Hoplin Boys' Warships

This is a 'for the historical record' post.  I have assembled WWII information on Hoplin Greatest Generation sons for the cousins and for the next generation of Hoplin genealogists.  I hope someone picks up the torch. I only wish I had taken the time to ask more questions of these war veterans.

Ole & Esther Hoplin sent 4 sons to war.  WW II.  In Lowry, this was only topped by the Chan family with 5 sons serving. All of the Hoplins were "Navy men". Maybe they figured navigating Little Chippewa near the Hoplin Farm in Brandon in a rowboat made admiralty their destiny, but I expect Uncle Olaf's stories of WWI trenches might have tipped the scale toward water.

The oldest son, Oliver, served aboard the carrier USS Nassau in the Pacific Theater. Oliver enlisted before Pearl Harbor in Mar 1941 and was discharged Oct 1945.  Pharmacists's Mate. The Nassau ferried aircraft from California manufacturing sites all over the Pacific,  back and forth - about a begillion miles. 

Journeys of the USS Nassau

USS New Jersey War Log

Next in line, Glenn,  served aboard the battleship USS New Jersey in the Pacific.  Glenn enlisted after graduating from Augsburg College in 1942. Electrician's Mate. Discharged Oct 1945. Big J was in every major Pacific campaign from 1943 to war's end. You can read his story, in his own words, in my post: https://ussbb62.blogspot.com/2019/03/a-life-war-years.html

Third son, Donald,  served aboard the carrier USS Lake Champlain in the Atlantic. Shipfitter. Donald enlisted on 11 Nov 1942.  

Service Schools Command, Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Il.

Receiving Station, Norfolk, Va.

Air Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

The youngest, Paul, served aboard USS Corson, USS Audubon, USS Hamlin in the Pacific. With parental approval, Paul was granted early release from high school. His mother accepted his diploma at the graduation ceremony. He was one of 4 GHS 1945 grads to do so.

Enlistment Date 1:	17 Jan 1945
Release Date 1:	19 Jul 1946

My uncle, James V. Anderson married a Hoplin girl. He served in the US Army 1943-1945.  PFC saw action hauling a bazooka in the Philippines and Okinawa acquiring jungle infections along the way.

A cousin, Herman Peter Hoplin, made a career out of his military service.

Decorated Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters, Bronze Star medal. Commissioned 2nd lieutenant United States Army, 1942, advanced through grades to colonel, 1965, director material acquisition Washington, 1970—1972, retired, 1972. Long range logistic planner Joint Chiefs Staff, 1968—1969

Appendix: The WW II Warships
Reference: Dictionary of American naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

USS Nassau CVE-16 - Oliver Hoplin

The USS Nassau (CVE-16) (originally AVG-16 then ACV-16) was laid down 27 November 1941 by the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp., Tacoma, Washington, as M.C. Hull No. 234; launched 4 April 1942; sponsored by Mrs. G. H. Hasselman, Tongue Point, Oregon; acquired by the Navy 1 May, towed to the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington, and converted to an escort aircraft carrier; and commissioned 20 August, Captain Austin K. Doyle in command.
Nassau was one of thirty-seven Tacoma-built C3 CVE's, of which twenty-six went to the Royal Navy. It is one of the ten Bogue Class escort carriers.
On the 10th of October, Nassau arrived at the Naval Air Station, Alameda, California, loaded aircraft, and four days later steamed for Pearl Harbor, thence to Palmyra Island, arriving 30 October. For the next four months, she operated between Palmyra and Noumea, New Caledonia and Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides.
Nassau returned to Pearl Harbor 14 February 1943, embarked personnel and aircraft, and sailed the 21st on a ferry mission to Espiritu Santo. She returned to Pearl Harbor in mid-March and then continued on to Alameda, California. In April, she moved to San Diego and conducted flight training operations, after which she rendezvoused with Task Group 51.1 and steamed for Cold Bay, Alaska with VC-21 embarked.
Nassau got underway on a search mission 4 May and conducted flight operations with Task Force 51, providing air cover for the occupation of Attu Island from 11 through 20 May. She returned to San Diego in late May, arrived at Alameda 8 June and onloaded 45 aircraft destined for Brisbane, Australia. She delivered the aircraft 2 July and returned to San Diego via Noumea, New Caledonia.
In August, she trained off San Diego before ferrying planes to Samoa. Returning to San Diego from Samoa, 19 October, Nassau embarked Marine Fighter Squadron 225 for passage to Pearl Harbor. Arriving the 30th, she conducted air operations off Pearl Harbor during the early days of November and on the 7th she embarked VF-1 and steamed for the Gilbert Islands for operations with Task Force 52.
Nassau's mission was to transport VF-1 to Tarawa and to send it ashore as soon as facilities were available. The invasion of Tarawa commenced 20 November but encountered bitter resistance. As a result, VF-1 was assigned combat air patrol and flew bombing and strafing runs from the carrier in support of the assault troops. The Squadron flew a total of 106 missions and spent 237 hours of flying time in four days of operations without losing a single plane or pilot.
Nassau returned to Pearl Harbor on 5 December following flight operations. She then sailed to the Marshall Islands with Task Group 51.2 and launched strikes 29 January 1944 against Taroa Field on Maloelap Atoll. The next day, the Task Group centered its operations around Kwajalein, Wotje, and Maloelap Atolls, with Nassau conducting both anti-submarine and combat air patrols. Nassau returned to Pearl Harbor 3 March, disembarked VC-66, and took on aircraft, cargo, and passengers for ferry to the Marshall Islands. Throughout March, ferry missions were performed between Kwajalein, Majuro, and Pearl Harbor. After repairs and alterations at Mare Island Navy Yard, the carrier sailed with 51 aircraft for Finschhafen, New Guinea 5 May. The next four months she performed ferry missions from San Diego to Pearl Harbor, the Admiralties and the New Hebrides Islands.

