Look on the “Papers” section for an Officer’s Roster.
The Muster Rolls are available from this page.
Before I added the Muster Rolls to the site, I started compiling a list of names of men who served on the Cumberland Sound. This has gotten large enough that it is now on a spreadsheet rather than just being a list on this web page. Please click here to view the spreadsheet in HTML format.
In the “Source” column:
• “Journal” indicates that it is a name in the journal of William McGehee.
• “query” indicates that someone asked if we have any information on a specified crew member.
If you have the name of someone that you are certain served on the USS Cumberland Sound, please use the Contact form or the Comments section at the bottom of this page to provide any information you have available.
Unless otherwise noted, this work is copyrighted by Stephen Clay McGehee. © Stephen Clay McGehee 2011 – 2019
Material identified as being contributed by others is copyrighted by the persons contributing that material.
My dad who passed 12 8 2012 .going through his dd214 list the uss cumbeland sound as one of the ships he served on.i thank who ever served with my dad on her and i know he is with his buddys and smilen down on us all.
Thanks, Glen. If you’d like to pass along any information such as his name, any photos you might stumble across (that’s how this site got started – looking through my father’s photos after he had died), etc., we’d sure like to see them.
Sorry got a little choked up was in the USN myself my dads name was James R. Voorhees I hope to find some photos at a later date if I find some I’ll send them on thanks.
Glen – I’ve added his name to the ship’s roster that I’m compiling (link at the top of this page). You might want to look through the photos here and see if you can find him in there. Click on the photos for full resolution so you can view it easier. Thanks again for stopping by.
Hello, thanks for the info! My Dad, Efraim Frank Keramaris, served on the U.S.S. Cumberland Sound, but I do not know the dates. I know that he worked with Lt. Ostrin. He was selected to work in the office by Lt. Ostrin. My Dad is going to be 90 in April. He has dementia but he remembers several Navy stories that he tells over and over and gets much pleasure from the telling. We tried to locate Lt. Ostrin at one point but were unsuccessful. My Dad was on board the ship when it was struck by an out of control plane (one of ours). Many lives were lost, but by a fluke of fate our Dad was spared.
So great to be in touch with you, Esther Warner
Thank you for stopping by, Esther. Is your Dad able to view the web site? If so, I’d love to hear about any comments he might have on the photos and stories here. While you’re at it, I would greatly appreciate it if you would shake his hand and tell him that is from Lt. William McGehee’s son. Please keep in touch.
My Grandfather’s box of navy items has several newsletters from the USS Cumberland Sound, as well as dinner menus for special holidays.
His name was Olyseen “Bee” Ferry. The other sailors called him “Pops” because he was 29-30 years old when he served.
Let me know if you need more information, or would like me to scan you his mementos.
Thanks,
Jodi Cox (granddaughter)
Thank you, Jodi! I have added his name to the roster here on the web site. If you have any editions of “Crews News” or menus that we don’t already have posted here, I would really appreciate it if you would scan them and email them to me (I’ll be sending you an email so you’ll have an email address to reply to). I hope to eventually have the entire collection of the ship’s publications posted here. Again, THANK YOU!
My father Richard Jeuck served on the USS Cumberland Sound as an aviation mahinist in Tokyo Bay during WWII. He is alive and well, still telling stories at 90. I was unable to add his name to the roster.
Julia, thank you for stopping by. Your father’s name is now on the roster. If you’re ever able to get him to look at the web site, I’d love to get any corrections or comments he might have. I’m especially looking for any information about the Japanese “Emily” plane that is on the “Mystery Plane” page – http://cumberlandsound.org/operations/air-operations/the-mystery-plane/ .
Thank you!
My Dad server on the Cumberland Sound, his name is Nobel Hill Sisco, he was on the ship during the atomic testing, bikini atoll (?) He passed away December 3, 2012.
Thank you,
Karen Sisco Salvey (daughter)
Thank you, Karen. I’ve got his name added to the ship’s roster.
