The USS North Carolina (BB-55) My all-time favorite warship. As an elementary school student in North Carolina, I donated nickels and dimes to save this ship back in the early sixties.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

John D. Catrano: APc-25's Commander

From Wikipedia.

John D. Catrano: The APc-25's Commander, was born April 4, 1909, and died July 19, 2005. American lawyer and Seattle, Washington, civic leader. Grew up in Seattle, graduated from the Univ. of Washington and received his law degree from Harvard. Founded the law firm Catrano, Boker & Chapmen where he worked for 40 years.

During World War II, he rose to the rank of lt. cmdr. and served in the Pacific and Atlantic theaters. In 1943, he was given command of the APc-25. He received the Navy and Marine Corps medals "for heroism displayed in the rescue of approximately thirty-five survivors from a burning transport" August 13, 1943, in the Solomon Islands (the USS John Penn).

After that, he was executive officer on the USS Durik in the Atlantic 1944-1945. The ship escorted Liberty Ships across the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. After Germany's surrender, the ship was ordered to the Pacific for the invasion of Japan.

--GreGen

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