WW2 Destroyer flag

[vostoktrading]

I recently got this out of storage from my dad's stuff from WW2.

He was a sailor on the USS Watts DD-567 (a Fletcher class Destroyer) in the Pacific.

His job was to steer the ship, correct charts, wind clocks and chronometers, stand watch on the bridge, etc...

He also sometimes manned 40mm AA guns (he said they were all cross trained to do several jobs in case of casualties).

He gave me this flag years ago (as well as a couple of pieces of small twisted aluminum from a blown-up Japanese plane

that just barely missed the ship off Okinawa). He said it was raised new on the mast when Watts arrived off Okinawa for

that battle. My dad took it down when they were pulling in to Yokosuka shortly after the surrender.

On the white part (the hoist? Steve, correct me on this...) it says "U.S. Ensign No.9 Mare Island May 1943".

It's about 46 by 78 inches. It has 4 grommets (kinda rusty).

I checked it for radiation, it came up negative. My dad remembers sailing off Japan one day when the ship was covered with

falling soot (this flag was flying). It reminded him of when there was a big forest fire in the Northwest US (he was from Washington).

They were ordered to wash down the ship fore and aft and everyone to take showers. Next day they heard about the A-bomb.

Jon.

[vostoktrading]

A couple more shots:

[sigsaye]

You are corect, it is callet the "Hoist". Your Father was a Quartermaster. They crossed with Signalmen, everybody trained on guns. Nice Ensign

 

Steve Hesson

[vostoktrading]

Thanks Steve.

Sounds like the best place to be on a ship. Signals or Quartermaster.

At least you're above decks and know what's going on.

Here's a picture of the Watts:

Jon.

[jbassmaster18]

Sweet!!

[sigsaye]

Thanks Steve.

Sounds like the best place to be on a ship. Signals or Quartermaster.

At least you're above decks and know what's going on.

Here's a picture of the Watts:

Jon.

Jon, I once served with a WW2 vet. He turned 17 and had his ship kamikazied out from under him on the same day. He mentioned that the ship went down so fast the only those top side got off. Under way, he would not sleep below. He built a little "Hooch" on the roof of the signal shack and stashed food in the angle irons incase he had to go over the side again. He was a great guy, taught me more stuff than I can remember as he was there when they were writing proceedures, so he understood what it was all about.

 

Steve Hesson

[67Rally]

Jon,

 

That is a stunning piece of history. Fantastic that your father saved that all these years!!!

 

Watts definitely saw some action during the war. Here's a very cool shot of her unrepping (perfected by the USN);

 

Watts was built in my backyard. I remember the massive amounts of ships still in mothballs when I was a kid that were down at the old Todd/SeaTac shipbuilding yards.

[Mr.Jerry]

Very Nice Ensign! I have a few Navy flags but none that have their history attached to it. Be sure to write that down and tie a tag with that info to it.

[vostoktrading]

Jon, I once served with a WW2 vet. He turned 17 and had his ship kamikazied out from under him on the same day. He mentioned that the ship went down so fast the only those top side got off. Under way, he would not sleep below. He built a little "Hooch" on the roof of the signal shack and stashed food in the angle irons incase he had to go over the side again. He was a great guy, taught me more stuff than I can remember as he was there when they were writing proceedures, so he understood what it was all about.

 

Steve Hesson

Steve,

That's a great story. I remember reading about some sailors getting sunk, getting picked up by another ship, and then getting sunk again.

That has to make a man plan ahead! I remember my dad always told me it's better to be topsides.

 

He told me a funny story about when he had the night watch and the cooks were working late baking pies for the next day.

When the pies were done they had to come out of the galley in the dark and make their way to the wardroom holding trays of hot fresh pies.

The lights automatically went out when they opened doors and walked by memory/feel with un-adjusted eyes along the deck to the wardroom. He and his watchmates used to come part way down a ladder and snatch a pie off the top as the cook walked by and take it up to the bridge for a late night snack. He said they never got in trouble for that. The cooks must have wondered what was going on.

 

Jon.

[vostoktrading]

Jon,

 

That is a stunning piece of history. Fantastic that your father saved that all these years!!!

 

Watts definitely saw some action during the war. Here's a very cool shot of her unrepping (perfected by the USN);

 

Watts was built in my backyard. I remember the massive amounts of ships still in mothballs when I was a kid that were down at the old Todd/SeaTac shipbuilding yards.

Thanks 67Rally,

USS Watts was a lucky ship. Only one man was killed in action during it's entire service in WW2. Amazingly my dad was on the same 40mm AA gun crew off Okinawa when the only KIA on Watts was killed. It was by a stray airplane bullet from an aerial battle overhead. My dad swears that it was agreed among everyone present that it was a .50 calibre round that killed the man (meaning it was a stray from an American fighter). I think the official Navy line was killed by enemy action. Anyway, he was really close (I thought about my life in this world if that bullet had hit my dad instead). Jon.

[vostoktrading]

Very Nice Ensign! I have a few Navy flags but none that have their history attached to it. Be sure to write that down and tie a tag with that info to it.

Thanks Jerry,

Yes, I am really lucky to have an item like this.

I remember my dad told me he was told to take it down and put up a new one and to bring the old one to who ever this guy was giving the orders.

My dad thought "the hell with him, I'm keeping it" and he stashed it in his gear.

Jon.