World War II Database

1.  David Stubblebine says:
25 Mar 2009 12:38:26 PM

The smoke seen in this photograph is from the fires that nearly killed my father. The two kamikaze planes that struck the ship that day did kill 143 sailors and injured another 202. My Dad was a TBM pilot fresh back from the morning mission and had just gone through the chow line in the forward ward room, one deck below the hangar deck. His pants had barely touched the chair when the call to General Quarters sounded. Everyone jumped, but Dad paused briefly looking at a slice of apple pie on his tray. He wondered if he had a moment to stuff it into his mouth before heading off to his GQ station. He paused only a brief moment before following his shipmates scurrying toward their stations, without touching the pie. A minute later he was in a crowded passage-way leading to the up-ladder. A moment before it was his turn to go up the ladder, a great fireball came down the ladder scattering the men in the passageway. The man in line a few spots ahead of Dad who had just started up the ladder was killed - they later found his dog-tags welded to the deck. Had Dad not paused to look at that piece of pie, those could have been his dog-tags. He fought fires the rest of the day and worked burial duty the following two days, putting many shipmates over the side. He survived the war, practiced medicine for 50 years, and co-founded the Violence Prevention Forum.

2. Cheryl (Gaipa) Gangi says:
24 Mar 2010 08:37:14 AM

I am thrilled to find this picture on line...my uncle Frank A Gaipa was killed that day and was as far as I know, buried at sea...sadly I know very little about him..this is the most information I have been able to find regarding where and how he died..thank you for this picture and story..God Bless you