Personal Historical Anecdotes Thread

[rotorgun]

Speaking of Grandfathers, one of my granfathers was stationed in the Pacific in the China Fleet in the mid-late 1930's. He was aboard one of the cruisers that responded to the Panay incident which almost sparked off hostilities between Japan and the United States in 1937. I am not sure of the details, but there was some sort of stand off between the small sqaudron his ship was part of and a Japanese one in Chaing Hai harbor. Diplomacy prevented it from becoming a shoot out.

After he got out of the Navy in 1938, he later on became an inspector of industrial sized valves for the Chapman Valve Company in Indian Orchard Massachusetts. This company made valves for the top secret Manhattan Project. He went on many trips to Oak Ridge Tennessee to inspect the final installation of numerous valves used during the construction phase. He also inspected valves used in the first nucler powered sub, the USS Nautilis, and some of the early Skipjack class.