SHIPS CREWS
(Music is "String of Pearls")
USS Block Island---USS Buckley---USS Ahrens---USS Elmore---Korean Service
USS Bronstein---VC 55---US Marine Corps---VMF511---USS Paine---USS Bulmer
USS Barr---MCAS Det.1---Carrier Div.27---VMTB 233---USS Croatan
When you think of Aircraft Carriers the first thing that comes to mind is airplanes and the pilots who fly them. This probably is less than 1/3 of the personnel that are needed to make it possible for the ship to operate.
This page will show pictures from time to time of the "other people" that make it possible for the ship to operate.
All throughout the Website there is that little cartoon of the Landing Signal Officer. Without this very dedicated and well respected individual no aircraft can land on the decks of a carrier. This individual has to instill great knowledge and have the confidence of every pilot that operates from the carrier. Not only does he have to be able to get inside the brain of each pilot he also has to know the aircrafts "inner workings". He also has to know all the full working operations of the deck cables that "grab" the aircraft when it hits the deck at a high rate of speed. The respect and trust in his abilities by the pilots is his "watch words" but he also has to know the typical response that each pilot may have in their operations of his particular aircraft. In most cases that LSO is, or was, a pilot himself.
It has been many years since
CVE 21 was sunk and CVE 106 was scrapped for the metal that it was built of. In
the process of creating this Website, and going over record after record, an
unusual circumstance was uncovered. Within the Division Pictures shown hereon it
has been learned that there were three brothers, Clyde, Jack and Gordon Cannon
and a brother-in-law of Jack Cannon, Joseph Allen, who all served on these
ships at the same time. Such was also the case of George, Henry and James
Brasher who were brothers. The unusual part of this circumstance is that
they all served at the same time but not in the same Work Divisions nor did they
have the same duties. At this late date in time ( and some of the
shipmates now being deceased) this circumstance becomes a mystery in that
Naval Regulations did not permit such multi family service. This regulation was
adopted when the Sullivan family lost five sons that were serving on the Cruiser
USS Juneau that was sunk during WWII in the Pacific theatre operations.
Brothers following brothers and sons following fathers serving on the same ship
is not unusual, like the example of Capt. Logan Ramsey serving as skipper of CVE
21 and later Ensign Logan Ramsey serving on CVE 106, however the Cannon Brothers
and the Brasher Brothers skirted around those Regulations .
on any of these pictures to
see a larger view)
THE US MARINE CORPS FLYING
DEADHEADS
"E" Div 2
on
"B" Division
Combat Info Center
The Catapult Crew
The Hospital Corpsmen
The Gunners and their strikers (the want to be gunners who are in training)
The Master @ Arms Force
R Division
The flight deck crews
"
N Division CVE 106
This picture is of the Quarter Masters N. Division (Navigation) and was provided by Bill Harris a son of William Felix Harris, who served on both CVE 21 and CVE 106. William Felix Harris was a Chief Quarter Master and while serving on the ships was given the "mustang" commission as an officer Lt. Jg. After the War Lt. Harris transferred to the US Naval Academy to teach navigation and later retired from the Navy as a Commander. Commander Harris was Navy through and through and in the Website Section "Now and Then" his contributions to both the Block Islands and to the Country he so faithfully served are outlined in more details.
W.F. Harris is in the middle row 5th from the left.
Jack Greer
the Webmaster
v
"V3" Division
"A" Division
5 Chiefs
The Block Island Swing Band
(Click on picture for Yakity Sax)
The Block Island String Band
(click on photo for a new tune)Military Service Awards
Two particular United States military involvements fairly well set the standards for any personal or unit awards with regards to individual military or governmental service or actions. The first action being the Revolutionary War and later WWII. There is a major reason for these standards that being the Revolutionary War established our independence and WWII was the only action that was directly taken because our country was actually attacked.
History and the records well set forth the actions taken in obtaining our independence from England; however, WWII took place in a much better publicized war because of the advancements in communications.
The individual action taken in WWII were undertaken without the need to be directed to take any specific actions because our citizens life, limb, property and freedoms were involved.
If you look at the dress uniforms of those in the military today you will note that their breasts are adorned with many ribbons or awards while reviewing the WWII parades and marches those ribbons and awards were very limited.
The battles of Korea, Vietnam and all of those involving the Middle East with our military were recognized and many awards were established. However, in checking the actions taken in WWII it was soon found that awards for similar or even identical actions were never given any special awards or attention because they were recognized as normal.
Politics soon became involved in these other actions because no wars were declared and the lands of the United States were not involved. It then became necessary to review any such actions taken in WWII and then reassess the WWII awards before establishing such later awards.
It then became necessary for the Federal Government to establish awards in keeping with the political needs of the present and later actions. This process then required that awards be made to the WWII participants to justify giving the awards to “our modern day” military.
An example of these back dated actions can be shown from the records of men who served in the Navy from 1941 up through 1945. On their uniforms back in 1945-1950 you would see 4 or maybe 6 ribbons and maybe two or three stars. In attending parades or official ceremonies today you can note that their dress uniforms are adorned with many awards and stars.
A review of the awards publications from the Military and the military uniform companies you will see that in fact the Federal Government actually “back dated” such awards and actually today those same Navy personnel would actually have a right to as many as 17 service ribbons and multi-stars representing individual battle actions.
To best show these circumstances the “discharge records (DD 214) " of U S Navy service member No. 6419805. In three years of service in WWII the records indicate that he was awarded 4 ribbons and 4 battle stars. Those records even failed to recognize that Navy Service Member 6419805 served on two carriers and that the first one was sunk by German Submarine. When in fact the said No. 6419805 served on two carriers by the same name and that one fought the Germans in the Atlantic until it was sunk and the second carrier being given the same name (only a different number) fought the Japanese in the Pacific.
The discharge clerk failed to recognize that in fact there were two Block Island Aircraft Carriers, one serving in the Atlantic battles and the other serving in the Pacific battles.
In checking the present day records the Sailors who served on CVE 21 (over 900) have the right to place all of the awards shown on the following sheet as being awarded to CVE 21 on their Dress Navy Uniforms. Those Sailors and Marines who served on CVE 106 from January 1945 until the end of WWII have the same rights with regards CVE-106. If their service involves both ships between the dates shown all of such awards may be displayed.
As to the Marines who served on the designated dates those same awards do apply over and above any awards that they may have received in any actions they undertook before the joint Navy/Marine Service took place with regards CVE 106. The USS Block Island Association has not been appraised of the Marine Service Records prior to December 1944 and after December 31, 1945. This also applies to Navy personnel who served on CVE 21 prior to May 29, 1944 and were transferred off of CVE 106 prior to it being designated as “Combat Service Ready” in December 1944 for the Pacific Theatre of Operations.
NOTE: Click on the above document and it will enlarge so that it can be seen in a larger scope.
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