William D. Owen Oral History Interview

February 5, 1988
Oral History #OH0103
Creator(s)
Owen, William D. (Interviewee); Barclay, Morgan J. (Interviewer)
Physical description
0.005 Cubic Feet, 1 audiotape, 1.5 hours, 35 pages
Preferred Citation
William D. Owen Oral History Interview (#OH0103), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA.
Repository
ECU Manuscript Collection
Access
No restrictions


Scope and arrangement

Captain Owen, USNA Class of 1941, comments on his experiences at the Naval Academy, delay in commissioning due to an eye deficiency, assignment to the USS YORKTOWN, and service in the North Atlantic during the summer of 1941. For World War II he describes the severe damage to the YORKTOWN in the battle of the Coral Sea and its sinking in the battle of Midway, service in the BIRMINGHAM during the invasion of Sicily, and kamikaze raids on the ASTORIA at Iwo Jima. Postwar comments concern NATO duty, assignments to the GATLING, JOHN S. McCAIN, and the UVALDE, investigation of the USS LIBERTY incident, and experiences in Vietnam.


Administrative information
Processing information

Encoded by Apex Data Services

Copyright notice

Repository does not own copyright to the oral history collection. Permission to cite, reproduce, or broadcast must be obtained from both the repository and the participants in the oral history, or their heirs.

General note

1930s-1960s


Key terms
Personal Names
Owen, William D.
Corporate Names
United States Naval Academy--Students
United States. Navy--Officers--Interviews
Yorktown (Aircraft carrier : CV-5)
Topical
Coral Sea, Battle of the, 1942
Midway, Battle of, 1942
Philippine Sea, Battle of the, 1944 (June 19-21)
Vietnam War, 1961-1975
World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Italy--Sicily
World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Pacific Ocean