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Upon arrival at Seeadler Harbor 1 September, Nassau reported to Commander Task Group 30.8. Thus began her tour of duty with Admiral Halsey's 3rd fleet, which made unprecedented naval history in the following months. Nassau's mission was to operate out of the Admiralties with other escort carriers to provide replacement aircraft and pilots for the attack carriers of Task Force 38. Steaming in company with the oiler groups, which refueled the ships of the Task Force at sea, Nassau made three cruises into the western Pacific. She returned to the Admiralties with disabled aircraft which were destined for shipment to Pearl Harbor or the United States for reconditioning.
The first of these replacement trips was in support of the strikes against Palau; the second in support of operations against the southern and central Philippines. Then Task Force 38 shifted to more northerly targets in the Philippines and Formosa. Nassau reached Manus 20 October. After offloading old aircraft and taking on new ones, she departed on her last replacement trip. Steaming to Ulithi Atoll in the Caroline Islands, she joined up with Task Groups 38.1 and 38.3 on 28 October and transferred 70 aircraft and 43 pilots to the attack carriers.
Task Unit 12.6.1, composed of Nassau, Tennessee (BB-43) and four other ships steamed for Pearl Harbor 5 November, arriving the 16th. Two days later, Nassau was dispatched to San Diego. Among her passengers were 382 survivors of light carrier Princeton (CVL-23), which was sunk in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, 24 October 1944. Another ferry mission to Pearl Harbor followed in mid-November, with three more runs to Guam in December, January 1945, and February. Nassau returned to Alameda, California, 23 March and through the remainder of the war, performed transport and ferry missions between Alameda, Pearl Harbor, Guam, Manus, Samar and Saipan.
Nassau departed Alameda 13 May 1946 for Tacoma, Washington. On 28 October, she decommissioned and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet. Designated for modification for aircraft transportation purposes, her classification was changed to CVHE-16, 12 June 1955. Shortly thereafter she transferred to the Bremerton Reserve Group, and was struck from the Navy Register, 1 March 1959. In June 1961 she was towed to Japan for scrapping.
Nassau received five battle stars for World War II service.
Vital Statistics: Laid down: 27 November 1941 Launched: 4 April 1942 Commissioned: 20 August 1942 Decommissioned: 28 October 1946 Status: Sold for scrap General Characteristics Displacement: 9,600 tons Length: 495.75 ft (151.1 m) Beam: 69.5 ft (21.2 m) Draft: 26 ft (7.9 m) Speed: 16.5 knots Complement: 890 officers and men Armament: 2 x 5 inch guns, 8 twin x 40 mm Bofors, 27 single x 20 mm Oerlikon Aircraft and aviation facilities: 24

