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Posted: 1/25/2021 2:39:45 PM EDT
I just recently found this aerial shot of ground zero of Nagasaki (not taken by my grandfather) online...what I found interesting was how I was able to compare it to two photos my grandfather took just days after the bombing...I've highlighted two areas of interest in the aerial...
 Attached FileHere are the pics he took at ground zero of the church and his LST 845 (renamed USS Jefferson County in 1955)...I'm fairly certain that's his LST in the aerial photo based on location and other pictures I have, it's orientation and the other masts in the background.  Attached File Attached FileThought is was cool and I'd share... ETA: Bthp223's 104 year old grandfather served on the 845 as well as a Chief Mechanic...he's still living and we're waiting on results as to whether he also served with my grandfather...read the dialogue below. Note, his avatar is the 845. My grandfather was a Quartermaster 3rd Class. ETA2: Grandfather's bring-back arisaka and bayonet  Attached File |
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Posted: 1/25/2021 2:41:46 PM EDT
[#1]
Cool !
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Posted: 1/25/2021 2:42:34 PM EDT
[#2]
That is cool op
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Posted: 1/25/2021 2:44:03 PM EDT
[#3]
That is cool! Was the first pic from Google Maps?
 JK.
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Posted: 1/25/2021 2:44:07 PM EDT
[#4]
Neat
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Posted: 1/25/2021 2:44:12 PM EDT
[#5]
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Posted: 1/25/2021 2:44:40 PM EDT
[#6]
Very cool!!!
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Posted: 1/25/2021 2:44:53 PM EDT
[#7]
Interesting, my first assumption is that it'd due to differences in construction?
Seeing as the windows/roof are gone, but the stone is present. I understand a lot of Japanese construction was of lightweight material that burned easily. Kinda like a stick built house vs brick maybe? |
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Posted: 1/25/2021 2:45:58 PM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Interesting, my first assumption is that it'd due to differences in construction? Seeing as the windows/roof are gone, but the stone is present. I understand a lot of Japanese construction was of lightweight material that burned easily. Kinda like a stick built house vs brick maybe? That pic has always amazed me how it was still standing with everything around leveled. |
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Posted: 1/25/2021 2:46:15 PM EDT
[#9]
Very cool.
Did he suffer any ill effects from being there so soon after the bombing? |
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Posted: 1/25/2021 2:47:27 PM EDT
[#10]
Very neat
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Posted: 1/25/2021 2:51:03 PM EDT
[#11]
Great, historic photo. In the background, the long covered dock area, is the slipway where the super battleship Musashi was built. It was the sister ship to the Yamato. The Musashi was sunk in the Sibuyan Sea in the Philippines by US Navy planes while on the way to the battle of Leyte Gulf.
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Posted: 1/25/2021 2:53:34 PM EDT
[#12]
That last picture sure looks like my Grandfathers boat. I have to go dig and find my pictures. See my avatar.
That was the only boat where all men that were assigned to it came back with it during/after the war. BTW my Grandfather is still alive. 104 this year. |
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Posted: 1/25/2021 2:53:36 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Very cool. Did he suffer any ill effects from being there so soon after the bombing? +1 |
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Posted: 1/25/2021 2:55:42 PM EDT
[#14]
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Posted: 1/25/2021 2:56:19 PM EDT
[#15]
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Posted: 1/25/2021 2:56:55 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Very cool. Did he suffer any ill effects from being there so soon after the bombing? He died in 1965 from skin cancer...two months before I was born. Seriously. |
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Posted: 1/25/2021 2:57:50 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted: He died in 1965 from skin cancer...two months before I was born. Seriously. Wow. That's terrible. 
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Posted: 1/25/2021 2:59:18 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryQuoted: That last picture sure looks like my Grandfathers boat. I have to go dig and find my pictures. See my avatar. That was the only boat where all men that were assigned to it came back with it during/after the war. BTW my Grandfather is still alive. 104 this year. Is that the LST 845?????? Any idea where it's docked in your picutre? I have other pics of it from a distance and on board...would be crazy if I have a picture of your grandfather on-board...feel free to PM me. |
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Posted: 1/25/2021 2:59:40 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Interesting, my first assumption is that it'd due to differences in construction? Seeing as the windows/roof are gone, but the stone is present. I understand a lot of Japanese construction was of lightweight material that burned easily. Kinda like a stick built house vs brick maybe? Hence why the US had a program to outfit bats w/ incendiary packets. The plan was to release them on Japan, essentially burning it all down. |
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Posted: 1/25/2021 2:59:47 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted: That last picture sure looks like my Grandfathers boat. I have to go dig and find my pictures. See my avatar. That was the only boat where all men that were assigned to it came back with it during/after the war. BTW my Grandfather is still alive. 104 this year.  Tell your grandfather I said "Thank you" for his service! 
