Yes Lou, all great people to say the least! I miss the Capt. and the others. I also miss Ragnar. He was also one in a million.
Bob Bergstrom
Yes, indeed, Frank, known to us by his nickname, "Delo", was / is a special guy.
I'm pleased to have known him and considered him a friend. What I find unique is that these fellows are not unique at all. They are unique in today's world of traditional American values being less prominent in our sociaty, but they were not unique in their day.
I have had in years past the chance to visit with and interview several others like Delo. Captain Harold Joslin, USN, had been a Navy radioman on Guam, and spent the war as a POW. I knew him at Pearl in the 1970s as the Navy Captain and NSAPAC. At NSGA Misawa, Japan, we were visited once by then Admiral Noel Gayler, USN, Director National Security Agency (DIRNSA). I had the chance to shake his hand. He had flown Grumman F4Fs in LEXINGTON's VF 2 at Coral Sea in May 1942, and an ace. In chasing information about Patrol Wing TEN in 1941-2 I have crossed some other trails... After Admiral Moorer's retirement as CJCS he visited Hickam AFB for the retirement of an USAF friend. Through the CINCPAFLT staff I contacted his aide, asking for an interview. Amid all the hoopla at the Hickam O-club, Tom Moorer, who had flown with PW10 and been shot down near Dawin on 19 February 1942, took time to chat with me and give me a copy of his flight log from that time and speak of his personal feelings. At the end he asked casually, "Have you talked to John?" I was not in the habit of referring to senior officers by their first name. He was referring to another PW10 pilot, Johnny Hyland, retired CINCPACFT and residing in Honolulu, who welcomed my several interviews with him.
Then, when I first joined this group I said I was looking for any Patrol Wing TEN veterans... and found two: Captain Thomas F.Pollack, USN, who had flown PBYs with VP 102 and, as LTjg and PPC, had his PBY strafed and sunk on the water at Subic Bay, 12 December 1942. Also, then Radioman Third Class Larry Katz, who had flown out from Pearl with VP 21 in April 1942 to augment the shattered PW10 at Perth, Western Australia. Now, too, I am acquainted with Captain Arthur Jacobson of Seattle, ex-PW10, and the duty officer at NAS Sangley Point on 8 December 1941.
Many of you have helped me find other persons who had served with Patrol Wing TEN and the Asiatic Fleet, especially Alan Lebaron and Bob Bergstrom.
My thought is simply this. Delo was not unique at all. All those fellows who served, in VP squadrons or anywhere else aloft, afloat, on the beach, or in the depth below - like GeoSS ex USS S-27 and USS FINBACK - all of them were unique. There were many in the group, including Dutchmen, Free French, Brits, Aussies, Kiwis, and Canucks, and others too.
There are no words... but I remember you.
Lou
On Tue, Feb 7, 2012 at 8:32 PM, Heijo Kuil <HKuil@...> wrote:
Hello members.
The late Frank DeLorenzo, The Captain of the PBY group wrote a while back:
"I am Frank DeLorenzo, the “old Man” of the group. I am 92 years old
and will hit 93 shortly on 1 August.
I learned to fly for the Navy as an Aviation Cadet in class 130-C,
reporting to Pensacola in 1939 and getting my “Wings of Gold” in May
of 1940. For my first Fleet assignment I reported to a PBY-3
squadron, Patrol Squadron 12, in San Diego and was later on designated
a PPC in that squadron.
I left VP-12 to join Gen Claire Chennault’s American Volunteer Group,
the original Flying Tigers. I never made it to China but will save
that story for the book I have been “going to write for the past 30
years!” Instead of being returned to VP-12, because my old C.O.
wouldn’t have me back, I was transferred to Patrol Squadron 13, that
was just accepting delivery of the new Consolidated Coronado PB2Y’s, a
four engine seaplane and a big brother of the PBY. Patrol squadrons
11, 12, 13 and 14 were all “sister” squadrons at North Island in San
Diego and all except VP-13 flew PBY’s
I remained in PB2Y Coronado’s, all through WWII in the Pacific and was
in on bombing raids on Wake Island and Ponape Island among other
places. I am the sole surviving pilot of the crew that flew Adm.
Nimitz from San Diego to Pearl Harbor on Christmas Day, 1941 in
PB2Y-2, BUNO 1635 so that he could take command of the Pacific Fleet.
This was just about two weeks after the Japs had perpetrated their
“sneak attack” on Pearl Harbor. Upon arrival at Pearl Harbor we flew
in lazy circles so that Adm. Nimitz could observe the tremendous
damage that the Japs had inflicted on the military installations on
Oahu. He just grimly shook his head at the total destruction he was
observing. It was a grim sight-one that I shall never forget!
