NWSA Historian
CDR Don Cruse, USN RET  
(Memories From Donald A. Cruse)
 

NWSA HISTORIAN’S REPORT FOR 2004-2005

Also see: NWSA HISTORIAN'S REPORT FOR 2004-2005
Also see: NWSA HISTORIAN’S REPORT FOR 2005-2006
Also see: OCEAN WEATHER SHIPS 1940-1980
Also See: LCDR ROBERT F. FREEMAN, USN (Ret), NWSA President 1981-1982
Also See: NWSA Historian COMMENTS May 2007
Also See: NWSA Historian COMMENTS August 2007
 

MILWAUKEE IN SEPTEMBER?

Our NWSA members are hearing this question more often as our 34^th Annual Reunion approaches.  How did our reunion planners manage to flip the calendar and set up for an autumn reunion instead of our usual May or June dates?  It is a long story with a happy ending.

When we assembled in Atlantic City for NWSA30 in June of 2004, we were greeted with this unsettling news:  The NWSA Regional Chapter that earlier had bid for and won the bid for NWSA31 had withdrawn their bid.  This led to the sounding of General Quarters.  After a considerable amount of flapping and flailing by all hands, Potomac Chapter caucused and voted to host NWSA31 in Branson.  That took care of the immediate problem but left residual concerns, such as, “What should we do to deal with the underlying problem?”

The underlying problem was the increasing reticence among NWSA Regional Chapters to step forward and act as hosts for annual reunions.  The causes for this situation were obvious.  In fact, we have one member out on the left coast who firmly believes that NWSA itself should be decommissioned.

One suggested solution was to commercialize future reunions, an option that seemed to be compatible with the proliferation of for-profit military reunion planners.  However, we had no experience with outsourcing our business; and we had all heard scare stories about high costs associated with that industry.  It was therefore decided to acquire some knowledge by experimenting.

  NWSA President Tom Miovas took action during our May 2005, NWSA31/Branson reunion to appoint a Reunion Planning Committee.  That committee was charged with identifying reunion sites for 2006, 2007 (Dick Ward) and 2008 (Bill Ziebell).  An additional charge was to outsource one reunion for evaluation purposes.  Instead of fearing the high costs connected with outsourcing, our NWSA members needed to have first-hand knowledge before making a comparison .. and perhaps later a decision.

By offering to host NWSA32 in Pittsburgh , Tom and Maryann Miovas provided the new committee with breathing room.  The Reunion Planning Committee then concentrated its attention on #33 and #34.  The ensuing year proved once again that NWSA members could deal with uncertainties and still remain friends.  Hectic telephone calls and email exchanges of information finally resulted in a surprise solution to #33.  Northwest Regional Chapter stepped forward with a bid which was accepted by NWSA members during NWSA32/Pittsburgh.  However, this left one question still to be dealt with:  Could NWSA successfully outsource a reunion to a commercial reunion company?

Armed Forces Reunions, Inc. is located in Norfolk VA.   Marty Nemcosky reported that their staff seemed to be easy to work with during the 2005-2006 search period.  Therefore, AFRI was asked to shift attention from #33 and work toward reunion #34.  Bill Ziebell suggested an Oktoberfest theme at a location near his home; and AFRI went to work on that idea.

NWSA33/Everett was an outstanding reunion in a beautiful part of this U.S.A. that we live in.  During the membership meetings in Everett , future reunion bids were received and approval voted.  Southeast Regional Chapter will host NWSA35 during 2009.  Lone Star Regional Chapter will host NWSA36 during 2010.  Happily, these arrangements will provide sufficient time for membership to receive and digest the commercialized NWSA34/Waukesha reunion results.

Waukesha is in the western suburbs of Milwaukee .  The original idea of Oktoberfest, as put forth by Reunion Planning Committee member Ziebell, had to be modified from October to September, 2008.  There was concern that October could be too cold for comfort.  NWSA President Peter Wiegand made that decision when he became our primary POC working with AFRI.  As you probably expected, other adjustments to our normal NWSA business calendar have been made to accommodate the unusual reunion month of September.

