Ghosts of the USS Yorktown
Page 10
“Guppy” stands for Greater Underwater Propulsion Power Program. This was initiated by the United States Navy after World War II in order to improve the speed, endurance and maneuverability of submarines.
Earlier in this book, “a gremlin in the freckle maker” was introduced. Although this particular paranormal entity was partial to diesel subs, I am sure there are similar creatures onboard every vessel in the United States Navy just waiting to initiate some young sailor. For the sake of this story told to me by my stepfather, we will focus on this particular creature and the havoc he wreaked on the unsuspecting sailor when he followed him into the freckle maker.
According to legend, gremlins are spirits similar to imps or poltergeists. Like the poltergeists, they have a knack for mischief. They are also mechanically inclined. Their sole purpose is to dismantle, dismember or destroy any piece of machinery that they can get their hands on.
Gremlins have been in existence ever since man created the first machine. It is a symbiotic existence that continues even to this date.
During World War I, gremlins began to make themselves known to pilots. This is why they are often associated with aeronautics and planes rather than ships. The spirits were originally believed to have had a great dislike for the British Royal Air Force and were accused of taking scissors to the wires and cables of biplanes.
During World War II, the creatures stuck with the Royal Air Force (RAF). The continued to wreak havoc on the aircraft and were especially hard on the men of the high-altitude Photographic Reconnaissance Units (PRU) of the RAF. The creatures were responsible for otherwise inexplicable accidents that sometimes occurred during flights. Gremlins were also thought to, at one point, be a form of paranormal sabotage by the enemy. That train of thought soon proved untrue when the Luftwaffe of Germany began complaining of kobolds, mischievous spirits that attacked their aircraft.
Although the gremlins have long been associated with aircraft in modern times, their origins actually go back much further, to the German kobolds. The Klabautermann is a spirit from the beliefs of fishermen and sailors of Germany’s north coast, the Netherlands and the Baltic Sea. The German belief in the Klabautermann dates back to at least the 1770s. According to these legends, Klabautermanns live on ships and are generally beneficial to the crew. The creatures are thought to be especially resourceful in times of danger and helpful in preventing the ship from sinking.
The Klabautermann’s benevolent behavior lasts as long as the captain and his crew treat the creature courteously and respectfully. A Klabautermann will not leave its ship until it is on the verge of sinking with no chance of salvation. Because of this belief, superstitious sailors in the nineteenth century demanded that others pay the German gremlins respect. There are accounts that one captain actually created a place for his ship’s gremlin in his cabin and offered the spirit the best food and drink on board. On the opposite end, there is an account of a crew that threw its captain overboard for denying the existence of the ship’s Klabautermann. They are easily offended, and when they are angered, they turn to mischief. This may lead to the German gremlin revealing itself. If the gremlin reveals itself to a single sailor, that sailor will die, but if it reveals itself to an entire crew then the ship is doomed.
So gremlins have been associated with ships long before the airplane was even invented.
Often times, a gremlin will attach himself to a new and inexperienced sailor. This is because any mischief the spirit causes will inevitably be blamed on the sailor and his ineptness. This is true for all vessels, including subs.
One of the favorite tricks of the gremlin is to follow the new sailor or submariner to the restroom. When duty calls, the spirit makes sure he is available.
The toilet, or head, aft of the torpedo room on a diesel sub such as the Clamagore, was one of their favorite places to lay in wait for a new shipmate. The reason was that this particular head was operated by an air expulsion valve. It was the only head operated in this manner. All shipmates were given instruction in the operation of this piece of machinery. It was a simple three-step process.
The gremlins would usually wait until an operation entitled “blowing sanitaries” was in effect. This was when the sub was pressurizing its septic system and expelling its waste at sea. All heads were marked with a sign marked “blowing sanitaries” in order to inform all personnel that the operation was in progress.
The gremlins would inevitably remove the sign from the head, aft of the torpedo room.
This was what gave this particular head the nickname the “freckle maker.” More than once, a young sailor has been standing in that head and pulled the green handle while the vessel was blowing sanitaries. The result was a pressurized release of all materials in that line. The pressurized waste materials would inevitably result in the addition of moist brown freckles to the sailor’s appearance…and also to the entire head.
But that was not the worst that could happen.
The gremlins were very much in control of removing the warning sign, but they could not control what action the sailor would take once inside the head. There was only one of two directions that the sailor could be guided by Mother Nature. The gremlins truly enjoyed a good standing performance but what they really desired and relished was a seated one.
The reason behind their pleasure in a seated performance was quite simple. It was a much greater pay-off for their hard work. A seated sailor made a seal upon the seat. When undersea, the blowing sanitaries procedure took several hundred pounds of pressurized air. Although the buttocks-to-seat seal may contain the majority of freckles, it would often result in the unsuspecting sailor being launched—literally—from his perch at the pull of the big green handle.
The USS Laffey (DD-724). Courtesy of KOP.
Battle damage to the USS Laffey, “The Ship That Would Not Die.” Courtesy of Patriots Point.
A gremlin in the freckle maker was never a pleasant experience for the victim, but it sure entertained the victim’s shipmates—and also the gremlin—whenever blowing sanitaries took place.
THE USS LAFFEY (DD-724): THE SHIP THAT WOULD NOT DIE
The USS Laffey (DD -724) was named after Medal of Honor recipient Seaman Bartlett Laffey. Bartlett Laffey, an Irishman by birth, enlisted in the United States Navy on March 17, 1862. On March 5, 1864, during the Civil War, Seaman Laffey was assigned to the gunboat USS Marmora when the Confederates launched a heavy attack on Union positions at Yazoo City, Mississippi.
