Clarence “Hoyt” Worthington served aboard the USS Calvert as a Gunners Mate from May 1944 to May 1946. Born and raised in Cedartown, GA, he enlisted in the US Navy on July 13, 1943 at the age of 17. After completing boot camp at the Great Lakes Training Station and Gunnery School in San Diego, he reported to the USS Calvert and joined her in Pearl Harbor.
After the war Hoyt was a key member of the Calvert Associates reunion group, and official photographer for many years at the Calvert Associates’ reunions. The following details were provided by Glynna Morse, Secretary of the Calvert Associates:
Many of you are aware that Hoyt was one of the first members of the USS Calvert Associates from its first reunion in Rochester, MN, in 1979, at which time John Cole was elected Commander, and Hoyt was elected as Executive Office of USS Calvert Associates, a position which he held until 2013, and he served as Acting Commander in 2013 after the death of John Cole. Hoyt and his wife, Sara, hosted the second USS Calvert reunion in Atlanta in 1981, and they took group and individual photos of reunion attendees for the next decades.
Hoyt provided the following photographs from his time aboard the Calvert when I met him at a reunion (either the Iowa reunion in 2013 or the Dallas-Ft. Worth reunion in 2014).
1944 film footage, saved by Hoyt:
The narrated movie footage of the Calvert’s time in the Pacific during the summer and fall of 1944 is due to Hoyt’s efforts to capture the showing of the film at an earlier reunion. Hoyt can be seen polishing one of the Calvert’s 3″ or 5″ gun barrels at the 6:17 mark of the video.
External sites featuring Hoyt’s WWII experiences
- Hoyt’s video memoirs of his time in the Navy, preserved as part of the Library of Congress Veterans History Project, is available here. Note, when you visit this page, you will need to click on the “Complete Interview” link to view the video interview.
- Hoyt’s United States Naval Memorial is available here.
Sadly Hoyt passed away in February, 2019. His obituary is available here.
This was so awesome to see!!!! My Dad was a Coxswain(Larry Vigneault) at this time and I have so many questions that I still want to know. Sadly he passed in 2010. I am always looking for articles on the Calvert. I love this and thank you for sharing it. I will watch it again.
There are not enough words to say to thank all the men who served and are serving today. God Bless all of them, past and present.