At this time, a volunteer committee is working with Peter Wiegand to fill gaps in our Waukesha reunion program where the AFRI contract does not provide.  A few logistical matters such as joe cups and reunion caps are receiving attention.  Be sure to put NWSA34/Waukesha on your personal calendar for 09-13 September and I’ll look be seeing you there.         CDR Don Cruse USN RET

NAVAL AVIATION ASHORE IN WWII

For Aerologists and Aerographers who saw the U.S. Navy expand quickly and drastically during 1942, it was apparent that we were only a small cog in the Naval Aviation machine.  Administrators were hard put to keep up with developments.  The sudden need for Aerological support required expanded training at NAS Lakehurst and at the Newman School in Lakewood , New Jersey .  Tremendous expansion of the shore establishment was quickly undertaken to handle all the new training planes and flight students.

Working with the aviation division of BuDocks, BuAer planned to increase the number of Primary training Naval Reserve Air Bases, continue the expansion of Pensacola and Corpus Christi, and establish seven new Operational training bases to augment those in Florida at Jacksonville, Banana River, Miami and Key West.

Some of the prewar NRAB missions were changed while others moved due to their size and air traffic conflicts.  NRAB Philadelphia moved to Horsham , PA (renamed Willow Grove in early 1943), NRAB Long Beach moved to Los Alamitos , CA , NRAB Seattle moved to Pasco , WA , and NRAB Kansas City moved to Olathe , KS .  NRAB Atlanta’s mission was changed to a school for instrument training and Link trainer instruction in June 1942.

To accommodate the planned load of 2,500 Primary students per month and 3,000 training aircraft, seven new NRABs and approximately 100 outlying fields were built in 1942.  The Primary training bases and the dates they became usable were:  Los Alamitos, 1 June; Norman OK, 28 July; Peru (Bunker Hill) IN, 1 July; Memphis TN , 15 September; Pasco , 31 July; Olathe , 1 October and Hutchinson KS , 27 October.  Two other Pimary bases at Ottumwa IA and Livermore CA were completed in early 1943.

NAS Pensacola and Corpus Christi complexes were expanded to six major outlying fields, with each station handling an expected peak load of 3,500 students and 1,400 training aircraft.  At Pensacola , Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Bronson Field was completed in September and dedicated 18 November 1942.  Its PBY training seaplane facility was completed two months later.  NAAS Barin Field with its two fields was dedicated on 12 December 1942.  NAAS Whiting Field, the largest of the Pensacola bases, built around two complete training fields—North and South—was completed in June 1943 and dedicated on 16 July.  At Corpus Christi , NAAS Kingsville, the only training field not named for a Naval Aviator, was dedicated on 4 July 1942.  In addition, NAAS Waldron Field and NAAS Chase Field were dedicated in April and June of 1943, respectively.

Seven new Operational training facilities in Florida (NAS Fort Lauderdale, Melbourne , Sanford , Deland, Vero Beach , Lake City and Daytona Beach ) were operating by late 1942 and were expected to handle a total of 1,900 students.  NAS Jacksonville, Miami , Banana River and Key West were expected to handle 1,600 pilots collectively.

The Civilian Pilot Training Program, 1942

An important prewar program that provided screened and semi-qualified students in the flight training pipeline was the Civilian Pilot Training Program.  CPT had proved its worth to both the Army and Navy air services by providing cadets who experienced 75 percent less attrition than those with no previous flying experience.  This program was the major source of new Aviation Cadets until the preflight schools started graduating students in late summer. 

Beginning in July 1942, the CPT accelerated its program to provide preliminary training to 20,000 pilots a year in 92 schools and colleges.  Still more civilian than military, CPT resources were absorbed into the military in November 1942; and on 15 December BuPers placed all cadets assigned to Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA)  training on active duty.  Four days later, the Civilian Pilot Training Program’s name was changed to the War Training Service (WTS) program, and the Navy became directly involved in directing its operations.

Primary Flight Training

The new flight training program was officially implemented on 15 May, 1942.  During the transition period, flight students continued to be trained under the prewar program.

The preflight classes started in April 1942, and graduates reached the Primary bases by mid-August.  On 28 August, Elimination Training was officially discontinued at NRABs, and Primary training began.  Some E-bases had implemented the new program as early as March.

