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An up close and personal interview with U.S. Navy Veteran and Togetherweserved.com Member:
CPO George Jones US Navy (Ret) (1937-1956)
WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO JOIN THE MILITARY?
I joined the Navy for: God, country and something to eat. I became a homeless 16 year old. My father became terminally ill and my mother had passed away when I was an infant so we had to move him to my sister's home for care. My sister and her  husband had 3 children of their own. They made me feel more then welcome, but it was very crowded.
On November 23,1936, two days before my 17th birthday, I rode a train from Clarendon to Little Rock and paid a visit to the US Navy Recruiting Office. The Chief Petty Officer that interviewed me was very helpful and I passed both the physical and aptitude test. He told me to return home and they would contact me.
On a Monday during Christmas holidays, in 1936, two Chief Petty Officers had dinner with me my sister, her family and my father at my sister's home. They had my father sign the necessary permission papers for me to join the Navy. We loaded their pickup with firewood and gave them a big sack of turnips right out of the field. One of the Chief's really loved raw turnips and would pull it right out of the ground and eat it. The pay for a Chief Petty Officer at that time was only $126 a month. The country was still in the "great depression".
A couple of weeks later, I received a letter from them telling me to be at the Little Rock Recruiting Station on February 16, 1937. There were 150 people on the waiting list with only 17 openings. I was informed I could show up and wait on standby and hope that not every one would show up. There was a total of three stand-bys. Three of the 17 did not show up. I was sworn into the US Navy on February 16, 1937.
After a night in a hotel, they put us on a train for San Diego, California and Navy boot camp. We had bunks in a Pullman car. The great dust storm was still on in Oklahoma and I woke up with a pile of dust by my ear on a white pillow that sifted through the window.
WHAT WAS YOUR SERVICE CAREER PATH?
 I enlisted as an Apprentice Seaman, for the first 4 months and then I was advance to Seaman 2nd Class. At the end of one year in this rating I was allowed to take a competitive examination for Seaman 1st Class. Seventeen of us took the exam and I tied for 2nd place and only three of us was advanced. Later I changed my rate to Fireman 2nd Class (F2c) same pay grade. I did this as I was accepted for Submarine School by BU Personnel. I was MM2c when WWII started in 1941 and they changed my rate to MOMM2c, they advanced me to MOMM1c in 1942 and CMOMM in 1944.
I remained in the service after the War and transferred to the Fleet Reserve in 1956 with 20 year Credits. After 10 years in the Fleet Reserve I was permanently retired from the Navy.
DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN COMBAT OPERATIONS? IF SO, COULD YOU DESCRIBE THOSE WHICH WERE SIGNIFICANT TO YOU?
Yes, I made 7 Submarine War Patrols into Japanese controlled areas and help sink 17 Japanese ships including a Destroyer and a Submarine. After Battle Surface and sinking a Patrol Ship we brought back 5 prisoners of war. I made patrols on 3 different submarines, the USS S-45. (1 Patrol),  USS S-38 (2 Patrols) and USS Pogy (4 Patrols).
DECEMBER 7, 1941:
Sunday afternoon December 7, 1941 I was lying in my bunk in the Forward Battery compartment when I first heard that the Japanese were bombing Pearl Harbor. I proceeded to the Radio Communication building we had established on Ordinance Island where we listened to the news being broadcast over short wave radio.
There were 3 Submarines of the 40 Boat class tied up to Ordinance Island from where we had been patrolling or operating from for a couple of months.
The 3 Submarines were the S-42, S-45 and S-46.
The other 3 submarines in our division the S-43 and S-47 was operating up off Canada and the S-44 was in the Philadelphia Navy Yard.
There were some older S-Boats operating from St. Thomas Island and I have a vague memory that one of them was tied up with us in Bermuda. At that time there were no bridge and we had to use the out board motor boat to cross the approximate 100 ft. wide channel that separates the Island from St. George. The Island is about as long as a football field.
I remember stating during a landing force drill at Coco Solo, (some 8 months earlier), that if our Navy were ever attack by some one, they would catch us standing at attention for inspection.  Well the Division Commander was holding an Annual Inspection on us. We had our Personnel Inspection on Saturday and he would ride us out to sea on Monday where we would under go all the necessary drills for him. Same thing in Pearl Harbor, they caught the Battle Ships with their double bottoms open (man hole covers removed) with Annual Material Inspection scheduled for Monday December 8, 1941.
