A Scott Allen "Mitchell" Memory ........

1/4/2013 - Received this today, what a neat memory of the old, now gone .....   Mitchell    ..... wanted to share it with all ....

Mr. Dooley,
Just wanted to add a note about my father. His name was Don Allen and served aboard the Mitchell during WWII. He came aboard for her maiden (shakedown) cruise just after she was built in 1943. He was assigned to the Brooklyn Navy Yards at the time. He enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard out of Cleveland, Ohio. The U.S. Navy used Coast Guard crews on many ships at this time.
He attained the rank of 2nd Class Seaman and was the head Storekeeper in the Main Issue Room. He served under her first captain, Henry Coyle and later under Captain Randall(I think). He was aboard her over 100 thousand sea miles and many ports around the world during the war.
His many stories include very seasick troops they were transporting to Africa that made a terrible mess all over the ship. He and two buddies going over the side and swimming ashore while at anchor in Scotland. Being on Shore Patrol duty in Bombay, India (and not liking it one bit). Buying the best hard candy he ever had in New Zealand(Blackpool candy). And lastly, his anguish about telling the story of bringing home wounded and fallen troops from the Burma campaign to San Francisco at the end of the war.
He left the ship in 1946 in San Francisco and was discharged there. He returned to Cleveland, Ohio the same year.
My father passed away January 18, 2006 at the age of 83. I miss him and his stories about the USS BILLY MITCHELL.
Scott Allen

7/26/2012 UPDATE

Have not heard from any old "salts" for quite a while. I know that thousands were transported on her, and many served on board. Would be nice to hear from some of them.

The WWII bunch is probably thinned out pretty well, some Korea still around and many of the newer passengers are still here.

The old girl is gone, probably shaving with some of her metal on some mornings. Many good memories of the old "Mitch."

Look forward to hearing from some of you ............

An old Email I received .... a long time ago

I received an email today and it got me to reminiscing. This is an old email, but wanted to share and get this blog some exposure.

I stumbled across you website by accident. 

I served on the Mitchell in the early 50’s, about 1950-1952.  I can give you the name of one of our commanding officers at the time, CAPT J. V. Query.  He was a WWII submariner and a very good skipper.

The Mitchell was one of the first ships to bring reinforcements into Korea after the start of hostilities.  We loaded up at Fort Mason , CA and unloaded in Pusan when the defense perimeter was just miles outside of Pusan .  We later participated in the evacuation at Hungnam after the Chinese bought into the war.  Our first trip out was with much of the 1^st Cavalry Division and its ROK attachment, I think we had somewhere around 8,000 troops aboard with the ROKs sleeping on the weather decks.  The second trip was harder, we loaded most of what was left of the Marines who were trapped at Chosen and fought their way back to the port.  We brought LCVP and LCVP of litter cases out and hoisted them aboard.  The Marines came aboard with their weapons locked and loaded and left them behind.  On our passage through the Strait of Moji we were busy dumping GI cans of weapons and ammunition over the fantail.  We spent Christmas Eve that year anchored out in Yokohama Harbor cleaning troop compartments.

I left the Mitch in 1952 to transfer to the USNS General Simon Bolivar Buckner.

Interesting sidelight.  When first assigned to the Mitchell I was assigned to D2 Division where I worked for what must have been one of the very first black BM’s in the Navy, BM2 Vincent Rudolph Bates.  The guy was something else – 6’ or thereabouts, strong as two bulls, one of the best small boat handlers I’ve ever seen and a great leader and motivator.  Raised in strictly segregated Texas it was an eye opener for me but I quickly grew to admire and trust Bates.  When the division went on liberty together anyplace which wouldn’t serve Bates served none of us and we might well leave some wreckage behind when we exited.

Another Crew Member Heard From

Good Afternoon,

I don't know if you are still updating your web-site on the Mitchell but if you are I want to let you know that I too served aboard the Mitchell. I was sent there in early 1965 and did a number of cruises to Hawaii then to Yokohama Japan, to Okinawa (or however you spell that). From there we would go to either Inchon Korea or Keelung Taiwan. Then back to Yokohama, to Hawaii and back to Oakland. I think I made that trip 5 or 6 time before we finally took her on her final cruise. I was one of the last crew members.

I pulled her up on the net a few months ago and had heard she was now scrap but I just hoped she wasn't, but sadly she is.

I would have loved to be able to go aboard once again and look her over, but it won't happen.

Just thought I'd add my 10 cents worth. Keep up the good work.

Dale Nickel

RM2 

More

Would like to have additional information or hear from anyone who either served on the
Mitch or sailed on her. She is gone now, sold for scrap.

I am in the process of getting some prints of film taken in 1954, entering Yokohama and the harbor
there. I was taken back a bit, by all the debris, still evident, from WWII. after all, the war had only been
over for 10 years. I was in awe, seeing ruins and remnants of the war, that had been such a major part
of my growing up years. I graduated from high school in 1950.

January 22,2006 - Received an Email from Mark Kingston,who served on the Mitchell from 1954 to 1957.
Great to hear from him, and he added some links that brought tears to my eyes.
http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/22114.htm
http://www.multied.com/navy/ap/General%20William%20Mitchell.html
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/AP/ap114.html
http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-cp/history/WEBCUTTERS/G_Mitchell.html
http://1stbattalion3rdmarines.com/uss-mitchell/

Me and the Billy Mitch

I went aboard the Mitchell in 1954. Not sure of the month, but I think in the late summer or Fall of '54. We
arrived in Seattle in a Nash Ambassador, how it made it from San Diego is a miracle. I reported aboard her,
for some reason, around 9 or 10 in the evening. I remember my first impression was how large she was. (622'
7") I remember I felt relieved, "as big as she is, we'll always have smooth sailing."

Wrong, as soon as she left the dock you could feel the swells. The ocean is BIG .. in comparison, the ship was
small.

I was first assigned as a Chaplains Assistant. Let me go back a little. My previous duty had been in San Diego,
at the Receiving Station, in the Discipline Office. I did a 30 day TAD, Shore Patrol, Tijuana Border. One day,
I was asked (? - told) to participate in the purchase of pornographic material at a small news stand in Tijuana. I
got marked money from the Chief of Police in Tijuana. I went in, made my purchase, left, and the police
arrested the owner.

A day or so later, apparently, they realized that it was a rather large operation, and that it would be better if I
did not appear in court. So, I got a late night transfer to the Mitchell. The Mitchell was shipping out the next
day, and they did not need me aboard ship. That is why I became the Chaplains Assistant. Ship's Company had
no openings.

After some transfers, I worked in the Personnel Office, and was the Ships Dairy Yeoman. That was a lot of
fun. The last thing to leave the ship, had to be accurate, troop count, Ship's Company count, etc., neatly done,
wrapped and ready for the Pilot, or whoever, to see that it got mailed. I generally handed it to the Pilot as he
left the ship. On some occasions, I would throw it to someone on the dock, who knew to mail it. Had a few
close calls. Always a lot of last minute transfers, some no-shows, troop miscounts, etc. It generally got a little
nerve racking. "Dairy Yeoman to the QUARTERDECK." I knew I was in trouble. The ship DID NOT sail if
the Dairy was not ashore, and that always upset the "old man."

My first was Captain R. J. West,