After WWII, I flew in NATS, the Naval Air Transport Service flying
R5D’s, again in the Pacific. Later on in the early 50’s I commanded a
PBM-5 squadron, VP-34, in Trinidad in the British West Indies. Our
squadron won the “Meatball”, the Battle efficiency Award for the best
Patrol Squadron in the Atlantic Fleet.
I qualified in carriers and was Operations Officer and X.O. of USS
KEARSARGE (CVA-33).
I also graduated from the Senior Course of the Naval War College in
Newport, RI, was Chief of Staff to Commander, Middle East Force on
Bahrain Island in the Persian Gulf, as well as C.O. of the Naval Air
Station, Corpus Christi. I was also C.O. of a deep draft ship, USS
KENNEBEC (AO-36), a Fleet Oiler.
I was designated Naval Aviator number 6449 and accumulated over 6000
hours of flight time.
I retired as a Captain in 1970 after 31 years of continuous active
duty and reside in Pensacola, Florida, the home of the Blue Angels and
the Nat’l Museum of Naval Aviation. Good old Pensacola—The Cradle of
Naval Aviation!!! Come visit our fantastic Naval Aviation Museum!!
The price is right! It’s free!
Personal experience with Adm. Nimitz:
"Nimitz arrives Pearl Harbor Christmas 1941
John Greaves, a prominent Canadian Artist who is interested and skilled in
painting Naval Aviation subjects has painted a watercolor of a Coronado PB2Y-2
delivering Adm. Nimitz to Pearl Harbor on Christmas Day, 1941.
Admiral Nimitz is to take over the, recently Japanese battered, Pacific Fleet.
The painting captures the PB2Y-2 very well and towards the
bottom it shows the Battleships California (decks awash), Oklahoma
(overturned), West Virginia (decks awash) and Arizona (back broken and water up
to quarterdeck).
Captain Frank DeLorenzo, USN (Ret.), then an ensign, was one of the pilots on
that flight and as of this writing is the sole survivor.
He comments on that flight.
Admiral Nimitz' Flight to Pearl Harbor Christmas Day,1941
I was privileged to be one of the pilots that flew Adm. Nimitz from San Diego
to Pearl Harbor on Christmas Day, 1941, about two weeks after the attack on
Pearl Harbor. Adm. Nimitz was to relieve Adm. Husband Kimmel and take over the
badly wounded Pacific Fleet.
We took off from San Diego in the early evening of 24 Dec in a
PB2Y-2, Coronado, BuNo. 1635. The Coronado was a 4 engine seaplane, a big
brother of the PBY Catalina.
My log book shows the flight took 17.2 hours and we arrived at Pearl
Harbor about mid morning of Christmas day, 1941.
Upon arriving at Pearl, we invited Adm. Nimitz up to the flight deck and asked
him if he would like to observe the damage and destruction inflicted by the
Japs. He eagerly accepted.
We made wide circles over Pearl Harbor as well as Hickham Field. He was seated
in the left hand pilot's seat for purposes of this observation and he just kept
shaking his head and clucking his tongue. God knows what was going through his
mind but if it was anything like what was going through ours it was: "Those
dirty bastards! Somehow, someway, we are going to make them pay!"
We were looking at the West Virginia, the California, the Utah, the
Arizona, all crumpled hulks. We were looking at skeletons of what were once
hangars and flight lines filled with the junk of what were once military
planes. The carnage was sickening.
And with all of this on his mind, what was Adm. Nimitz' demeanor as he
disembarked to take on this great responsibility? He took the time to shake
the hand of every member of the crew and thank them for a comfortable flight
and apologized to each for having taken them from their families on Christmas
Day! What a giant of a man. What a great leader to take over the Pacific
Fleet!
Why do I write this now? Two reasons: First, because I feel proud that we
were able to deliver the right man to the right place at the right time.
And second, I said I was one of the pilots on that flight. The others were
Lt. Bowen F. McLeod, USNA '30, Ens. Ross C. Barney, Ens. Thomas Robinson,
Ens. Frank L. DeLorenzo (all ex-aviation cadets) and Warrant Machinist
Clarence L. Pearson. So why DO I write this now? Because of those five,
I am the only one still living and I am 87 years old.
Tomorrow might be too late.
December 7, 2001
Frank DeLorenzo
Captain, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
Frank DeLorenzo"
To: PBY@yahoogroups.com
From: prouilhacat2@...
