USS Southampton Service in World War II
Community Garden
Courtland woman, neighbors cultivate bountiful harvest Fall 2020 • vol. 11, no. 2
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contents fall 2020
Cover photograph submitted
ON THE COVER: Launch of the Southampton (AKA-66), 28 July 1944, at the North Carolina Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington, North Carolina.
Betty J. Ramsey Publisher Stephen H. Cowles Staff Writer Stephen Faleski Staff Writer Clyde Parker Contributing Writer Troy Cooper Designer Loretta Lomax Designer Mitzi Lusk Advertising Director Michelle Gray Office Manager Western Tidewater Living is published four times a year by Tidewater Publications, LLC P.O. Box 497, Franklin, VA 23851 757-562-3187 Advertising rates and information available upon request to ads@thetidewaternews.com. Subscriptions are $20 annually in-state, $24 annually out of state and $30 annually overseas.
INSIDE THIS EDITION
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LET'S EAT!
Lynn Ramsey's cookbook is already in its second printing, and blueberry lovers will find a great recipe from her inside.
AT THE CROSSROADS As anyone from Carrsville will tell you, it's the place for you if you love the country.
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MAKING THEIR GARDEN GROW Courtland residents made a community garden their project during the pandemic, and they are now reaping the rewards.
USS SOUTHAMPTON An attack cargo ship named after the county served in the Pacific Theater during World War II.
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publisher's notebook A L IT T L E B IT O F C O U N T R Y A N D A W H O LE LO T O F LO V E
Being born in the country, raised in the city and ultimately returning to a mix of city and country living — it’s been an interesting and enlightening journey. There are pros and cons for both city and country living. In the city you are more likely to be generally anonymous, in the country everyone knows your name and depending on the circumstances each can be a great thing or a not so great thing. On the cover of this month’s edition of Western Tidewater Living we are proud to feature the USS Southampton, which saw service in World War II. A Tolland-Class attack cargo ship it was named after Southampton County. Writer Clyde Parker explores how the ship came to be named and its history in service to country.
On Page 18 Stephen Cowles takes a walk in the country with Sandra Joyner, a Courtland resident who helped to inspire a community garden which has produced lots of vegetables, brought the young and old together in a common cause and even more importantly built friendships that will last a lifetime. A great example of a “whole lot of love,” in our community. At Western Tidewater Living we are blessed and grateful to be a part of this community and are thankful that there are so many great stories to share. There are many more stories within these pages, and we hope you will enjoy them. As this is a magazine about and for you, we welcome your ideas and invite you to share with us what you would like to hear more about by sending us a note at P.O. Box 497, Franklin, VA, 23851, giving us a call
at 757-562-3187 or sending us an email at Magazine@TheTidewaterNews.com. We publish Western Tidewater Living each season — summer, fall, winter and spring. We invite you to pick up a copy of the latest issue as there is sure to be someone you know inside — a neighbor, a family member, a friend or perhaps even you! If you want Western Tidewater Living delivered to your home or office, we offer subscriptions and gift subscriptions for $20 per year (in state,) just enough to cover the postage. To subscribe call us at 757-562-3187. Betty J. Ramsey is publisher of Western Tidewater Living.
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Cooking is love made delicious
Lynn Ramsey's cookbook already in second printing STORY AND PHOTOS BY STEPHEN H. COWLES
L
ynn Ramsey of Drewryville doesn't just tolerate the heat of the kitchen — she thrives in it. In July, there was pickling to be done, and already she had three batches going. For some, she was planning to do something a little fancy. Ramsey was going to make cinnamon pickles, describing them as “red and pretty for Christmas.” Whether it's pickling, canning, baking or cooking in general, you name it, she can probably do it — but she sees no reason to go to extremes. “I just love to cook, but I don't do a lot of extravagant dishes, just Southern country cooking, and a lot I have included in my cookbook,” said Ramsey. Her collection of personal recipes was bound and published under the appropriate titled, “Lynn's Favorite Country Recipes.” But the Sussex County native is not alone in the kitchen. There's her husband, Travis, for one. “We cook together a lot,” she said. “He has helped me with the cookbook a lot. He's helped sell them and was instrumental in getting recipes and making those recipes. He's been a great deal of help.”
