BORN IN PHILADELPHI, PA - 5/15/31
DISCHARGED 5/28/52
BOOT CAMP WAS IN CAMP MOFFETT, GREAT LAKES, IL. AFTER BOOT CAMP I WAS SENT TO THE MOTHBALL FLEET IN GREEN COVE SPRINGS, FL (28 MI. SOUTH OF JACKSONVILLE) . THE MOTHBALL FLEET CONSISTED OF THE FOLLOWING SHIPS: LST’S, LCI’S, LCP’S, ETC.
WE TOOK APART THE ENGINES AND WRAPPED THEM IN OIL PAPER AND TAGGED THEM. THE SHIPS WERE DEHUMIDIFIED, SO YOUR THROAT GOT VERY DRY. EVERYONE EITHER CHEWED TOBACCO OR CHEWED GUM. I TRIED CHEWING TOBACCO, BUT IT TASTED TERRIBLE, SO I CHEWED GUM INSTEAD.
THEN, IN EARLY AUGUST 1950, MY PRAYERS WERE ANSWERED AND I WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE WILLARD-KEITH IN CHARLESTON, SC. I REPORTED ON BOARD AUGUST 20, 1950. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME I WAS IN THE REAL NAVY. WE WERE IN THE SHIPYARD BEING READIED TO BE RECOMMISSIONED. I WAS STATIONED IN THE FORWARD FIREROOM. THE KOREAN WAR HAD JUST BROKEN OUT & THE SHIP WAS LOADED WITH RESERVES THAT WERE CALLED INTO ACTIVE DUTY. ABOUT 80% OF THE CREW WERE RESERVES. OUR CHIEF WAS IN THE RESERVES FOR 20 YEARS AND HE SAID HE’D NEVER BEEN AT SEA. HIS NAME WAS WILLIAM WINTERS AND HE WAS FROM MAINE. OUR ENGINEERING OFFICER WAS LT. DERRY OAKLEY MOLL, HE WAS FROM NEW YORK. HE WAS THE CHIEF ENGINEER AT BUDWEISER BREWERY IN NJ.
OUR CAPTAIN WAS CMDR. LESLIE J. O’BRIEN JR. HE WAS IN THE NAVY IN 1939 TO 1972. HE
RETIRED AS AN UPPER HALF REAR ADMIRAL AND LIVES IN FLORIDA. OUR XO WAS LT. CMDR. PAUL PODBIELSKI, USNR.
THE FIRST TIME WE LIT OFF NO. 1 BOILER, I WAS ON THE BURNERS. I NEVER LIT A BOILER IN MY ENTIRE LIFE, SO ALL OF THIS WAS NEW TO ME. I COULD NOT GET THE BOILER TO LIGHT, SO CHIEF WINTERS SAID WE SHOULD CLOSE THE HATCH AND CREATE A VACUUM, SO THAT I COULD THEN LIGHT THE BOILER. AFTER WHAT SEEMED LIKE AN ETERNITY, THE BOILER FINALLY LIT. ABOUT 15 TO 20 MINUTES LATER, THE FIREROOM STARTED TO FILL UP WITH SMOKE. THE NEXT THING WE KNEW, THE BACK OF THE BOILER BLEW OFF. IT MADE SUCH AN EXPLOSION THAT THE WHOLE SHIP ROCKED. WE FOUND OUT LATER THAT THE STACK COVER HAD NEVER BEEN REMOVED. AFTER THAT SOMEONE HAD TO GO UP ON THE STACK AND TAKE THE COVER OFF BEFORE WE LIT THE BOILERS. NEEDLESS TO SAY, I WAS
THE GUY PICKED TO TAKE THE COVER OFF AND PUT IT BACK ON. FROM THEN ON EVERY THING WENT WELL. I LEARNED HOW TO LIGHT A BOILER, I ALSO WAS PUT ON THE CHECKS (WATER FOR THE BOILERS) . I SOON BECAME THE TOP WATCH IN THE FORWARD FIREROOM.
I WAS SHIP’S COMPANY WHEN THEY RECOMMISSIONED HER ON OCTOBER 23, 1950. WE THEN HEADED FOR NORFOLK, ON TO GUANTANAMO BAY TO COMMENCE HER SHAKEDOWN CRUISE. ON SEPTEMBER 3, 1951, WE LEFT FOR THE MED CRUISE. WHILE IN BORDEAUX, FRANCE (DECEMBER 30, 1951 UNTIL JANUARY 4,1952), WE RECEIVED ORDERS TO RELIEVE THE JOHN W. WEEKS, DD7O1, TO PERFORM RESCUE AND ESCORT DUTIES ASSISTING THE CRIPPLED SS. FLYING ENTERPRISE BEFORE SHE BROKE APART AND SANK IN HEAVY SEAS. THE HURRICANE WAS STILL RAGING IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC. WE WERE CIRCLING THE ENTERPRISE SLOWLY AT ABOUT 5 KNOTS. THE WHOLE SHIP WAS ROCKING BACK AND FORTH. I WAS ON DUTY 4 ON AND 4 OFF. WE COULD NOT EVEN EAT PROPERLY BECAUSE THE SHIP WAS ROCKING TOO MUCH. MY 1ST CLASS BT, FLOYD KEELING, TOLD ME NOT TO EAT ANYTHING TOO HEAVY OR I WOULD GET SEASICK. JUST NIBBLE ON CRACKERS AND SIP SOME WATER. I ALWAYS LISTENED TO HIM AS HE WAS AN “OLD SALT” HE TOOK ME UNDER HIS WING AND TAUGHT ME A LOT.
