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USS San Francisco Helmet ID'ed to Pearl Harbor Survivor


AnDuc49
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Hello all,

I was fortunate to be able to pick this up a few months back, but I’ve been holding off on posting it since I wanted to collect as much info as possible first.

 

This helmet was one of several which have been sold over the past couple of months by the same seller. The story goes that it was taken off the USS San Francisco CA-38 when it was decommissioned in 1959 and was sitting in an abandoned warehouse when he got to them. Though it was not advertised in the listing, the helmet was named and after some searching, I was able to ID it.

The shell itself is a FS SB (heatstamp 284A) produced by Schlueter sometime around mid-1944. It has seen at least 3 repaints (red, dark blue, light gray) over the course of it’s career. The liner is a nice early 1st pattern hawley. It still retains the original nape strap and sweatband, but it’s lost one of it’s washers and missing the leather chin strap. Parts of the webbing are torn as well.

 

Towards the front, the name “E.L. Hornsby” has been marked on both the liner’s suspension as well as the liner’s interior. I pulled up CA-38’s roster and looked up the surname “Hornsby”. Sure enough, the only one with that last name was an Eddie L. (Lee) Hornsby, a direct match.

 

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Eddie Hornsby was born on the 6th of August, 1916 in Parker County, Weatherword, Texas. His family moved shortly after to Comanche County before finally settling in Coleman County where he stayed until 1935. At this point, due to the Great Depression and the death of his cousin, he moved out of Texas and began working in the Yuma Valley area as a farm hand.

In the fall of 1940, shortly before returning home to Texas, Eddie went ahead and signed up for the draft board in Stanislau County, CA. After returning to Texas, he received his notice stating that he was to report to duty in the US Army in ten days. However, in a change of heart, he told his father that “I always thought I’d rather be in the Navy” and against his wishes, traveled up to Abilene and transferred over to the Navy.

 

In late June of 1941, Eddie traveled to San Diego for Basic Training. He notes that while the normal training period back then was four months, in an effort to bulk up the fleet in anticipation of war, their training was cut down to six weeks instead. After completing training, he and four to five others traveled down to San Pedro where they were assigned to the

San Francisco. Eddie was assigned to Division One on the ship, or what was more commonly known as “the deck force”. This group consisted of about 130 men which handled the bow of the ship as well as the No. 1 gun turret. In particular, he was the cradleman on the center gun though he stated that he worked on all stations in the gun turret at one point or another.

 

Prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, as the flagship of Cruiser Division Six, the San Francisco participated in several maneuvers lasting 10-12 days each. During these maneuvers, special attention was given to practicing drills and manning battle stations. As part of the gun crew, Eddie trained on the ship’s main 8 in. guns as well as the smaller 5/38 dual-purpose guns. He later said that “After the war broke out, after Pearl Harbor, seeing what we was in for, now I wouldn’t have taken a million dollars for that training.”

 

In mid-October of 1941, the San Francisco entered the dry docks at Pier 17 (alongside the New Orleans to it’s starboard side and the Honolulu and St. Louis at nearby Pier 18) due to heavy fouling on the hull of the ship. The ship’s powder and boiler rooms were also to overgo a complete overhaul and the 3 in guns were removed in order to place newer 1.1 in AA mounts. This meant that all of the ship’s ammunition and powder was taken off and moved to an ammunition dump 20-25 miles away for storage. Furthermore, the ship’s .50 caliber HMGs were also removed for maintenance. As a result, during the attack, only two .30 caliber LMGs and the various rifles and BARs which were broken out of arms lockers were available for use on the day of the attack.

 

As recounted by Eddie, at the time a Seaman 2nd Class, on the morning of Sunday, December 7th:

 

“[...] we got up at the routine time (6 o’clock) and, went up and swabbed down the bow of the ship [..] secured all the gear and [...] had our breakfast just like any other day. [...] myself and 60 percent of the crew -- went back to (quarters). [...] I was quite a reader [...] Generally, Sunday morning was … about the only time you had other than after you got off watch or secured in the afternoon to have a little reading time. [...]