USS New Jersey BB62 - Glenn Hoplin

The second New Jersey (BB-62) was launched 7 December 1942 by the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard; sponsored by Mrs. Charles Edison, wife of Governor Edison of New Jersey, former Secretary of the Navy; and commissioned at Philadelphia 23 May 1943, Captain Carl F. Holden in command. {Editor note: Glenn Hoplin was a member of the commissioning crew.}

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New Jersey completed fitting out and trained her initial crew in the Western Atlantic and Caribbean. On 7 January 1944 she passed through the Panama Canal war-bound for Funafuti, Ellice Islands. She reported there 22 January for duty with the Fifth Fleet, and three days later rendezvoused with Task Group 58.2 for the assault on the Marshall Islands. New Jersey screened the carriers from enemy attack as their aircraft flew strikes against Kwajalein and Eniwetok 29 January-2 February, softening up the latter for its invasion and supporting the troops who landed 31 January.
New Jersey began her distinguished career as a flagship 4 February in Majuro Lagoon when Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, commanding the Fifth Fleet, broke his flag from her main. Her first action as a flagship was a bold two-day surface and air strike by her task force against the supposedly impregnable Japanese fleet base on Truk in the Carolines. This blow was coordinated with the assault on Kwajalein, and effectively interdicted Japanese naval retaliation to the conquest of the Marshalls. On 17 and 18 February; the task force accounted for two Japanese light cruisers, four destroyers, three auxiliary cruisers, two submarine tenders, two submarine chasers, an armed trawler, a plane ferry, and 23 other auxiliaries, not including small craft. New Jersey destroyed a trawler and, with other ships, sank destroyer Maikaze, as well as firing on an enemy plane which attacked her formation. The task force returned to the Marshalls 19 February.
Between 17 March and 10 April, New Jersey first sailed with Rear Admiral Marc A. Mitscher's flagship USS Lexington (CV-16) for an air and surface bombardment of Mille, then rejoined Task Group 58.2 for a strike against shipping in the Palaus, and bombarded Woleai. Upon his return to Majuro, Admiral Spruance transferred his flag to USS Indianapolis (CA-35).
New Jersey's next war cruise, 13 April-4 May 1944, began and ended at Majuro. She screened the carrier striking force which gave air support to the invasion of Aitape, Tanahmerah Bay and Humboldt, Bay, New Guinea, 22 April, then bombed shipping and shore installations at Truk 29-30 April. New Jersey and her formation splashed two enemy torpedo bombers at Truk. Her sixteen- inch salvos pounded Ponape 1 May, destroying fuel tanks, badly damaging the airfield, and demolishing a headquarters building.
After rehearsing in the Marshalls for the invasion of the Marianas, New Jersey put to sea 6 June in the screening and bombardment group of Admiral Mitscher's Task Force. On the second day of preinvasion air strikes, 12 June, New Jersey downed an enemy torpedo bomber, and during the next two days her heavy guns battered Saipan and Tinian, throwing steel against the beaches the marines would charge 15 June.
The Japanese response to the Marianas operation was an order to its Mobile Fleet; it must attack and annihilate the American invasion force. Shadowing American submarines tracked the Japanese fleet into the Philippine Sea as Admiral Spruance joined his task force with Admiral Mitscher's to meet the enemy. New Jersey took station in the protective screen around the carriers on 19 June 1944 as American and Japanese pilots dueled in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. That day and the next were to pronounce the doom of Japanese naval aviation; in this "Marianas Turkey Shoot," the Japanese lost some 400 planes. This loss of trained pilots and aircraft was equaled in disaster by the sinking of three Japanese carriers by submarines and aircraft, and the damaging of two carriers and a battleship. The anti- aircraft fire of New Jersey and the other screening ships proved virtually impenetrable. Only two American ships were damaged, and those but slightly. In this overwhelming victory but 17 American planes were lost to combat.

