My uncle was an "old tin canner"

breadcatcher101 · 12-05-08, 11:45 PM

He has been gone now for over 20 years, but I have never known someone who loved the navy as much as he. Had a passion for ships like many of us do for sports cars.

Was on a converted yacht the Emereld and patroled the eastern seaboard of the US after America's entry into the war, later was on SC-500, a sub chaser, then was a CPO on the DE Daniel 335 for the rest of the war. Full of stories and could tell you things you never knew.

One day when I stopped in to visit, he gives me a letter. It is in German and I realize that it was from Admiral Donitz! My uncle had watched a tv show about the U boats and it had a segment with Donitz and somehow he got his address and wrote him telling him of once when they were in a convoy approaching Gilbrator they recieved a message from Donitz telling them he had a nice Christmas present waiting for them at the strait, being a group of U boats. Many of them were sunk and this was the core of my uncles letter to him, but he also touched on the horror of war and of doing ones duty, also talked about ships in general and a bit about his family.

Anyway, Donitz wrote him back and here was his letter in my hands! I could read some of it but not enough to understand. Also he included a picture of him, same one that is in the movie "Das Boot", only smaller, about the size of a playing card. My uncle took the letter to a local college and had it read to him. He said that the Admiral recalled the incident and regrets too the horror of war, plus more topics such as U boats, several type ships, both military and not, and of his family, about a page and a half, all hand-written.

Back then there was not a easy way to "run a copy" as we can now. What a mistake on my part! After my uncle died, my aunt gives me all his books, pictures of him and his ship, and all the DESA publications (Destroyer Escort Sailor's Association) from day one, plus many T shirts he bought at these yearly meetings. Strangely I didn't get the letter. I didn't feel it proper to ask about it, no one else in the family cared about those type things. I fear it was tossed out in the trash maybe, but hope it was given to maybe one of his fellow mates, who knows?

He always wanted a U boat captains cap but could never find one. It was strange to me at the time but he thought the German navy uniform looked very well-made and thought the American one was shabby-looking. He was right, you know? Anyway, I find him a reproduction cap and walk in Christmas Day and you should see the look on his face! He lit up like a Christmas tree. My aunt told me he would wear it during his walks and the ladies would admire his "handsome cap" not even knowing it was German. He always got a well-manered laugh out of that fact.

It wasn't much longer after that when his heart finally just gave out and he died. I am glad I got the cap for him, took me a long time to find one but to me it was my way of thanking him for all the stories he shared with me.

I am sure many of you have the same type stories your uncles, fathers, told you about the war. You know then the special meaning of it all then, to hear it from some one who was there.

12-05-08, 11:45 PM	#1
breadcatcher101 Captain Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Southeastern USA Posts: 546 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	My uncle was an "old tin canner" He has been gone now for over 20 years, but I have never known someone who loved the navy as much as he. Had a passion for ships like many of us do for sports cars. Was on a converted yacht the Emereld and patroled the eastern seaboard of the US after America's entry into the war, later was on SC-500, a sub chaser, then was a CPO on the DE Daniel 335 for the rest of the war. Full of stories and could tell you things you never knew. One day when I stopped in to visit, he gives me a letter. It is in German and I realize that it was from Admiral Donitz! My uncle had watched a tv show about the U boats and it had a segment with Donitz and somehow he got his address and wrote him telling him of once when they were in a convoy approaching Gilbrator they recieved a message from Donitz telling them he had a nice Christmas present waiting for them at the strait, being a group of U boats. Many of them were sunk and this was the core of my uncles letter to him, but he also touched on the horror of war and of doing ones duty, also talked about ships in general and a bit about his family. Anyway, Donitz wrote him back and here was his letter in my hands! I could read some of it but not enough to understand. Also he included a picture of him, same one that is in the movie "Das Boot", only smaller, about the size of a playing card. My uncle took the letter to a local college and had it read to him. He said that the Admiral recalled the incident and regrets too the horror of war, plus more topics such as U boats, several type ships, both military and not, and of his family, about a page and a half, all hand-written. Back then there was not a easy way to "run a copy" as we can now. What a mistake on my part! After my uncle died, my aunt gives me all his books, pictures of him and his ship, and all the DESA publications (Destroyer Escort Sailor's Association) from day one, plus many T shirts he bought at these yearly meetings. Strangely I didn't get the letter. I didn't feel it proper to ask about it, no one else in the family cared about those type things. I fear it was tossed out in the trash maybe, but hope it was given to maybe one of his fellow mates, who knows? He always wanted a U boat captains cap but could never find one. It was strange to me at the time but he thought the German navy uniform looked very well-made and thought the American one was shabby-looking. He was right, you know? Anyway, I find him a reproduction cap and walk in Christmas Day and you should see the look on his face! He lit up like a Christmas tree. My aunt told me he would wear it during his walks and the ladies would admire his "handsome cap" not even knowing it was German. He always got a well-manered laugh out of that fact. It wasn't much longer after that when his heart finally just gave out and he died. I am glad I got the cap for him, took me a long time to find one but to me it was my way of thanking him for all the stories he shared with me. I am sure many of you have the same type stories your uncles, fathers, told you about the war. You know then the special meaning of it all then, to hear it from some one who was there.