 

I just crawled into my rack and they sounded general quarters. I thought, ‘My goodness! Why general quarters at a time like this?’ [...] So … we jumped out of our racks … our quarters was about the last sleeping quarters froward. So at the forward bulkhead of our quarters, there was a hatch that entered into the chamber of turret one and [...] we all just went over there where this hatch (was). It was locked, but we [...] were standing there waiting for somebody to bring a key to unlock it.

 

When they sounded general quarters you set all watertight integrity. They had went about setting all watertight integrity, going to all the hatches and dogging them down. So we were dogged down in (there). Now, our quarters from the deck to the ceiling was about four foot under water. I assume that the water- line was about four foot above our floor or deck. [...] a bomb exploded, and being halfway under the waterline like that, you get terrific concussion under there. You could hear it much greater--louder--there than you would have if you’d been a deck up because being at the waterline, the explosion was terrific. It was only … about 300 yards from us.

 

I had no idea [an attack was] going on. But while we're standing there waiting for someone to bring the key to open this hatch where we could get in and go to our station [..] Someone undogged (a) manhole, stuck his head down in … and says, ‘Anybody who's in here, get out of here! War's broke out!’ Well, man, we all made a dash for that hatch, and we went up this hatch one man (Note** 30-40 men in the compartment) at a time-up that ladder and up through that manhole. A short distance from where I got out of our quarters, up to the next deck and probably forty or fifty feet up, there was a sickbay on the starboard side, and then across from there was the armory. As we went by … one of the gunner 's mates saw me and says, ‘Hey, Hornsby, come here and get a handful of rifles!’ I says, ‘What's going on?’ He says, ‘I don't know, but the Japs are attacking! That's all I know!’ He throwed about every bandoleer that I could possibly carry around my neck-- they was all loaded--and a handful of rifles (6 to 8 M1 “Marine” Garand Rifles). I don't to this day know how I got out and got to the topside and got to the fantail (Note** Out in the open to the port side of the No. 3 gun turret) with them.

 

would have been one deck down from the main deck there. I went from there plumb on through to the mess hall. They said I was to carry them to the fantail, so I went on through. Of course, there was guys ahead of me undogging hatches, and there was guys coming behind me, so I just went on through with this handful of rifles. I got … up there and they liked to tore me apart grabbing those rifles and those bandoleers off my neck. They liked to jerk my head off. I hanged on to one rifle and they grabbed all of the bandoleers but two. I had two left and I hung on to them.

 

[...] was just about 300 yards across here to Battleship Row from us. They were moored alongside Ford Island there. [...] They was already burning and exploding and continuing to do so. Mainly, you didn’t see too much because you saw these planes in the air. So, man, I loaded my gun and started concentrating on airplanes in the air. [...] I don’t what other else’s guns or ships or what-have-you might have hit these planes, but I’d say we shot down three planes with rifles.

 

You was so mad that as scared as you were, your madness overtook the scaredness. All I could think of is shooting one down if he got in distance. So this one-the first one that come over--dropped a "Fish, " and it hit the Honolulu. [...] one before this had dropped a bomb in trying to get those two ships there together, but it hit the dock. It exploded on the dock and loosened up a lot of seams in her pretty bad, but it didn't hit her personally. It hit the dock and exploded. Then this "fish" hit her. Well, we fired at this plane, and the thing went down. So we assumed we shot it down with our rifles.

 

You'd glance off at things, but still you know you got to protect your ship, and all we got to protect it with is these rifles So this thing had dropped the torpedo and hit the Honolulu and knocked a hole in her, that's all. It didn't explode. It was a dud, but it did knock a hole in her. Well, this thing was low enough and come right down over them, and I got three clips into her. From the time she got into range, I started firing and I put three clips into her before she out of range. She never raised up; she went down. I was almost as scared that she was going to hit our hospital.

 

[After firing at planes for nearly half an hour] everything more or less kind of gets settled down a little bit. Fear or madness kind of left you. You kind of come back halfway to normal, but just to look it was such a terrific deal still exploding and everything around those battleships. The planes quit coming over. [...] There was nothing to give orders for. It was just mainly protect your ship and that’s all we had to do it with. So we just stood there and did what we had to do.