I knew that word had leaked out, despite censorship, that we were to leave on Wednesday for New London. We were looking forward to leaving Bermuda for New London for Christmas Holidays. Word went around on Monday that we were waiting new orders. It was coming over the Radio that the Navy had been ordered to carry out Secret Order No. 46, of course every one wondered what to heck is Secret Order No. 46. We got the idea it was to make the public think we were doing something.
After a very gloomy Sunday night, listening to the radio about the attack on Pearl Harbor we got under way for our Division Commanders Inspection on Monday, of course all the talk among the crew is about the War. I remember Painter saying, "We wont ever see any of the War, they wont send this old Boat out there, the war will be over before we could get there". Little did we know.
We traveled a few miles out to sea off the Coast of St. George Bermuda and went through all our drills, Fire Drill, Collision Drill, Attack Maneuvers, Torpedo Firing, (water slugs only) and Crash Diving.
We had not had the fire drill yet when a mess cook, I believe it was a Sailor named Adams was working around the range when he knocked over a can of grease on to the hot range and a big fire flared up causing some one to yell fire in the After Battery (that's where the mess hall is) and we had a real Fire for a fire drill that was no drill. After it was determined that the fire was out and no damage was done, the Division Commander said, "well that takes care of the fire drill and it was a very good drill".
I have never forgot that on the way back to Port, the Division Commander was talking to the Officers and it could be overheard by some of the Crewmen. He was talking about the war and how quick we could kick hell out of Japan - of course we did not know that we had lost our Fleet in Pearl Harbor. He made a statement that I couldn't forget. He said, "I just wish I had command of a Heavy Cruiser and could just go a long the Chinese Coast lobbing 8 inch shells over on the Japanese along the coast". When one of the men told me what he said. I said, "I sure in hell would not want to be with him, I've been along the Chinese Coast and it's a big rugged place and loaded with Japanese War Ships". I thought it was a dumb statement for a Commander to make.
 President Roosevelt went before Congress and asked that they declare war on both Japan and Germany. The short wave radio was full of news. We didn't see the New London Day shown here, it's a clipping dated December 8, 1941. While we went to sea on drills we still listened as much as possible to the radio and some was re-broadcast. President Roosevelt gave his most famous speech in front of Congress when he said "This Day Will Live in Infamy".
Germany and Japan both declares war on the US and we know there are German submarines in the Atlantic and if they see us first, then we are dead.
You can see from the headlines that the truth was not told to the American People about the loss of our Fleet. While the headline gave the approximate number of lives lost, it minimized the loss of ships. Censorship had all ready been set in place. WE LOST OUR BATTLE FLEET!
Censorship was started before we left New London, so our folks did not know we were in Bermuda. This was the days before TV, computers or e-mail and telephones weren't that good either so all we knew was what we heard on short wave radio and what the Radiomen would pick up every night called Fox News Schedule in Morse Code. They would type it up into what looked like a newsletter and pass it out to the crew.
 We could get the Kate Smith Show on radio and when she would sing "God Bless America", patriotic chills would run up and down our spines and we wanted to kill all the Japanese.
A clipping from the New London Day, dated December 9, 1941 shows that rumor and fear as well as anger was taking place in the United States, This was also coming over the radio. Like how in the hell could a Japanese plane fly over New York, with no bases for 10,000 miles, no Fleet in the Atlantic Ocean and the largest of planes in those days had a maximum range of about 600 miles.
Lines at the Recruiting Office's were blocks long as men rushed to join up, as they all wanted to kill a Jap.
We were underway on Tuesday heading South instead of waiting until Wednesday and heading north like we thought we would do before December 7, 1941.
We went straight from Bermuda to Panama. We traveled at standard speed on the surface at about 10 knots an hour and about 240 nautical miles a day. It's about 1050 Nautical miles from Bermuda to Panama or about 4 1/2 days travel time.
We worried about running on the surface, as German U Boats were known to be in the area. At this point in time we had never heard about Radar and had to depend on our Lookouts spotting them before they spotted us.
We breathed a big sigh of relief when we arrived in Panama without incident.
The Harbor at Colon Panama had been mined and a Patrol Craft met us outside the harbor and led us through the minefields as we headed for the Submarine Base at Coco Solo from where we had left on May 15th, just about 7 months earlier.
We were still working on our machinery when the Japanese bombed Townsville about 400 miles north of Brisbane on the East coast of Australia. The Jap fleet with Aircraft Carriers were within bombing range of Townsville heading South in the Coral Sea. If you look at the map, the Coral Sea starts about 400 miles north of Brisbane, just north of the island of New Caledonia and extends North.
