Jump to content

USS Wasp CV-7 Survivor, Lt Cmdr PH Uniform


36thIDAlex
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hello all,

 

I received this in a trade with a fellow member and thought it would be nice to have on the forum. The uniform belonged to Lt. Cmdr Cedric Arthur Montgomery who enlisted in March of 1936 and joined the Navy storekeepers. He would first serve aboard the USS Langley CVL-27 until he joined the USS Wasp CV-7 in 1940. Here he would be promoted to Chief Storekeeper, serving throughout her entire career from Malta to Guadalcanal. On September 15, 1942 while supporting the 7th Marine Regiment transports, the WASP was struck by three Japanese torpedoes and scuttled after evacuating most of the crew. In the chaos, CSK Montgomery received severe burns from oil fires across much of his body but was rescued and sent to the US Naval hospital in Pearl Harbor to recover.

 

His records seem to end there, however, the uniform is unique, being made in occupied Japan and including both an occupation and National Defense ribbon. I presume that Montgomery was sent stateside or performed clerical functions for the Navy in the Pacific until sent to Japan at the conclusion of the war.

 

Posted Image

 

Posted Image

 

Posted Image

 

Posted Image

 

Posted Image

 

The USS Wasp, before and after

 

Posted Image

 

Posted Image

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

Hey everyone, just thought I would bring this post up again as The NY Times published an excellent article recently on the discovery of the USS WASP. I will link it through as it is a very good read and contains some humbling images and video of the exploration of the ship.

 

To also update this post I have found a photo and description of Lt. Commander Montgomery prior to his commissioning and his gravestone.

 

a great article: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/13/magazine/uss-wasp-lost-world-war-ii-aircraft-carrier.html

 

Posted Image

 

Posted Image

 

Posted Image

 

Posted Image

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...