Pam Hillman |
After an absolutely wonderful dinner consisting of pork
chops, potato salad, field peas, corn, fried okra, cornbread, and an unnamed, but yummy dessert everyone raved about (we never did find out what it was called...),
the conversation turned to Bro. Johnson’s day job.
I found out that he’d been wiring ships off and on for 37 years, and that he’d worked on commercial ships as well as naval ships of all shapes and sizes. So that led to my next question. Had he worked on the USS America?
I found out that he’d been wiring ships off and on for 37 years, and that he’d worked on commercial ships as well as naval ships of all shapes and sizes. So that led to my next question. Had he worked on the USS America?
Uh, which one?
Turns out there have been four ships commissioned USS
America, one that Ingalls just completed in 2012. Wow! I never knew. This begged for more research, so I started
digging…
1782-1786
When laid down in 1777, this 74-gun man-of-war was the
largest warship built in America .
Built for the Continental Navy, it was given to France upon
launch. A shortage of skilled workers and well seasoned timber delayed
construction for many months. In 1779, Captain John Barry was named as her prospective
commanding officer and was ordered to complete the ship as soon as possible. In
spite of his efforts, little progress had been made on the ship when Barry was
ordered to take command of the 36-gun frigate Alliance .
The unfinished ship languished in the shipyard until June 1781
when Congress named Captain John Paul Jones as commanding officer. Jones was ordered
to make America seaworthy. Jones arrived in Portsmouth
in August 1781 and dedicated himself to completing the man-of-war. But all of
his hard work seemed to come to naught in September 1782 when Congress made the decision
to present the ship to King Louis XVI of France to replace Magnifique, which
had run aground and subsequently destroyed attempting to enter Boston Harbor. The gift
was a token of appreciation for France ’s
support and service to the American patriots.
Disappointment over losing the commission to command America did not deter Jones, and he stayed the
course and saw America
launched into the waters of the Piscataqua on November 5, 1782. Rigged and
fitted out, the ship departed Portsmouth
in June 1783 commanded by M. le Chevalier de Macarty Martinge, the former commander of the Magnifique.
USS America (ID-3006)
1905-1957
The USS America
(ID-3006) enjoyed a long and industrious life. She was launched in 1905 as SS
Amerika in Belfast , Germany and served as a German passenger
liner for the Hamburg America Line until 1912. She was docked in Boston when WWI broke out,
and rather than risk seizure by the British Royal Navy, she remained in port
for the next three years.
When the United States entered the war, Amerika was
seized, commissioned USS Amerika (quickly Anglicized to America )
and used by the U. S. Navy for troop transport. She transported 40,000 troops
to France and over 51,000
troops back home from Europe . She sank in 1918
in port in New York ,
with the loss of six lives, but was raised and reconditioned. In 1926, a tragic
oil leak resulted in a fire that gutted almost all of the passenger cabins.
But, despite $2,000,000 in damage, America was rebuilt and back in
service the following year. The valiant USS America (ID-3006) ended her service
to the United States
in 1931, but her career didn’t end there.
She came out of
retirement in 1940 and was renamed USAT Edmund B. Alexander and again served the US as
a troopship during WWII. She then used her substantial strength to carry
military dependents until 1949, when she was retired once again. Eventually,
she was sold for scrap in January 1957—52 years after her initial launch. God
bless her!
1965-2005
Since CFHS is a blog devoted solely to topics of a
historical nature, I’m not going to give many details about the USS America
(CV-66), other than to say that this ship was one of four Kitty Hawk-class
super aircraft carriers built for the US Navy. She served in the Atlantic, the
Mediterranean, and the Pacific Oceans , the Vietnam War, and operations Desert
Shield and Desert Storm. She gave her life in 2005 in service for weapons
testing and lies upright and intact at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean
approximately 250 miles southeast of Cape
Hatteras .
In addition, it’s important to note that when I read of the
USS America’s (CV-66) many tours of duty, her service, and her valiant
sacrifice in the end, I got a little teary-eyed. You see, I had the pleasure of touring this
particular American beauty in the early 1970s when my brother was a Navy seaman on the
ship. The flight deck was the length of three football fields. My brother said
that they played football on deck and never lost a ball!
2013-
The USS America (LHA-6) is an America-class amphibious
assault ship awarded for construction in June 2007. She launched June 2012
from Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula ,
MS with an expected commissioning
date in 2013 with Naval Base San Diego as her home port.
To read more about all four ships christened USS America, click here (Wikipedia).
