This presentation is in response to a letter received July 10th signed by Harry Cooper. In essence the letter requested background information on my military service, tour of duty at Portsmouth Submarine Base, the various U-Boats that we had at Portsmouth and in particular the U-234.
My name is James Vizigian, today transmission July 18 1986. My background is US Navy. Enlisted December 26, 1941 at Fitchburg Mass. Discharged December 1945, Boston Mass. Rate, signalman 1st Class. Early 51 recalled to active duty, US Navy discharged end of 1952. Rate, Quarter Master, Signalman Ist Class. Place of discharge, Boston Mass.
We need to start someplace so the best point will be the events leading up to my transfer to Portsmouth Submarine Base. In early October 1944 we were at the Holandia, Dutch New Guinea Anchorage for the 7th Fleet Units. Holandia, New Guinea was also the field headquarters for Gen., MacArthur.
We had received our orders to return home. There were Charlie Jarvis, Leading Signalman; Signalman Ist class Albright; Signalman 2nd class Mitchell; Signalman 2nd Class Ralph Perry; signalman 3rd class yours truly; Signalman 3rd Class Mitchell who was in his early 50's. He was a WW I veteran who had served in the battleship WEST VIRGINIA. With no doubt in my mind, he was being sent home for discharge.
We arrived Manaus in the Admiralty Islands. Manaus had been designated the advanced fleet anchorage for all the 7th Fleet Units. Manaus would be the departure point for all ships bound for Leyte in the Philippines. In October Manaus had been captured, Los Negroes had been captured, Northern New Guinea had been captured, etc. Thus all of New Guinea had been sealed, together with Rabaul on Britain effectively closing off all supply and reinforcements to Japanese units in New Guinea.
On or about 15 October 1944, LST amphibious units left Manaus, picked up their destroyer escort outside the harbor and headed in a northwesterly direction for Leyte. Inasmuch as the LST's had a relatively slow speed they would leave first, the balance of the cruisers, destroyers, tankers, ammunition ships, merchant marine ships and other patrol craft would leave subsequently to the LST departure. On or about the 15th of October, we who had already boarded the SCOTT left Manaus, picked up 3 fleet destroyers for company and left for Pearl Harbor. We laid over at Ford Island for 3 days and then left for San Francisco.
We arrived San Francisco. Subsequent to our embarkment we were told that we would board a ferry ship across the bay to the Oakland side and disembark at Treasure Island. Upon landing at Treasure Island, we were directed to an empty barracks where an officer boarded the steps and delivered a short speech. He welcomed us to Treasure Island, indicated that all hands in this group would receive 30 days leave as soon as the orders would be cut. CHEERS!
This was the good new. The bad news was that all hands would find themselves back in Pearl Harbor at the termination of their 30-day leave. Sailors on the West Coat and Western States would probably be back in Pearl Harbor within two weeks. Sailors on the East Coast, upon their return to San Francisco, would probably end up in Pearl Harbor for reassignment in about three to four weeks. The officer emphasized that ships were arriving in Pearl Harbor with green crews, that the Navy was very desperate for enlisted personnel who were experienced, who were veterans that turned out to be us.
Ships in the 3rd and 5th Fleets were desperately in need of replacements; replacements for battle casualties. It seemed that the battle casualties were much greater than was being reported in the news media. That was shock number one, we had only been back 3 or 4 hours and already this guy was telling us that we were going back overseas. Certainly in the United States there must have been thousands of sailors who had never been overseas who should've been shipped out first and give us a breather.
But that was not the case. Come in for 30 days - go back out. There was total shock, total amazement, total disappointment in the speech. This is not what we had expected. We certainly did not think that Pearl Harbor would be our destination. We went into the barracks.
The barracks were unheated, it was cold. The end of November in the Bay area can be very chilly and damp. That night I hit the sack, had all my clothes on - had my watch cap on, my pea coat on, my blankets and I was still cold. I'm sure every man in that barracks was the same thing - shocked! Another shock, the next morning we lined up for breakfast and the closer we got to that mess hall, the greater the smell.
There was a pungent odor coming out of that warehouse. It was terrible; it was enough to make you sick ... would've knocked a bull over on his butt. We entered the mess hall; we picked up the food trays. The trays were covered with dried egg, splotches of mashed potatoes. We picked up the food and utensils - the same thing, it was dirty and it was unwholesome. The food and the mess hall were terrible. The Officer in Charge and the Chief Commissary Steward in that warehouse should've been taken out and shot. It was a disgrace. I had never experienced anything like that in the Navy.
The only good news we got from these people is that we would have unlimited liberty, we come and go as we pleased. There would be no duty, no duty section; all they asked was that we be there at 0800 for morning muster. Everybody in that group had something to do. Namely get to San Francisco, get to a Western Union office, get to a postal telegram office to send a telegram home -- 'arrived San Francisco, will be home as soon as possible.' Next step; get over to the train station; find out the schedule and the cost of a ticket home.
More: The Way It Was: US Navy
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© Copyright 1999 by Harry Cooper, Sharkhunters International, Inc.
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