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Topic: Ron 2 & 3(2) |
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Pat Fannin
New Member
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Posted on: Nov 5, 2015 - 11:46pm
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According to a letter from my my father, Walden Richard Fannin , dated Sept 1, 1943, he was an SF 1/c in Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 2. The letter states his skipper was Mr. Thom (Lennie Thom) and the other officer was Jack Kennedy, son of the Ambassador to England. I assume this was PT
61 (gunboat).. Also I spoke with Joe Atkinson over ten years ago & he said he was my dad's skipper on PT 60 (also a gunboat) & that dad was the cook & gun Captain.
I have his discharge papers & medals. Here it is said he was in Ron 3(2). I also have the round wooden plaque with the PT Boat & the Mosquito holding two pistols.The painter signed it " Peter Intrieri ".
I would like to find copies of the logs for these two boats to see where he served. He was born in 1918 in Boyd Co., Ky., enlisted from Ironton, Ohio at Ashland, Ky. & died in Huntington, WV in 1968.
Regards,
Pat Fannin
Pat Fannin |
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TED WALTHER |
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Nov 7, 2015 - 8:23am
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Pat;
LT. JFK had PT 59 with ENS. Isaac John Mitchell and ENS. Robert L. "DUSTY" Rhoads as Exec's
LTjg Lennie Thom had PT 60 with ENS. "Nice" Al Webb as his Exec
LTjg Joe Atkinson had PT 61 with ENS. W.C. Fisher(later became CO of LST 703) as his Exec.
LTjg Ray Sopher took over PT 60 after Lennie Thom and Al Webb rotated back to Melville.
ENS. R.W. McDonough took over PT 61 after Joe Atkinson rotated back to Melville.
Lennie Thom and "Nice" Al Webb underway on PT 60, Oct-Nov 1943.
PT 59 or PT 60(probably 60, taken the same time as next photo) motoring along, Lambu Lambu or Lever Harbor Oct -Nov 1943.
Lennie Thom bringing PT 60 in to mooring, Lambu Lambu or Lever Harbor Oct- Nov 1943. Officer in foreground is a RON 19 officer.
Take Care.
TED
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Pat Fannin
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Posted on: Nov 7, 2015 - 2:16pm
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Ted,
Thank you for the information & pictures. These are the best pictures I have seen of the 61. I don't know why my dad mentioned Kennedy as "the other officer", but he did. And he called Mr. Thom his "skipper". He didn't mention Al Webb, but I am sure they were all close.
Do you have any information on the logs or action reports of the 60 or 61 from August, 43 to late 1944. I'd love to know more about what he went through.
Joe Atkinson said dad was with him when the 60 got hit with a 3.7 shell and had to beach at Green Island. That's when he said dad was the cook & either a 50mm or 40mm gun captain, I'd have to look up his letter to be sure.
Thank you again for responding to my post.
Best Regards,
Pat Fannin
Pat Fannin |
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Pat Fannin
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Posted on: Nov 7, 2015 - 2:21pm
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Correction: It was Joe & the 61 that got hit with a shell near Green Island.
Sorry
Pat Fannin |
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TED WALTHER |
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Nov 7, 2015 - 6:20pm
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Pat;
I have found 14 pages with your Dads (Walden Richard Fannin SF 1/C 634-33-16)name on it, He enlisted on 8 June 1942.
He sailed from New Caledonia to the Solomons on U.S.S Bellatrix(AK 20) in 3-12 January 1943.
Assigned RON 2
Re-assigned to RON 3(2) on 27 December 1943.
Transferred to MTBSTC on 2 April 1944.
Sailed home on U.S.S. General T.H. Bliss(AP 131), 1 May 1944
Then to Naval Academic Refresher Unit V-5, University of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio March 1945
Then to University of Georgia for pre flight training School, 21 August 1945.
Take care,
TED
P.S, go to this post, to see if yours looks like this:
http://www.ptboatforum.com/cgi-bin/MB2/netboardr.cgi?st=10&nd=20&fid=102&cid=101&tid=3539&pg=&sc=
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Pat Fannin
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Posted on: Nov 7, 2015 - 9:04pm
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Ted,
Thank you so much for all the information. Most of it is confirmed in his records, but I thought he was in flight school at Wooster. I didn't know anything about Georgia flight school, nor did I know the names of the ships he sailed on to & from the Solomons.
Ca you share with me the source of the 14 pages you found with my dad's name on it?
Best Regards,
Pat Fannin
Pat Fannin |
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Pat Fannin
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Posted on: Nov 7, 2015 - 9:09pm
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Ted,
The other plaque you directed me to looks exactly like the one I have. It is around 10 inches in diameter.
Regards
Pat Fannin |
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Jerry Gilmartin |
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Posted on: Nov 8, 2015 - 1:30am
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Hi Pat,
Can you post a photo of the plaque on the message board? I kind of want to see it. Thanks Jerry
Jerry Gilmartin
PT658 Crewman
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bubbletop409
MASTER
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Posted on: Nov 8, 2015 - 12:41pm
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Is it just me, or does Mr. Thom bear a striking resemblance to one Gregory Boyington?
Larry
62 Bel-Air
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Pat Fannin
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Posted on: Nov 8, 2015 - 8:30pm
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Pat Fannin |
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