ARM2 - Andrew "Andy" Tucker - Radio operator/Gunner Scout Plane unit V?? USS Denver CL-58

National Air & Space Museums Kingfisher with the crew compartment and guns clearly visible.
Work In progress 4/28

Andrew Tucker began his service in VR-6 flying in PBM Mariners on a shuttle route from Pearl Harbor to Australia. Chafing at the inactivity he pestered his comanding officer into a transfer and ended up on the USS Denver CL-58 in her Avaition unit, serving until the ship finally came home in later 1945 He was on board for most of the campaigns that swept the Japanese forces back to the gates of the empire.

Andy: "Let me start this off right by telling you that the aircrews didn't get to go home after so many missions. We flew when the ship needed us and went home when the ship did. I boarded the Ship in Mare Island and got off when the ship came home to Norfolk. I flew 120 mission and I'm sure T.R. flew more than that. Don't get the Navy mixed up with the Army Air Corp or movies about WWII. some of the 120 where with VR 6, but over 100 were with the V Division aboure the U.S.S. Denver

VR6 flew the mail out of Alemeda to Pearl Harbor and the to Ackland, New Zealand , and Sidney, Australia. We flew PBMs to Pearl and PB2Y3 to Australia. Fun hops to Pearl, but long and boring as hell to the south. I kept voluteering for combat sea duty and was told I had it after leaving the 3 mile limit. Finally got the Denver just to shut me up I guess.
Andy was wounded by ground fire during the battle to retake Corrigedor.

Andrew: We bombed the caves at Corrigedor(sp) with them because we could get low enough. The big hot pilots and planes could get that low and pull up. We dropped food to a cut off shore fire control party and did a lot of fun stuff. While flying with Lt. Yesko, we flew low and slow on a spotting hop and took some 30 cal rifle fire thru the wings and then while circling to find the Japanese took one thru my left foot in the backseat. I had just turned around to breakout the guns, had I been facing the radio gear I would have got it up the ass. Once back on board Andy got patched up but "I Didn't even get the shot of brandy awarded a sea rescue."

A reasonably good shot of the hanger deck
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The float version of the N3N trainer "the yellow peril" on the water & the SO3C Sea Mew

Andy: "Denver left Mare Island with OS2Us.Great little aircraft from the rear seat. Mr Hartlaub can tell you more about the front seat. Had twin 50s on a runner-not turret. Only trouble was the plane was a fixed wing aircraft and couldn't be struck below in the hange deck for maintainece. Had alittle trouble with the wings when the six inchs fired aft. (see the proximity to the aft gun battery) We switched first to SOC3s a canvas covered bi-plane and the back to SOC2s (Seagull) another canvas covered bi-planes. They both only had 30 cal guns in the read with a fixed 50 in the front which fired out of the prop.
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The OS2U Kingfisher land variant and a O3U3


A Few Links
Back to main page Main Floatplane profiles page Cruiser Scout the only story of life in these units on the web that I have found.

Links to most of the New Jersey sites on the web

Enlisted men grades and pay scales. USS Enterprise web page.

USS DENVER CL-58 Brief history

USS DENVER deck log


WWII MEMORIES Web site of other Air and ground crews memories