In the Collection: USS San Pablo Bell Remnant

By Nick Wieman
HRNM Intern

Pictured here is a remnant of the original bell from USS San Pablo (AVP 30), a Barnegat-class seaplane tender in service with the US Navy between 1943 and 1969. Rear Admiral Stuart H. Smith, Supply Corps, USN (Ret.) donated this bell to the Museum in 1990. Smith served aboard San Pablo as a “plank owner,” meaning he was with the ship since its commissioning. According to Smith, this ship’s bell has the ignoble distinction of having been destroyed not by the Japanese, but by San Pablo’s crew itself!

Front view, USS San Pablo bell remnant. “U.S.S/San Pablo/1943” (HRNM)

When standing upright on its base, the bell fragment measures 11.25” in length, 4.5” in width from the lip (bottom of the bell), and 9” in height; as this plaque is made up of the ship’s bell cut in half, when in service the bell would have measured a total of 9” in width. It appears to be constructed of brass or bronze, which over time has dulled into a sort of beige. It prominently features a molded with “U.S.S/SAN PABLO/1943”, with a reddish-brown metal inset. The bell is set in a wood base, painted black, with a green felt cover on the bottom and a reddish sticker on the back.

Top view, USS San Pablo bell remnant (HRNM)

Overall, the bell is in good condition, if showing its age. The lettering in the inscription is severely cracked, showing the discolored metal underneath. The paint on the wood base is fading and flaking in places, the green felt base has several holes showing the unpainted wood underneath, and the wood itself is chipped and scratched.

The ship’s bell has had a long history in the world’s navies for both functional and ceremonial purposes, and the United States Navy is no different. The bell can serve many functional purposes aboard a vessel, from warning signals in poor visibility to alerting the crew to a fire on board. Until the invention of modern time-keeping devices like the chronometer, the bell and an hourglass were the only means of accurately recording time at sea, with the bell being rung every half hour. From this, the bell’s most common function in modern navies is to mark the passage of time during a ship’s watch, with eight rings signaling the end of a four-hour watch. The bell also continues to be rung to mark the arrival and departure of the captain, officers, and important guests aboard the ship.

By representing a tradition dating back to the earliest days of the Age of Sail, the ship’s bell provides a sense of continuity for Sailors in modern navies with their nautical forebears. The importance of the ship’s bell cannot be overstated. Most dramatically, bells are often used in baptisms for children of the crew, either held aloft above the child or as a baptismal font (a vessel for holy water). The children’s names are then inscribed inside the bell, forever linking the child and their parents to the ship. The U.S. Navy’s ships’ bells are also unique for being permanently owned by the Department of the Navy. Once a ship is decommissioned, the bells are often loaned to state governments or national parks with some connection to the ship on which it served.

USS San Pablo (AVP 30), one week before commissioning (Wikipedia)

Commissioned March 15, 1943, the Navy dispatched USS San Pablo from the Puget Sound to San Diego, and then to Brisbane, Australia, to receive its flight crews and begin its mission. As a seaplane tender, San Pablo was a critical partner of the “Black Cats,” PBY Catalinas and PBM Mariner seaplanes engaged in night-fighting, reconnaissance, and search-and-rescue operations for downed pilots in the South Pacific Theater; their name comes from their black paint schemes for camouflage in the night sky. San Pablo was based out of Noumea, New Caledonia, and Samarai, Papua New Guinea, alongside Patrol Squadron 101 (VP-101) and Patrol Squadron 52 (VP-52), together forming Task Force 73.1. Between summer 1943 and fall 1944, San Pablo patrolled the waters of the Bismarck Seas supporting the men of VP-101 and VP-52, returning once to Brisbane in October 1943 for maintenance and shore leave. In late 1944, USS San Carlos (AVP 51) relieved San Pablo, and San Pablo went to Anibongen Bay on Leyte Island, Philippines, to assist with anti-submarine operations.

Sister ship USS Timbalier, shown for size comparison with two PBM Mariners (Wikipedia)

In late December 1944, San Pablo was attached to a supply convoy enroute to Mindaro when it came under severe and sustained attack by Japanese kamikaze aircraft. For up to a week, San Pablo and the other ships fought off the aircraft with heavy anti-aircraft fire and support from escorting planes. It was during this engagement, according to Smith, that the ship’s bell was “shattered by the intensity of our own defensive fire.” While San Pablo was not damaged during this period, a kamikaze plane narrowly missed the ship astern. That same plane hit the nearby USS Orestes, and four crewmen were wounded by shrapnel from the resulting explosion.

