The FReeper Foxhole Remembers Typhoon Cobra - Disaster at Sea - Dec. 18th, 2002

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[SAMWolf]

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18 December 1944

In Memory of my Dad and his shipmates
USS HULL, USS MONAGHAN and USS SPENCE

As father and son go, we've known each other only in our hearts. You were all of 19 when the Lord called you into another service. Dad, thank you for giving me life and a proud lifetime memory. I love you.

On 17 December, 1944, my father's ship, DD-354 .U.S.S. Monaghan was steering toward Leyte Bay on a rendezvous course with the Pacific Task Forces 38 and 58. The Third Fleet was engaged in naval air strikes against Japanese forces in the Philippines. While the planes had been attacking central Luzon in support of the Mindoro invasion, the carriers and their destroyer protectors were in desperate need of fuel. Dad's ship was assigned to escort duty for the fuel ships of the fleet, an attractive enemy target. She ran at flank speed during the operations and was riding high in the seas from lack of fuel. Then she ran into Typhoon Cobra, described below as "more powerful than any western Pacific encounter with the Japanese."

"In December 1944 as Admiral William Halsey's Third Fleet was operating in support of General MacArthur's invasion of the Philippines, the Third Fleet encountered a tropical cyclone more powerful than any western Pacific encounter with the Japanese. The result was three destroyers (the USS HULL, USS MONAGHAN and USS SPENCE) sunk with 800 men lost, 26 other vessels seriously damaged, and 146 aircraft destroyed (16). The Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet Admiral Nimitz said, "It was the greatest loss that we have taken in the Pacific without compensatory return since the First Battle of Savo." Halsey himself described it best. "No one who has not been through a typhoon can conceive its fury," he wrote in his autobiography. "The 70 foot seas smash you. The rain blinds you. The battleship NEW JERSEY once was hit by a 5-inch shell and I did not even feel the impact. The MISSOURI had kamikaze crash on her main deck and repaired the only damage with a paint brush. But the typhoon tossed our enormous ship the MISSOURI as if she were only a canoe."



One eyewitness account speaks to the conditions my dad found himself and his shipmates facing.

"These destroyers were escorting the carriers, and they came out. We're trying to fuel them, and the seas are choppy; I mean, when I say choppy, they're twenty, twenty-five feet waves... They were going to move to another location and commence fueling in the morning again. Well, instead of taking us out of the typhoon they took us back into it. I'm talking about waves that were fifty and sixty feet high. Sometimes you'd see a destroyer, he'd be sitting up on top of a wave and the next time he would be down so low that you couldn't even see the mast. That's how deep the troughs were. There's no way those destroyers could fuel from the tankers."

Former President Gerald R. Ford in May 1943 served as a pre-commissioning detachment for a new light aircraft carrier, USS Monterey (CVL-26). This was one of the ships in may dad's group. The following is an official record of an account by Lt. Ford who served as the assistant navigator, Athletic Officer, and antiaircraft battery officer on board Monterey.

"Monterey was damaged by a fire which was started by several of the ship's aircraft tearing loose from their cables and colliding during the storm. During the storm, Ford narrowly missed being a casualty himself. After Ford left his battle station on the bridge of the ship in the early morning of 18 December, the ship rolled twenty-five degrees which caused Ford to lose his footing and slide toward the edge of the deck. The two inch steel ridge around the edge of the carrier slowed him enough so he could roll and twisted into the catwalk below the deck. As he later stated, 'I was lucky; I could have easily gone overboard.' "

The fueling day was the first of Typhoon Cobra that claimed 790 lives in the 3d Fleet, and sank Spence (DD-512), Hull (DD-350), and Monaghan. The six survivors, rescued by USS Brown after drifting on a raft 3 days, reported that Monaghan took roll after roll to starboard, finally going over. Of the 6 hands that survived the sinking, 3 perished after rescue.

From accounts passed on by one of his shipmates, my dad and other Monaghan crew members remained in the water because some of the men were injured and bleeding. Their being in the life raft was their only hope and the area was known to be shark invested. Quietly, on the night of the second day, without notice in the darkness and the rough seas, Dad joined the watery grave of the Spence, Hull and Monaghan.

Of the tragedy, Admiral Nimitz said, "represented a more crippling blow to the 3d Fleet than it might be expected to suffer in anything less than a major action." Veteran of so many actions against a human enemy, Monaghan fell victim to the sailor's oldest enemy, the perils of the sea.

Monaghan received 12 battle stars for World War II service.