New Jersey's final contribution to the conquest of the Marianas was in strikes on Guam and the Palaus from which she sailed for Pearl Harbor, arriving 9 August. Here she broke the flag of Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr., 24 August, becoming flagship of the Third Fleet. For the eight months after she sailed from Pearl Harbor 30 August New Jersey was based at Ulithi. In this climactic span of the Pacific War, fast carrier task forces ranged the waters off the Philippines, Okinawa, and Formosa, striking again and again at airfields, shipping, shore bases, invasion beaches. New Jersey offered the essential protection required by these forces, always ready to repel enemy air or surface attack.
In September the targets were in the Visayas and the southern Philippines, then Manila and Cavite, Panay, Negros, Leyte, and Cebu. Early in October raids to destroy enemy air power based on Okinawa and Formosa were begun in preparation for the Leyte landings 20 October 1944.
This invasion brought on the desperate, almost suicidal, last great sortie of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Its plan for the Battle for Leyte Gulf included a feint by a northern force of planeless heavy attack carriers to draw away the battleships, cruisers and fast carriers with which Admiral Halsey was protecting the landings. This was to allow the Japanese Center Force to enter the gulf through San Bernadino Strait. At the opening of the battle planes from the carriers guarded by USS New Jersey struck hard at both the Japanese Southern and Center Forces, sinking a battleship 23 October. The next day Halsey shaped his course north after the decoy force had been spotted. Planes from his carriers sank four of the Japanese carriers, as well as a destroyer and a cruiser, while New Jersey steamed south at flank speed to meet the newly developed threat of the Center force. It had been turned back in a stunning defeat when she arrived.
New Jersey rejoined her fast carriers near San Bernadino 27 October 1944 for strikes on central and southern Luzon. Two days later, the force was under suicide attack. In a melee of anti- aircraft fire from the ships and combat air patrol, New Jersey shot down a plane whose pilot maneuvered it into USS Intrepid's (CV- 11) port gun galleries, while machine gun fire from Intrepid wounded three of New Jersey's men. During a similar action 25 November three Japanese planes were splashed by the combined fire of the force, part of one flaming onto USS Hancock's (CV-19) flight deck. Intrepid was again attacked, shot down one would-be suicide, but was crashed by another despite hits scored on the attacker by New Jersey gunners. New Jersey shot down a plane diving on USS Cabot (CVL-28) and hit another which smashed into Cabot's port bow.
In December, New Jersey sailed with the USS Lexington (CV 16) task group for air attacks on Luzon 14-16 December; then found herself in the furious typhoon which sank three destroyers. Skillful seamanship brought her through undamaged. She returned to Ulithi on Christmas Eve to be met by Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz.
New Jersey ranged far and wide from 30 December 1944 to 25 January 1945 on her last cruise as Admiral Halsey's flagship. She guarded the carriers in their strikes on Formosa, Okinawa, and Luzon, on the coast of Indo-China, Hong Kong, Swatow and Amoy, and again on Formosa and Okinawa. At Ulithi 27 January Admiral Halsey lowered his flag in New Jersey, but it was replaced two days later by that of Rear Admiral Oscar Badger commanding Battleship Division Seven.
In support of the assault on Iwo Jima, New Jersey screened the USS Essex (CV-9) group in air attacks on the island 19-21 February, and gave the same crucial service for the first major carrier raid on Tokyo 25 February, a raid aimed specifically at aircraft production. During the next two days, Okinawa was attacked from the air by the same striking force.

New Jersey was directly engaged in the conquest of Okinawa from 14 March until 16 April. As the carriers prepared for the invasion with strikes there and on Honshu, New Jersey fought off air raids, used her seaplanes to rescue downed pilots, defended the carriers from suicide planes, shooting down at least three and assisting in the destruction of others. On 24 March 1945 she again carried out the vital battleship role of heavy bombardment, preparing the invasion beaches for the assault a week later.
During the final months of the war, New Jersey was overhauled at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, from which she sailed 4 July for San Pedro, Pearl Harbor, and Eniwetok bound for Guam. Here on 14 August she once again became flagship of the Fifth Fleet under Admiral Spruance. Brief stays at Manila and Okinawa preceded her arrival in Tokyo Bay 17 September, where she served as flagship for the successive commanders of Naval Forces in Japanese waters until relieved 28 January 1946 by USS Iowa (BB-61). New Jersey took aboard nearly a thousand homeward-bound troops with whom she arrived at San Francisco 10 February.
After west coast operations and a normal overhaul at Puget Sound, New Jersey's keel once more cut the Atlantic as she came home to Bayonne, New Jersey, for a rousing fourth birthday part 23 May 1947. Present were Governor Alfred E. Driscoll, former Governor Walter E. Edge and other dignitaries.
Between 7 June and 26 August, New Jersey formed part of the first training squadron to cruise Northern European waters since the beginning of World War II. Over two thousand Naval Academy and NROTC midshipmen received sea-going experience under the command of Admiral Richard L. Connoly, Commander Naval Forces Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, who broke his flag in New Jersey at Rosyth, Scotland 23 June. She was the scene of official receptions at Oslo, where King Haakon VII of Norway inspected the crew 2 July, and at Portsmouth, England. The training fleet was westward bound 18 July for exercises in the Caribbean and Western Atlantic.
After serving at New York as flagship for Rear Admiral Heber H. McClean, Commander, Battleship Division One, 12 September-18 October, New Jersey was inactivated at the New York Naval Shipyard. She was decommissioned at Bayonne 30 June 1948 and assigned to the New York Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet.
Korean Conflict - New Jersey was recommissioned at Bayonne 21 November 1950,
Vietnam War - New Jersey's third career began 6 April 1968 when she recommissioned at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, the only active battleship in the world.
October 2001: Arrives at her final destination on the Camden Waterfront in New Jersey, and opens to the public for tours

