U.S.S. Columbia CL-56
OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE
U.S.S. COLUMBIA CL-56 ASSOCIATION, INC.
The
USS COLUMBIA CL-56 ASSOCIATION, INC. is a non-profit organization whose fiscal
year begins on January 1st of each year and ends on December 31st. Dues are
$15.00 per year for men who served on the "GEM" and $10.00 per year
for ASSOCIATE MEMBERS, SONS and DAUGHTERS and anyone else who may want to join
(Widows of men who served on the "GEM" pay no dues). Newsletters are
mailed three times a year. At this time we have over 400 members.
This site last updated
February 23, 2010
NEW…71 Officers photo
taken December 28, 1943 at Tulagi
NOW HERE THIS: Our 2010 Reunion will be
Oct. 20 – 23 in Tampa, Florida
Click on “2010
REUNION” for details.
· SWORD PRESENTATION 2007
· MONUMENT
· OFFICERS
· BOOKS, DVD "Inside Ten
Days"
ASSOCIATION
OFFICER'S
President:
James Walzer, 2687 Hastings Lane, The Villages, FL 32162 walzer8@cs.com
Vice
President: Greg Shooner, 1772 Jeffery Road, Oregonia, OH 45054 gregandmary4@embarqmail.com
Treasurer:
Margery Gauger, 5275 N. Bronco Terrace, Beverly Hills, FL 34465-0275, margegauger@tampabay.rr.com
Ass't
Treasurer: Sonya Weiss, 13631 Catbird Drive, Ft. Meyers, FL 33908-5805 slong@edison.edu
Corr.
Sect: Freida Williams, P.O. Box 729-1422 Carnation Dr., Dunedin, FL 34697-0729 sailinggranny23@aol.com
News
Letter Editor: James Walzer, 2687
Hastings Lane, The Villages, FL 32162 walzer8@cs.com
Membership
and Publicity: William Bohne 248 Worrell Drive, Springfield, PA 19064-2633 usncl56@cs.com
APPOINTED
Sympathy:
Margery Gauger, 5275 N Bronco Terrace, Beverly Hills, FL 34465-0275 margegauger@tampabay.rr.com
Data
Base Backup: Nancy Walzer: 2687 Hastings Lane, The Villages, FL 32162
Web
Master: James Walzer: 2687 Hastings
Lane, The Villages, FL 32162
walzer8@cs.com
The
following shipmates were remembered during memorial services at the 2009
reunion.
Arthur
S. Byrd, Sidney G. Carr, Lindsey H. Clements, Cecil G. Cline, William T. Cole, Ted L. DeCroff, James B. Gosnell, Chad Hunter,
Joseph
Leab, Clement J. LeBeau, Lane C. Lee, Orville Montgomery, Homer Robinett, Warren Shilow, Manual Silva, Keith W. Smith,
Chester
Starrett, Russell D. Truedson, Roy Withers
2009
Reunion pictures:
Joyce & Tony
Al Riippi
George Henry & Tony Cerrone
George Shannon
Eugene Lammert
Steve Wartelsky
Men at SC Confederate Relic Room & Military Museum
USS Columbia men at Monument, SC
The
USS Columbia slid down the ways and into the Delaware River at Camden, NJ on
Dec. 17, 1941
OFFICIALLY
CREDITED 29 July 1942 - 2 Sept. 1945
The
COLUMBIA is officially credited with the following:
1.
Destruction of 27 planes.
2.
Assisting in the sinking 1 Cruiser and 1 Destroyer at the BATTLE OF EMPRESS
AUGUSTA BAY and 2 Battleships, 1 Cruiser and 1 Destroyer at the BATTLE OF
SURIGAO STRAITS.
3.
Participation in 9 shore bombardments.
The
men of the Columbia were awarded approximately 170 Purple Hearts. The Battle
record and history of the U.S.S. COLUMBIA 1942 - 1945 page 45 lists 60 men
killed or missing. Page 46 list 1Air Medal, 2 Navy Cross, 2 Leg. of Merit, 1
Silver Star, 10 Letters of Comm., and 18 Bronze Stars awarded.
SEA CLASSICS magazine December 1988 “HAIL COLUMBIA!: The Fightingest Light
Cruiser of WW11”
BACK TO THE INDEX
2007
SWORD PRESENTATION
USS
COLUMBIA CL-56 ANNUAL SWORD PRESENTATION MADE BY Rich Gary
Representing
the USS Columbia CL-56 Association, Rich Gary presents "The Columbia
Sword" to MIDN Thomas H. Wright at the Tri Service Ceremony at the
University of South Carolina. The men and women of the NROTC Unit have worked
very hard to earn a commission in the Navy and Marine Corps in order to serve
our great country.