The word was out among the Sailors and the local civilians that the Japanese planned on landing in North Australia. People were worried, as the Japanese had won every battle so far in their race South.
 I remember having the tube core from one of our engine fresh water coolers up at the Welding Shop on the Tender where it was being brazed to stop it from leaking. The Chief in charge of the shop grabbed the torch from the Sailor's hands and started doing the job himself saying "we have to get these submarines out of here to try and stop the Jap Fleet before they start bombing here"! He was very excitable and the Sailor wasn't doing the job fast enough. I do not remember who the Chief was or what he looked like but I do remember what he said.
I remember a Sailor came over to see us from one of the destroyers to see our Quartermaster named Riley. Riley was ashore and the sailor waited for him to come back as he wanted to see him very much. In talking to him we found out that he was engaged to marry one of Riley's sisters in California. He lay down in Riley's bunk while waiting for him to return. When Riley came aboard they talked until the Sailor had to return to his ship. His destroyer got under way the next day and was later sunk with all hands.
I remember being in a movie theater in Brisbane when they stopped the movie and flashed a sign on the screen saying, "All Sailors on Cruisers and Destroyers in port return to your ships immediately". Then they played our National Anthem followed by God Bless The Queen. We Submarine Sailors were allowed to stay and watch the movie but when we returned to our ships we found all the Surface Fighting Ships had either left or were leaving port.
 The Battle of the Coral Sea started just about three weeks after our arrival in Brisbane. We lost the Aircraft Carrier Lexington and the Yorktown was badly damaged plus several Destroyers but the Japanese Fleet was also badly damaged and it stopped or delayed their plans to invade Australia.
The Battle Of The Coral Sea was fought on or about May 7 & 8 1942. We left Brisbane on or about May 12,1942 for our 1st Patrol into Japanese controlled waters in the Solomon Islands. We headed North through the Coral Sea where another large Sea Battle had been fought just 4 days before.
We had orders to patrol off Queen Carola Harbor, Buka Island, Cape Sena, Simberi and Feni Island off the North West coast of the much larger island of Bouganville in the Solomons at Latitude 04-00 and 06-305 and Longitude 154-50 and 155-00 E.
We proceeded North from Brisbane on the surface for the first 2 or 3 days. We would make an early morning trim dive just before daylight and stay submerged until after daylight, take a good look around and if nothing was in sight, we would surface and run at 10 knots with both engines on propulsion, of course we had to keep our batteries charged up just in case. From Brisbane to our Patrol area, it was approximately 1800 miles or 1100 nautical miles to our patrol area.
We traveled north, off the East Coast of Australia, passing far to the west of New Caledonia into the Coral Sea then into the Solomon Sea and East of New Guinea with Guadalcanal to the East of us and then to the east of the islands of New Britain and New Ireland and we passed to the west of the Island of Bouganville and to the north west end of the Bouganville to/or near the Island of Buka. A string of smaller islands runs South East to North West toward the North side of the large Island of New Ireland. Our Patrol Area was near the Island of Buka and some of the smaller Islands just to the West.
Remember in those days we had no Radar and the Solomon Sea was in Japanese territory with both Japanese planes and surface ships in the area so we ran submerged all day at real slow speed to conserve battery strength, about 1 1/2 to 3 knots. This was also just 4 degrees south of the Equator and the old S-Boats had no air conditioning. It was very hot.
 Our assigned mission was to patrol in the area mentioned in the above section and to engage and sink any enemy ships found in the area. In addition we had a special assignment to be at the back side of one of the islands at a giving time - just before dusk - on a certain day and to make contact with 2 Australian Coast Watchers (Spies) that were hiding out high up on the mountain observing Japanese shipping and airplanes.
The 2 Coast Watchers were to come down from their high position in the jungle on the Island to the beach area arriving just before dark and we were to make contact with them by going in as close to the beach as possible, partially surfacing with just part of the conning tower protruding out of the water for a few minutes. We would be watching through the periscope and they would try to signal us with a flash light. If we failed to make contact the 1st night then we would try again the very next night. After making contact we would take them aboard and deliver them to a different location. If we failed to make contact the 2nd night, then they were on their own.
Buka Island and the small Islands running North West from Buka was our general patrol area. We were there to try and intercept any ships traveling or coming through that area (plus the special mission mentioned above) but this was just after the battle of the Coral Sea and presumably the Japanese were back at their bases recuperating.