Survivors from the Spence and the Hull

***NOTE: This dedication and story is not about my Dad***
Thanks to Freeper Comwatch for this story

[Valin]

On This Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on December 18:
1562 Philipp Dulichius composer
1569 Jakob Hassler composer
1610 Charles Du Fresne Du Cange French scholar/philologist
1633 Adriaen Melar Flemish engraver, baptised
1633 Willem van de Velde the Young Dutch seascape painter, baptised
1635 Antonius Matthaeus Dutch lawyer/historian
1667 Wenzel Ludwig von Radolt composer
1707 Charles Wesley co-founder (Methodist movement)
1709 Elizabeth empress of Russia (to Peter the Great & Catherine I)
1734 Jean-Baptiste Rey composer
1760 Knud L Rahbek Danish literary (Om sku skuespillerkunsten)
1779 Joseph Grimaldi England, pantomimist ("greatest clown in history")
1786 Carl Maria von Weber Germany, romantic composer (Der Freischutz)
1788 Camille Pleyel Austria, piano builder/composer
1803 William Allen (Representative/Governor-OH)
1811 Alexander Sandor Asboth Bvt Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1868
1812 Wiktor Kazynski composer
1816 Alfred Elzey Jones Major General (Confederate Army), died in 1871
1819 Jakov P Polonski Russian poet (Stichotvorenija)
1825 Charles Griffin Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1867
1826 Charles-A Chatrian [Erckmann-C] French writer (L'ami Fritz)
1826 Mercer Brooke John (Confederate Navy), died in 1906
1835 George Dashiell Bayard Brigadier-General (Union volunteers), died in 1862
1837 A Adolf Daens Belgian priest/Dutch party founder (CVP)
1844 Lujo [Ludwig J von] Brentano German economist
1848 Karl Schroder composer
1852 Gaetano Coronaro composer
1856 Joseph John Thomson England, physicist discovered electron (Nobel 1906)
1860 Edward Alexander MacDowell US, composer (Indian Suite)
1861 Edward MacDowell US, composer (Indian Suite)
1861 Lionel Monckton composer
1863 French Ferdinand archduke of Austria (Sarajevo/WWI)
1867 Antoon van Welie Dutch painter
1870 Saki (Hector Hugo Munro) Burma, author (Reginald, When William Came)
1870 Andres Randolf Denmark, actor (The Kiss)
1870 D T Suzuki Kanazawa Japan, Zen Buddhist scholar
1873 Adolf Vogl composer
1877 Max Pallenberg Austria, actor (Brave Suender)/husb of Fritzi Massary
1879 Paul Klee Switzerland, abstract painter (Twittering Machine)
1884 Philippe van Isacker Belgian minister
1886 Ty Cobb Colorado, batted .367, stole 892 bases (Detroit Tigers)
1888 Gladys Cooper Lewisham England, actress (My Fair Lady)
1888 Robert Moses power broker (built Long Island & NYC parks & roads)
1890 Edwin Howard Armstrong New York NY, radio pioneer inventor (FM)
1897 Fernand J Collin Belgian economist/banker
1898 Jacob Kruijt Dutch sociologist
19-- Gillian Spencer actress (All My Children)
1904 George Stevens US director (Alice Adams, Penny Serenade)
1904 Wilf Carter country singer
1905 Richard Sturzenegger composer
1906 Edwin H "Buddy" Morris music publisher
1906 Kam Tong actor (Across the Pacific, Flower Drum Song)
1907 Christopher Fry Bristol England, playwright (Ring Around the Moon)
1908 Celia Johnson England, actress (Happy Breed, Brief encounter)
1909 Mona Barrie [Smith] London England, actress (Dawn on the Great Divide)
1910 Abe Burrows Brooklyn NY, Broadway composer (Guys & Dolls 1951 TONY)
1910 Eric Tindall cricketer (All Black Representative who kept wicket in 5 Tests)
1911 Helen Vlachos journalist
1911 Jules Dassin Middletown CT, director (Circle of Two, Never on Sunday)
1913 Alfred Bester US, science fiction author (Deceivers, Starlight)
1913 Lynn Bari Roanoke VA, actress (Connie-Detective Wife, Earthbound)
1913 Donald Phillips pianist/composer
1913 Saburo Takata composer
1913 Willy Brandt [Herbert Frahm] German chancellor (1969-74, Nobel 1971)
1914 Jerry Zipkin socialite
1915 Dario Mangiarotti Italy, fencing, gold, 2 silver (Olympics-1948, 52)
1916 Betty Grable St Louis MO, great legs/actress (Gay Divorcee)
1917 Ossie Davis Cogdell GA, actor/playwright (Hot Stuff, Man Called Adam)
1919 Anita O'Day Chicago IL, big band jazz singer (Gene Krupa, Stan Kanton)
1920 Rita Streich German singer
1920 Willis Conover broadcaster
1922 Larry D Mann Toronto Ontario, actor (Marty-Accidental Family)
1923 Lotti [Charlotte] van der Gaag Dutch sculptor/painter
1926 Peggy Cummins North Wales, actress (Curse of the Demon)
1927 Ramsey Clark US Attorney General (1967-69)
1927 Sterling Lanier US, writer (Hiero's Journey)
1930 Theodore C Freeman Pennsylvania, astronaut
1931 Gunnel Lindblom Goeteborg Sweden, actor (Hunger, Virgin Spring)
1931 Noel McGregor cricketer (batted in 25 Tests for New Zealand 1955-65)
1932 Roger Smith South Gate CA, actor (77 Sunset Strip)
1934 Boris Valentinovich Volynov USSR, cosmonaut (Soyuz 5, 21)
1938 [Bryan] Chas Chandler rocker (The Animals-House of the Rising Sun)
1939 Sandro Lopopolia Italy, lightweight boxer (Olympics-silver-1960)