Sixteen NRABs were used initially for Primary flight training:  Glenview, Dallas , Grosse Ile, St. Louis , Minneapolis , Squantum, New Orleans , Los Alamitos, Hutchinson , Livermore , Pasco , Ottumwa , Memphis , Olathe , Bunker Hill and Norman .

Enlisted Pilots

An important source for pilots during the war was the enlisted men of the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.  Shortly before the United States ’ entry into WWII, the number of Naval Aviation Pilots (NAP) had increased and were actively employed in carrier and other tactical units throughout the fleet.  NAPs fought in all the 1942 carrier engagements and the Guadalcanal campaign.  The sea services recognized the need for experienced men as officers on the ground as well as in the air and began providing temporary commissions and Naval Aviator designations to NAPs.  This commissioning accelerated as the war progressed, continuing until 1 September 1946.

Enlisted men aspiring to fly volunteered, were screened by a selection board and entered the traditional way through the NAP Training Program at Pensacola .  Those selected attended an academic refresher school and then entered flight training in preflight school.  In late 1942, BuPers announced that all enlisted men eligible for flight training were also eligible for V-12 and Aviation Cadet training leading to a commission, provided they were unmarried and high school graduates.  Non-high school graduates completed the NAP Training Program.  As NAPs, they could be commissioned later if they requested it and were recommended by their commanding officer.  From 1941 to VJ Day, 2,179 enlisted Naval Aviation Pilots were designated in the Training Command.

From “The Hook”                  CDR Don Cruse USN RET

Information from Aerograph, 2005

Of the many activities on our Historian’s desk, there is one we have not publicized via the annual reporting medium. Since it consumes a significant proportion of my time, you deserve to learn more about it. I refer to

the refurbishment of various shipboard Aerological Offices located in museum ships, and the involvement of NWSA.

If we were to begin a round-robin journey from New England clockwise around the coastal United States, focusing on the numerous large museum ships with Aerological Offices, we would begin with USS MASSACHUSETTS (BB-59) in Fall River, MA. To my knowledge, there is no effort underway to refurbish the space in that ship which functioned as the Aerological Office when a flag unit was embarked. The same applies to the USS INTREPID (CV-11) Air & Space Museum. INTREPID is moored in New York City, her location on the Hudson River is convenient, and she is extremely popular with tourists.

Not far away are USS NEW JERSEY (BB-62) and USS WISCONSIN (BB-64). One is moored on the Delaware River in Camden NJ and the other is alongside the Nautilus Museum in Norfolk, VA. So far as I know, there is no effort being made to open the Aerological Offices in these vessels to the public. There is, however, some budding interest within the METOC community in Norfolk. We hope this interest continues to bloom.

USS YORKTOWN (CV-10) is ballasted down into the mud of the Cooper River as part of the Patriot’s Point Museum in Mount Pleasant SC. That location is across the river from Charleston, a major tourist attraction if there ever was one. But in YORKTOWN the public does not have access to the Aerological Office. The same comment can be made about the USS ALABAMA (bb-60), which is part of a military museum layout in Mobile AL. After lying in the Mississippi River across from New Orleans for several years, USS CABOT (CVL-28) has gone to the ship breakers. USS ORISKANY (CV-34) is moored in Pensacola on a commercial pier while awaiting a tow out to sea where she will be scuttled to form a deepwater reef.

USS LEXINGTON (CV-16) has been made accessible to the public in Corpus Christi TX but there is thus far no effort to open the Aerological Office to the public. We find that the opposite is true, fortunately, with the USS MIDWAY (CV-41), now that she has found her place alongside Navy Pier in San Diego. There is an excellent prospect for MIDWAY’S Aerological Office (undoubtedly referred in the new NAVY as “METRO”) to be refurbished. Working parties can take a lesson from the excellent job which was done in USS HORNET (CV-12), where the public is welcomed to a smart, clean working space. One drawback which impacts the HORNET Museum is its relatively inaccessible location among the reserve fleet vessels at former Naval Air Station Alameda.  Members of NWSA were able to assist significantly with the job in HORNET by providing books and weather
charts.