The Cumberland Sound was the last ship my father James Suttles served on during WWII. Although he served on several other ships prior, this is the only one I can recall by name. He enlisted before WWII and served for 22 years. He is still alive and kicking and will celebrate his 94th birthday in a few months. I look forward to sharing this page with him. Thank you.
Good evening, Paula. It’s a real blessing to me when I hear that one of the men who served on the Cumberland Sound will be able to see this! Please ask him if there are any stories or comments that he would like to share here, or any comments about any of the photos posted here. The web site exists to preserve the memory of the men who served on that ship, and he is one of the few remaining. Thank you!
My father was Raymond C. Fitz-Patrick, he was a Shopkeeper 2nd class. I found his name on the muster roll from Sept. 1944. I know he was on board when the ship was in Tokyo Bay. I have been trying to put some info on his Navy years together. All of his pictures, uniforms, and records were lost in a storage unit after he passed away. Thank you for posting all of the information you have.
I know my grandfather was aboard his name was Robert O Burch
I keep hoping to hear from someone with a name that is listed in my father’s journal. As I went through it looking for your grandfather’s name, I enjoyed seeing the day-to-day routine that Dad made notes on: lists of men needing to get physicals, who is scheduled to to go “gas school”, who is on a refueling crew, etc. You really start to get a sense of what life aboard the Cumberland Sound was like. Here’s the link to that journal – http://cumberlandsound.org/william-clay-mcgehee-journal-1/
I spent some time visiting with my Mom and Dad (John Francis Ganey) last night talking about Chicago, the Cubs, Wrigley Field and of course the 1945 World Series. The 1945 World Series was held Oct 3-8, 1945 in both Detroit and Chicago? Unfortunately most of the young men and women, like my father, who were Cub fans were not in Chicago to enjoy the festivities. Why? They were serving in the armed forces around the world projecting our freedoms. In fact only 30 days before the series, Japan signed the surrender documents to end World War II. The signing took place on the deck of USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. My Dad was on a ship in Tokyo Bay that day, on a Sea-Plane tender, The USS Cumberland Sound. Dad continued to serve in the Navy until he was honorably discharged April 18, 1946. As of today he is alive, fairly well and living in Georgetown Texas. I did find his name in the William Clay McGehee Journal. (John Francis Ganey, Aviation Electronics Technician)
Thank you for posing, Patricia. Your father is the first crew member that I’ve found any record of who was listed in my father’s notes, so at one point anyway, your father knew my father. I’m really glad to hear that he is still doing relatively well and that you were able to spend time with him. Treasure the time.
Our family is so happy to have found this site. This provides us so much history.
Thank you for doing this
do you want a couple pictures?
I’m always looking for relevant photos! Thank you.
I’ve sent you an email with details for submitting photos. Again, thank you!
My father, Marvin Rector served on the Cumberland Sound from Oct 22, 1944 to Nov. 6, 1945 with the rank of ACMM. His Commanding Officer on his orders was T.L. Conroy, Lt. Cmdr. He was 22 years old at the time of his service on the CS and was from Vernon, AL. He retired from the Navy in 1960 in Millington, TN with 20 years of service and passed away in 1977. Unfortunately I wasn’t smart enough to ask questions and learn more about his war time deployment. I am interested in any information of the deployment of the CS during this time including routes, enemy engagements, photos and being in Tokyo Bay for the surrender. Thanks for your interest and efforts.
Hi, Tim. Thank you for adding the information about your father.
Everything that I have regarding the Cumberland Sound and her crew is here on this site, so I’m afraid that I can’t add anything. Perhaps another visitor to the site will be able to fill in any details.
Mr McGehee, I happened on this site. I am glad you are keeping the memory alive. My father, William Yaap, served on her during the war. He was an airplane mechanic. He said USS Cumberland Sound was a seaplane tender. He died in 1997 at the age of 80.
It’s been a real pleasure – and an honor – to be able to keep the memory alive. Thank you for adding your father’s information to the site. If you can recall any stories about his time on the Cumberland Sound, I hope you’ll write them up and post them here.