West was the large Island of New Britain. Just north of her the Island of New Ireland and the straits between them with Rabaul on the northern end of New Britain.
The Japanese had a large Air Base with long range bombers stationed there. They also had a Navy Base on the Island of Buka with Navy fighter planes and short range bomber planes that also carried depth charges against submarines and Surface Patrol Craft but not as much as the much larger base at Rebaul.
The Straits between New Britain and New Ireland became known to Submarine Sailors as Ash Can Alley, due to the many depth charge attacks. Submarines under went in this area.
We paroled the straits to the west of Buka in what should have been the shipping lanes for any passage of ships (there were none) in the area for a couple of weeks, I'm not too sure of the  time line of this part of the patrol but the day came when it was time to carry out the other part of our mission, to make contact with the Australian Coast Watchers. We arrived at our destination, the point of contact, at the back of the Island where we were supposed to meet them. We eased into the area submerged with our periscope up and the Captain looking hard at a certain distance from the point of pick up. We stuck our conning tower up for a very short time, where any one on the beach could see us we stayed until after dark and no contact, so we turned back out to sea where we could surface and charge batteries after being submerged all day our batteries were getting low. We patrolled back in our area that night and the next day we headed back toward our pick up point.
The next day, just before dark we were easing back in toward the Island, we were close enough to hear the breakers on the beach or breaking over the shoals (Remember the old S-Boats had thin hulls and periscope depth was usually only 36 feet from the Keel).
We were at Battle Stations and we were all very tense. I had the High Pressure Air Manifold, Chief Schleper (pronounced Shepard) had the Kingston Manifold (Flood & Vent).
Captain Eddy was at the periscope and decided to give the command to surface. He meant to say "Surface Surface" but instead he said "Open The Main Induction". Chief Schleper repeated the order and no correction was forth coming and Chief Shepard said real loud, "He said open the Main Induction" and slammed the air lever to the open position and slammed it shut again but not before we took on some water into the Main Induction and it sped under pressure back to the Motor Room. We had two men on watch in the Motor Room, Walter Levender, and Holly. They screamed Collision as they tried to get to the Hull Flapper valve to close it to stop the Water but of course when Shepard slammed the Induction Valve shut that stopped the water.
The 1st thought Captain Eddy had was "we got water in the Main Motors" and said it out loud and headed for the motor room. Instead of one of the other Officers staying in the Control, they  all followed Captain Eddy at a run for the Motor Room. I looked around and there were no Officers in the Control Room and we were headed for the Beach on a Japanese Island. I looked at Chief Shepard and said Chief, "You're the Senior person here and we may be about to run a ground you better look and see where we are" and pointed at the periscope. Chief Shepard said "I'm not going to look through that, if they come back and find me looking through that they would put me on report". At that I went over to the periscope, as I was the 2nd senior person left in the Control Room. I took the scope in my hands and had just started looking when I felt a tap on my shoulder and it was Captain Eddy looking down his nose at me. He said in words to the effect. "I was afraid we got salt water in the main motors, we were lucky".
Note: the word went around that a barrel of seawater went through the Main Induction and knocked Levender and Holly off the Lathe where they were sitting. Many years later both of them told me that was not true.
After the Captain had a good look around with the periscope, he gave the order to surface. It was getting dark and so far he had no signal from the beach. We proceeded to surface and the Captain went to the bridge and manned the large searchlight and shined it over at the beach and blinked it a few times trying to get a signal back from the Coast Watchers. With a Japanese Base just on the other side of the Island, we, the crew were not too sure just what type of signal we might get back.
We put both engines on propulsion and headed out to sea away from the Island. I do not remember where I was at, at this time as I think I was relieved from being on watch on the HP air manifold. When every thing seemed to happen at one time.
Even though we were operating under "Silent Ship Orders", The Captain wanted to notify the "High Command" that we had failed to make contact with the Coast Watchers, so he gave the Chief Radioman named  Milnes an order to transmit a message, when Milnes opened up the Transmitter, it blew up from condensation getting into the electrical contacts. At the same time the Look Outs up on the "A" Frame above the Bridge saw the high mast from (3) Japanese Destroyers coming around the Island and reported them loud & clear. The Officer of the Deck sounded "Dive Dive". The Oiler in the engine room disengaged the port clutch okay but when he tried to disengage the starboard clutch it would not disengage and the Electrician could only apply power to the port motor for propulsion submerged (When submerging, the diesel engines had to be shut down and the main motors shifted to battery for power). At the same time the bow planes when they were being rigged out for diving lost power to the drive motors and the "Bow Plainsman" had to shift to "hand power" and with some difficulty he managed to get the dive angle under control. (It only took a couple of hours for the electricians to find and fix this problem. In the mean time the bow planes were in hand power).
