 Scrapbook photographed at Ah Fong Studio in Shanghai, 22 September 1945. |
Scrapbook photographed at Ah Fong Studio in Shanghai, 22 September 1945. |
Dance Card, USN
The formal announcment is an invitation to Hoboken.
Made in America
The commissioning plaque and the
bell
are now on display at the
Veterans Museum & Memorial Center
in San
Diego, California.
Tourists in
Paradise
Postcards from the edge of the Allied Front.
The Shield of the
Sixth Amphibious Force
It features the insignias of the US Army, US Navy, Austrailian
Army and US Marines surmounted by speeding landing craft.
"Suddenly and
Violently"
The motto and the dragon on the banner of the
Fifth Amphibious Force leave no doubt as to what the Pacific Phib
groups were all about.
Watchful Eyes
An unidentified Fletcher class destroyer cruises between the Rock and
a minesweeper.
No Trespassing
A US Navy SBD Dauntless encounters flak over Japanese held Kwajalein in
the Marshall Islands.
Changing Hands
A Japanese freighter is captured by the Fifth before its cargo could
be delivered.
Lowering the Boom
Provisions are loaded to the deck under the watchful eyes of Lt. Mason.
My dad, a storekeeper, is smiling in the background.
Invasion Fleet Under Air Attack
The black 'dot' at the top of the screen is not a photographic blemish,
it is a Japanese plane.
Too Close for Comfort
A Japanese plane scouts the fleet.
"Land the Landing Force!"
The effect of Admiral Turner's command is seen in this composite picture
taken at Lingayen. Picture elements provided by
Ken Camozzi.
Mine Count
Ship's scoreboard of mines exploded. The
USS Scout
in which my
Uncle Tony
served, removed mines as its primary function.
Hurry Up and Wait
The Beachmaster Liasion team waits to go ashore during the invasion
of Saipan, 15 June 1944.
Unfriendly Reception
Shore batteries attempt to find their range on the Rock.
A Near Miss
A nearby explosion showers the Rock with salt water.
Plane Spotting
A Navy plane picks a target on Santa Cruz Bank.
Farewell to Arms
A Japanese Marine surrenders to the Royal Austrailian Army.
A Shark is Caught
A scuttled Jap sub that was found by the crew of 'The Rock'
at Lingayen Gulf is being secured aboard
the Landing Ship/Dock (LSD)
USS Ashland.
Supply Department
Officers and Men of the Rocky Mount supply department.
My dad, Ruff Berver, is in the center of the front row.
Scrap Iron, Japanese Make
This costal artillery piece will no longer spew death.
Shattered Castle
This pillbox is in ruins after the fighting.
Remainder Zero
A camouflaged Japanese Ki-46 "Dinah" lies wrecked in
the Philippines.
A Woman's Work is Never
Done
Three Phillipino women wash their laundry in the ruins of recent
fighting.
New Islands in the Harbor
Merchant ships lie in a wet, shallow grave.
Concrete Battleship
Fort Drum was built on a reef and guarded the entrance to Manila harbor.
At the time this was taken, it was still held by the Japanese. Fortunately
the big guns weren't operable.
Christmas in the South Seas
The cover of the menu from the 1944 Christmas Dinner.
Beach Party
Allied troops examine wrecked "kate" float planes in the landing area.
10 O'Clock High
A B24 Liberator flies in low over the beach.
Running on Empty
A fuel depot explodes.
Last Respects
The crew is assembled on deck for Franklin D. Roosevelt's memorial
service.
Trophy of War
Three US Marines display a captured Japanese flag.
Puttin' on the Ritz
'The Rock' had her own thirteen piece band.
Cease Firing
Leyte Gulf erupts with star shells and fireworks Japan announces her
surrender.
And They Shall Beat
Their Swords into Plowshares
Japanese troops surrender to Admiral Kinkaid at Jinsen,
Korea.
Tidal Flats
Aerial photo of the Jinsen tidal flats that would become the site of the
Inchon landings seven years later in the Korean conflict.
Parade to Shanghai
The Rock leads the fleet up the Whangpoo river to Shanghai in a victory
parade in this composite picture.
Destroyer in the Mist
An unidentified united nations destroyer rides anchor in front
of the famous Shanghai Bund.
Sweet Liberty
Bluejackets from the Rock head toward Shangai.
The Rock, Bow
The Rocky Mount seen from the front. Newly painted grey at the end
of the war, she is tied up at Shanghai, September 1945.
USS Estes (AGC-12)
One of the 17 sister ships of the Rocky Mount lies at anchor
alongside the Rock near the light cruiser USS Nashville
in Shanghai harbor after the war.
Time Heals
Tropical greenery has reclaimed the entrance
to the Bandero Command Post where Saito ordered
waste and destruction.
Ruff Berver
Born on the Fouth of July.
Pauline Berver
Mom was a 'babe' in 1945!
Pauline and Ruff Berver
A picture that never was, Mom and Dad smile in a composite picture made
using photoshop fifty years after the photographs were taken.
The 'Rock' is on the rocks in
Texas
A picture of the USS Rocky Mount plaque on Memorial Wall at the
Nimitz
Museum in Fredericksburg, Texas.
Admiral T.C. Kinkaid, USN
18 June 1945
The Situation in 1943
A map of the pacific
with brief summary of what faced the Rocky Mount
as she arrived there.
Amphibious Force
How the AGC fleet contributed to victory in the Pacific.
Equatorial Antics
King Neptune converts polywogs to shellbacks when the
Rocky Mount crosses the Equator.
Saito at Saipan
Lieutenant General Saito pledges to leave his bones
as a bulwark against the American Devils.
Happy Birthday!
The U.S.S. ROCKY MOUNT PRESS NEWS announces the Fighting
Fifth's accomplishments on its
first birthday.
Formosa Air War
The Navy clears the China Seas before liberating the Philippines.
Newspaper Clipping
The Rocky Mount gets written up when she leads her fleet
up the river to Shanghai.
By the Book
The facts and history of Rocky Mount as recorded in the
The Dictionary of
American Naval Fighting Ships.
After the Breakers Yard
John Vreeland recovers the bell and commissioning plaque.
T-Shirt
Make your own Rocky Mount/Fifth Phib T-Shirt featuring " Terrible
" Turner's battle flag.