USS Lake Champlain CV-39 - Donald Hoplin

The second Lake Champlain (CV-39) was laid down in drydock by the Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth Va., March 15, 1943; launched by float November 2, 1944; sponsored June 3, 1945 by Mrs. Warren Austin, wife of Senator Austin of Vermont, and commissioned the same day, Capt. Logan C. Ramsey in command.
After shakedown and visits to New York and Philadelphia, Lake Champlain was assigned to "Magic Carpet" duty, departed Norfolk for England October 14, and arrived Southampton the 19th where she embarked veterans and returned them to New York.
She set a speed record for crossing the Atlantic November 26, 1945 when she arrived at Hampton Roads, Va., having completed a run from Cape Spartel, Africa, in 4 days, 8 hours, 51 minutes. This record stood until surpassed by SS United States in the summer of 1952.
Lake Champlain retired to the "Mothball Fleet" at Norfolk, Va., February 17, 1947. After the United States had allowed her active military strength to shrink to the danger point, the Communists struck in Korea. Fortunately, the Americans had ships in reserve, though it took time to obtain and train crews and provide materiel. Lake Champlain was reactivated and modernized at Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. and recommissioned September 19, 1952, Capt. G. T. Mundroff in command.

USS Corson (AVP-37) - Paul Hoplin

USS Corson, a 1,766-ton Barnegat class small seaplane tender, was built at Houghton, Washington, and was commissioned in December 1944. She sailed from San Diego in February 1945 and, after briefly tending seaplanes at Pearl Harbor and Eniwetok, arrived at Ulithi in April. In May she made two trips from Ulithi to the Palaus and participated in a one-day bombardment of Eil Malk island. Departing Ulithi in late June, she served at Eniwetok in July and early August and at Okinawa in August and September. Corson moved to Nagasaki, Japan, in mid-September and tended seaplanes there, at Sasebo, and in Hiro Wan in support of occupation forces. She departed Japan in January 1946 and arrived at Alameda, California, in February for inactivation. Corson was decommissioned in June 1946.
Corson was recommissioned in early 1951 and made four deployments to the western Pacific during the next four years. During her final deployment, in 1955, she performed a wide range of duties including serving as station tender at Hong Kong, laying a seadrome in the Pescadores Islands, and providing advance base support at Keelung, Taiwan. Corson was decommissioned in March 1956 and was expended as a target in 1966.

(AVP-37: dp. 1,650; 1. 319'9", b. 41'1", dr. 13'6", s. 18 k.; cpl. 215; a. 2 5", cl. Barnegat)

USS Audubon
USS Audubon, one of 117 Haskell class attack transports, was built to a modified Victory ship design at Vancouver, Washington, and was commissioned in December 1944. After training on the West Coast and operations from Hawaii, she arrived at Ulithi in April. There she loaded Army troops and supplies, which she delivered to Okinawa at the end of the month in support of the ongoing operations there. The transport then moved to San Francisco in late May and to Leyte in the Philippines in late June. In July Audubon transported Army troops from Guadalcanal to Leyte. At the time of the Japanese surrender in mid-August, she was on her way back to San Francisco for maintenance.
Audubon commenced "Magic Carpet" operations at the end of August with a voyage to the Philippines, but there she developed mechanical problems which required drydocking followed by repairs at San Pedro, California. In November and December she returned to the Philippines and brought almost 2,000 passengers home to San Francisco.
Audubon proceeded to the East Coast in January 1946 and was placed out of commission in reserve there in February. She was transferred to the Maritime Commission in February for retention in its reserve fleet and was stricken from the Navy List in March 1946. The Maritime Administration sold her for scrapping in April 1973.