Evidently the Look Outs were the only ones to see the Japanese destroyers but the Sonarman had them on "Sound'. It was reported that they were making a very high rate of speed.
NOTE: Evidently the Captain never did see the Destroyers as he reported in his First Patrol Report, "Saw no ships, sunk no ships".
Our assigned length of time for our patrol was 30 days. It was considered the maximum length of time an old S-Boat could stay at sea. The Squadron had not heard from us and they were worried about us. In those days all radio messages were sent in Morse Code or di da dit, how ever secret messages were sent by rearranging the Morse Codes (Di da dits) where people without the key to the secret code would not know what the messages were. Messages just in Morse Codes were considered to be in just plain English. We could receive (when on the surface) but could not send, as our transmitter was broken down. Every night we were receiving messages from the Squadron in plain English saying " S-45 if you are still afloat, please answer". We were told later that the word went around the Squadron that we were lost (Sunk).
 When we secured our engines and the engine room machinery, I headed up the ladder for the engine room hatch and topside. As I stepped out onto the deck I was blinded by the sun light and couldn't see any thing that was out and away, so I turned and looked back down at the hatch just as the shipmate that was following me was stepping up out of the hatch, my heart came up in my throat as he looked like a dead person following me out of the hatch. I didn't know it but I looked the same way, We hadn't had any fresh air or sun for a long time and we were dirty, greasy, oily and no color to our skin as well as under nourished. It took a little bit for our eyes to adjust and we could see what was going on with people milling around top side on both our boat and the one next to us and all the food stuff on deck. The first thing we tried to do was eat something. Everyone was very happy to be back in port.
They told us we were free to go over to the pier and walk some but when we got over there we found that our legs wouldn't support us for any length of time I know I was not able to walk a hundred yards before my legs gave way. It took a while, working at it, before our legs started functioning properly.
For the complete story of Joney's life go to: http://goliverjones.com/
FROM YOUR ENTIRE SERVICE CAREER WHAT PARTICULAR MEMORY STANDS OUT?
On my 3rd War Patrol, my 2nd Patrol on the USS S-38, we were supposed to reconnoiter at the island of Tarawa about 6 weeks before the Marines landed there. We were making drawings etc all day and just before sundown a Japanese tanker made like it was leaving and pulled up its anchor and started moving. We fired 3 torpedoes at him and broached, I think the whole Japanese Air Force was waiting for us as we took 22 aerial charges in 2 seconds and a Japanese Destroyer was firing at us from the Harbor. Our torpedoes hit an under water reef and exploded. The bubble tube controlled our angle exploded and hit me in the face, I thought the liquid was sea water coming through the hull and the Captain shouted "We missed, but by God he's not missing, take her down to 150 feet". The Engineering Officer tried to repeat the command and said, "take her down to 32 feet, oh to hell with the pressure". About that time my guts drew into a hard knot. My past life flicked through my brain and the thought, "Oh God let me live until I get back to the States and I'll go to church". Even though our boat was damaged in several places we did make it back to the States. I had a few other experiences after that, but this was the worst. I had nightmares for many years after that.
WHICH INDIVIDUAL PERSON FROM YOUR SERVICE STANDS OUT AS THE ONE WHO HAD THE BIGGEST IMPACT ON YOU AND WHY? Probably my boot camp Instructor as he taught me discipline and a 1st Class named Lloyd Cross from Texas taught me the Engine Room Machinery on my first submarine.
CAN YOU RECOUNT A PARTICULAR INCIDENT FROM YOUR SERVICE THAT WAS FUNNY AT THE TIME AND STILL MAKES YOU LAUGH? I have several stories that still make me laugh. One night just after our arrival, I had the Duty Chief Watch. The Chiefs left aboard took turns and I had this duty about every 4th day. This meant I had to stay aboard all 24 hours on the day I would have this duty. I remember about 10 or 11 o'clock that night; the Navy Shore Patrol came aboard with 2 of our crewmen and reported to me, as I was the senior man on duty. I ask what happened and they told me the 3 sailors were not under arrest, so long as I would keep them aboard ship and not let them go back ashore that night. They told me the 3 sailors were riding a street car and they reached the end of the line and the conductor got out to change his cable or something and one of our sailors jumped up into his seat and pulled the lever that started the street car and away it went leaving the conductor out in the middle of the street.
