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WWII and beyond Coast Guard grouping


Bob Hudson
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Bob Hudson

I started photographing this a while back but my hard drive crashed and I lost everything on it, so I'm starting again. He enlisted in WWII and retired as a Sr. Chief Petty Officer. I have a couple of his CPO uniforms, medals, various documents and hundreds of photographs, including several in three different albums: one from WWII, one from an Arctic cruise that shows the native people in the old style fur garments and kayaks, and a third which covered a post-war 20,000 mile Pacific Ocean cruise to service LORAN stations. There is also a big stack of loose photos, many of them ID'ed on the back.

 

I'll start with what I photographed this week:

 

 

He had this small laminated copy of his discharge made:

 

discharge.jpg

 

tempID.jpg

 

This is a large photo of him that came in a folder from a nightclub in Florida where he was stationed at one point:

 

crystalphoto.jpg

 

A couple more portraits taken at various times in his career:

 

formaslphotos.jpg

 

newsphoto.jpg

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Bob Hudson

This is a book of autographs of his WWII shipmates, at least one of whom was a Marine:

 

autographs.jpg

 

autographs1.jpg

 

autographs2.jpg

 

autographs3.jpg

 

autographs4.jpg

 

From his WWII album, which includes stateside photos from his home, a Coast Guard base in St Augustine in Florida and South Pacific islands such as New Caledonia:

 

wwiialbum1.jpg

 

wwiialbum2.jpg

 

wwiialbum3.jpg

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Bob Hudson

His 1940 Blue Jackets Manual - it's the Navy version with a Coast Guard decal on the cover:

 

bjmanual.jpg

 

A page from the notebook he kept while going to CG engineering school:

 

engnotebook.jpg

 

A muster roll from his ship's engineering division (this was post-WWII when he was a Chief):

 

muster.jpg

 

His medals and a nice engraved buckle from the PI:

 

medals.jpg

 

medalsback.jpg

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Bob Hudson
That is a really neat group! Thanks for sharing!

 

-Ski

 

Wait until you see the Arctic photos: like going back in a time machine.

 

I bought this from a woman who said, "This belonged to my ex-husband's first wife's father."

 

There are lots of little interesting items he acquired along the way including pre-WWII postcards from New Caledonia and some original 1920's or 30's photos (with captions on the back from Norfolk Island, a remote island that was settled - reluctantly - by descendants of the Bounty mutineers when the British government forced them off Pitcairn Island in the 1850's. I have donated those photos Norfolk Island's resident Shane Quintal, who has something called "The Norfolk Island Historical Photo Project." Shane's fifth great-grandfather Matthew Quintal was one of the Bounty mutineers, the first man to be lashed by Capt. Bligh after the Bounty started its infamous voyage, and was the first crewman approached by Fletcher Christian concerning the mutiny. Having read Mutiny on The Bounty and the other books in the trilogy more than once, it was fascinating to exchange emails with someone descended from one of the crew, especially after I learned that Matthew Quintal was considered the most violent of the mutineers and eventually was killed by fellow mutineers on Pitcairn Island.

 

On March 11, 1788 Bligh wrote in his logbook,

Illustration H.M.S. Bounty

"Until this afternoon I had hoped I could have performed the voyage without punishment to any one, but I found it necessary to punish Matthew Quintal with 2 dozen lashes for insolence and mutinous behavior."

 

Anyway, that's a little side trip from this Coast Guardsman's effects. No idea how he came upon the Norfolk Island photos: it could be his ship stopped there. This remote island is not on the route to anywhere, but the US did pay for construction of an airfield there in WWII and this guy served on a cargo ship operated by a Coast Guard crew so perhaps they dropped supplies there.

 

Here's a couple of the photos. Those buildings are from a 19th century penal colony and the ship in the bottom photo is ID'ed as 'HMS Miranda" an interisland steamer, but I found that the Royal Navy ship HMS Miranda visited in 1884 so perhaps these photos were 19th century.