 

[After the attack is over] What hurt the most was having to man your station. There was help being needed all over, especially out in Battleship Row and down around Ten-Ten Dock, the dry dock. The Pennsylvania (BB-38) which was the fleet’s flagship, she was in there. We would’ve been in the dry dock the 5th of December, but the yard workmen didn’t get far enough along with us, so she was going to have to be in dry another week and she got hit. Two destroyers (Note** USS Cassin DD-372 and USS Downes DD-375) were completely destroyed in the dry dock we would’ve been in if they had through with the Pennsylvania in time, but they didn’t.”


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The war would not end there for Eddie. Serving aboard the San Francisco for four and a half years, he would participate in nearly every major action in the Pacific Theatre during the war, including the bloody battles at Battle of Cape Esperance and the infamous Naval Battle at Guadalcanal on the 13th of November ‘42. Looking at his service record, we can see that he was quite busy during those 4 years.

 

  • 7 December '41: Engaged in action with the enemy at Pearl Harbor

  • 20 February '42: Engaged in action with the enemy in the Battle of Bougainville

  • 10 March '42: Engaged in action with the enemy in the Battle of Salamua

  • 7 August - 10 November '42: Participated in the capture and defense of Guadalcanal Island (Solomon Islands)

    • ** 11 August ‘42: Promoted Seaman 1st Class

    • 11-12 October ‘42: Engaged in action with enemy forces (night surface action) in Battle of Cape Esperance

    • 12 November '42: Engaged in action with enemy aircraft

    • 13 November '42: Engaged in action against superior enemy forces (night surface action) in Battle off of Savo Island

      • Presidential Unit Citation: “For outstanding performance in action against enemy Japanese forces off Savo Island in the Solomon Islands on the night of October 11 - 12 and again in the early morning of November 13, 1942. In the latter engagement, the San Francisco silenced and disabled an enemy battleship at a range of 3,000 yards, sank one enemy destroyer and damaged two other enemy vessels. Although heavily damaged by 15 major caliber hits, she lived to fight again, her survival a distinctive tribute to the valorous spirit of her officers and men”

  • 24 April - 18 September ‘43: Participated in the Aleutian Campaign and bombardments of the latter.

  • 5 October ‘43: Participated in the bombardment of Wake Island

  • 15 October ‘43: Promoted to Gunnery Mate 3rd Class

  • 20 - 26 November ‘43: Participated in the occupation of the Gilbert Islands, including the bombardment and occupation of Makin Island on 20 November ‘43.

  • 27 November - 5 December ‘43: Participated in operations which culminated in attack on the Marshall Islands on 4 December ‘43.

  • 30 January ‘44: Participated in bombardment of Taroa Island, Maloelap Atoll

  • 31 January - 8 February ‘44: Participated in operations culminating in the capture and occupation of Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands.

  • 12 - 20 February ‘44: Participated in operations culminating in the attack on Truk Island 16 - 17 February ‘44.

  • 22 March - 6 April ‘44: Operated with Carrier Task Force during which time aircraft strikes were made on Japanese Islands of Palau and Woleai on 30-31 March and 1 April ‘44.

  • 13 April - 4 May ‘44: Operated with Carrier Task Force in support of amphibious landings on New Guinea. During this time air strikes were made on various bases in Northeast New Guinea on 21-23 and on Truk Island on 29-30 April ‘44.

  • 30 April ‘44: Participated in the bombardment of the Japanese Island Satawan, Caroline Islands Group.

  • 10 June - 30 July ‘44: Participated in operation which culminated in the capture and occupation of the islands of Saipan, Tinian and Guam

    • Underwent attacks by enemy aircraft on 14 and 19 June ‘44.

