Sailing As Before - Bremerton Washington

This is a bridge at Bremerton, Washington as the Clamour returned to port, as a Commissioned Naval vessel for the last time during World War II.






Lt. Smith










L. Zeke Zidek

R. unidentified







Harmer
Hammond
3rd unidentified
Prud'homme





L. unidentified

R. Chief Motor Machinist, Heitmann, Idaho







Chief Warrant Bos'n Collins









Henry (Hank) Wilder, Lt.

Thomas "Tom" Adams Smith, Lt. J.G.

all men in background unidentified

Sailing As Before - The Last Chapter - Post WWII Photos

Through the enormous kindness of Barbara Clyde, whose father,

Clyde Jordan

served aboard the U.S.S. Clamour,

new pictures of the ship are available at the weblog.

According to Robert Nielsen, the Clamour steamed into dry-dock in Seattle sometime in September of 1945. While at port, a draft of 20 seaman came on board. In charge of that group was Eisner, Radioman 3rd. Eisner is a member of the Rensie Watch making family. Another name he remembers is Jimmy (James) Joyce from Boston, Massachusetts. He had an older brother in the Navy, who was an air craft carrier sailor. Jimmy had been in the U.S. Merchant fleet and sailed on the SS Irragaway.

Also remembered: Donald E. Barnes, Sonar Tech 3rd, from Bakersfield, California. He had been in OCS at Pocatello Idaho and was tranfered into the seagoing Navy sometime in 1944. 

Another is Ernest Nunoz. quartermaster 1st., Striker and was in his mid-30s while serving on the Clamour. He hailed from San Pedro, California. He has a son named Chicki or Chikey (or another variant spelling).

Sailing As Before - Honolulu Hawaii

L. Color photo in Honolulu, Hawaii, taken early 1944

C. Bob Wiggins & Geo. Bryant

R. Honolulu, 1944


C. A Honolulu residence

R. Sears, Roebuck & Co. Honolulu, 1944

Sailing As Before - Captain Davis Newton Lott at 95 years of age

Photos of Davis Newton Lott, USNR

Sailing As Before

Until 10 June 2013, anyone could post to this 'blog without leaving an email address or any other way of contacting them. I must change this as the daughter of Stephen Land posted and left no way for me to thank her. I apologize if you want to say something about this site, but I must have a way to contact members of the Clamour Community.


Gordon Downer Goff, Sonarman, Sitka Alaska

Steve Land, Signalman (Georgia?)







William "Bill" Boyle, Texas
William "Willie" Warwick, New Birmingham, Alabama (sheriff in Tennessee - according to Robert C. Wilson)
Paul Rudolph Ryan, Biloxie, Mississippi -deceased according to Robert C. Wilson
Otto Wallis, Biloxi, Mississippi





Robert "Bob" Wiggins
Iowa
Signalman, 2nd class

Photo taken in Honolulu, Hawaii

Sailing As Before

Mitchell "Mitch" Harmer

Clare Hammond

not identified

William "Bill" Prud'homme







Lee Ruetz
Walter Jensen













Thomas "Tom" Adams Smith, Lt. J.G.

Henry "Hank" Wilder










Rufus David Temple

Jim (last name unknown)

Eugene "Gene" Sooter






Henry Wilder, Lt.


Jonathon Carver Goss, Lt. J.G.







Rodney "Rod" Hayman, Chief Electrician

Russel or Russell "Russ" Holland, Radioman

Robert "Bob" Dallaire, Paso Robles California, Signalman

Robert Columbus Wilson, Jr. - Beaumont, TX, Quartermaster (2nd class?)

