Midway, Coral Sea, and remembering those who came before us ...

[SynixMan]

Has anyone here visited the island proper after NAF Midway was decommed? Maybe as some sort of excursion from Pearl? Seems like it would be an awesome historical trip. Getting there would be interesting.

The island is owned by US Fish and Wildlife now:

http://www.fws.gov/midway/visit.html

If anyone has the $$, Miltours is offering a tour starting 31-May.

http://www.miltours.com/Tours/tour2midway.htm

 

[Flugelman]

Has anyone here visited the island proper after NAF Midway was decommed?

No, but was there many times back in my Barbers Point VP days. The place was beaucoup fun if you got any time off. You had to be careful in the club, though, because the few dependent wives were guarded fiercely and with a wrong look or comment, the fight was on!!

Special Services had a lot of equipment (sailboats, snorkling gear, etc) available. The Gooney Birds were a riot to watch also.

 

[Flash]

Has anyone here visited the island proper after NAF Midway was decommed? Maybe as some sort of excursion from Pearl? Seems like it would be an awesome historical trip. Getting there would be interesting.

One of our EP-3's on a TransPAC made an emergency landing there after one of their engines lost all it's oil. They vowed never to do it again after having three birdstrikes on approach and then sitting there for 3 weeks waiting for another engine. After a day or two it was extremely boring, very little to do there. The whole thing was a fiasco.

The funniest part was when they talked to the ground crew afterwards and told them what they do when a plane calls and says it is landing, they drive out to the runway with a pickup truck and throw all the goonie birds in the back because that is the only way to clear the runway (they saw it with the Coastie C-130 that brought the engine). The crew said it was funny to watch them land, apparently the crash every time they do it.

Other than the FWS and the occasional charter I think the Coastie's go there periodically, they go to some unusual places.

 

[NavAir42]

I remember my dad telling me stories about watching the goonie birds. He still mentions them every time Midway comes up in conversation. He said he enjoyed the three or four days he spent there but was glad it wasn't much longer than that.

 

[Sky-Pig]

One of our EP-3's on a TransPAC made an emergency landing there after one of their engines lost all it's oil. They vowed never to do it again after having three birdstrikes on approach and then sitting there for 3 weeks waiting for another engine. After a day or two it was extremely boring, very little to do there. The whole thing was a fiasco.

To my regret I never put down at Midway.

However, that sounds a lot like when we put down at Wake on a TRANSPAC to Kadena. Looking around after we landed (and after I bought my requisite Wake Island "Coast to Coast in 60 seconds" t-shirt and ball cap) I started to wonder what the heck they do to stay sane there.

Then I saw them off-loading the only other aircraft there at the time...some sort of transport...pallet after pallet after pallet after pallet of beer. Too bad we were only there for a gas-n-go.:icon_tong

I also remember standing behind the navigator hawking the GPS, both inertials and wishing the EP-3 still had OMEGA...how those guys during WWII managed to get around the pacific ocean without getting hopelessly lost still amazes me.

Kwajalein was even neater...man, I'm really starting to miss flying.

 

[Mumbles]

Midway- probably patrol aviation's greatest contribution to history when Lt Ady and the crew of his PBY Catalina report:

"PLANE REPORTS TWO CARRIERS, TWO BATTLESHIPS, BEARING 320 DEGREES, DISTANT 180 MILES, COURSE 135 DEGREES, SPEED 25 KNOTS"

Pretty sure the C/S was "Strawberry 9"

 

[Pugs]

Recollections of Lieutenant George Gay, USNR -- sole survivor of Torpedo Squadron Eight (VT-8) -- describing his experiences during the Battle of Midway.

But he wasn't really the sole survivor of VT-8. He was the sole survivor of VT-8 off of Hornet but keep in mind there were six TBF Avengers from VT-8 that flew from Midway in the combat debut of the TBF. They didn't fare too well either losing 5 of the 6 and the one that returned had several hundred holes in it.

Some time ago I met the pilot of that Avenger at the club at NUW but can't recall his name.

 

[A4sForever]

But he wasn't really the sole survivor of VT-8. He (Gay) was the sole survivor of VT-8 off of Hornet ....Some time ago I met the pilot of that Avenger at the club at NUW but can't recall his name.

Initials H.F. ??

Also, one of the sole surviving NAP Aces lives in OH ... lots of Naval Air history in/around NUW ... you just have to know where to look ...

 

[A4sForever]

Oh, by the way .... just finished one of the better (best?) books on the subject of Midway that I've read -- focusing on the Japanese side -- and I can almost say I've read 'em all ... from Morison, Toland, Tuleja, Lord, Prange (don't waste your time), Kernan, Fuchida (LOTS of errors), and some others ... but this one, by Parshall & Tully, is probably the yardstick by which the others can be judged:

Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway

It has some of the best graphics to help understand what was going on, operationally, and the forward is written by the peerless John Lundstrom.

 

[Flash]

Also, one of the sole surviving NAP Aces lives in OH ... lots of Naval Air history in/around NUW ... you just have to know where to look ...