USS San Pablo (AGS 30) in oceanographic service (Wikipedia)

While set to be deactivated following the surrender of Japan, the ship received a new lease on life when the Navy recommissioned it as a hydrographic research vessel in 1948. Between 1948 and 1969, USS San Pablo (AGS 30) undertook a wide range of oceanographic studies in the North Atlantic and the Caribbean, from measuring the vast Gulf Stream current to developing more accurate topographical maps of the ocean floor. San Pablo’s service came to an end on May 29, 1969, and the ship was struck from the Navy’s registry on June 1. It was briefly owned by the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography (affiliated with the University of Georgia) before being sold to a private citizen. Its final fate is unknown, although it can be presumed that San Pablo was scrapped.

Smith’s description of the incident, brief as it is, allows the reader to envision a truly chaotic scene. “The intensity of our own defensive fire” conjures images of burning ships and a smoke-filled sky, the deafening roars of anti-aircraft guns and aircraft screaming past or colliding with ships, and the smells of hot brass and oily smoke filling the air. In such an environment where the anti-air crew frantically whipped their guns about and raked the skies against Japanese aircraft, it’s easy to see how the bell could have become accidentally shattered by a stray bullet or shrapnel. It also speaks to the respect that the crew had for their ship that they salvaged what they could of the bell and preserved it in some form.

Seventy-Five Years Ago: Easter Sunday in Okinawa

This portion of an illustration by John Hamilton from his series War at Sea shows USS Tennessee (BB 43) being targeted by Japanese Special Attack Corps (Kamikaze) aircraft on April 12, 1945, while performing shore bombardment in support of American troops fighting their way across Okinawa.  (Navy Art Collection via Naval History and Heritage Command Photo Curator/ Flickr)   

By Zachary Smyers
HRNM Educator


On April 1, 1945, Easter Sunday, two US Marine Corps Divisions, along with two Army Divisions, landed on the Japanese island of Okinawa. Okinawa represented the last steppingstone in the island-hopping campaign before reaching the Japanese home islands. Much like the invasion of Iwo Jima, the fighting on Okinawa would be fierce on both land…and sea.

Landing craft crowd an Okinawa beach on "L-Day," April 1, 1945 (Naval History and Heritage Command image)

Utilizing veteran units from the Marine Corps and the Army, the assembled invasion force would be the largest ever assembled under the US Navy. An armada of over one thousand ships backed up the Marines and soldiers landing on the island.  Utilizing lessons that had been learned during the hard fought Pacific campaign, the Navy planned to be on station during the duration of the invasion.

The Japanese defending the island numbered 155,000 soldiers under the command of Lieutenant General Mitsuru Ushijima. Lt. Gen. Ushijima divided the island into defensive sectors to maximize the use of his troops. What Ushijima also had an abundance of was mortars and artillery. These weapons would be used to great effect during the course of the battle.

The primary objectives of the invasion were the airfields located at Yontan and Kadena. Securing these would provide an air base even closer to Japan for B-29 bombers as well as other support aircraft. The Navy carriers operating off the coast would provide valuable close air support to the Marines and soldiers operating on the ground.

LSTs and LSMs on an Okinawa beach with a crowd of other amphibious shipping offshore on April 3, 1945.  USS LST 552 is at left.  In the center are LCT 1270 and LSM 31.  LST 776 is second from right.  Photographed from an aircraft from USS Tulagi (CVE 72). (Naval History and Heritage Command image)

The initial landings proceeded with no resistance.  Beachheads were established to keep the steady flow of supplies. Veterans within the Marine and Army units knew that when you land unopposed on an island, it meant that the Japanese were dug in for you and waiting somewhere else. This was definitely the case on Okinawa. The 6th Marines did not make initial contact with the Japanese until April 13. This lead to a four-day battle, which resulted in an estimated 2,000 Japanese troops, killed. The 6th Marines suffered 207 killed and 757 wounded.

Marines holding the line near Naha, Okinawa, in May 1945. (U.S. Marine Corps Photograph/ Department of Defense via Britannica.com)

Operating in the southern front, the Army encountered stiff resistance on the 6th of April. The defensive line that the Army discovered was centered on the town of Shuri and became known as the Shuri Line. This defensive arrangement proved to be very difficult to capture, and the fighting would become very deadly.

Marine Private First Class Joseph F. Garrity fires his flamethrower at a tomb being used as a Japanese sniper's nest.  Taken in late-May 1945. (Naval History and Heritage Command image)

At sea, the overall strategic commander for the Navy was Admiral Raymond Spruance. Admiral Spruance had come to Okinawa with the entire Fifth Fleet, which was broken up into nine task forces, which included units from the Royal Navy. Within the Fifth Fleet battle group, were several battleships that had been repaired after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The combination of aircraft carriers, battleships, cruisers, light cruisers, and destroyers brought a tremendous amount of firepower to support the operation. Eventually though, the fighting at sea would become just as intense as the fighting on the land.

