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Newsletter VP-91 Alumni Association Newsletter


"Up Floats"
Contributed by George B. Winter pbycat@bellsouth.net

Volume: 2000 Issue: 1
9 Pages Full of Pictures!

We hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season and are in good Health. Two members of our group passed away since the last newsletter. At the reunion in Ottowa Canada I found out the Frank Casey had died but I don't have any information except that I found it in the PBYCIA newsletter. I received a letter from Charles Arth's daughter informing me that Charles died in his sleep in August 1999. If any other members of our group are not with us I do not have that information. Our deepest sympathy goes to the families. Although he was not a member ofVP-91, Al Taylor also passed away this year. He was the radioman on the plane (VP-81) that rescued Charles Munsey. When we were young sailors in the Navy we never thought of the future or how long we would live and even when we were in our forty's & fifty's we never gave a thought about living into our seventy's and eighty's but here we are and some of us have serious health problems and others are luckier. We continue on and hope that we will make it well into the New Year. I will keep you all in my prayers for good health and a happy death. We lived a good life and hope it continues.

I will continue to send out our newsletter as long as I am able, and have information about the VP community. If you are like me, you like to hear information about the wonderful PBY and those young heroes that flew them. So with information about PBY's in the sinking of submarines in the Atlantic. I believe the PBY's sank about 30 some German submarines, so you will read about it. When I come across other of interest I will include it in a Newsletter. This newsletter will be about VP-71 during the battle of the Coral Sea and submarines sunk by PBY's. I received and email from an Australian inquiring if I knew what squadron the three American Catalina's that bombed Tulagi along with Australian PBY's belong. I did not know and told him what squadron it might be but told him I was going to the Archives and would look up the information and I did and it turned out to be VP-71 and the information is in this newsletter.

I had two email inquiries this past year and one was from a nephew of Howard Ripple the enlisted pilot, who was shot down Oct 1942 and I gave him all the information from my files. The second inquiry I received was from one of the sons of Lt. Woolery and I gave him some info and we are still in contact. I continue to be impressed with the wonders of the Internet. It is nice to have 91's information on the Internet and contacts can be made with others.


CHRONOLOGICAL ITINERARY VP/VPB-71 FROM WAR DIARY

December 7, 1941 Based at Argentia, Newfoundland.

December 8, 1941...Ordered to West Coast.

December 25, 1941...Arrived at Pearl Harbor and began day search operations.

December 25, 1941-April 1, 1943...Operated from Kaneohe, Midway, Johnston, Canton and New Caledonia.

April 1, 1943...Squadron split to form VP-71 and VB-104 (B-24's).

June 20, 1943...Departed Hawaii for Southwest Pacific.

June 27, 1943-October 13,1943...Operated from Espiritu Santo.

October 14, 1943-March 6, 1944...Operated from Halavo Seaplane Base on Florida Island in the Solomons.

March 6, 1944...Relieved by Patrol Squadron EIGHTY-ONE.

March 24, 1944...Returned to the United States.

April 25, 1944...Re-formed at San Diego, California

August 25, 1944...Departed San Diego for Hawaii.

August 28, 1944...Training and patrol operations from Kaneohe Bay, T. H. and November 10, 1944 from Midway.

October 1, 1944...Designation changed to Patrol Bombing Squadron SEVENTY-ONE.

November 10, 1944...Departed Hawaii for Southwest Pacific

November 13, 1944...Reported to the SEVENTH Fleet at Manus in Admiralty Islands.

November 25, 1944...Conducted Black Cat operations from Morotai, Netherlands East December 19,1944 Indies.

January 4, 1945...Departed Morotai, Netherlands East Indies for Leyte, P. I.

January 4, 1945-January 9, 1945...Conducted search and escort operations from Leyte, P. I.

January 10, 1945...Departed Leyte, P. I. For Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, P. I.

January 12, 1945-March 1, 1945...Conducted Black Cat operations from Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, P. I.

March 1, 1945...Departed Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, P. 1. For Leyte, P. I.

March 3, 1945-April 26, 1945...Conducted day search operations from Leyte, P. I. And Samar, P. I.

April 27, 1945...Conducted air-sea rescue, day search, weather reconnaissance, day January 31, 1946 patrols, photographic, training, and transportation operations from Samar, P. I.

January 31, 1946...Departed Samar, P. I. For Sangley Point, Luzon, P. I.

February 3, 1946-April 30, 1946...Conducted air-sea rescue, day patrol and searches, photographic, training, and transportation operations from Sangley Point, Luzon, P. I.

May 1, 1946...Departed Sangley Point, Luzon, P. I. For Kaneohe, T. H.

May 10, 1946...Reported aboard the USS LEXINGTON for transportation to San Diego, California

May 20, 1946... Reported to Commander Fleet Air Wing FOURTEEN, San Diego, California, for duty.

May 23, 1946...Departed San Diego, California for Norfolk, Virginia for duty.


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