1000 Post Helmet World Tour!

[GIZMO8Z]

The helmet will be handed off to Mo this weekend at the Buffalo, NY Naval Park!

[Walkwolf]

Looking good in your uniform Joe. Nice rifle too.........!

[DougB]

Cool pix, it's sure getting around!

[ObKrieger]

I got the helmet from Joe this weekend! He joined my reenacting unit a while back and finally made it out to an event with us. We put on a living history display for the public at the Buffalo Naval Park in New York, which consists of the U.S.S. The Sullivans, a WWII destroyer, the U.S.S. Croaker, a WWII submarine, and the U.S.S. Little Rock, a WWII cruiser.

I'll share some history about the ships when I come back from having dinner with my dad for Father's Day. For now, enjoy the pics!

Mo

[DougB]

That German helmet is really out of place Lol

[Mark K]

awesome pics good to see you guys were having a little fun with it

Regards Mark

[sandgroper]

Brilliant photos boys! Looks like you were all having a heap of fun, well done!

[KradSpam]

Great stuff! It looks like a good day out on those ships.

[GIZMO8Z]

It was great to finally meet Mo in person! We had a weekend long bromance fling

[ObKrieger]

We had a blast. And let's just say that what happens on The Sullivans... stays on The Sulivans...

The U.S.S. Little Rock is the cruiser. She was launched in August of 1945 and spent the remainder of WWII sailing around South America. My favorite bit of her history: On June 8th, 1967, the U.S.S. Liberty was attacked by Israeli aircraft, killing 34 and wounding 174 of her crew. The incident has been a subject of controversy and debate ever since, and is something I am particularly interested in. The Little Rock was the second ship to arrive, and provided security as well as medical care for the wounded. In the photo I have attached, the crippled Liberty is in the foreground, with the Little Rock in the background.

The destroyer, the U.S.S. The Sullivans, was launched in April of 1943. Named after the five Sullivan brothers who died together when the Juneau was sunk at Guadalcanal, she saw plenty of combat during WWII and Korea. In the attached photo, The Sullivans is in the foreground while the burning U.S.S. Bunker Hill is in the background. The Bunker Hill was hit by a kamikaze, and The Sullivans was the closest ship that could come to her aid. The Sullivans picked up wounded crewmen of the Bunker Hill out of the sea and turned her berthing areas into makeshift infirmaries.

Lastly, the U.S.S. Croaker is the submarine. She is credited with having sunk the Japanese lead cruiser, the Nagara, as well as three Japanese freighters. I took the helmet inside and got a photo of it in the torpedo tube and in the control room. So, this is probably the first German helmet to ever have been inside both a u-boot and a U.S. submarine.