USS
Columbia CL-56 Sword Presentation
BACK TO THE INDEX
2010
REUNION will be in Tampa, Florida
(October 20 thru 23) This
will be our 26th reunion.
You must reserve
your own rooms.
200 Stoneridge
Dr. Columbia, SC 29210
Make checks
payable to: Embassy Suites, Hotel Columbia
Cost: $127. Per
night includes breakfast AND Manager’s 2 hour cocktail party each day.
More details
will be in the July newsletter.
BACK TO THE INDEX
SHIP
PICTURES
USS COLUMBIA CL-56 COLUMBIA BOW MIDSHIP STERN N2443B
MONUMENT
MONUMENT FRONT MONUMENT REAR MONUMENT UPPER REAR CENTER JACKSTAFF PLAQUE
The USS
COLUMBIA CL-56 MONUMENT is located in MEMORIAL PARK, in the city of Columbia,
S.C.
DIVISIONS
(more to come)
1st Division ................. 4th Division................ L Division.......... ...... R Division
3rd Division............... 5th Division............... F Division.................. N Division
OFFICERS
Officers Dec. 28,1943....... 71 Officers.......... Officers Jan. 30,1944....... 31 Officers on stern
More Divisions
3rd Div Feb. 1944.. . Marine Div 6 1945 ...............E Division ............... F Division on
stern
NEW 3rd Division typed names from
signatures.doc
New
Pictures
Unknown Divisions
group
2 .............
group
4 .................
group
6 .............
group 11 Officers
Other Pictures
First sea burial ............ 16 bearded men.......... Boxing team..... ..... Baseball team
BOOKS
"Blue
Book" Battle History of the U.S.S. COLUMBIA: This is a reprint of the
original battle history book. Color cover and 87 pages of text with great black
and white pictures. Last published 60 years ago, this book may never be printed
again. Cost is $16. each includes shipping. Make
check payable to (USS COLUMBIA
CL-56 Association) and mail to:
Marge Gauger 5275 N. Bronco Terrace, Beverly Hills, FL 34465.
The WAR CRUISES of
U.S.S. COLUMBIA by Captain Carry Hall, USN (Ret.) This book was first published
in 1987 and contains his personal recollections and some augmentations by
shipmates. It is dedicated to Rear Admiral Maurice E. Curts, USN 1898-1976, our
Captain, 1944-1945. It is 110 pages (8 1/2 x 11), mostly text. It is a great
supplement to the "Blue Book", and a must read for anyone interested
in a first hand account of the war cruises of the USS Columbia CL-56. At this
time the Association has no copies available but we may have in the future. Cost is $10. Each. Make check payable to (USS COLUMBIA CL-56 Association) and mail to: Marge Gauger 5275 N. Bronco
Terrace, Beverly Hills, FL 34465.
KAMIKAZE NIGHTMARE
by Ron Burt, This book is about Rons brother Pete Burt who served aboard the
USS Ommaney Bay. After he was forced to abandon his ship, he was taken aboard
the USS Columbia. A kamikaze strike on the Columbia nearly took Petes life. 218
pages, black and white pictures, including pictures of the Columbia being hit
at 1730 hours, Jan. 6, 1945. Purchase directly from: Ron Burt, 4817 Eider
Drive, Corpus Christi, TX, 78413. Cost is $15
each. includes next day S&H.
THE BATTLE OF LEYTE
GULF by Adrian Stewart
THE BATTLE OF LEYTE
GULF by C. Vann Woodward
DECISION AT LEYTE
by Stanley Falk
EAGLE AGAINST THE
SUN by Ronald Spector
DVD "Inside
Ten Days" A tribute to the men of the USS Columbia CL-56 by Carl David
Adams. This tribute to Carl's uncle Calvin D. Adams and the men of the Columbia
was presented for the first time in public at the Saturday night banquet in
Portland, OR on Sept. 16, 2006. The video tells the story of Calvins last visit
home to see his family and fiancée Alma Lee Scroggins. It also tells the
story of the making of the song "Inside Ten Days" which can be found
on the website WWW.insidetendays.com. The site also allows for purchase of the
song and or video. The video shows the kamikaze crashing into the Columbia
killing Calvin and others on January 9, 1945. Calvin was 19 years young. DVD
NOT available at this time.
·
"Columbia was
decommissioned in September, 1946, at Philadelphia where it all started in
1942. In 1959 she was sold to Boston Metals Co. of Baltimore for $188, 888.87
and scrapped at the Sun Shipbuilding Co., Chester, PA. Sixty men lost their
lives serving their country on board USS COLUMBIA. Our ship lives only in the
memories of old men. We can all be proud of what was and will never be
again." Capt. Cary Hall, USN
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