Theorywolf Posted November 25, 2013 Share #1 Posted November 25, 2013 Guys, My jaw is still on the ground! I got an email from the daughter of Kaj "Swede" Swenson, President of the USS Thorn DD 47 Association. Swede passed away just two weeks ago. Swede and I had talked often on the phone about the helmets from the ship that I had collected. She said that he wanted to leave his entire archive to me. She wanted it all shipped to me so the family could get the house ready for sale. Of course I said yes! I received three deliveries from UPS with five to six large boxes each time! For the pat week I have been like a kid on Christmas morning!! I have his personal items, displays, uniforms, deck winter coats with insignia (my favorite so far), and nearly a thousand original photos in albums from the time the Thorn was built, through its journeys to North Africa three times, through landings at Pelelui, Iwo Jima, Letye Gulf, Okinawa, and others, plus a large album of all the crew before/after photos. Most of these you will see in the photos that follow. However, I have four large boxes filled with his files, which contain all manner of original photos with original negatives, film, drawings, crew lists, etc. I will not go through all of these files for some time to come. It is overwhelming to say the least! Swede was dedicated to establishing the association and was successful in getting a new Destroyer named after the Thorn: DD 988. Swede was sailing with a Swedish Sail Ship in 1941 and then was with the original crew of the U.S. Thorn and was with her when the ship went to the deep as a target for the Saratoga in 1973. I have the link to the ship's website below in which you will find some of the photos I have in the albums and the ship's history. The scrap Book is so large I can hardly lift it! Enjoy the photos. Also, for my Navy experts, if you see something rare, please let me know. Of course, the whole archive is rare enough! I am the proud owner of the USS Thorn Archive and I am humbled by it! http://www.ussjpkennedyjr.org/thorn647/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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