let's eat
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ption The idea for the personal project has been simmering in her head and heart for quite a while. “It's something I have wanted to do for years, one of my dreams,” Ramsey recalled. “Last year I had back surgery and couldn't do a whole lot. There was no deadline so I just sat down, did it and enjoyed it. It's something I've wanted to share.” Because she could work at leisure, the collecting, sorting and writing took about four months — whenever she wanted. “I wanted my heart to be in the cookbook and not be a job or work. I wanted to enjoy it,” added Ramsey. In addition to orchestrating simple but flavorful foods, she's particularly active in her community of 46 years. Ramsey serves as president of the Drewryville Woman's Club, a member of the Gen-
-
eral Federation of Women's Clubs, and is also treasurer of the Drewryville Ruritan Club. The origin of her passion for cooking goes back to middle school, if not earlier. “I've been collecting recipes since seventh grade in home economics,” she continued. “I found a little tin box and index cards for cooking projects. I later put it away and only came across it a few weeks ago.” There are rarely if ever over-the-top recipes. “When I'm baking I might try a different flavoring such as cinnamon or vanilla, or I'll add bouillon cubes — they make a big difference,” Ramsey said. “Coconut flavoring to pies. Sweet potatoes will get spices just to make it a little different and a little more flavor.” Morris Printing based in Nebraska did the printing.
“They were very helpful, very easy to work with. Just a pleasure,” she said. The pages featuring 100 recipes were sent in May, and the following month Ramsey took delivery of 500 copies of “Lynn's Favorite Country Recipes.” All of them were sold, and another 500 were ordered for second printing. No changes were made. “Don't be surprised if there's another cookbook,” she hinted. “There's always a possibility.” Ramsey also shares the love of cooking with her grandchildren, Andrew and Natalie Hinson of Newsoms, 12 and 8 respectively. “Both are comfortable in the kitchen,” she said. “Natalie loves to get in there and help and work the mixer and put in the eggs.” To order your copy ($10; $13 if shipping), call Ramsey at 434-658-4378.
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Blueberry Croissant Puff Lynn Ramsey shares this recipe for Blueberry Croissant Puff, which is from her cookbook, “Lynn's Favorite Country Recipes.” Blueberry Croissant Puff 5 to 5-½ croissants, cut up into cubes 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries 1 softened cream cheese (8 oz.) 2/3 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 eggs
1 cup milk confectioners sugar Preheat oven to 350. Put cut-up croissants in a greased 9 X 13 baking dish. Sprinkle blueberries over croissants. Beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and eggs together in a mixing bowl. Gradually add milk until well blended. Pour mixture over blueberries and croissants. Let stand for 20 minutes or overnight. Bake for 35 minutes. Dust with confectioners sugar and serve warm.
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At the Crossroads:
CARRSVILLE 'If you like country, this is the place' STORY BY STEPHEN FALESKI
T
raveling toward Suffolk on Carrsville Highway through the southern tip of Isle of Wight County, motorists will pass several farm fields before coming to a wooden sign welcoming them to the unincorporated village for which the road is named. The village itself, as one might expect, owes its name to someone named Carr — though there's some disagreement as to whether this was Nathan or his brother, Jesse. According to “Historical Notes on Isle of Wight County” by Helen Haverty
King, Nathan was the village postmaster in 1836, around the same time the Portsmouth and Roanoke railroad passed through that part of the county. In 1965, however, 77-year-old Rosa Carson Carr wrote a short history of the village, in which she claimed Carrsville was named for Jesse, who had reportedly fathered 21 children. The name “Carrsville” first appeared in the county's tax book for 1846, by which time “there were plenty of Carrs around, so the place was aptly named,” King con-
cluded. The job of postmaster later passed to several members of the Rawls family, according to King. Among them was Dr. Gavin Rawls, a physician. He served as postmaster from 1878-1879 and in 1886 was appointed the third superintendent of Isle of Wight County's public school system, a position he held for the next 36 years. “I have an old desk with a date 1886 that was used by Mr. Duke in the old Carrsville railroad depot,” said Volpe Boykin, a
While most of Carrsville’s once numerous country stores have closed over the decades, Bradshaw’s Country Store — a convenience store and eatery — remains open for business.