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Posted: 1/25/2021 3:01:18 PM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted: That last picture sure looks like my Grandfathers boat. I have to go dig and find my pictures. See my avatar. That was the only boat where all men that were assigned to it came back with it during/after the war. BTW my Grandfather is still alive. 104 this year. Here's another pic from the deck...crazy if your grandfather is in it...  Attached File |
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Posted: 1/25/2021 3:01:52 PM EDT
[#22]
I believe in a documentary I watched one time it stated that the church was directly below the explosion from the air detonated blast of the bomb. The area directly below the blast has less overpressure or something to that effect and the damage is much less severe. I could be remembering some of those details wrong but I definitely remember them saying the area directly below the blast receives less damage than the surrounding area.
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Posted: 1/25/2021 3:01:54 PM EDT
[#23]
Cool!
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Posted: 1/25/2021 3:03:15 PM EDT
[#24]
This is nuts, I never thought I’d see another picture. It should be LCT 845
( Landing Craft Tank ) my bad it is LST, Thank you for the correction. What was your Grandfather’s name. I will call later him later. PM me if you don’t want to post it here. I couldn’t identify him from that, I’d need the picture and a magnifying glass. |
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Posted: 1/25/2021 3:04:05 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I believe in a documentary I watched one time it stated that the church was directly below the explosion from the air detonated blast of the bomb. The area directly below the blast has less overpressure or something to that effect and the damage is much less severe. I could be remembering some of those details wrong but I definitely remember them saying the area directly below the blast receives less damage than the surrounding area. I think a huge factor is simply construction methods. Stone and mortar are a lot stronger than the thin walls of conventional construction in the area. |
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Posted: 1/25/2021 3:06:52 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted: This is nuts, I never thought I’d see another picture. It should be LCT 845 ( Landing Craft Tank ) What was your Grandfather’s name. I will call later him later. PM me if you don’t want to post it here. I couldn’t identify him from that, I’d need the picture and a magnifying glass. Henry Hugo Toney, from Greenwood, SC. Quartermaster 3rd Class...pm sent as well. And, unfortunately, that's as clear and big as it gets. |
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Posted: 1/25/2021 3:07:23 PM EDT
[#27]
Very cool
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Posted: 1/25/2021 3:12:13 PM EDT
[#28]
Got it and replied. I’ll get back to you shortly to see if they were together
 .I bookmarked this too, so if it’s ok I’ll share what I have here. Don’t want to hijack your thread. My grandfather, Gerald M Simoni. Chief Mechanic. |
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Posted: 1/25/2021 3:12:24 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I believe in a documentary I watched one time it stated that the church was directly below the explosion from the air detonated blast of the bomb. The area directly below the blast has less overpressure or something to that effect and the damage is much less severe. I could be remembering some of those details wrong but I definitely remember them saying the area directly below the blast receives less damage than the surrounding area. Nagasaki was actually a miss. The bomb detonated several miles from the intended point. Still causing massive damage, but only about half as many immediate casualties as the Hiroshima bomb even though it had a higher yield. Fine by me. The point was to end the war thereby saving lives. The fewer we had to kill to achieve that end the better. |
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Posted: 1/25/2021 3:12:37 PM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Interesting, my first assumption is that it'd due to differences in construction? Seeing as the windows/roof are gone, but the stone is present. I understand a lot of Japanese construction was of lightweight material that burned easily. Kinda like a stick built house vs brick maybe? Correct. At that time most structures in Japan were of wood so the closer to the epicenter the less likely to survive. I've been to the A-bomb museums in Nagasaki and Hiroshima .......... much prefer the one in Nagasaki. It's less visited, more informative and Nagasaki is just a nicer city to visit. |
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Posted: 1/25/2021 3:13:22 PM EDT
[#31]
Very neat stuff
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Posted: 1/25/2021 3:13:38 PM EDT
[#32]
Great post OP! |
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Posted: 1/25/2021 3:15:19 PM EDT
[#33]
Wow. Thanks for posting that OP.