1939 Christoffel "Stoffel" van de Merwe South Africa minister of Education
1939 Henrica M L "Wiesje" Backer Dutch dancer/actress/playwright
1939 Michael J Moorcock England, sci-fi author (Alien Heat, Bull & Spear)
1940 Arnold Long cricketer (prolific wicketkeeper for Surrey & Sussex)
1941 Sam Andrew rocker (Big Brother & the Holding Company-Cheap Thrills)
1942 William HAF English prince/grandson of George V
1943 Alan Rudolph actor (Endangers Species, Love at Large, Made in Heaven)
1943 Bobby Keyes rocker
1943 Keith Richards England, rock guitarist (Rolling Stones-Brown Sugar)
1945 Carolyn Wood US, 4 X 100 meter freestyle swimmer (Olympics-gold-1960)
1945 Birenda Bir Bikram King of Nepal (1972- )
1946 Hubie Green Birmingham AL, PGA golfer (US Open 1977)
1946 Stephen (Steve) Biko South African anti-apartheid activist
1947 Steven Spielberg Cincinnati OH, director (ET, Close Encounters, Jaws)
1947 Eddie Antar founder/CEO (Crazy Eddie Electronics Store)
1948 Bryan "Chas" Changler Newcastle, rock bassist (Animals)
1949 Joni Flynn Assam India, actress (Octopussy)
1950 Leonard Maltin New York NY, movie critic (Entertainment Tonight)
1950 Gillian Armstrong Melbourne Australia, director (High Tide, Mrs Soffel)
1950 Martha Johnson Toronto Ontario, rocker (M+M)
1951 Andrew S W Thomas Adelaide Australia, PhD/astronaut (STS 77, STS 89/91)
1951 Candice Rialson Santa Monica CA, actress (Chatterbox)
1953 Elliot Easton [Elliot Shapiro] Brooklyn NY, rock guitarist (Cars)
1955 Ray Liotta Newark NJ, actor (Henry Hill-Goodfellas, Sacha-Casablanca)
1956 Reinhold Ewald Germany, cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-25)
1957 John Webster rocker (Red Ryder-Light in the Tunnel)
1959 Barrie Chase actress (Mardi Gras, Cape Fear)
1961 Ken Foreman rocker (Thrashing Doves-Reprobate's Hymn)
1961 Brian Orser Canada, figure skater (Olympics-silver-88)
1961 Lalchand Rajput cricketer (Indian Test opening batsman 1985-86)
1961 Thomas Strittmatter writer
1963 Brad Pitt Shawnee OK, actor (Fight Club, Meet Joe Black, Legends of the Fall)
1963 Charles Oakley NBA forward (New York Knicks)
1963 Lori McNeil San Diego CA, tennis star (1995 Oakland doubles)
1964 Don Beebe NFL wide receiver (Green Bay Packers-Superbowl 31)
1965 Fawna Maclaren Santa Monica CA, playmate (January 1989)
1965 Angeliki Kaneltopoutous Greece, tennis star
1965 Brian Walton Ottawa Ontario, points race cyclist (Olympics-silver-96)
1965 Willie Blair Paintsville KY, pitcher (San Diego Padres)
1966 Kiefer Sutherland actor (Young Guns, Stand by Me, Lost Boys)
1966 Steve Dullaghan rocker (Primitives-Lovely, Lump of Coal)
1966 Aaron Jones NFL defensive end (New England Patriots)
1966 Gianluca Pagliuca Italian actress (Ugly Dirty & Bad)
1966 Patricia Neder Wauykesha WI, team handball right wing (Olympics-92, 96)
1966 Terry Phelps Larchmont NY, tennis star
1966 Tracy Byrd country singer (Keeper of the Stars)
1967 Bob Corkum Salisbury, NHL center (Philadelphia Flyers)
1967 Charles Christopher Rymer Cleveland TN, PGA golfer (1995 Shell-3rd)
1967 Dan McGwire NFL quarterback (Miami Dolphins)
1967 Tracy Hayworth NFL linebacker (Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons)
1968 Aaron Craver NFL running back (Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers)
1968 Casper Van Dien actor (Starship Troopers)
1969 Andrew Murphy Australian long jumper/triple jumper (Olympics-96)
1969 Chris Dausin WLAF corner/guard (Scottish Claymores)
1969 Joanne Mills Sydney Australia, golfer (T25 Holden 1994 Women's Australian Open)
1969 Joe Randa Milwaukee WI, infielder (Kansas City Royals)
1969 Keith Piper cricketer (Warwickshire & England A wicketkeeper)
1969 Marco Coleman NFL defensive end (Miami Dolphins, San Diego Chargers)
1969 T C Wright WLAF running back (Amsterdam Admirals)
1970 Lucious Harris NBA guard (New Jersey Nets, Dallas Mavericks)
1971 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario Barcelona, tennis star (Olympics-silver/bronze-92)
1971 Frank Pimiskern CFL safety (British Columbia Lions)
1971 Joe Dziedzic Minneapolis MN, NHL left wing (Pittsburgh Penguins)
1971 Markus Finke WLAF running back (Rhein Fire)
1971 Neil Little Medicine Hat, NHL goalie (Philadelphia Flyers)
1972 Eric Unverzagt NFL/WLAF linebacker (Sea Seahawks, Scotland Claymores)
1972 Jeff Nelson Prince Albert, NHL center (Washington Capitals)
1972 Marcos Ondruska South Africa, tennis star
1973 Jason Williams Gonzales LA, baseball infielder (Olympics-bronze-96)
1973 Keith Washington NFL defensive end (Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore Ravens)
1974 Peter Boulware linebacker (Baltimore Ravens)
1975 Michael Barry Toronto Ontario, cyclist (Olympics-96)
1978 Naomi Lang Arcata CA, dance skater (& Peter Tchernyshev)
1980 Christina Aguilera Staten Island, NY, singer (Genie in a Bottle, What A Girl Wants)