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lifelong resident of the village. Boykin is 63 years old, but has had access to indoor plumbing for only 46 of those years. Growing up in the area during the 1960s and '70s, he can recall having to use an outhouse for the first 17 years of his life and sleeping beneath eight inches of blankets each winter — as his childhood home had no heat save for a coal-burning potbelly stove. Some days, it would get so cold that ice would begin to form inside his goldfish bowl. To keep the fish from freezing, his grandmother would place the bowl on the stove each morning to thaw it out. One morning, he remembered, she had left the bowl on the stove while bringing his grandfather breakfast at his store, and then got distracted chatting with someone there — resulting in the untimely demise of Boykin's childhood pet. During this time, small country stores
like his grandfather's abounded in southern Isle of Wight County, with every unincorporated village — including Carrsville — having at least one. As there was only one grocery store, seven miles away in Franklin, these mom-and-pop shops were where most Carrsville residents, many of whom where farmers, purchased their day-to-day needs. Transactions were often made on credit, with residents settling their debts after pay day or in exchange for meat they raised or crops they grew. “Stores were social gathering places,” Boykin said. “Everybody in that little neighborhood, almost every night, they'd be gathered in the stores. Some of them would be playing music. Some of them would be playing checkers.” Lori Boone Lawrence, another nearly lifelong resident of Carrsville, is nine years younger than Boykin but also re-
calls the presence of these country stores. Her great-grandfather, in fact, was one of the first African Americans to own a store in Carrsville. While the store has long since closed, the building itself still stands. “There was a pool table and a juke box,” Lawrence said. “Some of the Lori Boone Lawrence older members of the community would go there to shoot pool and listen to music.” “I remember when the big deal was the drive-in movie theater in Carrsville,” Boykin said. The theater, according to Isle of Wight County Museum Director Jennifer Eng-
Carrsville Elementary School was built in the 1970s and expanded in the 1990s. The detatched gymnasium predates the school by several decades.
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This photo of Volpe Boykin’s father and grandfather was taken just after the store opened.
land, opened in 1951 and closed sometime during the 1970s. It was capable of hosting 200 cars. But aside from that and a youth softball league for which Lawrence played, there wasn't a lot for the youth of Carrsville to do, she recalled. “We still don't have a lot of outlets for things to do,” Lawrence said. “My son wants to relocate for that reason, not a lot of opportunities for young people. But if you like country, easy living, this is the place.” Not every teen and 20-something wants to leave, though. In fact, Maddie Schimizzi and her fiance', a firefighter with the Carrsville Volunteer Fire Department, just bought a house in the area in July. The VFD was born in 1957. According to a history written by Carrollton resident Albert Burckard for its 50th anniversary, charter members Walter Johnson, Archer Spivey, J.C. Rose and Elliot Johnson had driven to Alabama to pick up a Navy surplus 1941 International fire engine with four flat tires at a cost of $210 ($1,958.59 in 2020 dollars). The charter members then worked every Saturday at Spivey's shop on the truck until
"Stores were social gathering places. Everybody in that little neighborhood, almost every night, they'd be gathered in the stores. Some of them would be playing music. Some of them would be playing checkers." – Volpe Boykin
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Above, the Carrsville Volunteer Fire Department was founded in 1957 and moved into its current firehouse in 1988. Below, Volpe Boykin of Carrsville still has the counter from his grandfather’s country store. His grandfather bought the manual cash register used in 1932.
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14 western tidewater living it was restored, repainted and equipped. George “Big Boy” Carr's shop became Carrsville's first firehouse, with the department relocating to its current station in 1988. Carrsville is also home to a school, Carrsville Elementary, which also factored into Schimizzi's decision to move there. Built in the 1970s, it was expanded in the 1990s and renovated again in 2018 to include a music room, coinciding with the debut of a program to give all students in grades K-5 20 minutes of violin instruction every day. The school's gymnasium, however, predates the school by several decades. “My mother played basketball in there,” Boykin said. Jackie Carr Jackie Carr, who represents the Carrsville District on Isle of Wight's School Board, was principal of Carrsville Elementary for seven years, starting in the fall of 2005. “I can remember my first trip in the school vault; I found framed pictures of past graduating classes and one of the classmates in one picture was my father-in-law, Charlie Eugene Carr,” she said.
