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| Port Chicago |
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| Port Chicago |
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| Port Chicago |
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| Port Chicago |
Curtis requests anyone serving with him or remembering him to please contact him. His email address is: leroy4270@aol.com Here is the crew list of the SS Ethan A Hitchcock: Caskadon,Clyde Beaver 656 25 36 Cox. V6 USNR Wells,Rudolph Garfield 376 86 58 GM3/C V6 USNR Evenson,Kenneth Bruce 757 74 03 S-1/C V6 USNR Gorecki,Walter(N) Jr. 306 30 95 S-1/C USN Jennings,John Leonard 859 39 04 S-1/C V6 (SV) Jones,Clifford Henery 866 19 29 S-1/C V6 (SV) Kanter,Marvin Jerome 866 19 43 S-1/C V6 (SV) Lafave,Allendean William 870 19 87 S-1/C V6 (SV) Matthews,Leanard Neal 576 97 88 S-1/C V6 USNR Midgett,Thomas Layton 872 90 67 S-1/C V6 (SV) Moe,Wallace Robert 870 17 09 S-1/C V6 (SV) Momberg,Gus John 386 71 58 S-1/C USN Newhouse,William Loren 859 37 46 S-1/C V6 (SV) Ninemire,Wayne Leroy 338 45 13 S-1/C USN Shiffer ,Curtis Leroy 859 37 39 S-1/C V6 (SV) Shriber,Ll0yd Clifford 882 99 50 S-1/C USN(SV) Sisk,Martin(N) 338 45 10 S-1/C V6 USNR Skothenien,Kenneth Orval 886 66 34 S-1/C V6 (SV) Strickland,William Forrest 870 18 34 S-1/C V6(SV) Thomas,Kay Edward 884 76 18 S-1/C V6 (SV) Tilley,Stanley Edward 338 45 07 S-1/C V6 USNR Thomas,William Jared 871 90 99 S-1/C V6(SV) Troyer,Leslie Elmer 866 18 90 S-1/C USN (SV) Vinson,Dale Earl 621 89 01 S-1/C V6 USNR Smith,Raleigh (N) 274 76 35 SM 3/C USN Sept 8, 1943 the following men reported abord for duty: Smith,Glen Royal 564 98 74 RM 3/C ,V6 Webb,Edward Lloyd 555 85 75 RM3/C V6 Here is part of his story: I went into the Navy June 19, 1943, and went to boot camp at Faragut,Idaho,then to gunnery school at Treasure Island, then was asigned to the SS Ethan A. Hitchcock, was on this ship for a year in the Pacific and the Atlantic. Some known shipmates were Walter W. Goricky,Marvin J. Kanter,Clifford Jones,Gus J. Momberg,Lloyd Shriber,John L. Jenning,Bill Newhouse,Dale Vinson,Wayne Nimierand. Known ports were Auckland,Zealand,Wellington New Zealand, Alexandre, Egypt,Newmaio, New Caladonia,Figi Islands, Guadalcanal, Ceylon,India Sidney and Perth,Austrailia. Received 30 days delayed orders back to Treasure Island from Brooklyn,New York. I was then sent to Port Chicago,California Amunition Depot after the explosion as in the movie (Mutiny) and was sent from there to Shoemaker, California for discharge in December 1945. Curtis L. Shiffer 4270 N. E. 3rd Des Moines, Iowa Editor's Note: More info on his Port Chicago experiences: Leroy was at Port Chigago when he was discharged from the navy,after spending a year on the Ethan A. Hitchcock. They were given 30 days delayed orders to Treasure Island, then after some time waiting for another ship they sent part of them to Port Chigago. They arrived there right after the > explosion. They had repaired the base. He recently got a packet of mail with an autobiography from shipmate Wayne Ninemier who he had gone on liberty with a few times from Port Chigago. Wayne was in ships service there and Leroy was in a company that marched to the docks every morning. Leroy does not remember being given any special traning on handling amunition. He does remember unloading boxes of shells and on the boxes it said Ankeny Ammunition.Depot, which is north of where he lives now, but there is not much left but some old brick structures. When they got a ship loaded they were given 72 hrs liberty. He got one leave to go home from there and married his first wife (bad mistake) but has 3 nice kids from that . When he went back to Port Chigago after geting married they put him on compartment cleaners as they did for married men. They were in charge of making sure the barracks was in tip shop shape for inspection and if they passed then the foreman got passes for them to go home to spend the night with their wives. One time several of them were in the movie there on the base when they heard an explosion. Every one ran out the doors and some of the guys were going over the fence when they announced over the p.a. system that they had set off some dynamite out in the harbor over in Verolayo, Ca. They were supposed to notify them and they probably heard from their base comander. When they arived at Port Chigago there were about 10 Blacks to every Caucasian but they were not integrated and had their own company.
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| Curtis L Shiffer - 2000. |
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| Curtis L Shiffer. |
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| Front Row, Left to Right: BM 2/c Clyde Caskadon, GM 2/c Rudy Wells, ?, ?, Walter Goricki, Wayne Ninemier, ?, ?, Dale Vinson. Middle Row, Left to Right: ?, Tilley, LaFave, Curtis Shiffer, ?, Casey Jones, Jack Jennings, Gus Momberg, Back Row, Left to Right: Evenston, Kanter, Kay Thomas, Wallace Moe, ?, Shriber, Sisk, ?, Crew of the Ethan Allen Hitchcock for one year. |
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| Standing: Gus Momberg, Casey Jones, Jack Jennings, GM 2/c Rudy Wells, Kneeling: Tilley, Curtis Shiffer, Lloyd Shriber in New Zealand |
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| Left to Right: Gus Momberg, Lloyd Shriber, Dale Vinson in New Zealand |
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| Left to Right: Walter Goricki and Curtis Shiffer, in New Zealand |
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| Cousin LeRoy |
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| SS Ethan Allen Hitchcock |