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Deaths which occurred on December 18:
0468 Huna Mari bar Mar Zutra rabbi, executed in Pumpedita
1290 Magnus I Ladulås [Barn Bolt] king of Sweden (1277-90), dies
1505 John IX van Horne prince-bishop of Lieges, executed
1565 Benedetto Varchi Italian humanist/historian (L'Ercolano), dies at 62
1577 Anna duchess of Saxon/wife of prince Willem of Orange, dies at 32
1597 Barbara Blomberg German mistress of emperor Karel, dies at 67
1633 Theodoor Galle Flemish engraver, buried at 62
1638 Le Père Joseph French mystic, dies
1651 Francisco the Melo Portuguese/Spanish earl of Assumar, dies at 54
1710 Peter Codde apostile vicar (1688-1704), dies at 62
1732 Johann Valentin Eckelt composer, dies at 59
1737 Antonio Stradivari renowned violin-maker, dies in Cremona Italy at 93
1751 Kilian I von Dientzenhofer builder (Nepomukkerk, Prague), dies at 62
1779 Jan Punt engraver/illustrator/actor (Gideonschool), dies at 68
1803 Johann G von Herder German philosopher/theologist/poet, dies at 59
1829 Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck French nature investigator, dies at about 85
1831 Willem Bilderdijk Dutch poet/literary (My Relief), dies at 75
1835 Johann Georg Anton Mederitsch-Gallus composer, dies at 82
1839 Charles-Henri Plantade composer, dies at 75
1841 Felice Blangini composer, dies at 60
1858 Joseph-Henri-Ignace Mees composer, dies at 81
1862 Johnson Kelly Duncan architect/Confederate Brigadier-General, dies at 35
1865 Francisco Manuel da Silva composer, dies at 70
1869 Louis Moreau Gottschalk composer, dies at 40
1892 Richard Owen English zoologist (Dinosaurus), dies at 88
1897 Carlo A Alfieri Italian Member of parliament, dies at 70
1899 John William Glover composer, dies at 84
1911 Alberto Randegger composer, dies at 79
1915 Èdouard Vaillant French socialist politician/communard, dies at 75
1918 Henryk Jarecki composer, dies at 72
1919 Horatio William Parker composer, dies at 56
1919 John Alcock pilot (1st non-stop over Atlantic), dies in crash at 27
1928 Lucien Capet composer, dies at 55
1931 John T "Legs" Diamond US gangster, murdered at 35
1932 Eduard "Ede" Bernstein German marxist/revisionist, dies at 82
1935 Juan V Gómez general/dictator of Venezuela (1908-35), dies
1937 S S Schultz cricketer (one Test England vs Australia 1879), dies
1939 Matthew Brown Journalist, dies at 51
1942 Charlie Walker cricketer (Australian tourist to England 1930, 1938), dies
1948 Janet Fay hammered to death by the Honeymoon Killers
1963 Winifried P I Zillig German composer/conductor (Opfer), dies at 58
1966 Gene Gauntier dies in Cuernavaca México
1971 Aleksandr T Tvardovski Russian editor in chief (Novyj Mir), dies at 61
1971 Bobby Jones Jr PGA golfer (Grand Slam 1930), dies at 69
1971 Diana Lynn actress (Annapolis Story, Easy Come Easy Go), dies at 45
1973 Giulio Cesare Brero composer, dies at 64
1976 George Emmett cricketer (England opener vs Australia Old Trafford 1948), dies
1977 Louis Untermeyer poet/critic/TV panelist (What's My Line), dies at 92
1977 Cyril Ritchard actor (Peter Pan), dies at 80
1980 Alexei N Kosygin Soviet PM (1964-80), suffers a fatal heart attack at 76
1981 Mehmet Shehu PM Albania (1954-81)/"US-Russian spy", commits suicide
1982 Raymond Emery cricketer (2 Tests New Zealand vs West Indies 1952, 46 runs, 2 wickets), dies
1982 Tibor de Machula Hungary/Netherlands cellist, dies at 70
1986 Mamo Clark actor (1 Million BC, Robinson Crusoe of Clipper Island), dies
1990 Anne Revere actress (National Velvet), dies of pneumonia at 87
1990 Paul Tortelier composer, dies at 76
1991 June Storey actress (South of the Border), dies of cancer at 73
1992 Mark Goodson TV game show producer (Goodson-Toddman), dies at 77
1992 Mother Clare Hale cared for NYC AIDS babies (Hale House), dies at 87
1992 Richard H Ichord US leader of House Un-American Activities Committee, dies
1993 Sam Wanamaker actor (Private Benjamin), dies of prostate cancer at 74
1994 Heinz Bernard Lowenstein actor/director, dies at 71
1994 Lilia Skala Austrian/US actress (Ship of Fools, Caprice), dies at 98
1994 Peter Hebblethwaite English editor-in-chief (The Month), dies at 64
1995 Chaim Pearl rabbi, dies at 76
1995 Georgio Fini restaurateur, dies at 70
1995 Ross Thomas author, dies at 69
1996 Arthur Jacobs musicologist, dies at 74
1997 Chris Farley comedian (Saturday Night Live, Tommy Boy), dies at 33