I spoke with Rod Hayman on July 14, 2009. He sounded good and we chatted for a few minutes. He says he like to reminisce about those times and I'm grateful for that. After his service aboard the Clamour, he took "gyro school" in Seattle, Washington and served on a sub-tender, the Nerius (AS-17) after that. As a kid, Rod's parents owned a movie theater and Rod was a cineaste from an early age. He said one of his fondest memories of service was showing the movie, the Song of Bernadette in December of 1944. The Clamour was in port at Eniwetok and as this movie was most popular with members of a certain religion, other ships would pull alongside the Clamour to allow their sailors to enjoy the film. Rod had two movie projectors on the fantail and was able to show the film without interruption. That must have been a great treat for the sailors. Lastly I found a brief post about the U.S.S. Nerius. Pictures below is the U.S.S. Nerius, courtesy of Jim Santos.




U.S.S. Nerious in the foreground.

Rod Hayman.
A Brief Biography.

Rod spent his childhood in Grand Island, Nebraska. His father owned a movie theater. In February of 1943, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and went to boot camp in Idaho at the Farragut Naval Training Station. After his service aboard the Clamour, Rod went to "Gyro School" in Lake Union, near Seattle. He then served aboard the U.S.S. Nereus (AS-17, a sub-tender), which berthed out of Vallejo California. At last he was discharged in June of 1946, married Vivianne and settled down to raise a family.

Sailing As Before - Captain Lott discusses a Jap mine

The Clamour passed a glass float (used for fish net) and picked it up. Nielsen & Capt. Lott talk about it a little.

Embarkation - U.S.S. Clamour - AM 160

Call sign:
November - India - Victor - NovemberF 1-160

ex-AMc-137

Until 10 June 2013, anyone could post to this 'blog without leaving an email address or any other way of contacting them. I must change this as the daughter of Stephen Land posted and left no way for me to thank her. I apologize if you want to say something about this site, but I must have a way to contact members of the Clamour Community.

FROM THE ROUGH LOG

"SAILING AS BEFORE"

Here begins the photolog of pictures taken aboard the USS Clamour. The pictures were taken by Robert "Salty" Nielsen, Seaman First Class (you can contact Bob at saltynielsen-at-gmail- dot - com), who served on the Clamour from the time of the ship's commissioning until September (maybe October) 1945. Some photos were taken by the ship's captain, Davis Newton Lott, USNR.

The pictures were taken with a Certo Dollina camera. The camera was given to Bob by a high school classmate, Norman Merchant, in September of 1942. It has an f-stop of 4.5, quite large for it's day. Bob loaned it to his fellow sailors and there are approximately 45 photos, showing the crewmen.
As I write the words for this weblog (March 2009), Bob is now 83 years of age. His memory is sharp, but not perfect. Some of the pictures contain information that is "shakey". Sometimes he didn't know all the names of the people seen in these photographs.
From Wikipedia's Clamour entry you can learn about the mechanical features of the ship.
USS Clamour
USS Clamour (AM-160) was an Admirable-class minesweeper built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She was built to clear minefields in offshore waters, and served the Navy in the Pacific Ocean.

Haze Grey and Underway

U.S.S. Clamour   AM-160 Bremerton Washington
24 December 1942

She was launched 24 December 1942 by Willamette Iron and Steel Works, Portland, Oregon; commissioned 14 March 1944, Lieutenant Commander Davis Newton Lott, USNR, in command; and reported to the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

World War II Pacific Ocean operations
Clamour arrived at Pearl Harbor 22 May 1944, and made two voyages as convoy escort to Kwajalein and Eniwetok between that time and 11 September, when she cleared Pearl Harbor for continued escort duty based at Eniwetok. She guarded convoys to the Marianas, adding Ulithi to her ports of call in November, Tarawa, and Majuro in May 1945, and Iwo Jima in June. She sailed from Eniwetok for the last time 10 August, bound for overhaul at Bremerton, Washington.

Post-War Decommissioning
On 13 January 1946, she arrived at San Diego, California, where she was decommissioned 12 June 1946, and placed in reserve. On 7 February 1955 she was reclassified MSF-160. She was scrapped in 1959.