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Posted: 1/25/2021 3:17:12 PM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted: This is nuts, I never thought I’d see another picture. It should be LCT 845 ( Landing Craft Tank ) What was your Grandfather’s name. I will call later him later. PM me if you don’t want to post it here. I couldn’t identify him from that, I’d need the picture and a magnifying glass. Sometimes it’s a small world Definitely LST LCT were smaller. Also, looks like LST-845 was the Jefferson County (per Wikipedia, no Lexington County LST is listed) Built in Ambridge PA along the Ohio river Decommissioned and scrapped in 1961 after many years of service And they didn’t get the county names until after WWII - 1950s My Dad was an LST sailor, Vietnam War |
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Posted: 1/25/2021 3:29:25 PM EDT
[#35]
Jefferson...my bad...your right!!! Quote HistoryQuoted: Sometimes it’s a small world Definitely LST LCT were smaller. Also, looks like LST-845 was the Jefferson County (per Wikipedia, no Lexington County LST is listed) Built in Ambridge PA along the Ohio river Decommissioned and scrapped in 1961 after many years of service And they didn’t get the county names until after WWII - 1950s My Dad was an LST sailor, Vietnam War |
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Posted: 1/25/2021 3:29:32 PM EDT
[#36]
This is the kind of cool stuff I love GD for!
Thanks OP! |
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Posted: 1/25/2021 3:30:01 PM EDT
[#37]
OST to see if other guy's grandpa knows OP's grandpa.
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Posted: 1/25/2021 3:38:30 PM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryQuoted: That is cool op Sure is. My FIL was an MP in the Marines. He had to guard the perimeter. |
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Posted: 1/25/2021 3:53:19 PM EDT
[#39]
Very cool! Thanks for sharing!
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Posted: 1/25/2021 4:05:04 PM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryQuoted: +1 As for the possible effects: Granddad had to go to the VA hospital in Asheville every 3 or 5 years until he passed in 2008 for them to do radiation exposure testing. |
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Posted: 1/25/2021 4:09:02 PM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I bookmarked this too, so if it’s ok I’ll share what I have here. Don’t want to hijack your thread. That ain't no hijack. It's an awesome enhancement post updates here! |
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Posted: 1/25/2021 4:12:31 PM EDT
[#42]
OST! Thanks for sharing, OP. |
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Posted: 1/25/2021 4:16:10 PM EDT
[#43]
This is a mega cool topic.
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Posted: 1/25/2021 4:19:31 PM EDT
[#44]
Catholic church!
Quoted: I just recently found this aerial shot of ground zero of Nagasaki (not taken by my grandfather) online...what I found interesting was how I was able to compare it to two photos my grandfather took just days after the bombing...I've highlighted two areas of interest in the aerial... https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/322327/nagasaki_2_jpg-1796269.JPG Here are the pics he took at ground zero of the church and his LST 845 (USS Lexington County)...I'm fairly certain that's his LST in the aerial based on location and other pictures I have, it's orientation and the other masts in the background. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/322327/japanchurch_jpg-1796272.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/322327/japanship2_jpg-1796273.JPG Thought is was cool and I'd share... |
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Posted: 1/25/2021 4:20:00 PM EDT
[#45]
I always found it ironic that a nominally Christian nation would use a Catholic Church as the target for the bomb, and from the history I have read since I was a kid, the church was chosen as the target.
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Posted: 1/25/2021 4:28:46 PM EDT
[#46]
Quote HistoryQuoted: OST to see if other guy's grandpa knows OP's grandpa. Now a safe thread? |
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Posted: 1/25/2021 4:32:49 PM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Sometimes it’s a small world Definitely LST LCT were smaller. Also, looks like LST-845 was the Jefferson County (per Wikipedia, no Lexington County LST is listed) Built in Ambridge PA along the Ohio river Decommissioned and scrapped in 1961 after many years of service And they didn’t get the county names until after WWII - 1950s My Dad was an LST sailor, Vietnam War Cool info...what is was called during the war...just the Jefferson? I'll have to go look at the paperwork I have on him and see what it says. |
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Posted: 1/25/2021 4:33:27 PM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Interesting, my first assumption is that it'd due to differences in construction? Seeing as the windows/roof are gone, but the stone is present. I understand a lot of Japanese construction was of lightweight material that burned easily. Kinda like a stick built house vs brick maybe? That's it. And one of many reasons this little piggy builds his structures out of reinforced block
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Posted: 1/25/2021 4:42:12 PM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Got it and replied. I’ll get back to you shortly to see if they were together .I bookmarked this too, so if it’s ok I’ll share what I have here. Don’t want to hijack your thread. My grandfather, Gerald M Simoni. Chief Mechanic. To hell with that, that's the most awesome thread hijack I've seen in years.
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Posted: 1/25/2021 4:42:40 PM EDT
[#50]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I always found it ironic that a nominally Christian nation would use a Catholic Church as the target for the bomb, and from the history I have read since I was a kid, the church was chosen as the target. No, the target was the central business district and they missed by 3 and a half klicks due to heavy cloud cover. |
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