While one of the sailors drove the streetcar the other one was passing the hat. The riders got so nervous they started jumping off. Finally only one old man with a walking cane was left when the streetcar ran off the track. When the cops arrived the 2 sailors were trying to get it back on the track. The cops were very impressed that the sailors didn't try to run away, but stayed to help get it back on the track. When the cops found that the 2 sailors were off a submarine that had just came back to the states from fighting the war, they told the Shore Patrol to take them back to their ships and make sure they stayed aboard for awhile. I told the 2 sailors to go down below and go to bed and then I told the Below Decks Watch to check on them and make sure they didn't come back topside before daylight. End of punishment.
Another time just before we left Pearl Harbor, a Lieutenant Commander or Chief Warrant Officer, I just can't remember which, rode a motor scooter down on the pier alongside the Pogy, as he evidently had some business on board. He parked his scooter and went down the torpedo room hatch, he was no sooner out of sight and 2 of my shipmates were on the pier, bringing the scooter aboard, they took it down the after torpedo room hatch and hid it in the after engine Room.
One Sunday afternoon in San Francisco they took it and went for a spin out in the eastern rural area of the city. (Remember this was 1944, the rural area started just east of Hunters Point). They were riding it up and down the hills out in the open area or fields of sand and grass. They were having a ball.
A couple of San Francisco Policemen showed up and wanted to know where they got the motor scooter. They said oh it belongs to the Navy and said they were off the Pogy and then the cops showed them a Telegram that said in effect, "Look for a stolen motor scooter, believed to have been stolen from Pearl Harbor Submarine Base by a Submarine headed for the States." The cops brought the 2 sailors back to the Pogy and we don't know what happened to the motor scooter.
WHAT PROFESSION DID YOU FOLLOW AFTER THE SERVICE AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW? IF CURRENTLY SERVING, WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT JOB?
In the summer of 1956 as my shore duty was approaching its end, I would have to go back to sea. I prepared my resumes and sent them out to civilian companies, looking for a job. I was convinced it was time for me to get out of the Navy.  I would be able to transfer into the Fleet Reserve and draw a pension. At that time, the rules were you couldn't retire on 20 years service, but you could ship into the Fleet Reserve (Inactive Duty) and draw pay that equaled retirement pay. When you completed both active duty and reserve duty that totaled 30 years, you would be eligible for a pension based on 20 years of active duty. 19 years, 6 months and 1 day counted as 20 years for pay purpose. I would be eligible for this retirement on August 17, 1956. I put my request in for transfer to the Fleet Reserve effective August 17, 1956 and it came back approved. People called this "Retired on 20 years service" but you can see it wasn't as you were eligible for immediate recall to active duty.
I hit it lucky and was never recalled to active duty. I received my retirement certificate from the Navy in 1966 after 10 years of inactive duty.
One week after going on inactive duty, I went to work in Piping Design Department at Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Co. I was in a technical group working with the designers and engineers.
When they formed the Nuclear Design Department, in the early 1960's, I went with the draftsmen and the technical group that was working with the Nuclear Design Power Plants. Later I became a supervisor over this tech aid section.
I worked for Electric Boat for a period of 25 years, retiring in 1981.
During Christmas Holidays of 1973 I was worried about being laid off at EB. I believe it was about January 2, 1974 when I was sitting in my living room with the New London Day paper on my lap. I was looking up at the ceiling and my mind was wondering what I would do if I was laid off. I looked down and there on my lap was a big ad in the paper saying something about go to Real Estate School at Lee Institute. Lectures were at night at the Holiday Inn in Groton. I could register that night from 7 to 8. It seemed like a message from on high. I folded up the paper and went out and got in the car and went and registered.
There was a Real Estate Agency with a paid parking lot about two blocks from my desk in Nuclear Design. I could park there in the morning when I went to work at EB and when I got off work at EB, I could walk two blocks to where I was parked, sit down at my real estate desk and work for another couple of hours before going home. Within the next year I completed all the necessary courses to become a Real Estate Broker/ Appraiser. In those days a Brokers License qualified a person to be an appraiser.
