USS Solomons CVE 67

The following, are excerpts from two of the men.

Roman J. Gleich RM 3/c

My story aboard the USS Solomons CVE 67 was from 4 March 1944 until the end of January 1946. My rate whilst aboard ship was RM 3C (radioman 3rd class). I was in the K Division and I was a high frequency direction finder operator. I went aboard the ship in Norfolk, VA. on 4 March 1944. Several days later, we were on our way to Brazil. Our homeport would be Recife. On 30 March 1944, when crossing the equator, all pollywogs were initiated into the Ancient Order of the Deep, and became a shellbacks.

Early April 1944 I came down with an acute case of appendicitis and was told it had to be removed immediately. Since they could not administer ether or gas while out at sea, I had to take a spinal. Our medical doctor was Commander Shaw who was a baby specialist in civilian life. He and several other officers and corpsmen did the procedure. We were 300 miles off the coast of Africa.

A lot of places were off limits in Recife for the US personnel. We ate mostly at a place called the Green Front. You could get a meal of steak and eggs with a jug of Orange Juice for 75 cents and if you gave the waiter a milrey (5 cents) that was a good tip.

I think it was mid-June 1944 when we sunk a German Refuel Sub not too far off the coast of Africa and took about 20 prisoners aboard our ship, which we eventually dropped off in Recife when we docked.

In late August or early September 1944, we went to go to Rio de Janeiro for 3 days before coming back to the states for repairs and reassignments. Two of these days I drew liberty and one day I was assigned to "Shore Patrol" duty. When a ship as large as ours docked, plus our Destroyer Escorts (4 of them), the local shore patrol needed assistance. There are 3 pictures enclosed on Rio. One in the USO building, one in their trolley car and one is on Copacubana beach. The most interesting site was the trip by cable car to Sugar Loaf Mountain which had the monument of "Christ Redemptorest". The trip on the cable car was also a great thrill.

When we returned to the states, it took most of the month of September 1944 to get the ship back in A-1 shape. After the ships repairs and personnel leaves etc. We loaded the ship with Army aircraft and 300 Army men to be taken to Casablanca. This was the first week in October 1944. Two days after we left port, we ran into a terrible hurricane. We were running at top speed and moving backwards. From the enormous swells we were hitting, we started to spilt some of our seams. You can imagine a ship almost a block long setting 50 plus feet in the water and 50 plus feet out of the water. It was really a scary situation and with waves hitting half way onto the flight deck.

Harry Reed AMM 1/c

Over one half of a century has passed since my duties on the USS Solomons and my aged mind has grown somewhat foggy on many of the events worth remembering. Since that time, however ones mind seems to sort out and retain those happenings that for some unknown reason have a greater importance then those of the less mundane. With this in mind, I hope that all, or at least some of the following will bring a smile of remembrance to your Dad's face.

My tour of duty on the Solomons was with the V-2 Division Engineering Crew who was responsible for all aircraft on board, all aircraft maintenance and repair to include two Inspectors to the flight deck during all flight operations. We took turns doing this. Our job, one port side and one starboard side, was to grab a hold of an aircraft, usually the landing gear leg on a TBM, when it was seen that the tail hook had grabbed an arresting cable, run along with the aircraft inspecting everything within eye sight. During pilot Training Exercises when the aircraft was scheduled to take off again, the Tail Hook was allowed to remain engaged with the arresting wire pulling the aircraft to the rear of the flight deck in preparation to take off again. The visual inspection of the aircraft continued during this phase also. Another very important element of this inspection was to assure that the pilot has the throttle and prop pitch controls in their proper position for take off. This was done by an educated ear. Many of us, through experience could immediately tell if the engine was at top RPM for take off. It was not unusual for a pilot to give the signal to the flight deck officer that he was ready for take off while the prop control was still in a "cruise" position from the previous flight placing the prop blades in a higher pitch then necessary for a full engine power take off. One of us would jump up on the wing, push the prop control in giving the "lower" pitch setting necessary for the full RPM take off.

Enclosed is a picture of a TBM Torpedo Plane crashing into the aft end of the flight deck. Not seen is me standing on the starboard side of the flight deck as I was one of the inspectors on duty at that time. The right main landing gear wheel and part of the oleo as seen in the photo broke off and came to rest within feet of where I stood with the cracked wheel and tire hissing like a mad snake. The aircraft fell onto the five inch gun on the fantail then went overboard. Fortunately, all of the crew ( Pilot, Radioman, and Gunner ) survived and were picked up by one of our Escort Destroyers.

I believe that your Dad operated the number two barrier. This reminded me that while zig zagging the Equator hunting German Submarines, it got so hot down below (no A/C back then) that some of us when we got time to rest would grab a nap on deck around the base of the gun sponson just aft of the island. The last time that we did that was when one of the aircraft, when landing at night chopped up one of the barrier cables with it's prop and one end of the severed frayed cable ended up around the gun with us. I can assure you that there was no more napping in that location! We all got away unscathed.

A good Barrier Operator could save the government thousands of dollars in man-hours and prop and engine damage by dropping the barrier at the last second before a prop hit the cable when he was sure that the tail hook was still engaged with the arresting wire and that both the wire and aircraft has run it's course. I'm sure that your dad was one of them. The Barrier Operators expertise was very much appreciated by us guys who had to repair and replace damaged props etc.

I remember the results of a severe storm that the ship encountered on a Ferry trip to Casablanca, when the front end of the Flight Deck was forced up about a foot or so, and some of the gun sponsons around the forward perimeter of the Flight Deck, had the Steel Protector Plating bent up like you would crush newspaper. ( I was not aboard during that cruise, as us Airdales were assigned to Naval Air Station Norfolk for temporary duty. ) When the ship returned to the shipyard to have repairs made, they thought that we had a collision at sea. The real thrill of another storm was when the bow of the ship plunged into the sea so far that sea water covered the forward end of the flight deck, poured around the forward elevator water trap, which it would seem to be near impossible to do and with the ship at this angle, the seawater poured down the double ladder (stairway) forward of the forward elevator well, and into the crew's compartment below. That 's when bedlam broke out! As I recollect, that happened in the early evening hours when some of the crew had finished their normal shift and were writing letters, etc., to their love one's. When the water hit, paper, pens and people went every which way. I'm sure that more than one of us thought that we were torpedoed and on our way to the bottom. Incidentally our quarters were directly beneath the forward elevator well, and as I recall the ladder where the water entered was the only way out !