WE TOOK ON A LOT OF WATER DURING THAT HURRICANE. WE EVEN HAD WATER BELOW DECKS IN OUR SLEEPING COMPARTMENT. WE STAYED BELOW DECK MOST OF THE TIME, BECAUSE THE SEA WAS REALLY ROUGH. WE WERE WTIH HER FROM 1/5/52 UNTIL 1/10/52, WHEN SHE SANK.
WE THEN SET A COURSE FOR FALMOUTH, ENGLAND. THAT INCIDENT GAINED U.S. NAVY INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION AT THAT TIME. THE OWNERS OF THE FLYING ENTERPRISE PRESENTED A PLAQUE TO THE WILLARD KEITH IN APPRECIATION FOR HER ASSISTANCE RENDERED TO THEIR VESSEL. AFTER STOPPING IN ENGLAND. WE HEADED FOR LONDONDERRY, IRELAND, 1/14/52 - 1/28/52. ON 1/28,52, WE LEFT IRELAND SHAPING A COURSE FOR NORFOLK, VA.
ON 5/28/52, I WAS DISCHARGED IN NORFOLK, VA.
SOMEWHERE AROUND 1998 OR 1999, THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL HAD A DOCUMENTARY CALLED “THE STORM OF THE CENTURY”. IT WAS ALL ABOUT THE FLYING ENTERPRISE AND THE WILLARD—KEITH. I MADE A COPY OF THE SHOW, IT TELLS ALL ABOUT THE STORM AND THE SINKING OF THE ENTERPRISE.
AFTER MY DISCHARGE, I WENT HOME TO PHILLY. IN JUNE OF 1953, I MET JOAN GRIPP AND WE WERE MARRIED ON 5/15/54. (YES, I GOT MARRIED ON MY BIRTHDAY). ON 2/7/55 I GOT A JOB DELIVERING MILK TO PRIVATE HOMES. MY FIRST DAY ON THE JOB THE TEMPERATURE WAS 7 DEGREES.
I LEFT THE MILK ROUTE ON 10/24/58. ON 10/25/58, I WENT TO WORK FOR A WHOLESALE BOTTLE AND CAP DISTRIBUTING CO. WE WERE THE EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTOR OF BOTTLES AND CAPS FOR MAALOX AND TYLENOL. I STARTED AS A WAREHOUSE MAN AND RETIRED AS THE WAREHOUSE MANAGER. I AM A RETIRED TEAMSTER, LOCAL #169 IN PHILLY. I RETIRED ON 12/31/93 AFTER 35 YRS. 2 MOS. AND 6 DAYS ON THE JOB.
ON 4/20/55 MY DAUGHTER JOANNE WAS BORN. THEN IN 1956, WE APPLIED TO CATHOLIC SOCIAL SERVICES TO ADOPT A BABY GIRL. WE HAD TO WAIT FIVE MORE YEARS UNTIL WE WERE FINALLY APRROVED. AT THE END OF OCTOBER, 1961, WE FINALLY ADOPTED OUR DAUGHTER, SUSAN. SHE WAS 7 WEEKS OLD AT THAT TIME.
TODAY JOANNE WORKS FOR THE GOVERNMENT DEFENSE CENTER IN PHILLY. SHE STARTED THERE IN 1975. SHE IS IN CHARGE OF FEEDING THE TROOPS THRU OUT THE WORLD. SHE HAS BEEN TO KUWAIT, BAHRAIN, JAPAN AND ALL OVER THE U.S. SUSAN STARTED WORKING FOR MICKEY D’S IN 1977 ON THE COUNTER .TODAY SHE IS A DISTRICT MANAGER FOR PENNA., JERSEY AND DEL. BOTH JOANNE AND SUE ARE MARRIED WITH THREE CHILDREN EACH (14 TO 23 YRS. OLD)
ON 9/18/88, MY WIFE JOAN DIED. SHE HAD BEEN IN THE HOSPITAL A TOTAL OF 43 TIMES IN THE 34 YEARS WE WERE MARRIED.
ON 9/24/94 I MARRIED MY SECOND WIFE, KATE, (WE DATED 5 1/2 MOS.). THIS WAS HER SECOND MARRIAGE. SHE HAD 3 CHILDREN FROM HER FIRST, ROBERT, 53 YRS., KAREN, 45 YRS. AND KEVIN,44 YRS. KATE’S SON, KEVIN, MARRIED SUSAN BAUER IN 1984. YES, MY DAUGHTER MARRIED KATE’S SON. MY SON-IN-LAW IS NOW MY STEPSON. ROBERT AND KAREN HAVE 3 CHILDREN EACH (13 TO 22 YRS. OLD)
IN AUG. 2004, WE MOVED FROM PHILLY TO APEX, NORTH CAROLINA, (20 MI SW OF RALEIGH) . KATE’S SON, ROBERT, WHO LIVES IN GARY, NC, TALKED US INTO MOVING HERE AND WE HAVE NEVER LOOKED BACK.
IN 1998, I RECEIVED A POSTCARD FROM THE MILITARY LOCATORS INFORMING ME THAT THEY WERE LOOKING FOR ME TO ATTEND THE 1999 WILLARD KEITH REUNION IN NEWPORT, RI. THAT WAS THE FIRST REUNION THAT KATE AND I ATTENDED. WE ENJOYED THE REUNION SO MUCH, THAT WE FOLLOWED UP WITH NORFOLK, VA IN 2000, CHICAGO, IL IN 2001, BOSTON, MA IN 2002 AND BRANSON, MO IN 2005. GOD WILLING WE WILL BE ATTENDING THE NEXT ONE IN D.C. IN 2006.
Joseph "MOOSE" Bauer
BTFN
Joe Bauer 1994
