Category Archives: Crew

Calvert Struck by Friendly Torpedo! (Pearl Harbor – 1964)

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Steve Straka (MM2, “A” Division, 1962-1965), was kind enough to provide the following story via email:

After leaving San Diego in January 1964 we went to Hawaii to pick up Marines to take to Japan. As is normal when a convoy leaves Pearl Harbor the submarines conduct war games on the convoys and the surface ships do anti-sub maneuvers. We settled into normal sailing, when over the loud speakers came “General Quarters – General Quarters – This is not a drill – Torpedo Port Side All Hands to Battle Stations.”

I was in the fresh water evaporator room on the port side. I heard a loud bang and felt the torpedo hit just forward of the evap. room, in the engine room. I had on my sound powered phone and heard the engine room say there was a hole in the port side and we were taking on water. This was getting scary.

As luck would have it. the torpedo hit on a heavy steel rib and it was only a small hole in the hull. The damage control party was able to slow the leak and we continued on to Youkoska Japan where a patch was welded on the. hull. If the torpedo had hit one foot either way, it would have been sitting in the steam generators knocking out all the power.

When we left Pearl Harbor we went into a anti-sub convoy formation. The sub had set up a torpedo plot on the USS Paul Revere (APA-248). When they fired a practice torpedo it was set to go under the target ship, it would then rise and continue to run until it ran out of fuel. It was then recovered.  Well the Paul Revere was on our port side. Need I say more! The Captain said that was the fastest the ship ever went to General Quarters.

–Thanks to Steve for sharing this great story!

Captain James W. Whitfield – Commanding Officer – Oct ’42 – Jan ’43

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Captain James W. Whitfield was a tough Commanding Officer. “If he liked you, he liked you. If not …” (watch the video below)

Captain Whitfield “Bulldog” (USS Harry Lee, USS Calvert)

 

Here is information on Captain Whitfield’s time while at the Naval Academy – class of 1918:

http://www.e-yearbook.com/yearbooks/United_States_Naval_Academy_Lucky_Bag_Yearbook/1918/Page_224.html

United States Naval Academy - Lucky Bag Yearbook (Annapolis, MD), Class of 1918,_2013-03-19_20-47-41

 

Admiral JW Whitfield’s sword was up for sale on EBay in early 2013. Here are pictures from the auction:

Pre WWII Navy M1852 Officers Sword Named to Admiral James w Whitfield RARE eBa_2013-03-05_21-18-59 Pre WWII Navy M1852 Officers Sword Named to Admiral James w Whitfield RARE eBa_2013-03-05_21-20-34 Pre WWII Navy M1852 Officers Sword Named to Admiral James w Whitfield RARE eBa_2013-03-19_20-26-02

 

Japanese Prisoners Aboard the Calvert, 1944

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Following several invasions the Calvert was tasked with transporting both German and Japanese prisoners. As the prisoners boarded the Calvert they were stripped of all personal belongings. Many times the Calvert’s crew members (particularly deck division and medical division personnel) were on receiving end of these personal belongings as the prisoners surrendered their belongings.

Many thanks to Robert McClellan for sending the following pictures from his father’s collection while aboard the Calvert.

Japanese-Prisoner-Photo-08 Japanese-Prisoner-Photo-07 Japanese-Prisoner-Photo-06 Japanese-Prisoner-Photo-05 Japanese-Prisoner-Photo-04 Japanese-Prisoner-Photo-03 Japanese-Prisoner-Photo-02 Japanese-Prisoner-Photo-01

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is Robert McClellan’s background on these photographs:

“My father collected souvenirs. Among his papers I found these captured pictures. I don’t know where he got them but there are  also some letters from home to some Japanese sailor dated early in 1942. Note how the picture of the young woman has had a male companion snipped out of the picture. Some things are  universal. I think the girl with the tea was some sort of celebrity, it’s too slick look to be a picture of  just a girl back home. Notice her western hairdo. I thought y’all might like to see these pictures  even if they are  sort of  sad to think about.

Also like  Boatswain Funck, Daddy picked up a Japanese carbine and managed to get it home. It’s the odd 6.5mm one with the folding bayonet. He told me he also had a German P-38 that he got  in Sicily but had to throw it overboard when the captain came looking for contraband. He had other  stuff but he said it was stolen out of his locker.”

Here is Sterling Funck’s description of prisoners’ treatment and conditions aboard the Calvert:

H.W. “Mack” McClellan – Navy Corpsman, Phm2c

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Many thanks to Robert McClellan for providing this photograph of his father, H.W. “Mack” McClellan, Phm2c.

H.W. “Mack”McClellan-001

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mack was a hospital corpsman aboard the Calvert beginning with the invasion of Sicily, July 1943, through to the end of the war in the fall of 1945. He participated in the Calvert’s landings as a permanent member of the Calvert’s shore and beach party crew.

Mack can be seen with the Calvert’s medical corpsmen crew here.

Mack was also part of the Calvert’s shore party who were sent ashore in Hiroshima in October,1945, two months after the bomb (The Calvert was part of the occupation forces following the surrender of Japan).

 Note:

  • 2014-04-05 – Improved post and add cross-links.
  • 2014-08-03 – Corrected dates on medical corpsmen photograph.