Author Archives: Chris Funck

USS Calvert LCVPs illustration, D-Day, 1944

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In memory of those who participated, and those who died, D-Day, June 6th, 1944.

Squadron/Signal Publications’ WWII Landing Craft in Action book is a good source of information on WWII-era landing craft and landing ships. Two of the Calvert’s landing craft appear on the cover of this book, which depicts landings in Normandy on June 6th. In reality the Calvert was in the Pacific on June 6th, 1944. In any case, it is great to see the Calvert’s boats on the cover of a book.

lcia-01

LST 325, also pictured on the cover, did participate in the landings at Normandy. The caption accompanying the front page states: “An M4 Sherman tank moves out of the Landing Ship, Tank (LST)-325 on the beach in Normandy, France on 6 June 1944. Two Landing Craft, Vehicle Personnel (LCVPs) (PA32-25 and PA32-21) are beached to port of the LST. Both LCVPs were assigned to the attack transport USS CALVERT (APA-32). An ambulance delivered by one of the LCVPs is driving onto he beach. These landing craft were joined by hundreds of vessels in Operation OVERLORD, the Allied invasion of Northern France.

Although this book is no longer actively in print, used copies are available on Amazon and Half.com. More details on this book are available here.

1950’s Officers – Officers Reunion Book, April 2003

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Howard “Howie” Lanyon, Gunnery Officer aboard the Calvert ’53-’55, has shared the following Officers Reunion book that he compiled for the 2003 reunion at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club (April 22-24). This book includes:

  • Past skippers from October 1942 to July 1966.
  • A few historical items.
  • Brief bios and pictures for 29 officers who served aboard the Calvert during the 1950s, I have masked the contact information (which was up-to-date in the 2003 time frame). Email me directly if you would like to request an individual’s contact information.

Here are the individual pages from Howie’s book. You can view a larger copy of each page by clicking on the image and it will open up in a new window.2003 Officers Reunion - p001 - Cover 2003 Officers Reunion - p002 - Intro 2003 Officers Reunion - p003 - Commanding Officers '42-'66 2003 Officers Reunion - p004 - Albers, Delmar 2003 Officers Reunion - p005 - Bainton, Don 2003 Officers Reunion - p006 - Beckett, Peter 2003 Officers Reunion - p007 - Bridgford, Hugh 2003 Officers Reunion - p008 - Clemens, Daniel 2003 Officers Reunion - p009 - Christopher, Allison 2003 Officers Reunion - p010 - Cook, Bruce 2003 Officers Reunion - p011 - Farley, D. Stephen 2003 Officers Reunion - p012 - Ferguson, Samuel 2003 Officers Reunion - p013 - Hemphill, Allen 2003 Officers Reunion - p014 - Hornbuckle, Ross 2003 Officers Reunion - p015 - Kahan, Lawrence 2003 Officers Reunion - p016 - Lanyon, Howard 2003 Officers Reunion - p017 - Laudenschlager, Philip 2003 Officers Reunion - p018 - McCarty, Charles 2003 Officers Reunion - p019 - Mill, Alfred 2003 Officers Reunion - p020 - Moeller, John 2003 Officers Reunion - p021 - Morgan, Leroy 2003 Officers Reunion - p022 - Niemi, Edwin 2003 Officers Reunion - p023 - Papa, Nicholas 2003 Officers Reunion - p024 - Parton, Robert 2003 Officers Reunion - p025 - Precht, Robert 2003 Officers Reunion - p026 - Stein, Norman 2003 Officers Reunion - p027 - Thoes, R. Donald 2003 Officers Reunion - p028 - Wagner, Norman 2003 Officers Reunion - p029 - Willhite, Dale 2003 Officers Reunion - p030 - Zerbe, Wesley 2003 Officers Reunion - p031 - Joan Fontaine Aboard 2003 Officers Reunion - p032 - In Memory 2003 Officers Reunion - p033 - Hillies, Frederick 2003 Officers Reunion - p034 - Yamnicky, John 1 2003 Officers Reunion - p035 - Yamnicky, John 2 2003 Officers Reunion - p036 - Aiau, Harvey 2003 Officers Reunion - p037 - Flores, Adolph 2003 Officers Reunion - p038 - Herlihy, William 2003 Officers Reunion - p039 - Huff, Robert 2003 Officers Reunion - p040 - Vasliades, Jim

 

 

Dr. William G. Hook – ’43-’46

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Dr. William G. Hook served aboard the Calvert from 1943 to 1946 as the Assistant Medical Officer. According to his grandson, Eric Hook (USAF), Dr. Hook answered the call after the war broke out, left his private practice in Danvers, MA and entered the US Navy as a LT in 1942. He reported aboard the Calvert sometime in early-to-mid 1943.

Dr William G Hook - Annotated

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eric Hook has provided a number of other photographs of the Calvert’s officers and crew from his grandfather’s collection, available on the WWII Group Photos page. Additional photographs of the Calvert’s medical staff are also available here.

Dr. Hook can also be seen in the 1944 film footage at the 04:47 – 04:55 mark and at the 16:50 – 22:30 mark.

Here is a photograph of Dr. Hook with the Japanese and Korean prisoners brought aboard the Calvert following the invasions at Saipan and Tinian.

1944-July-26 - POWs boarding - Annotated

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2014 Calvert Reunion – Ft. Worth, TX – Oct 1st to the 5th

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The 2014 USS Calvert / USS Harry Lee reunion will be held in Fort Worth, Texas from October 1st to October 5th. Additional details and registration information are available on page 5 of the 69th volume of The Calversion.

Registration is due by July 15th, 2014.

Contact Saretta Rowland with any questions (her contact information is on page 5 of the above mentioned Calversion).