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U.S.S. LITTLE ROCK CL-92 and CLG-4
Crew Members'

 ORAL HISTORY PAGE


Old Salts


The Stories, Tales and Yarns contained herein are reputed to be mostly true. Only you the reader can decide whether or not this is reliable information received from your esteemed shipmates. Your personal input is solicited for this page. Let us hear about your personal history and related sea-stories.

Linked to this page you will find some fascinating stories about life on the U.S.S. Little Rock. Your shipmates provide us with some insights you are probably not familiar with. You are going to love these guys !  Here are some of the subjects discussed:

S1/c Jimmie Hair '45-'47.  He remembers with pride serving as pointer in the #3 5" gun mount for a 21-gun salute for President Harry S. Truman when he visited the fleet.  (The pointer actually pulls the firing key trigger on the mount captain's order to fire.)

RDSN Charles Ives '46-'47.  (In addition to his regular duties, he shared Bugler duties with SN Decosta.)  As part of the navigation team while departing a Scandinavian port, he remembers with some amusement the flap on the bridge when the CO and XO learned that a female stowaway was discovered in the NAN Division berthing compartment.

S1/c Joe Molinaro '47-'48.  Joe was the appointed "lookout" on a paint chipping detail who watched for the Captain and other supervisory types who were roaming about. He alerted his idling shipmates to resume working with vigor by loudly singing the Mills Brothers' song,  "Do Nothing 'Til You Hear from Me".

SN Walter Nebiker '46-'47.  Walt remarks on the pride and confidence with which he left the ship and the Navy that launched a pattern of continuing education and advancement.  He completed high school and college, attained a Navy officer's commission and served during and after the Korean War, then returned to civilian life where he earned a master's degree in geography and pursued a teaching career.

HM2 Elmer Oberlander '45-'49.  Obie talks about steaming in a hurricane which resulted in numerous injuries to shipmates.  As a corpsman, he assisted the Doc in suturing wounds with their legs wrapped around sickbay bunk stations to remain steady while the ship rocked and rolled.

SN Ed Caggiano '58-'62.  (Ed was an Association founder.)  He talks about holystoning the ship's teak wood deck, using a fire brick on the end of a broomstick, scouring with sand - 32 licks per board - pointing out that deck force sailors had very clean feet, as they holystoned barefoot.

SN Jim Kays '59-'63.  (Jim was an Association founder.)  Assigned to ship's service duties, Jim recalls his favorite job was working in the Gedunk where he was able to meet and interact with many shipmates in a relaxing and pleasant atmosphere while he satisfied their sweet tooth..

RD3 Don Schuld '60-'62.  (Don was an Association founder.) He fondly recalls spending time on the beach on the French Riviera where you could rent a little lounging mattress and a small side table for your $2.50 split of cold champagne while watching the beautiful French girls selling the New York Herald Tribune.  (ED Note: Don -They were selling what????)

IC2 John Whidden '59-'61.  John was an avid photographer who snapped over 600 pictures during the Med cruise.  Being enterprising, he bought a slide duplicator and sold copies to shipmates who had squandered all their liberty time in bars.  This allowed them to go home with the slides and say, "I was here!"

CL-92 Sailors
 CLG-4 Sailors
 CL-92/CLG-4 Marines

Caggiano, Ed (1)

Kays, Jim (1)

Martin, William "Bill" Capt. (1)

 		Coming Soon !
Notes:

1.   Many of the histories presented here ( as indicated by "1" ) have been recorded at one of our Annual U.S.S. Little Rock Association Reunions. These recordings have been transcribed by the U.S.Navy, and copies of the transcriptions and the recordings are now in the Association's, as well as the U.S. Navy's archives. If you would be interested in participating in this important program, please contact us Kent Siegel to arrange for an interview.

2. These are recollections of life on the U.S.S. Little Rock as related by our shipmates, but not recorded at a Reunion, nor part of the U.S. Navy's archives.. Many of these excerpts and articles were printed in LitComs, the Association's quarterly magazine.

3. Oral Histories indicated by (3) have been recorded at the crewmember's home, or in their hometown.

4. From a transcript done by others.

NOW HEAR THIS - CL 92 SAILORS !!!

If you are coming to the next reunion, and have not yet been interviewed, we need you.  Give us your story of life and duty on the Rock for our Oral History Archives.  If you signal us, you'll receive an interview script in advance in order to prepare your story. (No, we don't administer truth serum!)  Contact your shipmate, Andy Pecora at:

Andrew F. Pecora, Jr.
99 Tiller Lane
Brick, NJ 08723-6758
(732) 920-6637
anfpec@aol.com