Welcome to my Ship's Log, a free guestbook service from New Dream Network and the DreamHost!Please tak a minute and add your entry to those below by signing my Log book!
| Name: | Paul McMullen |
| E-mail address: | mcmullpj@msn.com |
| Comments: | On this Veteran's Day and everyday I would like to thank all who served aboard the USS Pirate and in the Armed Forces of the United States of America. My Father was the CO at the time of the sinking and was honored to have served with the great crew. He passed away June 13, 2006 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Fair winds and following seas, Paul |
| Name: | Rick |
| E-mail address: | goldenprop@aol.com |
| Comments: | Looking for comments. |
| Name: | james a morgan bm3 |
| E-mail address: | jimmorgan72@aim.com |
| Comments: | i went aabard the uss comstock in early 1952 through 1956 we were still sweeping mines,i also remember taking the 3 dead sailors aboard from the uss sarsi an am that hit a mine and sunk durning the night.. im sorry i cant remember those dates. i also remember the mock invasion of wonson.and our ship patroling yodo island..great memories i will keep forever..im now 75 .. id love to hear from anyone who served aboard that fine ship.. after korea i served on the maa force at kamiseya from 1954 t0 1956 |
| Name: | John W. Reamy |
| E-mail address: | WoodNeedle@msn.com |
| Comments: | Just discovered this website. Looks interesting. I am a WWII Navy veteran, called back during the Korean War. I served on the USS Swallow (AMS-36) in Korean waters in 1951-1952. |
| Name: | Norman H. Hazzard |
| E-mail address: | norman_hazzard@yahoo.com |
| Comments: | My Father Edward M. Hazzard Was in UDT Team-3 Does anyone out know him or served with him. If so pleas feel free to contact me at norman_hazzard@yahoo.com |
| Name: | Jack Wright |
| E-mail address: | piianoman@earthlink.net |
| Comments: | I recently met a 92 year old black man and his wife. He lives in Fayetteville NC and he goes by the name of Ed Williams. He said he was one of 4 "colored men" on the USS Pirate and he said he had a wonderful time. I believe he told me he was the cook. He and his wife looks great but he is hard of hearing. He told me lots of great stories on the Pirate and the USS Lance. Even showed me a picture of him in the navy After the war, he repaired tanks at Fort Bragg till 1976.(retired) Ed told of stories of his grand dad that lived till 105 years old He was actually born in 1828!! I got a few stories about his granddaddy and the union army. Anyway, I thought you folks want to know about a WW-2 shipmate is alive and well and is still going strong. jack |
| Name: | Doug Rice |
| E-mail address: | doug0555@yahoo.com |
| Comments: | I am in the process of doing research for a book on the Korean War. The basis of the book will be using personal experiences from those who served in the war. in February of this year I published a book on War II, using this same format. If anyone from the USS Pirate would be interested in contributing their experiences for this project, it would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely Doug Rice |
| Name: | scott a evans |
| E-mail address: | cohusker1966@msn.com |
| Comments: | my dad, william h evans was on the pirate when she was sunk iin wonsan harbor. from what i remember he told me, he was on the bridge at the time of the sinking. i would definitely like to get in touch with anybody here to talk about the experience. scott evans |
| Name: | Gerald Drumm |
| E-mail address: | drummje@wavecable.com |
| Comments: | I was aboard the USS Comstock LSD-19 in Wonsan harbor during the mine sweeps in 1950. Just checking for info. |
| Name: | Tarry |
| E-mail address: | imloop@gmail.com |
| Comments: | I was searching for information about an adopted grandfather and found he was on this ship during WWII - Ivan Perry Rainbolt, although he had no date listed next to his name. I have fond memories of him and it was fun to see his name on the roster. Thanks - wish there had been photos - oh well PS My Oldest son just received his Naval commission this past December (2007) and is now learning to fly for the Navy. Proud Navy parent! |
| Name: | JOHN M. WARNER |
| E-mail address: | JOHNMWARNER@SBCGLOBAL.NET |
| Comments: | I am a surviror of the USS Pledge AM-277. |
| Name: | Sam Rizza |
| E-mail address: | sanjo33@yahoo.com |
| Comments: | I enjoyed your homepage ,well done and very interesting.your pictures were great,but sad to see the ships lost. I was aboard the U.S.S. Helena CA75 1950-1952.We also sent some 8"shells to north korea. |
| Name: | Ron Seidel |
| E-mail address: | YNSMGR@verizon.net |
| Comments: | Hi,Rick WW11 crew. Got many mines. Great ship. Hope others of my time will contact me. : Thanks for telling me of this site. FANTASTIC!! |
| Name: | Phil Carrico |
| E-mail address: | pcarrico@academicplanet.com |
| Comments: | I was not a crewmember of either of the ships who "deep sixed" in Wanson Harbor that cold October day in 1950. However, my outfit had been on the scene prior to the minesweepers arrival and observed the ship"s subsequence sinking. My outfit picked up survivors from the USS Pledge. You can read my story as follows: "Play Taps for the Pledge and Pirate" NAVAL FROGMEN IN KOREA… Phil Carrico PREFACE THE FOLLOWING ACTION TOOK PLACE IN WONSAN HARBOR, SOUTH KOREA, IN OCTOBER OF 1950. A TEAM OF U.S. NAVY FROGMEN ALONG WITH A SQUADRON OF NAVY MINE SWEEPS WAS ENGAGED IN CLEARING WONSAN HARBOR OF HORNED SCULLY MINES. In early October 1950, team members of Naval Underwater Demolition Team 3 were still working like beavers. American forces had invaded the smelly South Korean port of Inchon almost a month ago. The Team, after doing some small recons prior to the invasion, placing