January 13, 1942 - Tuesday - 80 years ago today

 Status - John Skinner - USS O'Brien:

On January 13, 1942, O'Brien was still in port, undergoing a refit and awaiting its transit to the Pacific which was to begin on January 15. 

Ships to the Pacific

Below is a photo taken at the Norfolk base at this time.  The battleship New Mexico is the focus.  Although O'Brien is mentioned in the caption, it seems to be out of the frame.

 

 

The New Mexico (BB-40) at Norfolk, 31 December 1941. She is equipped with the then "state of the art" quadruple 1.1"/75 machine guns [later replaced by the Bofors 40mm gun(s)]. She has also just been fitted with 20mm Oerkilons, but still was equipped with 0.5 caliber machine guns which the 20mm ultimately replaced. She also carries two radar units; a surface search set (Mark 3) on top of her forward main battery director atop her tower bridge and an air search SC unit on her pole main mast. The tug YT-213 is pulling alongside an unidentified vessel. Across the pier from her is the new destroyer O'Brien (DD-415).

From <http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/415.htm>

 

 As all of the battleships in the Pacific were out of action since December 7th (except Colorado, which was being refitted in Puget Sound), the battleships of the New Mexico class were to be transferred there.  Although the old battleships were too slow to escort the fast carrier task forces that were becoming the backbone of the the Pacific Fleet, the Navy was not willing to be almost completely without battleships there.

O'Brien and Sims-class destroyer Mustin would travel with the New-Mexico class battleship Idaho through the Panama Canal to their initial destination, San Francisco.

 

January 2, 1942 - Friday - 80 years ago today

Status - John Skinner - USS O'Brien: 

On January 2, 1942, O'Brien was still in port, undergoing a refit and awaiting its transit to the Pacific which was to begin on January 15. 

Background - Entering Service - John Skinner

 The reader will have noticed that in our entry for yesterday, John had determined to join the Army and see the world; and also, over two years later, was on a Navy ship.  This, in fact, is no mistake.  

As John himself told it, he had gone off to see the Army recruiter and had arrived at mid-day, only to find a sign on the door - "Out To Lunch".  The Navy recruiter was right next door, and was of course willing to chat while John was waiting for the Army recruiter.  When our Army man returned from his lunch, he found himself down one prospective soldier, and the Navy had a newly minted Apprentice Seaman, John Floyd Skinner, Jr. with a salary of 21 dollars a month.  

A few months later, December 14, 1939, John started Navy basic training in Newport, Rhode Island.   Here he is leaving for the Navy, and in a training photo: