Yorktown Stories
We’re often contacted about a veteran who served on the ship, but this one takes the cake. (Or should we say fruit cake? or figgy pudding?) We received an email recently from an aircraft carrier enthusiast with an eye for details that others miss. “What few people know,” Mickeen Hogan wrote, “is that Yorktown CV-10 has a cameo in one of the most famous and classic Christmas movies – Its A Wonderful Life. In the movie, Jimmy Stewart’s character George has a brother named Harry Bailey who receives the Medal Of Honor as a Naval Pilot. They clearly used footage from The Fighting Lady filmed aboard Yorktown and edited Harry into the footage.” We checked, and sure enough about an hour into each film we found the matching footage (see photo above). The Christmas classic was originally released in black and white, but the colorized version makes it even easier ...
The Yorktown Fliers play USS Wasp NCAA’s March Madness has us thinking about basketball on the USS Yorktown (CVA-10). It was during the 1950s that the sport really took off in the Navy, and the crew and squadrons on the Yorktown included some great players. In 1954, while in Hong Kong, the ship’s basketball team defeated the number one and two teams of the area, adding well over $1,000 (HK) to funds for the Chinese refugees that flocked to Hong Kong since the beginning of Communist aggression in their homeland. At the end of the season the Yorktown Fliers four-on-four team had posted an impressive string of fourteen victories over one loss. Many of the teams defeated were top local teams from the military installations in the area and from other ships. Joe Norris (RD3, OI Division, 1958 – 1960) also played in Hong Kong. He told about the experience ...
North of Asakusa, where the Sumida River makes a hairpin turn before flowing south to Tokyo Bay was Tokyo POW Camp 10-B. This is where VT-5 pilot James Willoughby “Pop” Condit found out the war had ended. Pop, radioman Gordon H. Marshal, and gunner Kenneth O. Kalberg had been shot down and captured during the attack on Marcus Island in 1943. Until the Japanese surrendered in August 1945, they labored in camps with fellow POWs from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Holland, and other allied nations. Throughout the war, the main thing they wanted from new POWs coming into camp was news of what was happening in the war. Meanwhile, for two years their families had hoped and prayed for any news that their loved ones were still alive.News was the first thing Condit and the other POWs asked for from Yorktown pilots dropping barrels of supplies at ...
A USS Yorktown Plankowner in Engineering Department has a humorous run-in with Captain “Jocko” Clark (Above) Harry at 17 and fresh from bootcamp (Below) A tight fit through the Panama Canal for the Yorktown It was during this time [1943 in Newport News, VA] that we had the opportunity to meet our captain of the Yorktown. His name was Captain Clark. I never knew his first name, but he was called Jocko Clark. He eventually made Rear Admiral. He was a great warrior and a great captain. Everyone liked him, probably because he was not strict on his crew. He wore a baseball cap and was not particular how we dressed at sea, with one exception: While at general quarters he wanted us to wear long-sleeve shirts. A general quarter was when we were on alert and under attack. This was to protect us in case of a fire. After ...
Ahoy shipmates!Hope all is well and troubles are few. Just returned from Hawaii, where I wore my white hat again. This time aboard the “Arizona”. Quite moving. May we all enjoy good health. The trip was to celebrate my 75th.I remember so vividly the site of the Arizona when we steamed up the channel in ’68 and anchored across from her. So many memories about that tour. The Pueblo, the cold, Vietnam, the Gulf, sea snakes and all. Liberty in the “PI”, Japan, and Hong Kong. The singing contest in Singapore at the enlisted mens club. ‘Til we meet again, calm seas, peace and the joy of serving with you all.Love,Patrick “Patty”RR710, VAW111, Det 10 ...
The best part of our Association Member group so far has been getting to see everyone interact and tell their stories. Since the group started, Phil Elsner has been such an enthusiastic and highly involved group member. Curious about his story, and what drives his love for the ship, we talked with him about his time in the Navy and on board the USS Yorktown. We asked Phil what made him want to join the U.S. Military, to which he told us that as a kid he had a dream that he was in the Navy. He thinks it may have come from watching the show, “Victory at Sea,” for so many years. Later in life, at the age of 21, it was 1964 and he was walking into Coney Island. There was a big draft going on and looking across the street he saw the enlisting booth for the ...
Many of our members are the legacy of a sailor that served aboard the USS Yorktown. Their children join in patriotism, but more importantly, in honor of their father, grandfather, whatever the case may be. Recently, we have had the privilege of welcoming another generation of USS Yorktown CV-10 Association members. Through our new Facebook Group, we were able to connect with Dawn Henderson. Her father served on the ship in 1963-1966. Dawn was so invested and excited for the opportunity to honor her fathers service. The following are a few words from Dawn herself about growing up, her father’s service, and what made her join the membership for herself and even for her two brothers! We are so thankful that you have joined our association Dawn! FOLLOWING THE LEGACY OF OUR DAD, ROBERT HENDERSON,US NAVY & VIETNAM VETERAN, 1963-1966 Growing up, I don’t remember my Dad talking too much ...
1958-59 Far East Cruise By Terry G. Fritz. Ed’s Note: This is the third part of a multi-part piece written by Terry G. Fritz covering his experiences on the 1958 – 1959 WESTPAC. We went back to Pearl Harbor to get rid of the O.R.I. team and have a little celebration. This was on a Friday. Monday we got underway for the Far East. Yokosuka would be our next stop. On the way there, we had to cross the 180th Meridian or halfway around the world. I think we moved up a day doing this, I can’t remember. All I know is we made many time changes during the cruise, both forward and backward. Approaching Japan, I remember sitting on a port side divot near the metal shop off of Hangar Bay 3. I was just enjoying a smoke; the air was cool and damp and had that normal ocean fragrance ...
By Steven R. Butler When the Yorktown left Norfolk in September 1969, I was on leave from my previous duty station. It wasn’t until I arrived at Norfolk in mid-September that I learned the ship had already departed for a 3-month cruise. After spending a miserable three weeks in the transient barracks in Norfolk and a further (and much more enjoyable) week in London (during which time I met my future wife), I did not join my squadron, VS-24, aboard the Yorktown, until Thursday, 16 October 1969. On Saturday, 18 October, one of the fellows I knew from my week in London, Greg Westphal, asked if I wanted to accompany him and one or two other guys to Amsterdam for the day if I didn’t have duty. As it turned out I didn’t, so off we went. We started out by taking an R.E.T. tram or bus from the pier ...
By Lorena R. Farrar In August 1955, my soon-to-be husband, Ted W. Farrar, was unexpectedly transferred from the Air Traffic Control School at the U. S. Naval Air Station in Olathe, KS (my hometown) to the USS Yorktown CVA-10, which was in dry dock in Bremerton, WA. On arrival, he questioned why he was being sent to an aircraft carrier, and was promptly informed that he had better be a baseball pitcher! It seems they they were involved in the Washington state amateur baseball tournament, and they needed a pitcher! Fortunately, even though he had never pitched baseball anywhere since joining the Navy, he was a pitcher. And so, since they were in the tournament, they would not let him have leave to come marry me; so after the tournament was over, (the Yorktown team took third place), I caught a train out of Kansas City and spent 2 days ...
