Allie Ryan 393 Middle Rd. Falmouth, ME 04105
207-781-5119
Allie Ryan
December 2001
Looking Back
6 June, 1941
During the late war the Navy launched thousands of ships, all with
appropriate ceremony. The ceremony itself differed little from one ship to
another. In short, see one and you’ve seen 'em all. True, each Yard had it’s
own horror story of a launch gone awry. You know, lady bashes ship with bottle
of bubbly and the hull just sits there or perhaps slides a bit and then stops.
Then, of course, there was the classic in Terror’s back yard at
Philly. You remember, the great battleship New Jersey really acted up.
All went well until the bottle crashed. Workers and launch party stared in
wide-eyed disbelief as 35000 tons of steel took on a life of its’ own, racing
down the way at rapidly increasing speed.
Hurtling some 300 yards past the retrieval point New Jersey headed across
the Delaware to the New Jersey shore-- backward. Made it too. Some gawkers on
the Jersey shore got a good soaking from the surge created as the great ship
embedded itself in the Jersey mud.
The whole scene, from the Navy’s point of view was, well, awkward. How do
you explain to the Washington brass, launching a battleship in Pennsylvania
and having to go to New Jersey to retrieve the darn thing?
Terror’s launch on 6 June, 1941 offered no such diversion. All went
smoothly at the appointed time. On hand we are promised a brace of brass,
namely Rear Admiral A.E. Watson, representing Philadelphia Naval Yard, Rear
Admiral A. J. Chantry, Jr. for the Navy and Assistant Secretary of the Navy,
Ralph A Bard representing the Administration.
At first blush, it seems a feather in Terror’s cap to snag the
number two Navy civilian but as we go along we’ll see that the Secretary would
be in attendance if he had to buy a ticket. Terror’s sponsor, you see,
is none other than Mrs. Ralph A. Bard. That explains that.
Terror performed well at the appointed time, slid down the ways and
allowed herself to be collared and hustled around to the outfitting pier, her
home for the next several months.
15 July, 1942
Terror lay at Pier 5, Philadelphia Navy Yard tethered by lines and
more lines -- steam, salt water, fresh water and electrical lines gave the
ship life. The ship had undergone a radical transformation in the past year
and more changes were in the offing. Today, however would witness a brief
pause in the activity. Today, the ship would be initiated into the Navy.
Present for the ceremony was the always reliable Assistant Secretary, Ralph
Bard in company with Admiral Watson. The first entry in Terror’s Deck
Log covers the affair with refreshing brevity.
“15 July, 1942 1750 - USS Terror was placed in commission by Rear
Admiral A. E. Watson, USN in the presence of Assistant Secretary of the
Navy, Ralph A. Bard The ships complement is composed of the officers and men
on the attached sheet. 1900 Assistant Secretary of the Navy and Rear Admiral
A. E. Watson left the ship. 1900 Set condition three AA Battery."
S/ E. A. Pauson, Lt (jg) USNR
The ship’s officer complement consisted of 23 (17 commissioned and 6
warrant) headed by CMDR Wesley Fitch CO and LCDR A.H. Richards as XO. The
enlisted commissioning crew numbered 241, about half the normal complement.
The commissioning crew attempted a balance between seasoned ratings such as
CMM Robert King with an enlistment date of Aug.15, 1933 and Julius Gostel
(then) SM1) with an enlistment date of March 11, 1937 and the majority of the
crew whose experience was measured in weeks rather than years.
As an aside, the following members of the commissioning are on our mailing
roster today: Clement Avila, Paul Barkley, Philip (Bluestein) Blaine, W.H.
Bretz, Kenneth Davis, Julius Gostel, William Hayes, James Mulligan and Peter
Wood. Not bad!! While we’re at it, on July 16, the day following
commissioning, 28 men reported on board for duty. Among them the following men
currently on our mailing roster: John Braun, Francis Kapsch, Peter Keenan and
Addison Turner.
During the next few days, men reported aboard as needs were filled until
finally on July 26, John Csizmar, Bos’n logged in Draft 810-42 consisting of
62 Apprentice Seamen from Great Lakes NTC. This would, for practical purposes,
be the crew that would find themselves on November 1 at Pier 33, Brooklyn
readying for a night departure with TG 38.3 to North Africa and unfriendly
waters.
Click on the pictures below to see them close-up
Invitation to the Ship's Launching
