WW2 USS Chester Paymaster documents

[Vincennes]

I acquired a 4" stack of official papers belonging to Lt. (JG) Robert Travis Peake (532-137). He was the paymaster on the USS Chester (CA-27) from November, 1944 until May, 1946.

 

He died here in Tulsa in September, 2008.

 

I will show a couple items from the stack and more if people are interested.

 

First is a scan of page 1 of the Officers Roster for the USS Chester dated June 1, 1945. I also have rosters for 3 later time periods. This roster is 6 pages long and measures 13x8". I had to make the scan smaller to fit the size limits of this site, so I hope you can read it.

 

Paul

[Vincennes]

Here are 2 copies of original ships messages. The Chester was involved in the occupation of Japan at the end of the war and the paymaster had to get some local money to pay the sailors when they went ashore.

 

 

Paul

[Salvage Sailor]

I acquired a 4" stack of official papers belonging to Lt. (JG) Robert Travis Peake (532-137). He was the paymaster on the USS Chester (CA-27) from November, 1944 until May, 1946.

 

He died here in Tulsa in September, 2008.

 

I will show a couple items from the stack and more if people are interested.

 

First is a scan of page 1 of the Officers Roster for the USS Chester dated June 1, 1945. I also have rosters for 3 later time periods. This roster is 6 pages long and measures 13x8". I had to make the scan smaller to fit the size limits of this site, so I hope you can read it.

 

Paul

 

Check out the sea service of Lt. Cdr. Kalen, the gunnery officer. Straight from USNA Class of 1940 graduation to the CHESTER, 59 months on board when this roster was compiled.

 

Below are some notes from his service aboard USS CHESTER (CA-27)

 

Kalen, Robert L.

 

July 1940-Jan. 1942 USS CHESTER, Signal Officer. First radar to go to sea. Atlantic neutrality patrol. Trained for amphibious landings with Marines in Caribbean.

 

Spring, PH. Good, relaxing time. Escorted 2 transport ships to Manila. Those aboard did not expect to ever come home. (Later were on Bataan March.)

 

PH. Nov., secret mission with Adm. Halsey in ENTERPRISE. Wartime conditions on board. (Later learned they were delivering Marine squad. to Wake.) Should have returned to PH Dec. 6; underway refueling necessary, and they did a lousy job. Halsey ordered them to stay at sea and practice.

 

Missed the PH attack. Lessons Learned: In times of imminent war, keep alert, even on Sunday. CHESTER's AA could not have defended against the air attack.

 

1944 USS CHESTER, Main Battery Asst. Gunnery Officer. Cruiser Div. 5. Bombarded Marshalls periodically. No action. May, Aleutians. CO on Attu kept a cow for fresh milk.

 

SW to bomb Paramushiro in the Kuriles Island Chain with only fog for cover. Gunnery Officer. Sept., bombardment of Wake Island. Cover force for Leyte Gulf landing, late Oct. Typhoon sank 3 destroyers.

 

Ulithi with huge assemblage of ships. Iwo Jima. 1945 Iwo Jima bombing cont'd. Kalen's brother a Marine LT landing on Iwo Jima. Trouble assessing damage. Trouble with shells from US ships on one side of island going all the way over and hitting US ships on the other side.

 

Brother killed.

 

Collided with ESTES which had SecNavy on board. San Francisco for repairs.

 

Okinawa. Prepared for kamikazes. None came. Aleutians, Kurile bombardment again. War ended.

 

Occupation. Led Surrender Inspection Party at Mutsu City, N. Honshu. Japanese inexplicably friendly and helpful. Hokkaido, Supporo and Hakodate. Operation Magic Carpet.

 

Navigator left; Kalen made navigator. Made 5 troop transport trips.

 

Philadelphia for decom. Kalen made 1st LT to inactivate ship.

 

After 6 yrs on CHESTER, Kalen had been everything but CO and engineer.

[Vincennes]

FYI LtCdr. Kalen is listed in the same position on the Aug 1, 1945, and Sept. 15, 1945 Officers Rosters I have. However, on the Dec. 1, 1945 Officers Roster he is on page 3 under the Navigation - Communications Dept. As you indicated, he is listed as Navigator.

 

Paul

[67Rally]

Check out the sea service of Lt. Cdr. Kalen, the gunnery officer. Straight from USNA Class of 1940 graduation to the CHESTER, 59 months on board when this roster was compiled.

 

Below are some notes from his service aboard USS CHESTER (CA-27)

 

Kalen, Robert L.

 

July 1940-Jan. 1942 USS CHESTER, Signal Officer. First radar to go to sea. Atlantic neutrality patrol. Trained for amphibious landings with Marines in Caribbean.

 

Spring, PH. Good, relaxing time. Escorted 2 transport ships to Manila. Those aboard did not expect to ever come home. (Later were on Bataan March.)

 

PH. Nov., secret mission with Adm. Halsey in ENTERPRISE. Wartime conditions on board. (Later learned they were delivering Marine squad. to Wake.) Should have returned to PH Dec. 6; underway refueling necessary, and they did a lousy job. Halsey ordered them to stay at sea and practice.

 

Missed the PH attack. Lessons Learned: In times of imminent war, keep alert, even on Sunday. CHESTER's AA could not have defended against the air attack.