Pam Hillman was born and raised on a dairy farm inMississippi
and spent her teenage years perched on the seat of a tractor raking hay. In
those days, her daddy couldn’t afford two cab tractors with air conditioning
and a radio, so Pam drove the Allis Chalmers 110. Even when her daddy asked her
if she wanted to bale hay, she told him she didn’t mind raking. Raking hay
doesn’t take much thought so Pam spent her time working on her tan and making
up stories in her head. Now, that’s the kind of life every girl should dream
of! Claiming
Mariah is her second novel. www.pamhillman.com
In light of her father’s death, Mariah Malone sends a letter that will forever alter the lives of her family. When Slade Donovan, strong willed and eager for vengeance, shows up on her front porch, Mariah is not ready to hear his truths: her father’s farm, the only home she’s ever known, was bought with stolen gold. With Slade ready to collect his father’s rightful claim and force Mariah and her family out on the streets, Mariah must turn to God for guidance. Though Mr. Fredrick Cooper, a local landowner, promises to answer her financial woes if she agrees to be his bride, Mariah finds herself drawn instead to the angry young man demanding her home.
Pam Hillman was born and raised on a dairy farm in
Christian historical fiction is one of my favorite types of books to read. Funny that I used to hate history class in school but now I love to learn about history!
ReplyDeleteKim LitlePokie@aol.com
Kim, for some reason I didn't care for history too much in school either. The problem was that I had to read/study whatever the flavor of the day was, but it was too easy to go off on rabbit trails on the little facts that caught my attention. Sigh.
DeleteBack then, all I had was the history book, but can you imagine what it would have been like to have the internet at my fingertips? I would have failed history because instead of sticking with the topic to be tested, I would have been off somewhere else! lol
As they say, the grass is always greener on the other side.
Who would have thought there'd be four ships with the same name? That man-o-war is a beautiful ship. Interesting stuff, Pam.
ReplyDeleteIt surprised me too, Vickie. Granted, I've never researched much about ships, but some of our members (Laurie Alice, MaryLu, for example) would probably have known this. I just assumed there had been ONE USS America. Totally wrong!
DeleteI have no doubt that this isn't the only name that's been reused...
A quick search of Wiki revealed that there have been seven ships/submarines named USS Alabama. I toured the one in Mobile as a kid. Tight quarters!
Thanks so much for the historical information. I have learned so much, reading this blog each day!
ReplyDeletebettimace(at)gmail(dot)com
Betz, glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteI find it so interesting to learn about the past...thanks for this cool insight - I know for a fact how researching can just draw you in till you get lost...so it's nice to read someone else's research! truckredford (at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeletelol Eliza. So true. I can spend hours just reading about the most obscure incident. I'm watching a movie about Jamestown now. It's good, but different in that there is very little dialogue, but a lot of voice over.
DeletePam, Jim was on the third America -- CV 66. It was an aircraft carrier. I rode on it twice when I followed the ship in the Med. I remember the trip from Palma, Majorca to Barcelona. It was really large and really noisy!
ReplyDeleteSuch a small world, Cara! That's the same one my brother was on. So interesting.
DeleteMy brother was in the navy for 6 years, and he was a communications/telephone repairman. I'm not sure exactly what his job title was, but his job was to keep all the phones working.
Loved this post! I love ships...all kinds, even starships. LOL
ReplyDeleteI must admit, I love the first picture the most. Tall ships are so gorgeous.
Debbie, the Hercules was gorgeous, wasn't it? Makes me think of Captain Jack and the Black Pearl...sorry, rabbit trail... lol
DeleteBut the ship that carried men in WWI and WWII has so much charm too. To have been such a huge asset to America for over 50 years. Wow.
Then, of course the third one is special because I actually tread on its deck, walked the narrow hallways, even peeked into the head. :)
I'd love to see the new one! Wow, state of the art. There is a certain time of the year that people can tour Ingalls Shipyard. I would LOVE to do that. I must check into it.
Thanks for this interesting blog post!
ReplyDeletebonnieroof60@yahoo.com
Bonnie, thank you so much for stopping by. Glad you enjoyed it. :)
DeleteAnd, for those who visited but didn't comment, this is me waving... \0/ ... :)
Thank you for being part of CFHS. Come again and jump in and chat with us. We'd love to hear what little bits of history make YOUR eyes light up!
I grew up on a dairy farm also! Loved every minute of it. I always wanted to rake, but my dad never let me. I had three brothers who did it instead. I was the one who followed behind the hay wagons with my hazards on so nobody would hit the wagon. :)
ReplyDeleteLove the stories behind all the ships. I never knew there were 4 either!
Thank you for a fun post.
Susan
farmygirl at hotmail dot com
Susan, so good to "see" you. You know, driving behind the hay wagon with your hazard flashers on seems like it would be just as dangerous as being up FRONT! :)
ReplyDeleteSeriously, I've driven down paved roads on tractors before and have 18-wheelers come up behind me and just fly around. It really is extremely dangerous.
Oh yes, driving tractors anywhere is so dangerous in these days. They do not get the respect and road room that they need. So many people in a rush, never think twice about zooming past.
Delete