I started my own agency named the George Jones Real Estate Agency. My wife Verna and my daughter Barbara went through school and became "Agents" and would take care of business while I was working at EB. After my son, George H. moved back to East Lyme and was working at Millstone, Nuclear Power Plant he became one of my real estate agents also.
I retired out of Real Estate in 1993 after 17 years at the age of 73.
WHAT MILITARY ASSOCIATIONS ARE YOU A MEMBER OF, IF ANY? WHAT SPECIFIC BENEFITS DO YOU DERIVE FROM YOUR MEMBERSHIPS?
 The Submarine Veterans of WWII, Submarine Veterans INC. Holland Club, VFW, American Legion, Fleet Reserve Association.
After retiring from EB, I told my wife that I wanted to get back to the WWII Submarine sailors and started going to their meeting. I was a member since 1956. We started going to their conventions and the reunions for the boats I had made war patrols on. I also started playing golf during the mornings at the submarine base with other retiree's.
In 1982, my wife and I attended the convention for Submarine Veterans of WWII in Hartford, CT. I met several old shipmates from the boats I had made war patrols on. I found out the S-45 boat was having a reunion in New Orleans a couple of weeks later. We took off for New Orleans and had a wonderful time. I saw shipmates I hadn't seen since World War II, including Lloyd Cross.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU HAVE FOR THOSE THAT ARE STILL SERVING?
To stick with it, the advantages far out weight the disadvantages when you get to be an old man.
IN WHAT WAYS HAS TOGETHERWESERVED.COM HELPED YOU MAINTAIN A BOND WITH YOUR SERVICE AND THOSE YOU SERVED WITH?
It helps me keep in touch with some of the things that are going on with the Navy and allowed me to have the friends I have made here.
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husband had 3 children of their own. They made me feel more then welcome, but it was very crowded. 
I enlisted as an Apprentice Seaman, for the first 4 months and then I was advance to Seaman 2nd Class. At the end of one year in this rating I was allowed to take a competitive examination for Seaman 1st Class. Seventeen of us took the exam and I tied for 2nd place and only three of us was advanced. Later I changed my rate to Fireman 2nd Class (F2c) same pay grade. I did this as I was accepted for Submarine School by BU Personnel. I was MM2c when WWII started in 1941 and they changed my rate to MOMM2c, they advanced me to MOMM1c in 1942 and CMOMM in 1944.
USS S-38 (2 Patrols) and USS Pogy (4 Patrols).
Well the Division Commander was holding an Annual Inspection on us. We had our Personnel Inspection on Saturday and he would ride us out to sea on Monday where we would under go all the necessary drills for him. Same thing in Pearl Harbor, they caught the Battle Ships with their double bottoms open (man hole covers removed) with Annual Material Inspection scheduled for Monday December 8, 1941.
President Roosevelt went before Congress and asked that they declare war on both Japan and Germany. The short wave radio was full of news. We didn't see the New London Day shown here, it's a clipping dated December 8, 1941. While we went to sea on drills we still listened as much as possible to the radio and some was re-broadcast. President Roosevelt gave his most famous speech in front of Congress when he said "This Day Will Live in Infamy".
We could get the Kate Smith Show on radio and when she would sing "God Bless America", patriotic chills would run up and down our spines and we wanted to kill all the Japanese.
I remember having the tube core from one of our engine fresh water coolers up at the Welding Shop on the Tender where it was being brazed to stop it from leaking. The Chief in charge of the shop grabbed the torch from the Sailor's hands and started doing the job himself saying "we have to get these submarines out of here to try and stop the Jap Fleet before they start bombing here"! He was very excitable and the Sailor wasn't doing the job fast enough. I do not remember who the Chief was or what he looked like but I do remember what he said.
The Battle of the Coral Sea started just about three weeks after our arrival in Brisbane. We lost the Aircraft Carrier Lexington and the Yorktown was badly damaged plus several Destroyers but the Japanese Fleet was also badly damaged and it stopped or delayed their plans to invade Australia.