 

1944 USS CHESTER, Main Battery Asst. Gunnery Officer. Cruiser Div. 5. Bombarded Marshalls periodically. No action. May, Aleutians. CO on Attu kept a cow for fresh milk.

 

SW to bomb Paramushiro in the Kuriles Island Chain with only fog for cover. Gunnery Officer. Sept., bombardment of Wake Island. Cover force for Leyte Gulf landing, late Oct. Typhoon sank 3 destroyers.

 

Ulithi with huge assemblage of ships. Iwo Jima. 1945 Iwo Jima bombing cont'd. Kalen's brother a Marine LT landing on Iwo Jima. Trouble assessing damage. Trouble with shells from US ships on one side of island going all the way over and hitting US ships on the other side.

 

Brother killed.

 

Collided with ESTES which had SecNavy on board. San Francisco for repairs.

 

Okinawa. Prepared for kamikazes. None came. Aleutians, Kurile bombardment again. War ended.

 

Occupation. Led Surrender Inspection Party at Mutsu City, N. Honshu. Japanese inexplicably friendly and helpful. Hokkaido, Supporo and Hakodate. Operation Magic Carpet.

 

Navigator left; Kalen made navigator. Made 5 troop transport trips.

 

Philadelphia for decom. Kalen made 1st LT to inactivate ship.

 

After 6 yrs on CHESTER, Kalen had been everything but CO and engineer.

 

 

SalvageSailor,

 

What is the source of this information? Specifically, this:

 

July 1940-Jan. 1942 USS CHESTER, Signal Officer. First radar to go to sea. Atlantic neutrality patrol. Trained for amphibious landings with Marines in Caribbean.

[Salvage Sailor]

SalvageSailor,

 

What is the source of this information? Specifically, this: July 1940-Jan. 1942 USS CHESTER, Signal Officer. First radar to go to sea. Atlantic neutrality patrol. Trained for amphibious landings with Marines in Caribbean.

 

In my library, I have an almost complete set of the USNA Lucky Bag and many of the Anniversary editions too. Some of them are online which I've cited below:

 

United States Naval Academy

Sixtieth Graduation Anniversary of the Class of 1940 - From Plebe Year Through a Thousand Battles (Published 2000)

 

The excerpt cited above is from the Archive Index - ARCHIVE INDEX

 

The following text consists of abstracts of comments submitted by individual members of the U. S. Naval Academy Class of 1940 in conformance with a general plan for the "Class of ‘40 Archive" initiated by Captain Mike Hanley, USN. The complete body of the Archive is stored in the Nimitz Library at the Academy. Abstracts and editorial comments were entered by Professor Robert Love, who reviewed the main Archive to prepare them. Professor Love’s personal observations appear in bold print.

 

usna.com - Archive Index Robert Kalen

 

This is his individual biography from the same edition

 

Bob reported to CHESTER (CA-27) in July, 1940, at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California and stayed in that fine ship for six years, during which time CHESTER worked her way through ten Pacific Campaign stars from Pearl to Okinawa and from the Coral Sea to the Aleutians.

 

On the personal side: Bob and Jean Ferron were married in 1942 and had three children, Linda, Audrey and Dan in 1947, 1948, and 1953, respectively. Bob and Jean were separated in 1967.

 

In 1968, Yvonne Lynch Hutchins and Bob were married in Arlington, and are still living happily ever after.

 

After the big war, Bob's duty stations in sequence were: CinCLantFlt Staff, NROTC Instructor, DD Exec, BuPers Officer Detail, DD CO out of Pearl, CINCPACFLT Staff, National War College, Admiral Burke's JCS Secretary, AKA CO, Joint Staff for the JCS, Command of the Guided Missile Cruiser BOSTON -- what a great exit from the fleet - and back to the Pentagon to pay the price. The last duty was as Executive Assistant and Aide to the Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable Paul Nitze. Bob retired in October, 1966. He worked for Tad Stanwick for a couple of years, then went to Ingalls Shipbuilding to help build new gas turbine destroyers until 1984, when a heart bypass operation slowed down old Bob to working as a consultant. As time passes, the consultant jobs are spreading wider and wider apart.

 

Since 1972, Yvonne and Bob have lived in Mobile, Alabama, and have become very much involved in community activities. Yvonne is active with the Arts Patrons League (past President), the Symphony Committee, Friends of the Library, Theatre Guilds, Friends of the Ballet, Mobile Arts Council, Board member on two museums, and other activities. Bob serves on the Mobile Council of the Navy League and works with getting USN ships to visit Mobile. (Bob's sea stories need a new audience.) Yvonne and Bob are both active in politics. They enjoy a wide range of good friends and are having a happy retirement in Mobile.

 

And a link to the online version at the United States Naval Academy Alumni website

Sixtieth Graduation Anniversary of the Class of 1940

[Vincennes]

When I started this page back in September, 2011 I never expected to find anything more beloning to Lt. (JG) Peake and the USS Chester. But today at the flea market I bought a book belonging to Peake. It is titled "Cash Analysis and Record of Balances. It is a hard back book measuring 8.25x5". It covers the period from Nov. 30, 1944 until April 30, 1946. Here is one scan from that book.

 

Paul