Uncle Wa-Wa in World War II

 

Arthur Latinik served aboard the USS Kenneth M. Willette, DE-354 during World War II.  He was a sonar operator.  Here are some links that describe the vessel and its mission.

• NavSource Online
• Wikipedia (describes shooting down the enemy plane)
• Entry from 1968 Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
• Current entry from Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships

 

These pictures were assembled from Arthur's collection.  Click on the thumbnails to see larger photographs.

 

Here is the USS Willette at port in Shanghai in November 1945. 

 

Here's Arthur's friend Bob Dietz.

 

Here are Bob Dietz, ship's mailman Jim Corbett, and Arthur aboard the Willette in Shanghai in November 1945.  Note Uncle Wa-Wa's sweater: his nickname was "Ping" (because of the sonar).

 

This is a photograph of festivities aboard the Willette as it crossed the Equator. 

 

Here, the Willette is refueling at sea. 

 

Besides the plane that was shot down, the crew also captured a Japanese suicide boat.  The boat was filled with explosive and intended to be piloted into an Allied warship and explode, destroying both vessels.  Arthur reports that the boat was found empty: the crewman was nowhere to be found.  The man in the boat waving a samurai sword is a member of the Willette's crew. 

 

The crew did not let the suicide boat go to waste.  The craftsmen transformed it into a launch for the captain.  The Willette was one of the few destroyer escorts with a captain's launch.

 

During their stay in Shanghai, Arthur (and Bob Dietz) visited some local clubs.  This card is from one of them.

 

This is from another Shanghai club.  This card has a front and a back. 

    

 

 

This page was constructed on Saturday, 23 August 2008, and last edited on Friday, 12 September 2008.

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