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On this day...
1118 Alfonso van Aragón occupies Saragossa on Almoraviden
1352 Etienne Aubert elected as Pope Innocentius VI
1406 Anton van Bourgondies becomes duke of Brabant
1603 Admiral Steven van der Haghens fleet departs to East-Indies
1621 English parliament accept unanimously, Protestation
1719 Thomas Fleet publishes "Mother Goose's Melodies For Children"
1774 Jews expelled from Prague, Bohemia & Moravia by Empress Maria Theresa
1777 1st national Thanksgiving Day, commemorating Burgoyne's surrender
1783 English king George III fires government of Portland
1787 New Jersey becomes 3rd state to ratify constitution
1796 1st US newspaper to appear on Sunday (Baltimore Monitor)
1799 George Washington's body interred at Mount Vernon
1813 British take Fort Niagara in the War of 1812
1832 Charles Darwin visits Vurland
1839 1st celestial photograph (the moon) made in US, John Draper, New York NY
1849 William Bond obtains 1st photograph of Moon through a telescope
1858 Passy, at Paris: 1st "Samedi soir" i/d villa of lovers Rossini
1859 South Carolina declared an "independent commonwealth"
1862 Battle at Lexington TN (Forrest's Second Raid)
1865 13th Amendment ratified, slavery abolished
1865 1st US cattle importation law passed
1869 Canada's Hamilton Foot Ball Club plays its 1st game
1878 French SS Byzantin sinks after collision in Dardanellen, 210 killed
1890 Lugards expedition to Mengo/Kampala, Uganda
1892 Anton Bruckner's 8th Symphony, premieres
1892 Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet "Nutcracker Suite" premieres
1894 Cricket day 4 1T Australia vs England England following on 4-268, 7 in front
1898 Automobile speed record set-63 kph (39 mph)
1899 Fieldmarshal Lord Roberts appointed British supreme commander in South Africa
1905 H V Hordern takes 8-81 in 2nd innings of F-C debut (New South Wales vs Queensland)
1915 President Wilson, widowed the year before, marries Edith Bolling Galt
1917 Soviet regiment (Stalin/Lenin) declares Finland Independent
1920 1st US postage stamps printed without the words United States or US
1923 International zone of Tangier set up in Morocco
1930 Bradman scores 258 New South Wales vs South Australia, 289 minutes, 37 fours
1932 Chicago Bears beat Portsmouth Spartans 9-0 in 1st NFL playoff game
1935 Bradman scores 117 in his 1st Shield cricket match for South Australia
1935 Edward Benes becomes President of Czechoslovakia
1936 Queensland cricket all out for 49 vs Victoria, Fleetwood-Smith 7-17
1936 Su-Lin, 1st giant panda to come to US from China, arrives in San Francisco
1939 Finnish army recaptures Agläjärvi
1941 German submarine U-434 sinks
1941 Japanse troops land on Hong Kong
1944 Destroyers "Hull", "Spence" & "Monaghan" sink in typhoon (Philippines)
1944 Nazi occupiers of Amsterdam destroy electricity plants
1945 Uruguay joins the United Nations
1946 TV's 1st network dramatic serial "Faraway Hill" ends 2 month run
1947 Pope Pius XII publishes encyclical Optissima Pax
1948 Indonesia begins it's 2nd political election
1948 WDSU TV channel 6 in New Orleans LA (NBC) begins broadcasting
1949 Philadelphia Eagles beat Los Angeles Rams 14-0 in NFL championship game
1952 Ellis W Ryan resigns as Cleveland Indians president
1953 KATV TV channel 7 in Little Rock AR (ABC) begins broadcasting
1953 KMID TV channel 2 in Midland & Odessa TX (ABC) begins broadcasting
1956 Japan admitted to the United Nations
1956 "To Tell the Truth" debuts on CBS-TV
1956 Israeli flag hoisted on Mount Sinai
1956 Phil Rizzuto signs as New York Yankee radio-TV announcer
1957 Shippingport Atomic Power Station, 1st nuke plant to generate electricity
1958 1st test project of Signal Communications by Orbiting Relay Equipment
1958 1st voice from space: recorded Christmas message by Eisenhower
1958 Niger gains autonomy within French Community (National Day)
1959 Sammy Baugh named 1st coach of New York Titans (AFL)
1960 General Meeting of United Nations condemns apartheid
1961 For 2nd consecutive year, AP names Wilma Rudolph female athlete of year
1961 India annexes Portuguese colonies of Goa, Damao & Diu
1961 Wilt Chamberlain of NBA Philadelphia Warriors scores 78 points vs Los Angeles
1961 Britain's EMI Records originally rejects the Beatles