Our assigned mission was to patrol in the area mentioned in the above section and to engage and sink any enemy ships found in the area. In addition we had a special assignment to be at the back side of one of the islands at a giving time - just before dusk - on a certain day and to make contact with 2 Australian Coast Watchers (Spies) that were hiding out high up on the mountain observing Japanese shipping and airplanes.
time line of this part of the patrol but the day came when it was time to carry out the other part of our mission, to make contact with the Australian Coast Watchers. We arrived at our destination, the point of contact, at the back of the Island where we were supposed to meet them. We eased into the area submerged with our periscope up and the Captain looking hard at a certain distance from the point of pick up. We stuck our conning tower up for a very short time, where any one on the beach could see us we stayed until after dark and no contact, so we turned back out to sea where we could surface and charge batteries after being submerged all day our batteries were getting low. We patrolled back in our area that night and the next day we headed back toward our pick up point.
all followed Captain Eddy at a run for the Motor Room. I looked around and there were no Officers in the Control Room and we were headed for the Beach on a Japanese Island. I looked at Chief Shepard and said Chief, "You're the Senior person here and we may be about to run a ground you better look and see where we are" and pointed at the periscope. Chief Shepard said "I'm not going to look through that, if they come back and find me looking through that they would put me on report". At that I went over to the periscope, as I was the 2nd senior person left in the Control Room. I took the scope in my hands and had just started looking when I felt a tap on my shoulder and it was Captain Eddy looking down his nose at me. He said in words to the effect. "I was afraid we got salt water in the main motors, we were lucky".
Milnes an order to transmit a message, when Milnes opened up the Transmitter, it blew up from condensation getting into the electrical contacts. At the same time the Look Outs up on the "A" Frame above the Bridge saw the high mast from (3) Japanese Destroyers coming around the Island and reported them loud & clear. The Officer of the Deck sounded "Dive Dive". The Oiler in the engine room disengaged the port clutch okay but when he tried to disengage the starboard clutch it would not disengage and the Electrician could only apply power to the port motor for propulsion submerged (When submerging, the diesel engines had to be shut down and the main motors shifted to battery for power). At the same time the bow planes when they were being rigged out for diving lost power to the drive motors and the "Bow Plainsman" had to shift to "hand power" and with some difficulty he managed to get the dive angle under control. (It only took a couple of hours for the electricians to find and fix this problem. In the mean time the bow planes were in hand power).
When we secured our engines and the engine room machinery, I headed up the ladder for the engine room hatch and topside. As I stepped out onto the deck I was blinded by the sun light and couldn't see any thing that was out and away, so I turned and looked back down at the hatch just as the shipmate that was following me was stepping up out of the hatch, my heart came up in my throat as he looked like a dead person following me out of the hatch. I didn't know it but I looked the same way, We hadn't had any fresh air or sun for a long time and we were dirty, greasy, oily and no color to our skin as well as under nourished. It took a little bit for our eyes to adjust and we could see what was going on with people milling around top side on both our boat and the one next to us and all the food stuff on deck. The first thing we tried to do was eat something. Everyone was very happy to be back in port.
a Japanese tanker made like it was leaving and pulled up its anchor and started moving. We fired 3 torpedoes at him and broached, I think the whole Japanese Air Force was waiting for us as we took 22 aerial charges in 2 seconds and a Japanese Destroyer was firing at us from the Harbor. Our torpedoes hit an under water reef and exploded. The bubble tube controlled our angle exploded and hit me in the face, I thought the liquid was sea water coming through the hull and the Captain shouted "We missed, but by God he's not missing, take her down to 150 feet". The Engineering Officer tried to repeat the command and said, "take her down to 32 feet, oh to hell with the pressure". About that time my guts drew into a hard knot. My past life flicked through my brain and the thought, "Oh God let me live until I get back to the States and I'll go to church". Even though our boat was damaged in several places we did make it back to the States. I had a few other experiences after that, but this was the worst. I had nightmares for many years after that. 
They told me the 3 sailors were riding a street car and they reached the end of the line and the conductor got out to change his cable or something and one of our sailors jumped up into his seat and pulled the lever that started the street car and away it went leaving the conductor out in the middle of the street.
I would be able to transfer into the Fleet Reserve and draw a pension. At that time, the rules were you couldn't retire on 20 years service, but you could ship into the Fleet Reserve (Inactive Duty) and draw pay that equaled retirement pay. When you completed both active duty and reserve duty that totaled 30 years, you would be eligible for a pension based on 20 years of active duty. 19 years, 6 months and 1 day counted as 20 years for pay purpose. I would be eligible for this retirement on August 17, 1956. I put my request in for transfer to the Fleet Reserve effective August 17, 1956 and it came back approved. People called this "Retired on 20 years service" but you can see it wasn't as you were eligible for immediate recall to active duty.
The Submarine Veterans of WWII, Submarine Veterans INC. Holland Club, VFW, American Legion, Fleet Reserve Association.
