen Howarth allows the record speak for itself in his book. He only reports the facts as they occurred without much comment on the mindset that led them. The “call to duty” subscribed in Karsten’s book is the grist that sustained the navy in World War II,

it is unfortunate he failed in his anti-military view to see the forest behind the tree.

[1] Peter Karsten, The Naval Aristocracy: The Golden Age of Annapolis and the Emergence of Modern American Navalism (New York: The Free Press, 1972) 140.[2] Ibid., 250.[3] Ibid., 316.[4] Ibid., 391[5] Steven Howarth, To Shining Sea: A History of the United States Navy, 1775-1991 (New York: Random House, 1991), 357.

Below are af few sites to reflect on the sacrifices of those who served.

World War II Private Letters, Founded by the grandson of Private Melvin Johnson

About World War II

United States Naval Institute Blog A site loaded with tributes to those who have served and are serving at sea.

Memoril Day 2009 by Steeljaw Scribe

History May Not Repeat, But Do Generations?

ROTC Graduates

Vicksburg, May 22 1863

USS Zeilin. burial service off Tarawa, Nov, 16 1943

Generations

The debate over history repeating itself has been the fodder for historians and pundits of all stripes since the earliest records were kept. The recent interest in looking at history from a more social aspect has given rise to examine the influence that a generational cohort group may have had on the course of human civilization. Seventeen years ago, a book was published that traced the generation cycle through American history and into the future. Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584 to 2069 by Neil Howe and William Strauss, has become a sort of Rosetta stone for defining generational characteristics.

Thomas Barnett author of Great Powers: America and the World After Bush, has used the theme of generational patterns in three of his successful books to illustrate how the failures of some generations to lead with vision will pass to introduce the next generation that will be instilled with the traits that propelled this country forward in the past, to achieve the next great rung on the ladder of civilization.

My cruising of the blogs today uncovered this revealing post on Tom Ricks Foreign Policy Blog where he writes about a new phenomenon that is being seen on the campuses of top universities.

It immediately brought to mind themes I had read in Howe and Strauss and Tom Barnett's books and in my own study of American history.

Ricks begins:

After I spoke at Princeton the other night, I was surprised by the stream of young men who came up to told me that they are joining the Marines or Army after graduation.

On reflection, I shouldn't have been, because lately I've been noticing this phenomenon of graduates of elite universities going into the military. This isn't a tidal wave, or even a fad, but I think a steady self-selection.

Read more:

From Ivy League to olive drab

In a short and insightful post, Ricks has pulled at a thread that caused me to think back to my own families past history when a generation of young men, would step forward to take up the banner to serve their country. Working backward, my father, Jay B. Wade, joined the Navy at 17, the day after Pearl Harbor and served in the Pacific, taking part in operations that stretched from Guadalcanal, to the Aleutians, back to Tarawa and after a short break, on to the final day off the coast of Japan. A Thanksgiving Tribute to my Dad and Tribute continued: My father wasn't an Ivy League college boy, far from it he had dropped out of high school to help support his siblings after their mother died. What possessed him to join? He was only 17 and needed his father's permission, but he went willingly and as he later related. "It was the right thing to do."

Looking back further in time, I am reminded of two great uncles whom took up the cause of preserving the Union and ending slavery in the Civil War. One, Sgt. John Campbell, joined the 77th Illinois Infantry and fell on the ramparts of Vicksburg May 22, 1863. His brother William upon learning of his brothers death, left home to find out what happened and joined the 2nd Illinois Artillery in New Orleans, to fulfill his brother's commitment. Ironically, they were part of a reactive generation whose traits in youth were marked with rebelliousness, perhaps an insight on the level of our brutal self inflicted Civil War that saw kin kill kin in a savage fury that would not be seen again until the summer of 1914.

ILLINOIS CIVIL WAR DETAIL REPORT

Name
CAMPBELL, JOHN F
Rank
SGT
Company
A
Unit
77 IL US INF
Residence
PEORIA, PEORIA CO, IL
Age
22
Height
5' 8
Hair
LIGHT
Eyes
BLUE
Complexion
DARK
Marital Status
SINGLE
Occupation
FARMER
Nativity
PEORIA, PEORIA CO, IL
Service Record
Joined When
AUG 7, 1862
Joined Where
PEORIA, IL
Joined By Whom
M V HOTCHKISS
Period
3 YRS
Muster In
SEP 2, 1862
Muster In Where
PEORIA, IL
Remarks
KILLED IN CHARGE ON ENEMY'S WORKS AT VICKSBURG MISS MAY 22, 1863

.

Name
CAMPBELL, WILLIAM W
Rank
JR 1LT
Company
A
Unit
2 IL US L ART
Residence
PEORIA, PEORIA CO, IL
Age
26
Service Record
Joined When
DEC 16, 1863
Joined Where
NEW ORLEANS, LA
Joined By Whom
MAJ MALONEY
Period
3 YRS
Muster In
DEC 16, 1863
Muster In Where
NEW ORLEANS, LA
Muster Out
JUL 27, 1865
Muster Out Where
SPRINGFIELD, IL
Muster Out By Whom
CPT HALL
Remarks
COMMISSIONED CAPTAIN BUT NOT MUSTERED

American history is filled with stories of millions of young men and women who found pride and purpose in assuming a civic responsibility. We seemed to be blessed with such a generation again as those born in what has been defined as the Echo Boomers seem to be instilled with many of the characteristics possessed by their grandparents of the G.I. Generation.

A Thanksgiving Tribute to my Dad

The layout of this blog begins with a photo of the USS John C. Pope as it departs San Francisco bound for Southeast Asia. The date on the photo is unknown, but serves to illustrate my departure for Vietnam on Thanksgiving Day, 1966. As I look back on my life this voyage was the gateway event that eventually led to this blog. I cannot plea to being a decorated combat veteran. I saw my share of war and the horrors that color that world. The aftermath of Vietnam left no visible impression on me but emotionally it struck a chord deep within my soul. For years after I returned the very sight of anyone Asian left me with a sense of distress. The Fall of Saigon in 1975 only added to this feeling. Years flew by, I raised a family, got divorced, started a new family, moved on, and again found myself searching. I began to look back on my life.

My dad a World War II sailor, had left when I was five, leaving me to wonder what had happened to him and why he left. A long Internet search led me to his grave. Along the way I discovered that I had three brothers from three families that my father had started and left. Out that revelation I found the history of my father and perhaps why he lived the way he did.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Zeilin_(AP-9)

Jay Wade my dad, enlisted in the Navy December 8, 1941. He was assigned to the USS Zeilin, an attack transport. His first voyage was to a little place called Guadalcanal in August of 1942. He was a gunner's mate on a 20mm. The Zeilin supported the Battle for Guadalcanal from August until November 11, 1942, on that date aircraft attacked the anchorage. The Zeilin fought back and was credited with downing one plane, two near misses ruptured the plates and she withdrew to the West Coast for repairs. Over the next two years the Zeilin carried troops to Alaska, then back to Califonia to star in the movie, Guadalcanal Diary. Then back to the South Pacific to deliver the 2nd Marine Division to a place named Tarawa. It was here that the men of the Zeilin first saw the way the war in the Pacific would be fought. In the photo above right, my father the dark haired guy, can be seen standing in the upper right side, hunched next to the life rafts. The men of the Zeilin are holding services for men killed in action at Tarawa.