Following the aerial attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese Imperial Navy on December 7th, 1941 the President of the United States, Franklin Roosevelt wanted to send a message to Japan that they were also vulnerable to an aerial attack. Colonel Jimmy Doolittle was tasked to transform the Army B-25 Bombers to where they could be launched from the deck of an aircraft carrier. (This was highlighted in the movie Pearl Harbor which was released last year with a reference to Shangri-La). The U.S.S. Hornet was tasked with the mission of transporting these aircraft to within striking distance of the mainland of Japan. Although the mission was successful, little damage was done to Japan. This attack was instrumental in raising the morale of Americans and when the President was questioned by news reporters where those American aircraft came from, he replied "From Shangri-La, I guess" the mystical utopia of James Hilton in his book "Lost Horizon". When the U.S.S. Hornet was damaged in an aerial attack, a new carrier was built by public donations to replace the Hornet and was named the U.S.S. Shangri-La (CV38).
The U.S.S. Shangri-La (CVA-38)served in both the Pacific and Atlantic Fleet with combat duty being performed in World War II, Korean Conflict, and Vietnam War. The U.S.S. Shangri-La was the first ship that I served on, going onboard as a Seaman Apprentice.
The attached picture is of me standing "wheel watch" on the bridge of the Shangri-La. Being that I was only 19, I thought it was neat that I was entrusted to steer this large ship over the vastness of our oceans. What you do not see, is the number of eyes that kept watch over me, especially during flight operations, it was amazing how excited everyone would get when you did not mind your helm and got just one little degree off course!
I served on the Shangri-La from May 1964 through September 1967. Your mother walked the decks of the ship with me on many occasions during her visits. During my tenure onboard the Shangri-La, we made two (nine month) cruises to the Mediterranean, one North Atlantic sortie and hundreds of trips into the Caribbean Sea including in port time in Cuba. Mediterranean cruises consisted of visiting Spain, France, Gibraltar, Italy, Sicily, Malta, Greece, Lebanon and Turkey. When your mother and I married, the Shangri-La was in drydock in Philadelphia undergoing a major overhaul. We lived there from February to May, when repairs were completed we returned to our homeport in Mayport , Florida. When reporting onboard the carrier, I met and worked for the man that would be my mentor throughout my Navy career, he was an example that all could do well to follow.
Although, we had several incidents at sea during my tenure onboard the Shangri-La, it was on August 27th, 1965 that one of the worse occurred. I had just been relieved as the helmsman on the bridge by the mid (midnight to 4:00 a.m.) watch section. Settling into my bunk, the General Quarters alarm went off at 1:15 a.m. Instinctively we knew it was no drill as we went to our battle stations. As normal, we had been streaming in formation with our plane guard vessels surrounding us. It was decided that these vessels would re-position themselves, the destroyer U.S.S. Perry (DD-883) was ordered to move from her starboard position to take up a port position. She was to cross our bow, however, they made an error in their navigation and speed, striking us broadside, above the waterline and just aft of the starboard bow. Her bow went through our hull, although we had a large gaping hole and taking on water, the U.S.S. Perry squared off her bow. There were no injuries on the Shangri-La, since she hit us in the focscle area and not within an area where there was a berthing compartment. On the Perry, there were two injuries, one officer was rescued, however, due to the damage the second sailor was not rescued for seventeen hours, passing away about an hour after his rescue. With substantial damage, we limped back into port at Naples, Italy. We were the first carrier to ever tie up inside a harbor there. When visiting the Mediterranean ports, we would always anchor out and take boats to shore. Repair crews went to work and within a couple of weeks, we had a temporary cofferdam constructed to cover the hole in our hull. Leaving Naples, we limped back to Mayport and later to the shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia for complete repairs to the damage. Those were adventuresome years for me, I loved it and have never regretted those days. I left the Shangri-La as a Boatswain Mate 2nd class, reenlisting for assignment to Adak, Alaska. Upon my departure, I would have liked the command to present me with a ships plaque, however, I did not receive one. On my last night onboard, I went up to the Flag Bridge, every combat vessel flies a Commission Pennant, a small strip of the U.S. Flag consisting of white stars on a blue field and one red and white stripe. It is the only flag authorized to fly above the U.S. flag. I lowered the Commission Pennant, rolled it up, placed it in my pocket and departed the ship, essentially de-commissioning the U.S.S. Shangri-La. Today, that Commission Pennant is displayed in my office at the tackle shop. In later years, the Shangri-La was decommissioned for the final time in Philadelphia shipyards and placed in the mothball fleet. She was my first ship, will always be my favorite ship as well as being a historic element in naval history. She was eventually sold for scrap metal to Taiwan. The U.S.S. Midway was decommissioned and made into a museum, they offered the sailors of the Shangri-La space aboard the Midway for a small museum in commemoration of her service. This core group approached the shipyard in Taiwan to see if they would donate or sell the stern name plate off the Shangri-La so they could place it in the museum. Although they chose not to donate this piece of metal with a name which meant nothing to them, they offered to sell it back at a price tag of $100,000. Thus the history of the Shangri-La came to a close on an island that she defended during World War II.