NHHC Receives Escort Carrier Artifacts from WWII Veterans, Families [Image 34 of 39]

WASHINGTON NAVY YARD, DC, UNITED STATES

08.26.2023

Photo by Monica Mccoy 

Naval History and Heritage Command

WASHINGTON NAVY YARD — (26 August 2023) Close-up view of Escort Carrier veteran John William Houlihan's donated materials. Houlihan enlisted in the U.S. Navy in November 1942 and served aboard USS Gambier Bay (CVE 73) as radioman with VC10 on an aircraft piloted by Lt. H.B. Bassett. After USS Gambier Bay sank during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, Houlihan served in VC 10 aboard USS Fanshaw Bay (CVE 70) which entered Japanese waters in August 1945. The Escort Carriers Sailors and Airmen Association (ECSAA) visited the existing museum on the Washington Navy Yard, Aug. 26, as part of the organization’s annual memorial service and membership meeting. With the passing of so many WWII veterans and so few remaining on their ECSAA rolls, the group came to the nation’s Capital with mission to honor their fallen shipmates and to refocus their efforts from a reunion mission to one of historical preservation. National Museum of the U.S. Navy Director John Swift welcomed the visitors and their families and discussed efforts underway for the new museum. Swift highlighted that the new museum located outside of the Navy Yard would allow the American public easier access for to learn more about naval history, such as Escort Carriers. Once the memorial service completed, ECSAA Board of Governors President David Ryan asked the attending members to vote for decommission the ECSAA’s reunion mission and refocus the organization’s efforts on historical preservation. With vote the confirmed, the organization presented Naval History and Heritage Command Director Samuel Cox with donated artifacts from the family of John William Houlihan. Included in the donation were Houlihan’s Bomber jacket, two Navy uniform tops, and his Crossing the Equator certificate which he just happened to send home stateside before the Gambier Bay was sunk. In addition to Houlihan’s pieces, 100-year-old veteran Robert Kruger who attended the ECSAA event donated a plank of wood from the flight deck of USS Bogue (CVE 9) where he served in WWII. For more information on donating artifacts to Naval History and Heritage Command, visit https://www.history.navy.mil/get-involved/donate-materials.html. (U.S. Navy photo by Monica McCoy / RELEASED. Courtesy of Naval History and Heritage Command.)

• Date Taken: 08.26.2023
• Date Posted: 08.29.2023 14:25
• Photo ID: 7994773
• VIRIN: 230826-N-MF696-1035
• Resolution: 5568x3712
• Size: 4.6 MB
• Location: WASHINGTON NAVY YARD, DC, US
• Hometown: WASHINGTON, DC, US