Date: Tue, 7 Feb 2012 11:59:44 +0000
Subject: [PBY] Tokyo Bay 1945
Who was the pilot that day? Capt. DeLo...??August 29, 1945(First view of Japan and the huge U.S. Fleet )We spotted the tremendous fleet of Allied warships under the command of Admiral William “Bull” Halsey anchored out in Sagami Bay, just offshore from the towns of Hiratsuka and Chigashi. There were many hundreds of ships, close to one thousand, which consisted of the United States Third, Fifth, and Seventh Fleets plus several Special Task Forces. There were also British, Canadian, Australian and other Allied nation warships anchored.Fleet Admiral Nimitz was up on the flight deck with us, standing behind the pilot’s seats, as we watched this impressive sight come into view. Nimitz remarked that this was really a beautiful sight and we surely agreed. The Admiral asked if we could circle the Fleets so I informed our fighter escort leader by radio of our intentions. The fighters broke away and we circled twice.We were somewhat in doubt as to where should land. Our orders were to land near the battleship South Dakota in Tokyo Bay but we couldn’t see any ships up there because of the smoke and haze from burning cities. We didn’t recognize the South Dakota among the six or seven battleships anchored with the Fleets below so we started letting down and headed over to the entrance of Tokyo Bay. As we passed over the huge devastated Japanese Naval Base at Yokosuka, with the sunken wrecked battleship Nagata, Admiral Nimitz told us he had waited forty-eight years to see just that!!At this time, we received a radio call from the seaplane tender U.S.S. Mackinac, which was acting as control base for seaplane operations in Tokyo Bay. They cleared us to descend to one thousand feet and proceed north towards the center of the Bay.Soon, we sighted four more battleships anchored in the center of Tokyo Bay. They were surrounded by a protective screen of destroyers.We recognized the U.S.S. South Dakota as we approached and then off its port beam a half mile we noticed the U.S.S. Missouri. The other two battleships in the group were the U.S.S. Iowa and the British H.M.S. Duke of York.This was our destination at the end of the long War road!I called the control bridge of the South Dakota on a radio frequency given me by the Mackinac. I requested the current wind direction, velocity and altimeter setting. We circled the ships and landed between the South Dakota and Missouri. We came to a stop just astern the South Dakota, which was to be Fleet Admiral Nimitz’s flagship while he was there. The water was quite rough but we made a good landing as we were being watched by thousands of men aboard the ships. Most of the crew of the U.S.S. South Dakota were “manning the rail” in salute to Fleet Admiral Nimitz. It was a very impressive sight!We cut the engines and drifted while a small boat came out from the ship to pick up the Flag Party. Admiral Nimitz thanked all of the crew before he disembarked. He told Lt. Shockey, our plane commander, that this was the best flight he’d ever had! He also said he would request that our crew fly him back, which made us feel proud.After the group departed, we received instructions to proceed over to the seaplane tender U.S.S. Suisun. It was anchored near the Mackinac, offshore between the cities of Yokosuka and Yokohama.The wind had picked up considerably and the water was getting pretty rough for a safe take off so we decided to taxi the five miles over to the Suisun. We didn’t want to risk damaging a wing float or possibly an engine out there with no spare parts readily available.The seaplane tenders were taking care of two squadrons of PBM patrol bombers so the ships carried engines and parts for PBM’s and PBY’s but none for our larger PB2Y’s. The Suisun sent out a rearming boat as we approached in order to guide us to our mooring buoy. Then they took half our crew back to the ship while the other half stayed aboard the airplane. We rotated standby crews every twenty four hours.It is necessary to keep a minimum crew on board large seaplanes secured to an anchorage in open water in the event of a sudden storm. The inboard engines have to be fired up to relieve the strain on the buoy line when high wind conditions exist. This also keeps the airplane from dragging the anchor. It is not much fun to stay aboard an anchored seaplane all night when the water really gets rough! We all looked forward to our turn to stay aboard the ship where we got hot meals, hot showers, movies and a good sleep. That first evening here we watched the sunset over Mount Fujiyama, a very pretty sight.The next morning, August 30, 1945, we watched the first Marine and Naval Forces landing on Japanese soil near the huge Naval base at Yokosuka. General MacArthur’s soldiers were expected to start landing later in the day at Yokohama. During the next two days, many more landing ships came into Tokyo Bay to off load troops and supplies of all kinds for the occupation of Japan.(...)httpwww.pb2y.orgpb2ywar%20stories.htm
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