 

norfolk78.jpg

 

norfolk78back.jpg

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Bob Hudson

That Marine aboard the CG ship: He was wounded in WWII and ended up serving in the Marines through Vietnam:

 

From World War II Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Casualties, 1941-1945

clifton.jpg

 

U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775-2006

about Clifton W Moore

Name: Clifton W Sr Moore

Service Info.: 1ST SGT US MARINE CORPS WORLD WAR II, KOREA, VIETNAM

Birth Date: 15 Sep 1923

Death Date: 21 Oct 1997

Cemetery: Onslow Memorial Cemetery

Cemetery Address: 3280 Richlands Highway Jacksonville, NC 28540

 

 

autographs2.jpg

 

I'll have to see if I can find info on other names in the autograph book.

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Bob Hudson

Here are the two Chief Petty Officer uniforms that came with this grouping (even got the trousers):

 

blues.jpg

 

bluestibbons.jpg

 

bluesrate.jpg

 

tans.jpg

 

tanrate.jpg

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Bob Hudson

I've photographed some more of the papers and albums and will post those in no particular order.

 

These are from his album of the 1951 Arctic cruise of the cutter Eastwind in support of "Operation BLUE JAY," a "secret" operation to construct thre Thule Air Base.

 

What is neat about these are the many photos of the native people of that area, then still dressed in traditional leather and fur clothing, using traditional kayaks and living in dirt huts.

 

He got a certificate for crossing the Arctic Circle and they had a ceremony that looks like the ones they have for crossing the Equator (he did that in WWII and I'll post his certificate for that later on).

 

arcticertificae.jpg

 

The "Royal Court":

 

arcticcourt.jpg

 

Hazing:

 

arctichaircut.jpg

 

Here's some examples of the pages in this album:

 

arcticshpsphotos.jpg

 

arcticphotopage1.jpg

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Bob Hudson

nativewoman.jpg

 

nativeman.jpg

 

I have no idea what this guy is doing, but he's standing in the water holding to a hammer that someone else is holding.

 

maninwater.jpg

 

I wonder if he was the pilot of this Coast Guard helicopter. It must have been quite an adventure doing polar operations in a chopper in 1951.

 

chopperandice.jpg

 

gunsandice.jpg

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Bob Hudson

At some point they had a beard contest during the Eastwind's 1951 cruise. Notice the chief on the left is wearing sandals (this must have been taken on the return south).

 

arcticbearda.jpg

 

Here's the ship's Thanksgiving menu:

 

eastwindmenu.jpg

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Bob Hudson

Now we go back to WWII. He saved this letter which his skipper sent to his mother, letting her know her son's reaction to being informed that he brother had been killed in action.

 

kialetter.jpg

 

According to Wikipedia, "USS Enceladus (AK-80) was an Enceladus-class cargo ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II. She was responsible for delivering goods and equipment to locations in the war zone...she operated entirely in the southwest Pacific Ocean, all the while U.S. Coast Guard manned. She shuttled supplies between supply bases which included Noumea, New Caledonia, Tongatapu, Torokina, Bougainville, Emirau, and Guadalcanal. She was occupied with inter-island freight traffic until 4 August 1945 when she arrived at Pearl Harbor. Enceladus was decommissioned on 18 December 1945 and turned over to the Maritime Commission."

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Here is his certificate for crossing the Equator aboard the Enceladus in Jan. 1944 WWII and some more misc. photos that are not in albums and some documents:

 

equatorcertificate.jpg

 

miscphotos.jpg

 

leav62dischargecard.jpg

 

cgwelfarecard.jpg

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Hey Boss,

 

That is one great grouping. Very complete. Congratulations. thumbsup.gif

 

Now I want to know how you guys find these?? I'm ready to get a sign and stand on the corner!!

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Bob Hudson
Hey Boss,

 

That is one great grouping. Very complete. Congratulations. thumbsup.gif

 

Now I want to know how you guys find these?? I'm ready to get a sign and stand on the corner!!

 

That's sort of what I do, except it's a sign on my van window.