  • 10 December - 24 December ‘44: Participated in operations of a Fast Carrier Task Force in support of amphibious landings on Mindoro, Philippine Islands including strikes on the Island of Luzon and Formosa

  • 30 December - 26 January ‘44-’45: Participated in operations of a Fast Carrier Task Force in support of amphibious landings at Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, Philippine Islands, including sweeps of the South China Sea, Formosa and Okinawa

  • 10 February - 1 March ‘45: Operated with a Fast Carrier Task Force in support of amphibious landings on Iwo Jima. During this period, aircraft strikes were made on Tokyo on 16-17, and 25th of February.

    • 21 - 22 February ‘45: Participated in the bombardment of Iwo Jima

  • 25 March - 3 July ‘45: Participated in the capture and occupation of Okinawa

  • 14 July ‘45: Promoted to Gunnery Mate 2nd Class

 

List of Operations Participated In:

 

  • Pearl Harbor

  • Pacific Raids 1942

    • Guadalcanal - Tulagi Landings

    • Capture and Defense of Guadalcanal

    • Battle of Cape Esperance (2nd Battle of Savo Island)

    • Naval Battle of Guadalcanal (3rd Battle of Savo Island)

    • Aleutian Operations

  • Pacific Raids 1943

    • Gilbert Islands Operations

    • Marshall Islands Operations

  • Asiatic-Pacific Raids 1944

    • Western New Guinea Operations

    • Marianas Operations

    • Leyte Operations

  • Asiatic-Pacific Raids 1945

    • Luzon Operations

    • Iwo Jima Operations

    • Okinawa Operations

 

Despite participating in some of the fiercest battles of the war, Eddie would emerge unscathed and was honroably discharged on the 9th of December 1946. In 1948, he would marry Waldean Owen Hornsby of Wellington, TX. They would go ont to have five children. He passed away on the 16th of August, 1983 at the Veteran’s hospital in Dallas, TX.

 

This is really unique for me as this is the most information that I have ever been able to find and ID to a helmet. I hope that you all enjoy it as much as I do!

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ClaptonIsGod

Got a bunch of helmets from the seller including one with a Hawley and just knew one would be hard-IDed - unfortunately, not one of mine. Congrats.

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Excellent helmet with lots of research! I snagged a couple of these helmets as well when I can afford them. Super neat!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Salvage Sailor

Our Moderator Kastauffer has a lot of insight on the USS HONOLULU. His father in law was aboard her during the Pearl Harbor attack and subsequent Pacific battles

 

Photos from Navsource.

 

01 Undated, Overhead pre-war showing details of class.

 

The near miss bomb hit similar to the one noted in Hornsby's account

 

02 A 250 kg Japanese bomb hit in dock in 6” thick reinforced concrete near missing the USS Honolulu (CL 48). The actual hole measures 17” x 15”.

Bureau of Ships, Navy Department, USS Honolulu Bomb Damage Dec. 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor.
03 Damage on the port side of the cruiser's hull, extending fore and aft about 40 feet from about Frame 40. It was produced by a Japanese 250 kilogram bomb that exploded about 20 feet away during the 7 December 1941 air raid on Pearl Harbor. The blast dished-in the hull five or six feet, resulting in heavy flooding inside the ship.
Photographed in Drydock Number One at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard, 13 December 1941. View looks forward, with the ship's armor belt immediately above the damage area.
Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Historical Center (NH 64478).

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Salvage Sailor

USS SAN FRANCISCO (CA-38) Heavy Cruiser photos from Navsource

 

01 Undated, (1942) in the South Pacific, most likely coming into Auckland N.Z.

 

02 Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, 12-15 November 1942 - USS President Jackson (AP 37) maneuvering under Japanese air attack off Guadalcanal, 12 November 1942. In the center background is smoke from an enemy plane that had just crashed into the after superstructure of USS San Francisco (CA 38), which is steaming away in the right center. Photographed from USS President Adams (AP 38). Note the anti-aircraft shell bursts.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives - 80-G-32366

 

03 Metal fragments from the Japanese plane that crashed into the San Francisco during the Battle of Guadalcanal on 12 November 1942. The inscription reads:

12 out of 21
8 credited to ships
4 to airplanes
NOV. 12 1942
From the collection of QM3/c Glenn Gash.