After WWII, Robert Nielsen plied his hand at a number of trades, eventually settling into surveying after trying drafting, hard rock mining (the iconographic hole in the side of the earth image), and raising a family. How he managed to hold onto these photographs is something of a mystery. Yet, here they are. Over time, I've posted a photo here or there and slowly, shipmates have contacted Robert. These "reunions" are often bittersweet as they contain fond memories of friendships and harrowing memories of wartime.

Bob and I have done our best to properly identify the names that go with the faces in these photographs. If you read this, and have photos from the Clamour, please leave a comment or email me. If you know of an error let me know that, too. I will endeavor to put more up about the history of this ship as it becomes available.



Here begins the War Diary for the U.S.S Clamour.
11 May 1944




All the names, ranks, home towns, are given from left to right and from front to back in these photos.
Below are:





L. - unidentified
Ray Bradshaw, Electrician's Mate
William "Bill" Winter, Electrician's Mate
Karl Heitmann,
Chief Motor Machinist
Idaho

Edward "Eddie" Drobnick

This photo is of (at the time) Lt. Commander Davis Newton Lott. He was promoted to the rank of Commander in September or October of 1944 and transfered to a staff post under Admiral Chester Nimitz. The new Captain's name is Lt. Cmndr. Malcolm D. Balbirnie, USN. (he was a Mustang). As I write this on March 12, 2009, Cap'n Lott is living in Marina del Rey, California.














Rufus David Temple



















Lt. Cmdr. Davis Newton Lott, down with the mumps



















Jonathan Carver Goss, Ensign and later Lt., J.G. (Lieutenant Junior Grade), Goss was from the West Coast.



















John Carver Goss appears to be sleeping peacefully.



















Henry (Hank) Wilder, Lt. Executive Officer
Shaker Heights, Ohio.
Last known to be living in Pasadena, CA





















Robert "Bob" Wiggins - Mason City, Iowa


George Bryant - Midlothian, Texas, sonarman 3rd Class





















Robert "Bob" Wiggins, signalman 1st Class


















William "Bill" Peyton - Oakland, California, Bos'n Mate 1st Class


Augustus John "Zeke" Zidek -- N.J. or Pennsylvania, Bos'n Mate 2nd Class


Thompson -- St. Louis - first name un-remembered, Cox'n
(or Bos'n Mate 3rd Class)











George Bryant, Midlothian Texas, Sonarman. Nielsen calls him the best Helmsman on the Clamour.










William "Bill" Boyle - Texas


Big Willie Warrick - New Birmingham, Alabama, cox'n


Paul Rudolph Ryan - Biloxie, Mississippi, cox'n


Otto "To" (said: toe) Wallis - Biloxie, Mississippi





Bernard "Bernie Ray" Langston - Sunny Valley, Tennessee, Carpenter's Mate 1st Class


Spence


2 unidentified






Left - Unidentified


William "Bill" Boyle - holding Evans


Evans, storekeeper


Right - Unidentified











Maximilio Gonzalez, Radioman 1st Class


Edward "Ed" Ricker, Radioman 3rd Class











James "Jim" Cronin, Watertender 2nd Class (pre-war sailor)


Denman "Dennie" Keith Dayton, Sonarman 3rd Class


Chief Warrant Machinist Wing












Sheeler, Seaman


Jesse Acosta, Seaman


Villalpando Seaman


Jesse V. Alcala Seaman




Walter "Walt" Bogdanski, Motormachinist 2nd Class


Joesph "Joe" Cox, Motormachinist 2nd Class


Mark Best Motormachinist, 1st Class and later Chief Machinist


Sorrel or Sorrell










Robert "Bob" Nielsen, Seaman


George Culley, Quartermaster, 2nd Class (pre-war sailor)

Theodore "Ted" Klemick, Seaman and later Q.M., 1st Class

Robert "Bob" Wilson, Seaman, later Q.M. 2nd.