A WWII story - Two Misses - & Two Misses

This is a very personal account, but so many years have passed, and since I seem to be the last man standing, it needs to be told. Unlike many war stories full of blood and gore and high courage, it’s just a simple story of two misses who made up the distaff side of two couples who survived the war unscathed and managed to lead long and happy lives. But the story of these two misses has a curious and fortunate twist – two other but different sorts of misses.

On February 2, 1945 after repair and upkeep, the carrier Franklin CV13, departed Puget Sound escorted by the destroyer Nicholson DD442. It was on its way to assist in the upcoming fierce battle of Okinawa and to take part if necessary in the invasion of the Japanese Islands. On their way out of the sound the Nicholson struck a log and had to return to the shipyard for minor repairs. She then sailed on to Pearl Harbor where I was taken aboard for my first at-sea duty assignment. At Okinawa the Franklin was beset by severe attacks from kamikazes, nearly sunk, and suffered enormous loss of life – nearly a thousand. They managed to stay afloat and returned under tow to the US with a skeleton crew of about 400. We aboard the Nicholson ‘missed’ that action even though we made it to Okinawa. Over 300 US Navy ships were sunk or damaged there. We were in harm’s way but came through safely, unlike the unlucky Franklin. I have often wondered what might have transpired if the Nicholson had stayed with the Franklin and what would have happened to me if I had been assigned to a different destroyer. These greyhounds were the primary targets of the air attacks.

The other miss had to do with Warren Cortiss’s service aboard the USS Emmons DD457. The Emmons, with Warren aboard, served with distinction in the Atlantic, taking part in D-Day landings and combat operations in the Mediterranean. In Late 1944 the Emmons returned to Boston for conversion to a high speed minesweeper (see the movie “Caine Mutiny” for activities and role of a duplicate ship). Warren, along with a third of the crew, were transferred off the ship and replaced by crew experienced in anti-mine warfare. He then went aboard the Alfred A. CunninghamDD752 and eventually deployed to the Western Pacific, but not to duties at Okinawa.

 If you followed the link on the Emmons you would have discovered that it was sunk by Japanese kamikazes shortly her arrival off Okinawa with the loss of nearly half the crew.

The two beautiful misses of this tale were and Ruth Flemons, wife of Warren and mother of their seven wonderful children, and Barbara Flemons, my lifelong companion of nearly 68 years. That’s their Canadian uncle Ralph Flemons standing between them.