My Dad, Wendell E Bennett, served on the USS Cumberland Sound from May, 1944- October, 1945. He noted the dates on the envelope containing his Discharges. He also served in the Korean War.
Jo, thanks for writing. I’ve added your Dad to the roster. If you run across any photos or other items that you’d like to have added to the site, please be sure to let us know.
My grandfather Horace M. Green served from 1944 to late summer 1945. He is now 94. He is our treasure. He served under Capt Grant, and served as chief petty officer.
Mary, thank you so much for letting us know. Please give our best regards to your grandfather. If possible, I hope you are able to show him the site, and perhaps it will bring back some good memories. I just finished looking through the names list on my father’s journal from that time, but didn’t see your grandfather listed. I keep hoping I’ll find someone on that list, but time is quickly running out.
My father Celso Pena was on the ship when the did the tests and told me many stories
Dan, if you can recall those stories, and feel like sharing them, please consider adding them here. Thanks!
My uncle J K Hanchey was CRM onboard 1apr46. He also served on BB40 and USS Pennsylvania and AV17 during his career. I never heard him talking of the war. He died in 1995.
My father served on this ship as a diver during WWII. His name is Nelson Theodore Bernard JR. From Clinton Missouri.
Thanks, Pamela. If you have any photos or stories or anything you’d like to add to the site, please do.
My dad was drafted when he was 36 years old so he wanted to get in and out as soon as possible because he had 3 children. He served from 3-30-44 to 11-13-45 I believe his rate was S1.I have an envelope where he sent me a $2.00 bill . It was sent airmail with the stamp costing 6 cents. The envelope has a marking that it is the First Mail USS Cumberland Sound (AV-!&) Entry of Third Fleet US Navy TOKYO BAY JAPAN. The post mark is Aug 28 1945.
My dad’s name was Milton J. Christensen from Lead South Dakota.
(Edited by SCM to combine two separate posts)
My father Paul J Dunn was a plank owner first class petty officer aboard the Cumberland Sound He is 97 and living in Texas
Thanks for stopping by. You’ll see his memoirs already published here at https://cumberlandsound.org/paul-j-dunn/.
My great grandfather served on the USS Cumberland Sound. I know that he was on board when they went into Tokyo Bay. His name is Joseph Ealer Sr. He was a married man & father of 3 when he signed up for the navy, after Pearl Habor. We unfortunately lost him to cancer in 1987. While I was too young to have any real conversations with him about his service time, I do know that he was a cook. I’ve always been told that one day they were lined up & were asked for volunteers for a job. Everyone knew that you never volunteered for anything, but one of his buddies told him to raise his hand, & that’s how he became a cook.
He did send a lot of correspondence to his family. My great grandmother made an amazing scrapbook from that time. I’ve only seen it once, as it was left to family members that live far away. In the scrapbook, there were numerous Japanese stamps. I was told that the stamps were used as currency in Japan after the surrender. I am trying to get this scrapbook back, but I’m being told that it has been lost. If I find it, I will submit pictures.
Excellent! That would be a great addition to the archive.
Hello. My grandfather served on the USS Cumberland Sound. I was in communication with you a few years ago regarding placement of a set of stories that he wrote for me back in the 1980s about his time serving on the ship. I also have his scrap book from that time, but the pictures have fallen off of the pages and I have no way of knowing which are from the Cumberland sound and which are from another ship that he went back to the states on, so that resource is of limited value. We didn’t connect previously, and I would like to try again.
His name was James Knox Phillips. It was a thrill to see his picture in one of the photos on this website and his signature on a Thanksgiving day menu. It was even more thrilling to find some of the other crew’s stories that I could match up with his!
Let me know where to send the stories, and I will be happy to. My grandpa would be honored to know that his stories would be part of this website if he were still around.
Karl
Excellent, Karl! This is exactly the sort of thing that I started this website for. You should be receiving an email from me later this evening.