I met a Hellcat or Wildcat ace who had 8 kills at the O Club one night, would that be him?

 

[A4sForever]

I met a Hellcat or Wildcat ace who had 8 kills at the O Club one night, would that be him?

Don't think so ... 'P.M.' was Wildcats only (for his kills) and got 5 ... in fact, he was the only 'enlisted ACE' the Navy produced ... some were NAP's and then got commissioned while shooting down Zeros & Bettys, but he did it all while still an E-man.

 

[nocal80]

But he wasn't really the sole survivor of VT-8. He was the sole survivor of VT-8 off of Hornet but keep in mind there were six TBF Avengers from VT-8 that flew from Midway in the combat debut of the TBF. They didn't fare too well either losing 5 of the 6 and the one that returned had several hundred holes in it.

Some time ago I met the pilot of that Avenger at the club at NUW but can't recall his name.

I just finished Reading "A Dawn Like Thunder" by Robert Mrazek, which focused on VT-8 at Midway and Guadalcanal. The pilot's name was Bert Earnest.

There was a pretty fun anecdote in the book about a war bond event or something for George Gay where they introduced him as Torpedo 8's sole survivor. Bert Earnest and another VT-8 pilot were there and when someone asked who they were they replied "We're the other sole survivors"

Great read BTW, I think it has been discussed on here before.

 

[A4sForever]

...There was a pretty fun anecdote in the book about a war bond event or something for George Gay where they introduced him as Torpedo 8's sole survivor. Bert Earnest and another VT-8 pilot were there and when someone asked who they were they replied "We're the other sole survivors"....

I believe there were only two 'pilots' from VT-8 who survived the action against the Kido Butai ... ENS George Gay, who launched from the HORNET (and subsequently got all the PR) and ENS Albert Earnest, who launched from Midway w/ the LT Langdon Fieberling 6-plane TBF detachment. Ironically, the TBFs arrived @ Ford Island one day late; the HORNET having sailed the day prior. There was 'room' at Midway and 'they' wanted to test the then-new TBF in the forthcoming battle.

Earnest made it back to Midway in his shot-up TBF (the only one of the six TBFs to do so ... ) w/ a wounded Radioman and a dead Gunner, AMM3/C Jay Manning.

Bert Earnest, Naval Aviator, Battle of Midway, June 1942

"The wounded gunner" .... I think you may be thinking of this fellow as 'Bert Earnest and another VT-8 pilot":

Harry Ferrier (VP-2 1962-1964), attended the sixth annual conference of the World War II Veterans Committee, held in Alexandria, VA., November 6, 7, and 8, 2003. He and his son were flown there where he was honored and awarded the Chester Nimitz Award for distinguished service in the U.S.Navy during World War II.

"Harry Ferrier enlisted as an Apprentice Seaman on January 28, 1941. He would be the only enlisted aircrewman of VT-8 to survive the Battle of Midway on June 4, 1942. In 1943 he was assigned to Bombing Squadron Five, USS Yorktown, CV-10 for his second combat tour in World War II, flying SBD-5 Dauntless Dive Bombers. He would later rise to the rank of Commander and be decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart, Air Medal (three awards), and four Presidential Unit Citations."


Speech by CAPT Albert K. Earnest, USN-RET, and CDR Harry Ferrier, USN-RET
(Earnest's speech as reported by Joel Jacobs. Ferrier's are from his personal notes.)

Imagine, if you will: Ensigns ... Seamen ... junior Petty Officers ... just babies in reality ....

And tigers, all ...

 

[A4sForever]

Today's the Day ... 67 years ago

When remembering the heroic sacrifice of Torpedo 8, it's always important to remember the sacrifice of the rest of those brave Americans in the other Torpedo Squadrons -- VT-6 and VT-3 from ENTERPRISE and YORKTOWN, respectively, as well as the Midway VT-8 Det and Army Air Corps torpedo laden B-26's .... taken together, they sustained over 90% losses.

BATTLE of MIDWAY - Wiki

This is a rare, rare picture of Torpedo 8 taken during it's join-up overhead the ship. If you look carefully, you can see other Hornet aircraft joining above them in the upper left of the pix -- probably VB/VS-8 or VF-8.

It's remarkable in that it shows all 15 Devastators joining up overhead ... none of which would return.

The next rendezvous they would have would be w/ Kido Butai and the pages of history ..

 

[SteveG75]

But he wasn't really the sole survivor of VT-8. He was the sole survivor of VT-8 off of Hornet but keep in mind there were six TBF Avengers from VT-8 that flew from Midway in the combat debut of the TBF. They didn't fare too well either losing 5 of the 6 and the one that returned had several hundred holes in it.

Some time ago I met the pilot of that Avenger at the club at NUW but can't recall his name.

Sure that wasn't Harry Ferrier you are thinking of? He was our guest at the Battle of Midway dining-in that VAQ-129 had back in 1999 or 2000 when I was an instructor. That was an incredible night (on so many levels).