Above, in front is Volpe Boykin when he addressed the audience of people attending the Back the Blue Rally on Aug. 8 in Smithfield. Boykin, who lives in Carrsville, is a member of the Southern and Central Isle of Wight Citizens' Association. In back is Albert Burckard of the Carrollton Civic League. Below, the Carrsville Community Center serves as the meeting place for the Carrsville Ruritan Club and the village’s polling site on election days.
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Making their garden grow Courtland woman, neighbors cultivate bountiful harvest
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y the time you read this, many people in Courtland will be enjoying the fruits — and vegetables — of their labors since spring. They owe it largely to one person, Sandra Joyner, who inspired them. She acknowledged encouragement from fellow resident Maxine Nowlin, who deflected the credit back to Joyner. “I wanted to see things grow. I wanted to make things grow,” Joyner said in August while seated on steps that lead to inside the Courtland Community Center. “The best way is to grow a garden beginning with seeds.” The project began about mid-May. There had been a question of whether that was the right time to start such a project, what with the COVID-19 pandemic bringing much daily activity to a stop. But after serious consideration, it was decided that perhaps this was the perfect time. Although Joyner had no prior experience gardening, she got to work learning what would be needed. “This is my very first garden. I wanted to do this for the community,” she said. “My late grandmother, Lucille Joyner, did a garden, but she never allowed us kids to help.”
Above, peppers are among the many different kinds of produce that have been cultivated. Below, the garden has been set up behind the Courtland Community Center on Florence Street.
Sandra Joyner of Courtland moves through the community garden with a hoe in order to chop up weeds and turn over soil. This past spring, she organized this activity with other town residents.
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Neal Eason surveys the garden that he helped to create. That included setting up the raised boxes, filling in with soil and helping to plant seeds. Above right, at the time of the photograph, the butter beans were coming along, and due for picking within a few weeks, according to Sandra Joyner. At right, because volunteers such as Sandra Joyner kept up regular maintenance of their garden, the watermelons grew round, plump and undoubtedly tasty.
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Collaboration included getting some funding from the Camp Foundation. Other community partners that were also instrumental have included A&B Custom Design, Baggett Metal Products (tools), Edwards True Value Hardware (plants) and Gray and Sons Construction (soil). Someone who does know a thing or two about how to make a garden grow is Neal Eason, who with his wife, Michelle, lives right across the street from the center. The Gates County native said he grew up on a farm in North Carolina and, naturally, learned to This dragonfly hopped about from post garden. So he and to post, on the lookout for something to she pitched in, first eat, such as pesky bugs that seek to eat the garden produce. by making five 8x8 boxes, which later grew to 10. Alvin and Trevor Blow also assisted with making the boxes. Forrest Johnson, another local experienced gardener, donated seeds, advice and manpower. Joyner's cousins, Rita Britt and Stephanie Joyner, have contributed womanpower by painting the boxes, shoveling dirt, planting, raking and maintaining the community project. Even local youth pitched in where needed, whether it was transporting dirt via wheelbarrow or pulling weeds. Speaking of youth, Joyner drafted her three children, Jeremias, Cherish and Jakari Parker, as well as nephew, Qmarai, and cousins Bill and Vaad. What's growing? All good things, of course. Butter beans, cucumbers, kale, green peppers, snaps, sweet potatoes and even rotund and tasty little watermelons are flourishing. A fence has been established in one large area to keep out pesky and hungry deer from the crops. A scarecrow will likely be set up later before any planting in autumn. The garden isn't just the brainchild of Joyner. She's physically invested. During this interview, she went to hoe weeds. Both Eason and Nowlin soon came over to check on things, and the latter mentioned that Joyner is also a town councilwoman. “I wanted to do something good for me and the community,” she said about that public service. Her devotion to Courtland will continue with a garden next year. She added, “I just want to feed my community.” Maxine Nowlin of Courtland also contributed to this article.
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Community youth have also participated in establishing and maintaining the garden.
The garden has been set up behind the Courtland Community Center on Florence Street.
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Attack cargo ship, named after county, went into civilian service after war
US Naval History and Heritage Command Photo NH 78595; Courtesy of James Russell The USS Southampton (AKA-66) at anchor with accommodation ladder rigged, circa 1945-1946.
