RICHARD SMITH
Age: 86
Born: Jan. 10, 1924
Hometown: Wausau, Wis.
Residence: Rancho Mirage
Military branch: U.S Navy; World War II: USS Omaha (CL-4); also USS Valley Forge, USS Ticonderoga, USS Kittyhawk
Years served: Aug. 17, 1942-Sept. 1, 1969
Rank: World War II, first class electrician; retired as lieutenant commander
Family: Wife Eleanore (deceased); four children, Suzanne McCallum of Seattle, Richard Smith Jr. of El Cajon, James Smith of Vacaville and Kevin Smith of Vista; six grandchildren, one great-grandchild.
About this series
Staff writer Denise Goolsby will profile desert veterans from World War II through the end of 2010 — the 65th anniversary of the end of the war. Contact her at (760) 778-4587 or via e-mail at denise.goolsby@thedesertsun.com
Coming tomorrow
U.S. Army veteran David Norton of Palm Springs
LEARN MORE: Read about other Coachella Valley residents who served in World War II at mydesert.com/wwii
More
Richard Smith was stationed on a World War I-era ship, the USS Omaha, for his entire tour of duty during World War II.
“We started the war with the old four-stackers,” he said of the light cruiser, built in 1918.
The vintage ship served as Smith's home while he patrolled the enemy-infested waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
“The area between New York and London was known as ‘torpedo junction,'” he said.
The ship's mission was to stop German blockade runners — enemy ships attempting to get around or through Allied naval blockades.
The blockade runners were generally used to transport cargo to heavily guarded locations.
In January 1944, the USS Omaha and the destroyer USS Jouett were patrolling out of a base in Rio de Janeiro when, in the course of less than a week, the duo sunk two German supply ships.
Both German ships were carrying cargo loads of rubber — material of vital importance to the enemy's war effort.
“After we sunk the two blockade runners, the admiral gave us two weeks vacation,” Smith said.
While vacationing, Smith and his buddies attended the Carnaval — Brazil's Mardi Gras — and also found time to do some shopping.
“I bought my mom 12 pairs of silk stockings in San Paulo, Brazil,” he said.
The USS Omaha, with its four hulking smokestacks, played a supporting role in the Allied invasion of southern France.
“They're making the landing and they need something to cover the invasion from the enemy,” he said. “We laid smoke screens down” from 10 miles offshore.
There was no use sending the lightly armed USS Omaha any closer to the action.
“We only had 6-inch guns,” he said. “Back in those days, we had manually operated 6-inch guns.”
Smith said he didn't see much of the action, because he spent most of his time down in the “hole.”
Smith was a member of the ship's “heavy power gang” — a group of about 20 electricians.
“It was 125 degrees in the engine room,” he said.
The men were responsible for maintaining the system that provided the electricity for the entire ship.
The old ship operated primarily on DC (direct current) — AC (alternating current) power is more efficient, but was not in widespread use on these vessels at that time.
The electrical panels were large and clunky — the knife switches were so big, the men had to put some muscle into the effort to move them up or down.
“The ship was built for 500 people,” he said. “When the war broke out, they doubled the crew to (about) 900.”
“I didn't even have a bunk,” he said. “I slept on a steel deck for over a year.”
The sailors bunking topside took mattresses out of below-deck storage areas and hauled them through the passageways and up to their sleeping area — then hauled them back the next morning.
The men took their meals nearby in the cramped ship.
“We ate where we slept and we walked,” he laughed.
Smith enjoyed serving in the Navy and remained in the service after the conclusion of World War II.
Smith, who served in the U.S. Navy for 27 years, received his commission at sea in 1958, aboard the aircraft carrier the USS Ticonderoga.
It was an unexpected promotion, he said, when, one day, while working below deck, he was called topside.
“I was a chief when I went up there and I came down as an ensign,” he said, smiling broadly.
Smith retired in 1969 with the rank of lieutenant commander.
