Boffi, Francesco Verrznzio, MM1

Other Memories
Plank Owner
Upon completion of the new construction school I would end up on the USS Hadley DD-774. It was a Sumner Class 2200 ton new ship.

I reported to San Pedro, Ca. early October 1944 and watched the final construction of the DD-774.

Battles - This one became a history making battle. We were part of the invasion forces on Easter S unday. April 1, 1945. It was known as the Battle of Okinawa. We were involved for several days in shore battery, a couple of convoys and then on the picket line. 11 May 1945 was our demise.

NOTE: The video I sent you has all the rest of the History; you can extract whatever you want from that and from our web site.

It was in this battle that I was burned over 85% of my body. We ruptured a 600 PSI 490 Deg. Steam line in the forward engine room. That was my duty and battle station. I happened to be in the lower level helping with feed pump problems and therefore had to come up two levels through live steam to make it to the main deck.

I have little personal knowledge of how I got off the ship, how I was picked up as a survivor, etc. It was several days before I was a patient aboard the US Hospital Ship USS Solace. From there I spent the next 4½ months in various hospitals. While I was in the "Tent City" hospital on Tinian Island

I was selected to be sent back to the Naval Receiving Hospital in San Francisco, Ca. after several weeks I was sent to Coeur D'Elaine, Idaho and eventually to Sun Valley Idaho Naval Hospital . It was late Oct. 1945 when I was sent to Ft. Louis, Wa. Then from there I was transferred to Fargo Barracks, Boston, where I was discharged 5 Nov. 1945 to my home in Cranston, R.I. for discharge to civilian life.