Posted: 8/8/2026 10:26:07 AM EDT
[Last Edit: Yankee-Carpet-Bagger][Edited]
|
84 years ago today. My grandfather was on the Quincy. He was on-duty in the engine room and went topside to get some fresh air by happenstance before they were sunk. The airplane hangar explosion blew him overboard. Unbeknownst to him, he was eviscerated by the wire handrail as he went over the side. He tread water for hours until picked up by a launch. Sharks were taking other survivors around him in the dark. The high salinity of the south pacific kept his guts moist. They dumped sulfur powder on his guts and sewed him up. The doctor told him if he took a dump, he would live. He convalesced in Brooklyn (at home) and was a plank holder on the Iowa. He mustered out in 1946 and never wore the color blue again. We used to joke with him and asked if he worked for UPS. He made it to 94. https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/first-battle-of-savo-island-the-u-s-navys-worst-defeat/ |
