Posted on 10/15/2021 7:52:10 PM PDT by PROCON
(Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command)
We often say, "if only a gun could talk," but in this case, the voyage through history that the above .45 ACP took is well-documented.
Also joining the fleet in 1941 was Ensign Victor Antoine Moitoret, a Californian who was admitted to the Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1937 and graduated with the Class of '41. Moitoret's first ship was the brand-new aircraft carrier USS Hornet, which he joined three months prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that ushered America into World War II.
Moitoret served as an assistant navigator on Hornet during the flattop's secret mission to carry the Doolittle Raiders to bomb Tokyo in 1942 – possibly best remembered today as the third act of Jerry Bruckheimer 's 2001 film "Pearl Harbor" – and was also aboard the carrier for the massive American naval victory at the Battle of Midway.
Flanked by torpedo boat escorts, the aircraft carrier USS Hornet arrives at Pearl Harbor after the Doolittle Raid on Japan, April 30, 1942, just five weeks before the Battle of Midway. (Photo: U.S. National Archives)
When Hornet was irreparably damaged by enemy torpedo and dive bombers during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands in October 1942, Moitoret was armed with the above pistol while serving as the carrier's Officer of the Deck on the bridge. The young officer still had it buckled around his waist when he was pulled out of the ocean more than two hours after Hornet went to the bottom in 17,500 feet of water off the Solomon Islands, carrying 140 sailors with her.
Moitoret's pistol belt, consisting of an M1936 Belt, M1918 Magazine Pocket, and russet leather M1916 Holster. (Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command)
Two years later, Moitoret, with his relic of the lost Hornet still with him, was a lieutenant aboard the brand-new light carrier USS Princeton, fighting to liberate the Japanese-occupied Philippines.
USS Princeton 1944. (Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command)
n October 1944 – almost two years to the day that Hornet was lost – Moitoret was on the bridge of Princeton when the ship was hit by a Japanese bomb and was wounded by shrapnel from the resulting explosion.
According to his Silver Star citation for that day, Moitoret "remained on board for a period of seven hours, fighting fires, maintaining communication with other ships in the area, preserving confidential publications and obtaining all available lengths of fire hose for use where most needed."
Leaving his second sinking aircraft carrier, Moitoret reportedly kissed the hull of Princeton before boarding a waiting small boat.
After the war, he remained in the Navy through the Korean and Vietnam wars, retiring in 1972 at the rank of Captain. Moitoret died in 2005 and is buried at Fort Bayard National Cemetery, New Mexico, next to his wife, Rowena, and son, Alan.
His well-traveled sidearm and pistol belt are in the collection of the NHHC, held in the Headquarters Artifact Collection.
As noted by the Navy, "The central theme of this year’s 246th Navy Birthday and Heritage week is 'Resilient and Ready,' which speaks to the Navy’s history of being able to shake off disaster, such as the loss of a ship or a global pandemic, and still maintain force lethality and preparedness. It allows the messaging to showcase readiness, capabilities, capacity, and of course the Sailor – all while celebrating our glorious victories at sea and honoring our shipmates who stand and have stood the watch."
Happy Birthday, Navy!
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they gave us a 1911 and a stainless steel Remington 870
I’ve been sitting here for a half hour trying to figure out how to word a comment to the effect that it is both insane and evil to pretend that a woman can do a sailor’s job, or that she can do the job of a line officer.
Perhaps that will do it.
And yet they will drum their shipmates out without so much as a second glance for not taking the worthless jab.
Sound like people you want to go to sea with now?
Not me.
You should’ve thought a lot longer.
GMC(SW), USN, Ret
“Reata Pass” is having an Auction next Weekend
that has, perhaps,
200 1911’s .
Amazing collection of one man that will take 2 days
to Auction off.
To come up with something more effective? Perhaps. I retired in 1999, and am 70 now.
Still the finest pistol in the world.
Like an old wind up/automatic mechanical watch, a mechanical thing of beauty in form and function.
Old school
A timeless testament to the genius of John Moses Browning.
Had he lived longer, I feel the 1911 would have been improved even more...although I can't imagine a better design than what we have.
I love 'em so much I have (censored) of them, in all kinds of iterations.
But my favorite by far is my Colt Defender Officer Model, particularly as it has been tweaked by a personal friend who is one hell of a 1911 gun smith.
It has seen well over 5000 rounds through it, with ONE failure, caused by my laziness in not thoroughly cleaning it one time.
The Glock is, essentially, a heavily modified Browning design. It is a sort of modernized Browning Hi-Power with an updated fire control system.
My daily reliable was also tweaked by a 1911 armorer savant and a good friend.
When he first broke it down to look closely at it before working on it, he called back me to his office with a startled “I want to show you something”.
When I got there he had two pistols broke down..mine and his 1911A1, laying side by side. He went through each part, comparing the two under magnification. He said he was amazed at the quality of my factory model, as it was obvious that it was made from colt’s original tooling, showing me, piece by piece.
Ended up with trigger at 3.5#, very minor polishing and suggested only to upgrade to wolf recoil and firing pin springs. It is a wonderful piece of work, which cost me less than $400 new.
He’s also the man who found the new in box models for sale. What a find! Not a scratch or flaw on that one!
I agree the Glock is improvement of the 1911 and Hi-power.
Having owned and shot many examples of all three.
Not that I would fell under gunned with any of them in my hand.
But if it came down to having only one I would have to take the Glock.
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