In the midst of battle and under heavy enemy fire, Seaman Laffey landed a twelve-pound howitzer and her crew. Despite excessive enemy rifle fire, which cut up the howitzer’s gun carriage and severed her rammer, Laffey never abandoned his post. He remained with his gun and thus contributed greatly to repelling the fierce Confederate assault. Seaman Laffey received the Medal of Honor for his actions.
In World War II, the USS Laffey would live up to her namesake, and in the heat of battle, she too would not abandon her position, despite a tremendous Japanese onslaught. On April 16, 1945, she was on radar picket station 1, about thirty miles north of Okinawa, Japan. That day she became the target of a massive airstrike of Japanese bombers and kamikazes. Although the USS Laffey shot down eleven of the attacking enemy aircraft, five kamikazes made direct strikes on the ship. Three bombs also struck her, and two others detonated close enough to her to inflict damage. Of her 336-man crew, 32 were killed and 71 were wounded.
In the midst of the battle, Captain F. Julian Becton was asked by the Laffey’s assistant communications officer if he thought they would have to abandon ship. Becton’s response was a harsh, “No! I’ll never abandon ship as long as a gun will fire.” Although nearly crippled, the USS Laffey, like her namesake, never fled or abandoned her position, earning her the nickname “The Ship That Would Not Die.”
THE MEDAL OF HONOR MUSEUM
In October 1993, the Medal of Honor Museum opened at Patriots Point on the USS Yorktown. The museum honors those who have received this country�
�s highest military decoration. Since it was established in July 1862, during the Civil War, the requirements for such an honor have been:
Conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against any enemy of the United States; while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party.
The Medal of Honor Museum at Patriots Point. Courtesy of KOP.
The Medal of Honor Museum has quickly become one of the Charleston area’s greatest attractions. It serves to remind all of us that freedom is not and never has been free. It teaches us the cost to obtain our freedom starting with the American Revolutionary War, and it also teaches us what the price continues to be to maintain it through the centuries, even through today’s War on Terror. The price was paid by the sacrifices of our military personnel, their families and those patriotic American heroes, like Seaman Bartlett Laffey, honored here in this exhibit.
Our youth today are bombarded by the so-called idols and heroes of the sports and entertainment industry that teach them that self-indulgence and personal gain are the objectives of life. The Patriots Point Education Center and exhibits such as the Medal of Honor Museum show them that there is a different type of hero, one who strives to serve a higher calling for a larger goal at the price of self-sacrifice. It teaches them the meaning of valor and that valor knows no age limit.
As a young student, it is awe-inspiring to know that a true hero was a thirteen-year-old drummer in the Civil War who refused to lay down his drum and inspired his troop onward, or that the most decorated hero in World War II received all his awards for acts that he committed all before he turned twenty-one.
During World War II, Audie Murphy became this country’s most decorated soldier when he distinguished himself “above and beyond the call of duty” by personally destroying six tanks, in addition to killing over 240 German soldiers and wounding and capturing many others. He received U.S. military decorations that not only included the Medal of Honor but also the Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver Stars, the Legion of Merit, two Bronze Stars with Valor and three Purple Hearts. Murphy participated in campaigns in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France and Germany, as denoted by his European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one silver battle star (denoting five campaigns), four bronze battle stars, plus a bronze arrowhead representing his two amphibious assault landings at Sicily and southern France. During the French Campaign, Murphy was awarded two Presidential Citations.
The French government also awarded Murphy its Chevalier of the Legion of Honor. He also received two Croix de guerre medals from France and the Croix de guerre 1940 Palm from Belgium. Murphy was also awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge.
And he accomplished all this before he turned twenty-one.
Perhaps among the students that tour the USS Yorktown there is a future recipient of the Medal of Honor whose actions were inspired by what was learned on a school field trip.
CONCLUSION
According to Patriots Point records, 141 men lost their lives while serving on the USS Yorktown. Many have had experiences that lead them to believe that perhaps some of the personnel continue to serve onboard the ship or engage in battles long past. If that is true then it truly speaks of the dedication, determination and commitment that those individuals possessed, a dedication that spans eternity.
The claims of paranormal experiences onboard the USS Yorktown have been around ever since she arrived at Patriots Point. The incidents that have occurred in the presence of staff and visitors alike have been collected here and presented to you, the reader, to accept or dismiss. Whether you choose to believe in the paranormal aspect of the USS Yorktown or feel that perhaps this is a case of another author “blowing sanitaries” and sending a lot of pressurized fecal material your way, you must admit that the history behind the hauntings must be preserved for future generations to experience, enjoy and learn from.
Case in point:
This is the fourth book I have had the privilege of working on with my youngest daughter as photographer. Our visit together to the USS Yorktown stands out far above any of the other experiences we have shared on any of the other projects. Quite fittingly, the aircraft carrier will now always be the site of her first flight as we photographed the Fighting Lady from a helicopter high above her. It is a moment we shared and will never forget.
Photographer Kayla Orr in helicopter over the USS Yorktown at Patriots Point. Courtesy of author.
As we explored the enormous vessel together, we interacted with each other over every exhibit as we traversed the decks with history uniting us. The ship not only served as a bridge to where my generation and hers could meet in the middle, but it also served as a time machine that transported us back to when my father served our country and it gave me an opportunity to speak to her about the grandfather she barely knew. My father lied about being eighteen in order to get into the United States Navy at the end of World War II and ended up on diesel subs. A lot has changed since 1945 and 2012 when my eighteen-year-old daughter—his granddaughter—photographed the last Guppy III diesel sub in existence from the deck of the Yorktown at Patriots Point. Even though sixty-seven years stood between those two eighteen-year-old teenagers, I saw my old man’s ghost when I looked in my daughter’s eyes that day. The vast sea of time was crossed in one afternoon, and three generations were united by the phantoms of Patriots Point and the ghosts of the USS Yorktown.
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