My dad, John (Jerry) Giardino was a survivor on CA39. He and several other survivors contributed their stories a while back (they used to attend the annual CA39 reunions). Doc Scwitters was a good friend of my dads, as was Harris Hammersmith. I still have the book - and I have an audio cassette with my dad telling his story of that fateful night.
Such brave men - I hope that our generation can keep their stories and memories alive. My dad passed away from lung cancer in 2001.
my father told me terrible stories about being in the water. he was listed as mia until found on an island weeks later. i would love to hear any stories.
My Mothers Uncle (Donald Van Meter) was on board the Quincy the night it sank. Sadly he went down with the ship. I am trying to research my family's military history. Pam you mentioned that you had a picture taken aboard the Quincy. If you still have a copy available I would like to request one.
Hi Pam!
I'm just starting to dig into my fathers Naval past. His name was Arther Donald Cornelisse but he went by "Bud". He was a survivor of the sinking of the Quincy. He was injured and lost a kidney and he too didn't speak much about that day. He passes away in 1980 from kidney failure. Any pictures or information you have would be great!
My father (John Hebert, 18 at the time) was only in the water a few hours or less, I believe. He did say the ship was at a 45 degree angle when he reached the deck (he was in a boiler room when it was hit). He sat down and took off his heavy boots so he wouldn't sink, then walked down the deck until he reached water and swam away. He said he was more afraid of the sharks than the Japanese, so his plan was to swim to the island that was controlled by the Japanese. He said he started swimming away from the Quincy quickly because he was afraid of suction pulling him under when it sank. He was 100 or so yards out when it stood straight up (he said it looked like a sky scraper) rolled 180 degrees and slid very quietly into the water. He said he felt no suction, but quite some time later huge air bubbles came up.
I don't know the name of the ship that picked him up, but he was rescued from the water before he reached the island.
Pam, is it possible for me to see the picture?
I, too, think of the Quincy when I see the Titanic standing straight up, since that is how my father described it before it slid down.
My father was on the Quincy from the time she was commissioned until she was sunk. He never talked about the war, and he died in 1982. I'd love to see that picture.