1961 KAIL TV channel 53 in Fresno CA (IND) begins broadcasting
1962 Dmitri Shostakovich's 13th Symphony, premieres in Moscow
1962 USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
1962 WAIQ TV channel 26 in Montgomery AL (PBS) begins broadcasting
1963 Muskegon MI gets 3' of snow
1963 Clarke runs world record 10k (28:15.6)
1964 "I Had a Bail" opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC for 199 performances
1964 "The Pink Panther" cartoon series premieres (Pink Phink)
1964 During services held for Sam Cooke, fans caused damage to Funeral Home
1964 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1965 Borman & Lovell Splash down in Atlantic ends 2 week Gemini VII mission
1965 Kenneth LeBel jumps 17 barrels on ice skates
1965 "La Grusse Valise" closes at 54th St Theater NYC after 7 performances
1966 Dr Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" airs for 1st time on CBS
1966 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk USSR
1968 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk USSR
1969 Britain abolishes death penalty
1969 "Coco" opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 333 performances
1969 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1970 "Me Nobody Knows" opens at Helen Hayes Theater NYC for 587 performances
1970 Polish uprising fails
1970 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1971 1st Candlelight Processional
1971 People United To Save Humanity (PUSH) forms by Jesse Jackson in Chicago
1971 CBS radio cancels Saturday morning band concerts
1971 US dollar devalued 7.9% in Holland ($1=ƒ3,245)
1972 US begins its heaviest bombing of North Vietnam
1973 Soyuz 13 launched into Earth orbit for 8 days
1973 Yankees sign Dick Williams as manager, overturned later by American League president
1974 San Francisco Visitors Center at City Hall opens
1976 "A Star is Born", with Barbra Streisand, premieres
1976 "Wonder Woman" debuts on ABC
1976 Soviet dissident Viktor Bukovski exchanged for Chile CP-leader Corvalan
1977 Cleveland Cavaliers retire jersey #42 (Nate Thumond)
1977 Dutch Antilles: premier Boy Rozendal points independence off
1978 France performs nuclear test at Muruora Island
1978 USSR performs underground nuclear test
1979 Stanley Barrett 1st to exceed land sonic speed (739.666 MPH)
1980 Bruce Sprinsteen's concert at Madison Square Garden
1980 Dutch 2nd Chamber accepts minister Van Agts abortion laws
1980 IRA's Sean McKenna becomes critically ill, ends hunger strike
1980 Vietnam adopts constitution
1982 Flight readiness firing of Challenger's main engines; 20 seconds
1983 NBA San Diego Clippers ends 29 game road losing streak
1984 73rd Davis Cup: Sweden beats USA in Gothenburg (4-1)
1985 UN Security Council unanimously condemns "acts of hostage-taking"
1985 "Jerry's Girls" opens at St James Theater NYC for 139 performances
1986 Mr Gates serves as acting director of CIA
1987 Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan's future president, marries Asif Ali Zardari
1987 Ivan F Boesky sentenced to 3 years for insider trading
1988 5th meeting of Giants-Jets, Jets win & eliminate Giants from playoffs
1988 Seattle Seahawks win their 1st ever division title with 9-7 record
1989 "I Love Lucy" Christmas episode, shown for 1st time in over 30 years
1989 Athol Fugard's "My Children, My Africa" premieres in New York NY
1990 National League announces Buffalo, Denver, Miami, Orlando, Tampa-St Petersburg, & Washington DC as 6 finalist for 1993 expansion (Miami & Denver win)
1991 DeForest Kelly (Dr McCoy on Star Trek) gets a star in Hollywood
1991 General Motors announces the closing of 21 plants
1992 FCC vote 4-1 to allow Infinity to purchase Cook Inlet stations
1993 Kevin Scott skates world record 1K (1:12.54)
1994 "Comedy Tonight" opens at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC for 8 performances
1994 "What's Wrong With this Pic?" closes at Circle in Square NYC after 12 performances
1994 Darryl Strawberry pleads not guilty on tax evasion charges
1994 General Hospital stars Kristina Malandro & Jack Wagner wed
1994 Norman, Couples & Azinger win LPGA Wendy's 3-Tour Golf Challenge
1994 Socialist Party (ex-communist) wins Bulgaria parliamentary election
1996 Start of 1st Test Cricket match between Zimbabwe & England
1996 TV industry executives agree to adopt a ratings system