directional buoys in the channels, placing swimmers in the water to assist troops ashore and patrolling in our LCPR, had been busy since then in harbor clean up and working on the dry docks. In the last few days, the Team had gone to work on the damaged gates of the giant dry-dock. Much underwater work was required and the Army engineers, with whom the responsibility lay, were just a bit hesitant, being dry-land creatures. Word suddenly came down for the Team to saddle-up. A mission was in the making. After boarding the USS Wantuck (APD 125), you held on tight because at flank speed, the old ship’s rivets would rattle like loose teeth in an East Texas hound dog. Our destination was Wonsan, which lay on the opposite coast. The run would take us around the boot of the peninsula, then north up the East Coast to Wonsan harbor. The objective was to clear the harbor of horn scully mines. This minefield, which luckily was discovered in time, had held up an anticipated United Nations invasion of the port. The idea was to shoot a force across the peninsula to intercept the fleeing North Koreans who were running before the American forces pushing up from Inchon. Discovering the minefield had stopped the operation cold. The Wantuck arrived on station at dawn the next day. First thing on the agenda was to recon the harbor and see what we were up against. The reconnaissance that followed was to be the only combat drop and pick-up that was used by UDT in Korea that I’m aware of. This particular method of drop and pick-up was used exclusively by Frogmen units both in WW 2 and Korea - a high-speed LCPR dropped the men into the ocean, under fire, outside the breaker lines. Then after completion of the mission, picked them up at high-speed with an arm snatch. The recon showed us the mines; all horn-scully and moored three or four feet beneath the surface. What proved more important, however, was learning the futility of wearing our rubber frog-suits. It had always been a problem to quick-dive with the air-buoyant suits, and with enemy small arms fire zipping by your head, this problem could prove fatal in a hurry. For the duration of the mission, although October snows had covered the adjacent landscape, Team members swam the icy water of Wonsan Harbor dressed only in Uncle Sam’s long-johns, which were normally worn under the rubber suits - and they retained body heat surprisingly well. The method of operation was to form skirmish lines of swimmers and sweep a section, buoying the mines as they were found. A different squad detached the mines from their mooring cables, and I assume they used cutters. When the mines surfaced, they were towed out of the area and exploded by machine gun or rifle fire. This very slow and extremely dangerous procedure may very well be the only sea lanes ever cleared by hand, and you may very well ask, “Why were you guys doing it – thought that’s what mine sweeps were for”? At that time, all mine sweep squadrons were on station in Japan (or adjacent areas), and although they had been called for and were on the way, they would not arrive for several days. An entire invasion fleet was being held up and we were only hours away – we got the job… By the end of the second day, the harbor was clear. Word had been flashed to the fleet to send the troops in the following morning. At 5 am on 12 October, UDT had three LCPR boats rechecking the harbor waters as troops began flooding from troop ships into landing craft. To our astonishment, we found mines all over the harbor again. Evidently, the enemy had reminded the harbor during the night from fishing sloops, which had been hidden in secret in-lets around the area. Bitter words were exchanged, I’m sure, as impatient commanders reloaded their troops on the troop ships. Frustrated Frogmen returned to the icy water and began extracting the mines again, working so long in the cold water that many Team members carry the ache even today. By noon on this day, the 12th, the wind had risen and was howling across the harbor causing white caps to fly and creating four-foot ground swells. This freezing wind and ground swells created havoc with our efforts. Suddenly all swimmers were recalled to the LCPR boat. We could not imagine the reason, but as we climbed aboard the boat, we cheered like crazy as we saw a squadron of US mine sweeps steaming into the harbor. Their 40’s were spraying the shoreline and battle pennants were flapping in the wind. It was a beautiful sight. As we watched from the LCPR, the lead sweep suddenly exploded in a geyser of spray, then, seconds later a second sweep hit a mine. As enemy shore batteries opened up on the sinking ships, our boat commander ordered flank speed. Ignoring the possibility of our boat hitting a mine, we raced across the harbor to the stricken vessels to rescue crewmembers. As U.S. Destroyers steamed in close and opened up on the shore batteries, UDT Team members went into the icy water to rescue crewmembers that were mostly wounded and leaping from the sinking ships. This dash through an enemy mine field and the rescuing of American sailors was rewarded later by Bronze Stars for all who participated. (22 Frogmen received the award). After the ships sank and the crewmembers were secured – Team members went back into the water and finished clearing the harbor. Unit LCPR’S with underwater mufflers, twin 30’s and spotlights patrolled the harbor through the dark night of the 12th. Three enemy fishing sloops, which were caught trying to re-mine the harbor, were sent to the bottom in blinding flashes of machine gun fire. The saga ended on the following morning as our troops finally stormed ashore, only to find that a South Korean unit, advancing over land, had taken the port the day before… POSTSCRIPT: