September 1, 1945
THE NORTH CAROLINA SHIPBUILDER
Pig 5
Former Employees
S.S. Richardson
Killed In Accident
Killed In Action
Leaving
Lose Lives While
Serving Country
First Of Liberty
TroopTransports
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CPL. JACK G. PARDY
Two Years Ago
Turning
two years
we find . .
back the calendar
to September, 1943,
Congratulations were received
from Vice Admiral Emory S.
Land for "completing the EC-2
contract in a highly satisfactory
manner and for the efficiency
with which the yard shifted
from the Libertys to C-2 ves
sels." Admiral Land added that
"we look forward to your mak
ing an equally good showing on
this construction."
Our first C-2, the S. S. Storm
King, was launched on the 17th
of the month under the sponsor
ship of Mrs. P. F. Halsey, wife
of the Company's Vice-President
and General Manager. Her
matrons of honor were Mrs.
Frederick F. Hill, of Newport
News, and Mrs. Storer P. Ware,
of Wilmington. The second C-2,
the S. S. Cyclone, was also
launched during the month with
Mrs. T. L. Lanier as sponsor.
An important new step in the
interest of the welfare of the
employees and their families
was taken as the Company com
pleted arrangements with the
Aetna laie insurance company
to offer a broad program of
group life, accident and sickness
insurance to all shipbuilders.
W. J. Robertson, foreman of
the Ship Carpenters, was elected
president of the May club for
the ensuing year. He succeeded
Don M. Hyatt, foreman of the
Drillers. Other officers selected
were Fred A. Kean, Jr., Vice-
iTesident; K. E. Neill, Treas
urer, and K. G. Paxton, Secre
tary.
The Electricians defeated the
Erectors, three ud and three
down, in the final series of the
Softball league to capture the
yard championship. The cham
pions had won 16 of their 18
games in the Second half in
the South Side league.
J. H. Bass Attending
OCS At Ft. Belvoir
John Henry Bass, Jr., a mem
ber of the Fitters department
from July, 1942, to May, 1943,
when he volunteered for the
Army, is scheduled to be erad
uated from the Officer Candi
date school and be commissioned
a. Second Lieutenant in the
Engineers Corps at' Ft. Belvoir,
Va.. in November.
Candidate Bass, son of Mr.
and Mrs. J. H. Bass, Sr., of
Rosewood in Wayne county, en
tered OCS from Fort Bragg on
Julv 4. 1945. His wife is the
former Margaret Lewis, of Ra
leigh. His father was formerly
employed here as a quarterman
in the Drillers department.
Accidents are
don't happen.
caused, $ they
Names Oi CpL Pardy,
Tyson, Pittman And
Worley On Roll
The deaths of four former
emnlovees while serving in the
Army, Marines and Merchant
Marine were reported during
the past month and brought the
number, of names on the com
pany's Roll of Honor to 32.
The men are:
Pvt. Herman E. Tyson, for
merly of the Pipe Shop, killed
in action on Feb. 4, 1944, in Italy.
Cpl. Jack G. Pardy, formerly
of the Machine Shop, killed in
an airplane accident at MacDill
field, Tampa, Fla., on May 11,
1945.
Paul Thurman Pittman, U. S.
Maritime service, died in the
Maritime hospital at Sheeps
head Bay, N. Y., in July of in
juries received in an accident.
While employed here, he was in
the Joiners department.
Pfc. Ray C. Worley, USMC.,
formerly of the Fitters depart
ment, killed in action on May 21,
1945, on Okinawa.
Pvt. Tyson, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Mack Tyson, of Wilming
ton, was here during the early
part of 1943 and, upon entering
the Army, received his basic
training at Camp Wheeler, Ga.
He went overseas from Fort
Meade. Md., on Nov. 22, 1943,
and served in North Africa and
Italy. He was first reported
missing in action but later word
from the War department said
he was killed. He was a grad
uate of New Hanover High
school.
Cpl. Pardy, 20, was the son of
Mr. and Mrs. James G. Pardy,
of Madison. South Dakota. His
father was formerly reception
ist in the Administration build
ing lobby.
The young man was employed
here during the early months
of 1943. Later he worked in the
Newport News, Va., yard and
joined the Merchant Marine and
received training at Kings
Fomt, graduating as a
midshipman in the Maritime
service. He made two trips in
convoy to England and saw ac
tion when .his ship was under
enemy attack. In June, 1944, he
entered the Army Air Forces,
taking his basic -training at
Lowry field Denver. He then
Attended aerial gunnery school
at Ft Myers JTla., and was later
assigned as a crew member
aboard a -29. He was one of
nine of thell-man crew of the
bomber who lost their Jives
S. S.
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Shown above is Mrs. J. E. Goodwin, sponsor of the S. S. Resolute, and the members of her
party at the launching of the C-2 type ship heie on July 18. Left to right are Mrs. Frank M.
Fields, of Newport News, Va., matron of honor; P. F. Halsey, Vice President and General Manager
of the Company; Mrs. Joe Battle Pierce, of Las Vegas, Nev., matron of honor; Mr. Goodwin, As
sistant Regional Auditor of Construction of the U. S. Maritime Commission; Mrs. Goodwin, and
W. S. McMahon, Assistant to the Vice President and General Manager. Our hull No. 222, the S. S.
Resolute was built for the United States Lines.
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PFC. RAY C. WORLEY, USMC
when the large craft, returning
from a lone pre-overseas test
flight, made a faulty landing and
exploded. Mr. and Mrs. Pardy
are the first parents in Lake
county to lose two sons in the
present war, the eldest, rvt.
James G. Pardy, Jr., having met
accidental death in a traffic acci
dent in Northern Ireland on
Sept. 13, 1942.