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Bob Hudson

I just had to enlarge that one image of the South Pacific gentleman with the visor cap - that's one of my favorite photos from the whole collection:

 

nativeserviceman.jpg

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Bob Hudson

This is the third and last of the photo albums, this one for late 1940's 20,000 mile South Pacific voyage of the the Coast Guard Cutter Kukui to re-supply LORAN stations.

 

kukuialbum.jpg

 

kukuinews.jpg

 

kukuimap.jpg

 

kukuigroupphoto.jpg

 

kukuiphotopage1.jpg

 

kukuiphotopage2.jpg

 

kukuiphotoskids.jpg

 

kukuisked.jpg

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Bob Hudson

Here's some more info on the mission of the USS Kukui (WAK 186), which basically served aviators: (this is from Coast Guard Aviation History)

 

 

In the post war period LORAN became the primary electronic navigation system for both ships and aircraft. The Coast Guard was given the responsibility of maintaining and operating the vast majority of all LORAN stations. The LORAN chains in the Pacific were realigned and modified to support post war military and commercial requirements. Whenever and wherever support could be obtained from local sources and/or other military installations, it was utilized. A number of the stations, however, were constructed on isolated islands or other remote locations.

 

A large vessel to supply equipment and personnel was needed for construction and logistical support of the Pacific LORAN chain. The USS COLQUIT (AK-174) was obtained and converted to Coast Guard requirements. The name was changed to USCGC KUKUI (WAK-186). The KUKUI carried two LCMs on her decks to ferry men and equipment to shore and also had three bulldozers, several trucks and a few jeeps stashed in her holds. Seven months a year she was underway providing necessary logistic support to members of the Coast Guard LORAN chain throughout the western Pacific. During this time she delivered "everything from toothpicks to antenna poles; from a can of pepper to a "Quonset Hut." She also carried the complex electronic equipment necessary to set up the LORAN system. The Officers and men not only sailed the ship but they operated bulldozers, landing craft, trucks and jeeps.

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  • 1 month later...
Bob Hudson
There are lots of little interesting items he acquired along the way including pre-WWII postcards from New Caledonia and some original 1920's or 30's photos (with captions on the back from Norfolk Island, a remote island that was settled - reluctantly - by descendants of the Bounty mutineers when the British government forced them off Pitcairn Island in the 1850's. I have donated those photos Norfolk Island's resident Shane Quintal, who has something called "The Norfolk Island Historical Photo Project." Shane's fifth great-grandfather Matthew Quintal was one of the Bounty mutineers, the first man to be lashed by Capt. Bligh after the Bounty started its infamous voyage, and was the first crewman approached by Fletcher Christian concerning the mutiny. Having read Mutiny on The Bounty and the other books in the trilogy more than once, it was fascinating to exchange emails with someone descended from one of the crew, especially after I learned that Matthew Quintal was considered the most violent of the mutineers and eventually was killed by fellow mutineers on Pitcairn Island.

 

Those Norfolk Island photos are now finally back on Norfolk Island in the historical collection. I had mailed them sometime ago but never heard back from Mr. Quintal but today's mail brought a nice little book from him about the island. I now believe the photos may be from circa 1884, but the captions on the back were made after about 1941. How a US Coast Guardsman ended up with them is anybody's guess - the US did support the building of an airfield on Norfolk Island in WWII - and to this day, I have learned, the Norfolk Islands still blame Uncle Sam for cutting down this row of trees that lined a local roadway for many decades, but had to give way for the runway.

 

norfolktrees.jpg

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  • 2 years later...
  • 8 years later...
SemperParatus

A very interesting grouping to be sure, I cannot recall seeing so much in one collection kept by an individual. Thanks too for the comment regarding the two Polar medals to Coast Guardsmen. Considering the size of the crews on the "Wind" class icebreakers I expect it could add up quickly. Aside from the various ship crews you would have some aircraft crews who might have qualified in particular rescue choppers etc. Thank you for sharing this historical collection which includes my old EASTWIND.

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