During the rescue operation a great mystery evolved when several of our guys went aboard the sinking ships to throw men off who were too wounded to go over the side by themselves. One of our guys who went aboard one of the sinking ships (the Pledge); stumbled over a camera that had been dropped by some crewman. He slung the camera over his shoulder and brought it back to our ship. After all the wounded were secure we went back into the water and finished clearing the mines from the harbor. Later when we returned to Japan the man remembered the camera and sent the film to be developed. When the pictures came back everyone was mystified at the pictures. We mostly agreed, the photographer took one picture showing the USS Pirate on his starboard beam – he rolled the film and took a second shot catching the Pirate just as she hit a mine. Just a few seconds later the photographer’s ship (USS Pledge) hit a mine and he dropped the camera. Of the missing or dead sailors from these two vessels (I read someplace the number was 12) – Frogmen from Team 3, using SCUBA gear, dived on the wreckage. We understand this was the first and only time SCUBA was used in the Korean War. I’ve never heard a report of any bodies being recovered (however bodies were seen on the dive). Among old Frogmen who were there the debate is still alive whether the photographer who took the attached pictures was among the missing… Top Photo shows the USS Pirate on the starboard beam. Second shows the Pirate hitting a mine and blowing up. Seconds later the photographer’s own vessel, Pledge, hit A mine. Debate over the photographer and whether he is among the missing is still ongoing…(after more than 50 yea |
| Name: | Anthony "Tony" Donatelli |
| E-mail address: | liontony31@aol.com |
| Comments: | Arrived in Yokosuka in August 1950 from Great Lakes Electronics School. Assigned to Electronic's Division as SA. Stationed on plotting board in C.I.C., relaying information to bridge on headphones when the Pirate struck a mine.After climbing ladder from C.I.C. to open bridge amid black smoke and stench of fuel, abandoned ship upon command. Clung to floating netting and joined others attempting to swim toward island before being forced back by enemy gunfire. Rescued from water by detail from U.S.S. Endicott after 4 plus hours. |
| Name: | Walter N. Moreau |
| E-mail address: | wnmoreau@erols.com |
| Comments: | Earl Richard was my boyhood best friend when we were growing up in Wilmington, MA I had lost touch with him over the years, but now we correspond regularly. |
| Name: | Rick Richard |
| E-mail address: | usspirate@aol.com |
| Homepage URL: | http://www.usspirateam275.com |
| Comments: | If you are out there, I would like to hear from you. I am referring to the two crewmembers I will mention below. I don't remember your names. On that cold and unforgetable day of October 12, 1950, I was stationed at the Starboard side 20mm gun mount just below the bridge. I remember hearing Earl Mocklin, CS1 telling the skipper that he had just made a fresh pot of soup and asked if the skipper would like a bowl since it was right at noon time. He left to go below and get the soup. Then I heard a loud yell and it was the crewmember who had the bow lookout watch. He was a black man (don't remember his name) He began yelling something (couldn't make out what he said) but saw him make a mad dash to the fantail of the ship. The next thing I remember was picking myself up off the main deck just at the main hatch to go below deck. I guess I was knocked unconscious for a short period of time because I don't remember hearing the explosion but while I was laying on the deck I remember what appeared to be tons of debris and fuel oil coming down from the sky. I then heard a loud moaning and discovered it was a shipmate who was pinned under some mooring line that had slid off a ventilating unit and landed on his legs so he couldn't move. As I moved to try and help him, another crew member came from the other side and we both tried desperately to pull him out from under the heavy line. The ship was going down fast and the water was almost to the point where we were having trouble keeping the injured man's head above the water level. Finally the ship listed to where it was almost on it's side and at this point all three of us slid off the ship. With myself on one side and the other crew member on the other side, we managed to drag the injured man away from the ship. It was quite a task trying to swim with those heavy kapok jackets on. As we we were floating in the water we were able to see when the USS Pledge was struck and began going down. Then the really scary thing happened when the beach guns began firing on us with shells exploading all around. It seemed like an eternity before our aircraft finally arrived and began dropping bombs on the beach and we watched as bombs made direct hits on the beach gunes and they finally became quiet. It appeared to be quite some time before the rescue boats from the USS Endicot finally began picking up surviors. They picked up the more severly injured first and with limited space on board, they had to make several trips. I belive I was one of the last survivors to be rescued and as the last boat approached us and I noticed it was full. Then I noticed they were draging a large net behind the life boat and since the boat was full my only choice was to crawl into the net and I was drug thru the water back to the Endicot. On board we were given dry clothing and some warm food. I was later transferred to the USS Southerland and with a long cruise thru the night we finally arrived at Puson and taken aboard the Hospital ship for examination. I was later transferred back to the States for 45 days survivor leave. |