USS PRINCETON SURVIVOR - Medals and Documents

[KASTAUFFER]

This is a little group I found on Ebay a few weeks ago that turned out to be interesting. It is a group to a USS Princeton survivor. I didn't ask the seller if the Good Conduct Medal was named when the auction was running because I didn't want to draw attention to it. It turned out it was named when I got it in the mail.

 

USS PRINCETON

 

On October 24^th, 1944 during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, shortly before 10:00 am Princeton was attacked by a lone Yokosuka D4Y 'Judy'. The dive bomber dropped a single bomb, which struck the carrier between the elevators, punching through the wooden flight deck and hangar before exploding. Although structural damage was minor, a fire broke and quickly spread owing to burning gasoline, and caused further explosions.

Cruisers and destroyers came alongside to render assistance. USS Irwin (DD-794) approached and attempted to fight the fire in the forward section of the hangar deck. The cruiser USS Birmingham (CL-62), being the largest ship (and sharing the same light cruiser hull as the Princeton) took the lead role in fire fighting. Ironically Princeton (as CL-61 Tallahassee) and Birmingham had been planned as consecutively numbered sister ships. During the operation, Princeton collided with and damaged the assisting ships.

 

At 15:24 a second and larger explosion shook the Princeton, possibly caused by an explosion of one or more bombs in the magazine. Birmingham suffered extensive damage to her superstructure and considerable casualties. Irwin was also damaged, but stayed close and launched boats to rescue survivors from the sea. Irwin rescued 646 crewmen from the Princeton; the ship later received a Navy Unit Commendation award for her actions.

 

Efforts to save the carrier continued, but by 16:00 the fires were out of control. The remaining personnel were evacuated and at shortly after 17:06 Irwin commenced firing torpedoes at the burning hulk. However, Irwin abandoned this effort owing to torpedo malfunctions (her torpedo tubes possibly damaged in the collision with Princeton) which caused her torpedoes to circle back and almost hit her. USS Reno (CL-96) at 17:46 took over the task of scuttling Princeton. Three minutes later an even larger explosion occurred on Princeton, destroying the entire forward section and sending flames and debris up to 1000–2000 feet into the air. Princeton sank at approximately 17:50.

 

Casualties on Princeton herself were relatively light considering the intensity of her fires; only 108 men (10 officers and 98 enlisted men) were lost, while 1,361 crewmen were rescued. Casualties were much heavier aboard Birmingham which was devastated by secondary explosions aboard Princeton while fighting fires, with 233 killed and 426 wounded.Three other ships were more lightly damaged while assisting Princeton:

 

 

THE GROUP

 

The two pieces of the group I actually was the most excited to get were the Shellback card and the Golden Dragon card. Many of these cards would have gone down with the ship. Obviously either this sailor had mailed them home or had them with him when he evacuated the ship.

 

To get his dogtag was also an added bonus.

 

He was part of a heroic crew and was lucky to have survived.

 

 

[KASTAUFFER]

 

The list of survivors with his name on it.

 

[KASTAUFFER]

 

[KASTAUFFER]

[Salvage Sailor]

Aloha Kurt,

 

Another nice grouping you've picked up. When I worked for a newspaper in the 1970's my manager was a very bitter survivor of the USS PRINCETON due to his being in the water for over 4 hours surrounded by sharks. He had broken bones but was not bleeding and his kapok life jacket kept him afloat until he was picked up by a destroyer although I don't recall which one it was. He claimed that several of the dead around him were eaten by sharks and that the rescue vessels seemed more focused on fighting the fires rather than picking up survivors in the water. A matter of perspective to be sure.

 

Here's a link to an eyewitnesses account from 1997 written by a BIRMINGHAM sailor who lost a leg in the explosion http://www.historynet.com/eyewitness-to-tragedy-death-of-uss-princeton-may-97-world-war-ii-feature.htm

 

and a host of interviews by PRINCETON survivors documenting their experiences with the sinking https://blogs.princeton.edu/mudd/wp-content/uploads/sites/41/2013/10/AC008_B1_F1-9.pdf

[KASTAUFFER]

Aloha Kurt,

 

Another nice grouping you've picked up. When I worked for a newspaper in the 1970's my manager was a very bitter survivor of the USS PRINCETON due to his being in the water for over 4 hours surrounded by sharks. He had broken bones but was not bleeding and his kapok life jacket kept him afloat until he was picked up by a destroyer although I don't recall which one it was. He claimed that several of the dead around him were eaten by sharks and that the rescue vessels seemed more focused on fighting the fires rather than picking up survivors in the water. A matter of perspective to be sure.

 

Here's a link to an eyewitnesses account from 1997 written by a BIRMINGHAM sailor who lost a leg in the explosion http://www.historynet.com/eyewitness-to-tragedy-death-of-uss-princeton-may-97-world-war-ii-feature.htm

 

and a host of interviews by PRINCETON survivors documenting their experiences with the sinking https://blogs.princeton.edu/mudd/wp-content/uploads/sites/41/2013/10/AC008_B1_F1-9.pdf

 

Aloha Craig!

 

Thanks for the links. I hope all is well in your location overlooking the bay!

 

Kurt

[355fg]

Nice group Kurt. Those cards would be difficult to to find for sure. Thanks for sharing.

[Salvage Sailor]

Another beautiful day in paradise Kurt

 

On a more somber note, here's a riveting video interview of a PRINCETON aircrewman made just before he passed

 

 

and a video memorial showing photos and the roster of the missing and dead

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kwPqtW7wOU

[Teamski]

Nice grouping!

 

-Ski

[Jay V]

Awesome grouping Kurt,Congrats.

Jay

[KASTAUFFER]

Back up in the remembrance of the Battle of Leyte Gulf.