S
STORY BY CLYDE PARKER SUBMITTED PHOTOGRAPHY
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outhampton County is a great little place to call home, but many U.S. Navy sailors over the years also once called the USS Southampton home. USS Southampton (AKA-66) was a Tolland-Class attack cargo ship of the U.S. Navy, named after Southampton County. Southampton was designed to carry military cargo and landing craft and to use the latter to land weapons, supplies and Marines on enemy shores during amphibious operations. It served as a commissioned ship for 21 months. Southampton was laid down on May 26, 1944, under a Maritime Commission Contract by the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company, Wilmington, N.C. During World War II, Wilmington was an auxiliary to Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Company. It was launched on July 28, 1944, and co-sponsored by U.S.
Launch of the Southampton (AKA-66), July 28, 1944, at the North Carolina Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington, North Carolina.
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Navy Reservists Ensign Rama V. Blackwood, Yeoman First Class Dorothy Lazair and Yeoman Second Class Mary Blackwell. Their selection as sponsors was in commemoration of the second anniversary of the Women’s Naval Reserve. Southampton was conveyed to the U.S. Navy from the United States Maritime Commission, on a loan-charter basis, and placed in commission on Sept. 16, 1944. Commander Elias M. Doar Jr., U.S. Navy Reserves, was in command. From Wilmington, Southampton proceeded to Charleston, S.C., where it was decommissioned on Sept. 18, 1944, in order to complete fittingout and preparation for combat support duty. On Oct. 8, 1944, it was recommissioned at Charleston with Lt. Commander Lester V. Cooke, U.S. Navy Reserves in command. At that time, the ship’s complement totaled 35 officers and 326 enlisted men. On Oct. 14, 1944, the ship got under way from the Charleston Navy Yard to make a trial run and test fire its newly installed armament. All tests were successful. On Oct. 18, 1944, outfitting was completed and the ship reported for duty and was ordered to proceed to Norfolk. It arrived at Norfolk on Oct. 22, 1944, and conducted a shakedown cruise in the Chesapeake Bay from Oct. 24 to Nov. 2. When the shakedown cruise was completed, the ship went through post-shakedown and final inspection at the Norfolk Navy Yard in Portsmouth. Then, on Nov. 5, Southampton got underway for the United States-Panama Canal Zone. It transited the canal during the night of Nov. 12, and on Nov. 13 got underway from Balboa, Canal Zone and headed for Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands. Japanese submarines were active during the trip. Southampton entered Pearl Harbor on Nov. 26 and, for the next two months, participated in amphibious exercises in the islands. It departed Pearl Harbor on Jan. 27, 1945, with elements (seven officers and 143 enlisted men) of the 25th Regiment, 4th Marine Division, and embarked toward the Marshall Islands for the eventual assault upon Iwo Jima. Several personnel and a few dogs from other Marine Corps units and two officers and 67 enlisted men of the 442nd Port Company of the U.S. Army also were onboard. Southampton arrived at Eniwetok on Feb. 5 and, two days later, headed toward Saipan. It made Saipan on the 11th, conducted final invasion rehearsals off Tinian between the 13th and 15th, and got underway for Iwo Jima the following day. Southampton entered its assigned transport area off Iwo Jima on Feb. 19. It lowered landing craft and dispatched them to other ships of the division to ferry the assault troops to the beach. Southampton sustained its only casualties of the Iwo Jima assault during the initial landings, when a mortar shell exploded close aboard one of its landing crafts and wounded
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Coxswain J.M. Fischer and a Seaman L.Q. Culbertson. During the last two weeks in February, the attack cargo ship joined in unloading troops and supplies — and embarked 98 casualties from the fighting ashore. Those operations were frequently interrupted by enemy air activity. Due to rough sea conditions, the ship sustained considerable damage to its hull
plating and frames. Many of the crew witnessed the raising of the American Flag on Mount Suribachi. On March 1, Southampton sailed for the Marianas. Southampton arrived at Saipan on March 4, disembarked several wounded marines and sailors, and, on the 11th, began loading the combat cargo of the 2nd
Marine Division. It conducted more rehearsal landings off Tinian until March 27 and then sailed for the Ryukyus Islands — at the boundary between the East China Sea and the Philippine Sea. On April 1, 1945, the Southampton and the other ships of its task group, arrived off the southeastern coast of Okinawa to feign an attack and retire. At dawn, dur-
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ing the approach, a suicide plane crashed into the USS Hinsdale and Southampton dispatched its landing craft to assist in the transfer of Hinsdale’s troops to other ships. The next day, the task group made another feint at Okinawa. Before retiring to an area 150 miles from Okinawa, Southampton fired its guns at the enemy for the only time during the war. A Japa-
nese plane flew over the formation and, though fired upon by all of the ships, escaped into the clouds apparently undamaged. The ships cruised around the holding area until April 11. They encountered mines, underwent air alerts, and escort units made sonar contacts, but the group saw no action save the destruction of mines.