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Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

New Jersey : Ratification Day (1787)
Niger : Republic Day (1958)
World : Underdog Day - - - - - ( Friday )

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Religious Observances
Christian : Feast of Our Lady of Solitude, patron of lonely
Anglican, Roman Catholic : Ember Day

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Religious History
1819 Birth of Isaac Thomas Hecker, American Roman Catholic leader. He entered the Redemptorist Order in 1845, and in 1858 founded the Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle (the Paulist Fathers). He was superior general of the Paulist Society during his last 30 years (1858_88).
1834 Emory College was chartered in Oxford, GA, under Methodist auspices. In 1915 it changed its name to Emory University and in 1919 the campus was relocated in Atlanta, GA.
1892 Rabbi H. Rosenberg was expelled from Temple Beth_Jacob in Brooklyn, NY, for eating pork.
1904 Indian mystic Sundar Singh, 15, was converted to Christianity through a vision. Baptized into the Church of England in 1905, Singh afterward donned the robe of a Sadhu (holy man) in an endeavor to present Christianity in a Hindu form. (He disappeared in April 1929, while undertaking a strenuous work in Tibet.)
1943 German theologian and Nazi martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote in a letter from prison: 'The man who finds God in his earthly happiness...does not lack reminder that earthly things are transient...and...there will be times when he can say in all sincerity, "I wish I were home."'

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Thought for the day :
"Being in politics is like being a football coach.
You have to be smart enough to understand the game,
and dumb enough to think it's important."

[Valin]

You do realize that you are the first person in the history of Freerepublic to do this? That means we all get one free flame directed at you. :-)

I get to go first

Your ancestors must number in the thousands. It's really hard to understand how so many people can be to blame for producing something like you.

[r9etb]

I can't imagince sitting in a ship full of avgas with the Japanese out there looking to put a bomb or torpedo into you.

LOL! That's the reason my dad was deathly afraid of fire, and a huge advocate of fire safety.

[comwatch]

How do I begin to thank you SAMWolf and my fellow Freepers?  Perhaps with this. 

The Lord answered a long standing prayer for me last night as I was updating my website with these reports. 