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Catfishcraig

Congrats! I was watching these too and Im happy to hear that one was traced to an original sailor. Great research!

 

Craig

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Salvage Sailor

04 The complete USS San Francisco Gunfire Damage Report from the Battle of Guadalcanal (12-13 November 1942) is available for viewing by clicking on this link. You will be taken to Tracy White's excellent website where he posts his research concerning the WWII Pacific Theatre. http://www.researcheratlarge.com/Ships/CA38/GuadalcanalDamageRpt.html

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Salvage Sailor

05 Map of estimated enemy strength and location in relation to USS San Francisco (CA 38) on 13 November 1942 during the Battle of Guadalcanal .

Source: Preliminary Design Branch, Bureau of Ships Navy Department, War Loss/Damage Report No.26.

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Salvage Sailor

06 Gunfire Damage Diagram of the USS San Francisco (CA 38) during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, 12-13 November 1942.

Source: Preliminary Design Branch, Bureau of Ships Navy Department, War Loss/Damage Report No.26.

 

07 Projectile Damage Diagram of the USS San Francisco (CA 38) during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, 12-13 November 1942.

Source: Preliminary Design Branch, Bureau of Ships Navy Department, War Loss/Damage Report No.26.

 

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Salvage Sailor

10 Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, USN (center) (Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas) on board USS San Francisco (CA 38) to visit the two senior ship's officers who had survived the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, 12-13 November 1942. Photographed at Pearl Harbor, while San Francisco was en route to California for battle damage repairs. On the left is Commander Herbert E. Schonland, USN, who assumed command after the ship's Captain was killed and led damage control efforts. On the right is Lieutenant Commander Bruce McCandless, USN, the ship's Communications Officer, who took over the conn and subsequently navigated San Francisco to safety. Both Schonland and McCandless received the Medal of Honor for their actions during and immediately after the battle.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, #80-G-40031 now in the collections of the National Archives.

 

11 USS San Francisco (CA 38) is being assisted to her berth at Mare Island Navy Yard on 14 Dec 1942.

 

12 USS San Francisco (CA 38) At the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, for battle damage repairs, 14 December 1942. Circles mark the location of some of the shell hits she received on 13 November 1942, during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal.

Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives - 19-N-44715

 

09a Photo taken on the bridge of the USS San Francisco, 20 December 1942. Comment from contributor Tracy White - "The caption on the back is a bit hard to read, as you can see, but I've Id's the two on the left as Medal Of Honor Winners Herbert Emery Schonland, Lt. Cd., USN and Bruce McCandless, Lt. Cd., USN.

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Salvage Sailor

13 USS San Francisco (CA 38) Off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, following battle damage repairs and overhaul, 15 February 1943.

Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives - 19-N-41052

 

14 Camouflage Measure 33, Design 13D

Drawing prepared by the Bureau of Ships for a camouflage scheme intended for heavy cruisers of the CA 32 (New Orleans) class. Ships known to have worn this scheme included USS Tuscaloosa (CA 37) and USS San Francisco (CA 38). This plan, showing the ship's starboard side, superstructure ends and exposed decks, is dated 3 February 1944, and was approved by Captain Logan McKee, USN.
Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Photo #80-G-105506

 

15 Camouflage Measure 33, Design 13D

Drawing prepared by the Bureau of Ships for a camouflage scheme intended for heavy cruisers of the CA 32 (New Orleans) class. Ships known to have worn this scheme included USS Tuscaloosa (CA 37) and USS San Francisco (CA 38). This plan, showing the ship's port side, is dated 3 February 1944, and was approved by Captain Logan McKee, USN.
Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Photo #80-G-105507

 

16 USS San Francisco (CA 38) Off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, following overhaul, 13 October 1944. Her camouflage is Measure 33, Design 13d.

Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives - 19-N-73588

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Salvage Sailor

By my count, this fighting sailor participated in 17 combat operations and merited 17 battle stars aboard the USS SAN FRANCISCO. Truly a historic Navy helmet.

 

More photos and details at Navsource here

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