Mr. Pittman, 33, employed
here from Jan. 19, 1942, to Dec.
4, 1944, sustained back injuries
in a tall two weexs Deiore nis
death. While in Wilmington, he
was an active memDer oi me
Lake Forest Rifle club. He at
tended the First Baptist church.
Funeral services were held at
the home of his parents, Mr.
and Mrs. J. R. Pittman, in
Rocky Mount, on July 21.
Surviving are his widow, Mrs.
Ora A. Pittman; his parents;
six brothers, Johnny Pridgen,
Lee Pittman, and Earl Pittman,
of Newport News, Va., Joe Pitt
man and Fred Pittman, of Rocky
Mount, and Clifton Pittman, on
duty with the Navy in the South
Pacific; two sisters, Mrs. Leona
Page, of Rocky Mount, and Mrs.
Thelma Proff itt, of High Point.
Pfc. Worley, a native of
Barnard, N. C, was employed
here from Nov. 28. 1941, to
April 19, 1944, when he ter
minated to enter the Marine
Corps on May 26, 1944. He re
ceived his boot training at Par
ris Island, S. C, and, was later
stationed at Camp Lejeune. He
went overseas on Nov. 12, 1944,
and saw considerable action be
fore landing on Ukinawa on
April 1. He wait buried in the
First Marine division cemetery
on Okinawa. ,
Survivors include his widow
and one daughter, who live at
Barnard.
Resolute Christening Party
i W J
n
Is Also First Of Typo
To Return With 498
European Vets
The S. S. Edward Richardson,
our 163rd hull, was the first of
206 Liberty ships which have
been or are being converted into
troop ships to return servicemen
from Europe, according to word
received from the War Shipping
Administration.
After completion of changes
to provide for the accommoda
tion of 550 men, the S. S.
Richardson sailed overseas and
was also the first Liberty troop
vessel to return. She carried
498 passengers.
Also as a part of the conver
sion program, 100 Victory ships
have been made into troop trans
ports with each capable of
carrying 1,500 men. The hrst,
the S. S. Aiken Victory, recently
arrived at an eastern port with
a large number of European war
veterans aboard.
Troops returning aboard the
Liberty and Victory ships are
acclaiming the success of the
WSA's program to provide
freshly prepared American food
on homeward voyages, the WSA
said. Of the passengers aboard
the S. S. Richardson, 357 of
them pronounced the food excel
lent, 140 said it was good while
one passenger said it was fair.
A questionnaire was submit
ted to passengers aboard the
S. S. Richardson so that any im
provements needed in the stand
ard feeding plan might be
worked out by the WSA. Food
officials of the WSA report that
the results have shown that the
stowage plans, menus and direc
tions for preparation, prepared
some months in advance of V-i
day. are very effective. Under
the program, the WSA provides
fresh milk, eggs, fruits, vege
tables, ice cream, apple pie and
similar good foods for the re
turning servicemen.
The S. S. Kichardson was
launched on June 4, 1943, and
was delivered six days later. Her
sponsor was Mrs. K. G. Paxton.
PROMOTED
Dewey Charles Gamble, 21, of
Cliff side, N. C, has been ad
vanced to radarman, third
class, UoNK, while serving
aboard a destroyer escort. He
wears the American theater and
European-African-Middle East
era theater ribbons. Before en
tenng the JNavy, he was em
ployed in the Fitters depart
ment here.
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James M. McClary, (shown
above), foreman of the Ship
wrights department here since
the beginning of the yard, will
return to the Newport News
Shipbuilding and Dry Dock
Company on September 1 to be
come foreman of Shipwrights
there. A graduate of King's
college, Bristol, Tenn., Mr. Mc
Clary was employed in the Ship
wrights department of the pa
rent yard and remained there
until his transfer to Wilming
ton in May, 1941. So, it's "good
bye and good luck" to Captain
Jimmie from his many friends
and acquaintances here.
P. B. Hancock has been named
successor to Mr. McClary as
foreman, effective Sept. 3. He
came here from Newport News
and has been leading assistant
foreman in the department.
USS Great Sitkin
Is Commissioned
Navy Ammunition Ship
Fitted Out At Yard
In Charleston
The U. S. S. Great Sitkin, one
of the ammunition ships built
here for the Navy, was fitted
out by workmen of the Charles
ton Navy yard and placed into
commission there on Aug. 11.
Captain Guy E. Baker, USN,
Captain of the Charleston yard,
presided over the commissioning
exercises.
Named for a volcanic island
in the Andreanof group of the
Aleutians, U. S. S. Great Sitkin
was launched January 20, 1945,
under the sponsorship of Miss
Anne Lillian Dimond, of Wash
ington, D. C, daughter of a
former delegate to Congress
from Alaska. The ship, our hull
No. 197, was delivered Feb. 19.
Command of the vessel was
assumed during the commission
ing ceremonies by Lieut. Com
mander William F. Smith,
USNR, of Bronxville, N. Y.
ADVANCED
Cris Coleman Hanson, Jr., 20,
USNR, of Lancaster, S. C, was
recently advanced to yeoman,
second class, aboard his ship in
the Pacific. Entering the Navy
on Aug. 4, 1943, he received
his initial training at Bain
bridge, Md., and further in
struction at Norfolk, Va. While
employed here, he worked in
the Fitters department.
NAMING SHIPS
The naming of America's 5,000
merchant ships built or acquired
during the war emergency has
been a brain-teaser of no mean
proportion. Everything from
Kentucky Derby winners to
sailors' knots, has been employed
in the task, an Amer ican Mer
chant Marine Institute survey
discloses. There fire over SO
name classifications for Mari
time Commission vessels.