For years, I searched for the survivors of the USS MONAGHAN.  Two years ago I found an article about a VFW Post Commander who would be the Grand Marshall in a Veterans Day parade. He had served on my dad's ship when she sank a mini-submarine as she went to sea during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He transferred off a year or two before the disaster.  I've connected with a few people who had second and third-hand information about the events of those three days before the men were rescued. One read a story from a local newspaper of the period, another said they had made a movie about the survivors. So many have passed away in the past decade.

The Internet can be a powerful tool.  From the Crew Members of the USS Tabberer report (second to last paragraph) came a name, Evan Fenn,  that wasn't in the Navy Department's press release:

Six men from the USS Monaghan, a third destroyer that had capsized, still drifted in the sea. Evan Fenn, one of the six, suffered from severe leg lacerations, but he refused to give up. On the 21st he confidently told the others they would be rescued that day. Sure enough he was right. They were discovered by the USS Brown and became the Monaghan's only survivors.

This short paragraph demonstrates the true grit and determination of these young war heroes. A new lead, and new opportunity to search.... for Evan Fenn.  Up pops Tin Can Sailors Shipmate Registry

USS Monaghan

Hull Number	Shipmate	Rank/Rate	Dates Aboard	Email Address	Comments
DD-354	Jack Arthur	EM 2/c	Jan -42 till Nov --44	Jackhazelus@yahoo.com	All Dead
DD-354	Frank 'Bud' Considine	BSM 2/c		rorovin@aol.com
DD-354	Evan Fenn		-- To Dec 18,1944	galleon@theriver.com	Was on Monaghan when it sunk. Is very much alive. 1 of 6
DD-354	Loyd Scott	TTM 1/c	1941 to 1942	grizzly93@juno.com	I Live in Cohasset, Ca.

 

Initially, Jack Arthur's "Comments" post confirmed what I had heard from others during last year's search.  I sent Evan Fenn an email anyway and one to Jack. I wasn't really expecting a reply and had no real clue as to how long ago this message had been posted.  I flagged my website for any hits from Evan's ISP (wishful thinking came to mind)  Then it happened:

Patriot Watch Recent Visitor Details
Detail	Domain Name	Last Page View		Page Views	Visit Length
8	theriver.com		7:58:22 pm	4	5:53

Could it really be? Then this morning, an email arrived from Evan's next-door neighbor Tony Gallego.  This lifetime desire to communicate directly with someone who served with my dad, was inspired by updating my pages for the Freeper Foxhole.

[SAMWolf]

Good thought for the day today, Valin

[Jen]

Oops. Sorry, posted reply to wrong thread.

It's OK. That has been happening to me a lot since I began posting the ping list for the Foxhole. I usually get at least one misdirected post each day.

I noticed that you are new around here. Welcome to FR. You are also welcome to hang out in the Foxhole and get to know some great people - many who have served in the armed forces or who have family members who served. But military service is not a requirement to be here - we accept anyone who supports our country and our troops.

Nice to meet you! Jen

[MistyCA]

Thanks for this story Comwatch, and thank you, Sam, for presenting it.

[Valin]

It really is true. 200 years no one is going to know or care who Trent Lott is or what he did.

[firewalk]

thanks for the ping....here's a bump....

[SAMWolf]

I'm glad you were able to make contact with a survivor who served with your dad.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to post this thread. I knew about the typhoon but the "personal" aspect of your info brings it so much more alive.

[MistyCA]

I am so sorry for your loss. Your family made the ultimate sacrifice and it is appreciated and acknowledged. That seems so hollow in view of your great loss.

[MistyCA]

Thank your dad for his service. My dad was in the Pacific in 1945. I sure wish I had gotten him to recount his memories better before he died in 1989. :( All I remember hearing about as a kid were the flying fish! :)

[MistyCA]

thank you so much for posting the "Hero" song, Jen. Please keep it up for all the heros who show up here and those of us who remember our heros.

[MistyCA]

The power of the Sea is awesome. I just can't imagine what it must be to battle the seas and storms. Incredible.

[MistyCA]

That was my first thought, too. So young! And the courage! I am humbled by their greatness.

[MistyCA]

Please thank your dad for his service. Thanks for sharing his experience with us. We would love to hear more. Your support of the Foxhole is appreciated.

[MistyCA]

Thanks for your daily history, Valin. We appreciate it very much.

[MistyCA]

Thank you for that post, and thank you so much for sharing this with us. I am so proud to know that the Foxhole has been even the smallest bit instrumental in helping you reach your goals and resolution. Your loss is unimaginable to me. God Bless you in your search for information.

[MistyCA]

Well, lets hope they are still visiting the Foxhole!!! :)

[xrmusn]

"The sea is a stern mistress - unforgiving and unyielding..
but still, her beauty is unsurpassed"

How, true, but never forget -- What you see is just the top.