Records [1945-1972] including newsletter, history, photographs, and clippings.
This collection covers the background and history of the USS Major, a destroyer escort, and its campaigns. Most of the information comes from a history of the USS Major provided by the Office of Naval Records and History, Ship's Histories section, in the Navy Department. Included are details of its shakedown cruise in the Carribean and Casco Bay, Maine; its use as a convoy escort to Tunisia, Algeria, and Plymouth, England (1944); the role of the ship in patrolling and running escorts to Leyte and Hollandia in the Philippine Sea frontier; and its involvement in the sea rescue of U.S. Army guerilla leader, Lt. Hermongilde Acosta (1945). Also mentioned is participation in a convoy to Okinawa (1945) and the use of a high frequency direction finder to direct the USS Knox to a downed pilot (1945).
The Navy Department history also records the presence of the USS Major in Tokyo harbor for the Japanese surrender (1945) and then its trip to Long Beach, California, for decommissioning. It became part of the Pacific Reserve Fleet (1948) where it remained until being sold and scrapped in 1972.
Additional materials found in the collection are copies of "The Capstan Times" (1945), the ship's weekly paper, which provided information on demobilization, the G.I. bill, G.I. loans, and V-J day; and a photocopy of the history of the USS Major, from the Dictionary of American Fighting Ships, Volume IV, which provides ship statistics.
Gift of Mr. Joe Martin
Processed by L. Turner, November 1992
Encoded by Apex Data Services
Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.