Japanese “Zero” fighter plane in anti-aircraft action with Task Group 58.1 makes an attack on USS Vincennes (CL 64) off Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, as seen from USS Miami (CL 89). Photograph released April 6, 1945.  (National Archives and Records Administration 80-G-324531 via Naval History and Heritage Command Photo Curator/ Flickr)   

The invasion of Okinawa saw the heaviest use of the Japanese Kamikazes. Having lost most of their veteran pilots during the course of the island hopping campaign, Japan resorted to using young men with bare minimum flight training to turn their aircraft into human missiles and dive into American ships. During the course of the battle, over 1,900 kamikaze planes were flown into US Navy ships. These attacks resulted in the loss of 36 ships along with 64 ships receiving significant damage. 

Japanese Kamikazes were far from the only hazards to Navy ships and landing craft during Operation Iceberg.  USS Halligan (DD 584) struck a mine on March 26, 1945, during the prelude to the landings, causing her magazine to explode. (National Archives and Records Administration 80-G-324187 via Naval History and Heritage Command Photo Curator/ Flickr)

Operation Iceberg lasted 82 days. The island of Okinawa was declared secure on June 22, 1945. Japanese losses were estimated at over 150,000 killed which included civilians. For the US Navy, 4,907 Sailors were killed in action and 4,874 were wounded. It was the highest casualty count ever for the Navy during a single engagement with enemy forces. The Marine Corps lost 2,938 Marines during the fighting while the US Army had 4,675 soldiers killed in action. This included Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., who was the highest-ranking US military officer lost to hostile fire during World War II.

Marine Corporal Earl Brunitt (left) and Private Genare J. Nuzzi (right) of the 29th Regiment, 6th Division, share their foxhole with an Okinawan orphan as they grab a brief nap during the fighting in April 1945.  (U.S. Marine Corps Photograph/ Library of Congress image PR-13_CN-246-5 via Naval History and Heritage Command Photo Curator/ Flickr)

USS Helm (DD 388): For the Duration

Hanging on one of the walls in the museum gallery is this fairly humble looking plaque. Many visitors might not even give it a second glance. Yet in the spirit of "if these walls could talk," this piece of metal would tell quite a few stories if it was able.

As the plaque states, the Bagley-class destroyer USS Helm (DD 388) was built at the Norfolk Navy Yard as part of FDR's "New Deal" program. While often overshadowed by the more modern Fletcher-class destroyers, older destroyers like Helm contributed significantly for the entire duration of the war.

The ship's illustrious career in World War II started in the opening minutes of the war. On the morning of December 7, 1941, Helm was the only ship underway at Pearl Harbor when the attack started. The ship's gunners shot down one Japanese plane before a Japanese midget submarine was spotted and targeted by the destroyer's 5-inch guns. The enemy craft submerged before any significant damage was inflicted. 

The action at Pearl Harbor was only the beginning for USS Helm. The destroyer was kept busy on various assignments for the rest of the war, involved in many of the main engagements of the Pacific War either as a screening vessel or for close-in shore support.  She was also assigned to more routine escort duty at times.  Helm was part of the invasion of Guadalcanal, survived the Battle of Savo Island, and supported the invasion of Cape Gloucester.  After a brief return to the U.S., the destroyer returned to more active engagements. The "tin can" mostly protected carriers during the latter battles of the war, including the "Marianas Turkey Shoot" and at Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa, as well as strikes against many other targets.

Near the end of the war the Japanese suicide tactics increased, making the destroyer's role of protecting the bigger ships all the more important. This was especially true during the Iwo Jima and Okinawa campaigns. 

This photo shows a kamikaze plane attacking a Bagley-class destroyer in the Sulu Sea southwest of the Philippines. Most likely this is USS Helm as the ship suffered some minor damage from a suicide plane on this day while part of a task group of escort carriers.

During the last few weeks of the war the destroyer participated in the rescue of the crew of USS Indianapolis after the heavy cruiser was sunk by a Japanese submarine.  After the Japanese surrendered, the ship returned to the United States and was decommissioned in 1946.  It was then used in atomic bomb testing before being scrapped a year later.  USS Helm's near decade of service was more eventful than many other ships.  The four years of action in World War II earned her eleven battle stars, participating in nearly every major Pacific campaign.

Story by Hampton Roads Naval Museum Educator Elijah Palmer.

April 11, 1945 Kamikaze Attack

This picture of a Japanese "Zero" about to hit the USS Missouri (BB-63) on April 11, 1945 is one of the most famous photographs of the U.S. Navy in World War II. The attack served as a testament to the toughness of American battleships as the plane did little to no damage to the ship. The attack itself was unusual as kamikaze pilots typically targeted less armored ships such as aircraft carriers and smaller surface combatants such as destroyers.



USS Wisconsin (BB-64) was steaming alongside Missouri when the attack happened. Watches aboard Wisconsin spotted this "Zero" as it made its run at the American task force. Wisconsin's gunners fired at the plane as it approach their battleship forcing the pilot to abort his attack and circle around again to find another target (which eventually was Missouri). A Wisconsin officer recorded the event with a crude diagram (shown above) for the official after action report.