The task group returned to Saipan on April 14, disembarked the Marines and unloaded its cargo. Southampton remained at Saipan until June 4, when it was ordered to the South Pacific to pick up cargo for the Marianas. Over the following two and one-half months, it made two such voyages to the South Pacific and back to the Marianas. During a leg of the
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return voyage of its second run between Noumea, New Caledonia to Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands, the Southampton on Aug. 15 received news of the end of hostilities in the Pacific Theater. Southampton departed Kwajalein on Aug. 18 and reached Saipan on the 22nd. It discharged some of its cargo, sailed for Guam, and arrived there on Sept. 3. On the 9th, it sailed for the Philippines to embark elements of the 81st Infantry for passage to Japan. It arrived at Leyte on Sept. 12 and, on the 18th, departed for Aomori. Southampton remained in Japan until Sept. 30, when it sailed for Leyte. En route, it was diverted to Tokyo Bay to avoid a typhoon and, on Oct. 3, its destination was changed to Manila, where it arrived on the 14th. Following a return voyage to Tokyo Bay and Yokohama, Southampton embarked 264 servicemen and got underway on Nov. 11 for San Francisco, Calif. Diverted to Portland, Oregon, while en route, the Southampton arrived there on the 23rd and remained almost two months for repairs and alterations. Southampton stood out of Portland on Jan. 11, 1946, and arrived in San Francisco on the 13th. There, it loaded cargo and mail before heading west on the 27th. The ship stopped at Eniwetok from Feb. 9-15 to discharge cargo and arrived at Guam on the 18th. For almost a month, it
USS Southampton (AKA66) was a Tolland-Class attack cargo ship of the U.S. Navy, named after Southampton County. Southampton was designed to carry military cargo and landing craft and to use the latter to land weapons, supplies and Marines on enemy shores during amphibious operations. It served as a commissioned ship for 21 months.
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discharged and loaded cargo at Guam. On March 16, it headed back to San Francisco. Ten days later, Southampton’s destination was changed to Port Hueneme, Calif., where it stayed for the first 10 days of April before putting to sea on its final voyage. On April 10, Southampton headed south to the Canal Zone, transited the canal on the 20th, and arrived in Baltimore on the 27th. Following World War II, USS Southampton was assigned to occupation service from Sept. 3 to Nov. 12, 1945. Southampton was decommissioned at the St. Helena Annex of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth on June 21, 1946, and it was delivered to the War Shipping Administration for disposal on the 22nd. Its name was struck from the Navy List on July 3, 1946, and sold into civilian service with American Export-Isbrandtsen Lines. Its new owner renamed it “SS Flying Clipper.” Later, on July 16, 1962, the former USS Southampton was sold to American Export Lines and was operated by them for a number of years. Final disposition of the ship seems to be that it was sold on July 29, 1971, to Chen Nan Steel & Iron Company of Taiwan — for scrapping.
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AWARDS Southampton earned two battle stars during World War II. American Campaign Medal Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal World War II Victory Medal U.S. Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
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INDIVIDUAL PERSONNEL AWARDS Purple Hearts: February 19, 1945 Iwo Jima J.M. Fischer, Coxswain Q.M. Culbertson, Seaman First Class ENGAGEMENTS Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns: Iwo Jima Operation –— Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima Feb. 19 to March 1, 1945 Okinawa Gunto Operation — Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto April 1-11, 1945 SOURCES Mike Wrenn, U.S. Marine Corps veteran United States Maritime Commission Diary of Lt. Comm. L.V. Cooke, United States Navy Reserves • Commanding Officer, U.S.S. Southampton
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