In 2012, the Hadley shipmates, friends and family gathered in Texas for their 19th reunion. One of the outings was a cruise on the famed San Antonio River Walk. Thirteen shipmates attended along with 50 others. Two river boats were needed to carry everyone from the Hadley crew. Tom English and Doug Aitken organized this and most of the previous …
Tom English gone but always remembered
by Jeff Veesenmeyer 28 February 2016 Tom English passed away last week. He was 89. Tom had struggled the past year from the effects of Bell’s Palsy. In his holiday letter, Tom wrote, “This year has not been a good one or even a great one. I have had several trips to the hospital…the only good thing …
New book includes Hadley battle at Okinawa
I met Ron MacKay at the LSM/LSMR Association Reunion in Buffalo. My father served on LSMR 411. Ron has authored the book “The U.S. Navy’s Interim LSMRs in WWII”. He shared the following excerpt from his book describing the scene on 11 May 1945 after the Hadley’s famous battle. Ensign Paul S. Vaitses, Jr., the Executive Officer aboard LSM(R) 193, …
Shipmate Ted Davis shares his memories
Hadley shipmate Ted Davis S1/c (Signalman) still has vivid memories of 11 May 1945. He was on the bridge of the Hadley that morning. When GQ was sounded Davis was told to go down and help pass 40mm ammo clips. When he reached the main deck he saw a Jap float plane heading straight for the base of the bridge. …
Kamikaze pilot’s documents have been translated
This document was found on the Kamikaze pilot who crashed into the Hadley. The translation printed alongside document is in quotes below. On 25 May 1945 a work party was sent down into flooded engine room of the Hadley. They were to recover the bodies of five shipmates. It had taken two weeks to patch the hull and pump …
Welcome to the USS Hadley blog
This new feature to our website will allow you to communicate with shipmates and their families. It is the perfect forum for anything related to the USS Hadley. You can post news about shipmates, make comments to blog posts, ask questions or learn what’s new on the website. The old dotcom website is pushing 20 years old. It has not …