U.S.S. Clamour

Victory Sweep by D.N. Lott

2010-08-08T09:58:00.000-07:00

While perusing the Internet for something more to Clamour about, I found some more writings of Captain Davis Newton Lott. These three (3) pages from Our Navy appear through the generoisity of Joseph Radigan. Mr. Radigan asked that his work be accredited and before I present them, here is that accreditation:

This page created and maintained by Joseph M. Radigan
© 2006 Joseph M. Radigan © 1996 - 2006 NavSource Naval History. All Rights Reserved.

14 March 1944 The U.S.S. Clamour is Commissioned

2009-07-21T15:43:00.000-07:00

I received these photos from Rod Hayman. In the photo on the left, Hayman is standing, at the top leftmost part of the photo, in the back row.

In the photo on the right, he is in the left row, at the back.

Sailing As Before

2009-07-15T13:03:00.000-07:00

Picture of Robert "Salty" Nielsen, taken May 13, 2006 at Café du Village, Larchomont Village, Los Angeles, California. Larchmont Blvd. is a hang-out for the show business crowd.

July 21, 2009, Bob recalls the "call sign" for the Clamour is SAKE-ZERO.

Sailing As Before - Time Magazine & Chilean Society Belles

2009-06-28T13:29:00.000-07:00

I came across a letter to the editor of Time Magazine from Lt. Commander Lott. The text of the letter and response from Time's editors follow and then a screen shot of the 'internet' version of the page from the magazine in 1944.

All the women mentioned are Society Belles from Chile.

Monday, Jul. 17, 1944

Minesweepers' Favorites

Sirs:

Your six photos in TIME'S Pacific Pony (June 5) have sparked the fuse of an intra-ship civil war.

Today, 29 days out of San Francisco, we dropped the hook. Not long ago this spot was Jap-held. And yet an hour ago we boated ashore, picked up our bulging sack of precious mail, pulled out your Pony—the first of its kind to be seen by any of my crew of 92 fresh-caught enlisted men and officers—and the fireworks began.

The relative, though undeniable, beauty of the six Santiago society belles was argued pro & con, hither & yon until the entire crew—officers and men alike—were lobbying for their candidate. Pressure group opposed pressure group until, to avert a blowup, I was forced to hold a secret ballot. The result:

Maria Luisa Correa Larrain 30 The Robles Entry 23 Olivia Bunster Saavedra 19 Sylvia Gonzalez Rodriguez [and] Elinor Poudensan Vasquez a dead heat, 14 each

The polls have just closed, and I have just now counted the ballots. Yet, even as I write this, I am beset by loud cries of foul play. The biggest beef (from the losers) is that the smallness of the pictures, plus the loss of detail inevitable in lithographic reproduction, has shown the winner to ad vantage, the losers to disadvantage.

In short, how in hell can I get the original glossies to satisfy this bunch of minesweeping extroverts once & for all?

D. N. LOTT Lieut. Commander U.S.S. Clamour c/o F.P.O. San Francisco

¶ To silence the Clamour's clamor, glossy prints are on the way to Lott's lot.—ED.

Lott's reference to Time's "pony" was an advertisement free "cut down" version of Time. It measured about 8 inches by 4 inches. I've included a facsimile image, below.

Sailing As Before

2009-04-17T11:26:00.000-07:00

Peyton

Thompson

Laying down: Zidek

Sailing As Before - Bremerton Washington

2009-03-26T09:31:00.001-07:00

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 - Honolulu Hawaii

2009-03-22T11:10:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-20T12:59:00.000-07:00

Photos of Davis Newton Lott, USNR

Sailing As Before

2009-03-18T16:06:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-17T09:26:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-15T18:28:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-10T12:56:00.000-07:00

Call sign:
November - India - Victor - November

CLAMOUR
MSF 1-160
ex-AMc-137

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, 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.

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.

U.S.S. Clamour

Victory Sweep by D.N. Lott

14 March 1944 The U.S.S. Clamour is Commissioned

Sailing As Before

Sailing As Before - Time Magazine & Chilean Society Belles

Sailing As Before

Sailing As Before - Bremerton Washington

Sailing As Before - Honolulu Hawaii

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

Sailing As Before

Sailing As Before

Sailing As Before - Captain Lott discusses a Jap mine

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

CLAMOURMSF 1-160ex-AMc-137

CLAMOUR
MSF 1-160
ex-AMc-137