You may ask, “What about USS IOWA (BB-61), and what has become of her?” Nothing has so far come of the efforts centered in San Francisco to moor IOWA on the waterfront where the Bethlehem Steel shipyard used to be. Hence, IOWA remains moored in Suisun Bay along with other vessels in reserve. With her sister ship, there is a bright spot in this narrative. USS MISSOURI (BB-63), moored on Ford Island in Pearl Harbor HI, has an active METOC team from NPMOC/JTWC PEARL at work refurbishing the Aerological Office. Again, NWSA has been providing encouragement as well as historical artifacts.

See Also:
** NWSA COMMEMORATIVE WALL PLAQUE PROJECT ** 
<Click here for complete report>
** NWSA HISTORIAN’S REPORT FOR 2004-2005 **
<Click here for complete report>

BACKGROUND

Dedication Day 3/05
We are gathered at the Navy Memorial today to dedicate the wall plaque which will help us all remember the weather personnel who have served in the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.

We know that during World War I United States weather personnel were assigned to the expeditionary forces because we read of their supporting fleet air operations from coastal stations on the coast of France. Some of those people were undoubtedly Navy. But in 1921 the Bureau of Navigation—predecessor to the Bureau of Aeronautics in Washington—established the rating of Aerographer. Next came the school for weather observers on Naval Air Station Pensacola. Marine Corps personnel were included. There were minimum numbers of people assigned to this specialty until naval and Marine aviation advanced far enough to require dedicated weather support.

Early Aerological Officers such as Orville and Reichelderfer were free ballooners and lighter-than-air enthusiasts. Hence, the word Aerology was adopted for Navy use instead of meteorology. A small quota of Aerologists received training at MIT.

Training of Aerographers was moved to NAS Anacostia in 1928 and then to NAS Lakehurst, where it remained until 1977. With the onset of World War II, classes increased in size from a dozen to more than a hundred each quarter. WAVES attended the school. The warrant rank of Aerographer was created, and we became Aerographer’s Mates in 1942. Every aircraft carrier and seaplane tender carried an Aerology Office. Single-man units went aboard all cruisers and battleships. Afloat staffs included an Aerologist and a small number of Aerographer’s Mates. By the end of that conflict there were more than five thousand weather personnel in the Navy and many additional Marine Corps weather personnel scattered around the Pacific Ocean area.

Those are some of the people we are remembering at this ceremony this morning. But there are others.

Following the rapid drawdown of military forces in late 1945 and 1946, Aerology assumed a size more akin to its size today—although today the term Aerology has undergone a series of changes. The Aerology Branch within the Bureau of Aeronautics became the Naval Weather Service. That became the Naval Oceanography Command which is today the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command. Fighting the Cold War generated these and other changes. No doubt tomorrow will bring further change.

We should not forget the broad variety of duties that have been assigned to our Aerographer’s Mates and Aerologists. Before the earth orbiting satellites and the enormous computer capabilities were developed, we obtained weather data the hard way. Duty in Ocean Station vessels steaming in the North Atlantic was one of the most taxing ways to obtain surface and upper air data. These vessels also acted as Birddog Stations, supporting trans-oceanic flights. Aerographer’s Mates and Aerologists flying airborne typhoon and hurricane reconnaissance missions became standard, after the disastrous fleet losses of 1945 and 1946 in the Pacific. The Aleutians in 1944 and 1945 concentrated the worst possible flying weather. Behind the Japanese lines in China were Aerographer’s Mates, acquiring weather data along with U.S. Army weather personnel. Working in conjunction with communications intelligence agencies from 1941 onward were Aerographer’s Mates. Sometimes these were sub-surface duty assignments.

For fifty years or more the Navy Department supported U.S. scientific endeavors on the Antarctic Continent through Operation Deepfreeze. Weather support to those surface and air operations was vital.

Today there are new ways of doing things and new tools at the disposal of our Aerographer’s Mates and Oceanographers. Weather around the world will always affect military operations and that keeps the challenges before us.

We thank the Navy Memorial and its staff for providing us with this means for recognizing those who have gone before us. 

DAC
2/05