Original U.S. WWII USS Major Uniform & Flag Grouping of Navy Signalman James E. Cassidy with Photo Album & Tattered U.S. Flag Saved During Hurricane of 1945 - 39 x 71”
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Original Items. One-of-a-Kind Group. USS Major (DE-796) was a Buckley-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1948. Between combat missions, she patrolled for enemy submarines, provided passenger service, and was a welcome sight to men on the islands when she delivered the mail. While accompanied by USS Earl V. Johnson in July of 1945, she successfully dueled with a Japanese submarine, protecting her convoy of LSTs bound for Leyte Gulf. Following the cessation of hostilities, she steamed for Tokyo from Manila escorting LSTs. During this transit, she survived one of the most devastating hurricanes in history which claimed many lives and several ships. Although some members of the crew were seriously injured and the ship was damaged, she nevertheless completed her mission successfully, anchoring in Tokyo Bay on September 1st, 1945, and the following day, her crew witnessed the formal Japanese surrender on board the USS Missouri.
This is the outstanding grouping of Signalman James E. Cassidy, who purportedly saved the USS Major’s flag during the Hurricane of 1945, which is included in this grouping. The flag is missing its header entirely, along with 29 of its 48 stars. There is heavy tearing and wear across the flag, and it comes with the story that it was saved by Cassidy during the hurricane. It certainly looks battle-flown, and the ruined pieces were likely cut off by Cassidy upon returning home.
The rest of this grouping includes:
- Cassidy’s Navy jumper & trousers with Signalman rates on the sleeve. No markings we could find.
- 7 x 11” Aloha Hawaii photo album named J.E. CASSIDY on the front with a name tag for James E. Cassidy on the interior cover. The album is in rough condition with most of the pages disconnected and many photos out of place. There are 89 photographs total, including three risque photographs of women naked, with one wearing fishnets over her entire body. There are many photos of men at the beach, or at other places in Hawaii. There are some photos of men at sea, including some funny shots of different men holding a frying pan with an egg in it, that it was so hot out that you could fry an egg in the heat. Many of the photos are likely out of order. There are some which show Cassidy named. At the end is an “autograph” section where 16 of his comrades signed their name, address, and left snarky comments towards Cassidy.
- Two pages of USS Major stationary with signed names and and addresses of men serving alongside him. Then there are two thicker pages of USS Major stationary on which is a poem titled SOMEWHERE IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC, a lovely bit of poetry.
- Photo of crew of L.C.I. in Solomons M.O. LCS #57. The photo is annotated with red X’s showing which of the men were killed in action, there being three.
- Bristol Bay Tavern photo holder with two photos of white and black soldiers in the tavern.
- Spare Signalman’s navy rate and 2 Philippine Japanese bank notes, ten and fifty centavos.
- 17½ x 22½” map showing the Log of the USS LCS (L)(3)4, with dotted lines showing the path they took. A fantastic map on its own! This was the ship Cassidy served on before the USS Major.
- 11 x 14” image of the USS Major, perfect for a display with this group.
- Small bag with more photos including showing Cassidy with his semaphore flags and a photo of the crew next to the ship in Shanghai China. There is also a small card with Cassidy’s service info.
Signalman 2nd Class James E. Cassidy began his service sometime in 1940 in Hawaii, serving aboard the USS LCS (L) (3) 4, going on to serve aboard the USS Major later, and was beside the USS Missouri during the signing of the surrender, which the crew witnessed. Cassidy served aboard the USS Major until 1948.
The following information about the flag was provided on an index card with the group:
“During the Hurricane in 1945, upon seeing the flag being pulled from its mast, James quickly lowered the flag and pulled what was left off the pole for safe keeping and it is now with the group.” It also notes that Cassidy would have been stationed in Hawaii during Pearl Harbor but we cannot verify this.
A fantastic group with a salvaged flag and some fantastic ephemera! Comes ready for further research and display.
- This product is available for international shipping.
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