USS Hamlin (AV15) (named for a sound on the South Carolina coast)
Kenneth Whiting Class Seaplane Tender: Laid down, at Todd Pacific Shipyards, Inc., Tacoma, WA; Launched, 11 January 1944; Commissioned USS Hamlin (AV-15), 26 June 1944; Decommissioned, 18 January 1947 at San Diego, CA; Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Diego, CA; Custody transferred to the Maritime Administration, September 1962 for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisuin Bay, Benecia, CA; Stuck from the Naval Register, 1 July 1963; Final disposition, sold for scrapping.
Specifications: Displacement 8,510 t.(lt) 12,610 t.(fl); Length 492'; Beam 69' 5"; Draft 22'; Speed 18.7kts; Complement 1,077; Armament two single 5"/38 gun mounts, two quad 40mm gun mounts, two dual 40mm gun mounts, sixteen single 20mm gun mounts; Propulsion, steam turbine, two boilers, one shaft, 8,500hp.

Hamlin (AV-15) was launched by Todd Pacific Shipyards Inc., Tacoma. Wash., 11 January 1944, sponsored by Miss Constance Taffinder, daughter of Rear Admiral S. A. Taffinder; and commissioned 26 June 1944, Captain G. A. McLean in command.
Hamlin conducted shakedown drills off California until 16 August 1944 when she departed San Pedro for the Pacific. Arrived Pearl Harbor 24 August, the ship loaded aviation gasoline and supplies and got underway 29 August for Eniwetok. She unloaded cargo and passengers there and continued to recently won Saipan, arriving 11 September to take up her plane-tending duties. During this period, seaplanes tended by Hamlin were making important contributions to the Pacific fighting by engaging in reconnaissance, hunter-killer operations against submarines, and air coverage of fleet cripples. She moved to Ulithi 11 October and back to Saipan anchorage 29 December 1944, all the time continuing her vital support of plane operations. Hamlin's aircraft protected the cruisers Houston and Reno, damaged 14 October off Luzon and flew photographic missions and rescue flights as the Navy pressed home the ever-mounting attack on Japanese held territory.
The operation next on her schedule was Iwo Jima, necessary to safeguard lines of communication and provide a base from which fighters could protect B-29's in bombing missions over Japan. Hamlin proceeded 15 February to Guam for fuel oil and two days later departed for Iwo Jima. She arrived 2 days after this historic and bitterly contested landing had begun, and with two other tenders established a floating seaplane base from which search and rescue missions were performed.
Debris and off-shore gunfire prevented the establishment of the seadrome until 24 February, and Hamlin worked under the handicap of large swells and congestion of' the sea areas around Iwo Jima. The ship also experienced numerous air raids during this operation, but suffered no damage. She got underway for Saipan 8 March 1945 and after another voyage to Guam, she returned to prepare for the Okinawa operation and the largest seaplane tending job of the war.
Hamlin sailed 23 March from Saipan for Okinawa, the first step prior to the home islands in the long campaign across the Pacific. Her commander wes designated Commander, Seaplane Base Groups. The tenders arrived Kerama Retto, west of Okinawa, 28 March, the day after it had been secured and 4 days before the main landings on Okinawa. During the operation, Hamlin's planes provided long-range search, antisubmarine patrols, and airsea rescue services, even providing aviation gasoline and luboil to battleships and cruisers. Her work was performed amid nearly constant air attack by Japanese suicide planes, and, though many ships in the anchorage were damaged by repeated attacks, Hamlin fought off all attacks without injury.
The tender group shifted its base of operations to Chimu Wan Okinawa, 11 July. After the surrender of Japan, Hamlin and other tenders got underway to assist in the occupation 16 August, anchoring in Yokosuka harbor 30 August. She began tending seaplanes on patrol over Japanese home waters 2 September, and was anchored in the harbor when the historic surrender was signed on board Missouri.
Hamlin returned to California following a short period in Japan and decommissioned at San Diego 15 January 1947. She went to reserve with the San Diego Group and remained there until September 1962 when she was transferred to the Maritime Administration, under Navy ownership, and placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Calif. She was struck from the Navy List 1 July 1963.
Hamlin received three battle stars for service in World War II.

Copyright ©  2025  Dave Hoplin 

Mansplaining 2025

Another post in my sporadic 'Advice for the Bewildered' series

Sandy from Saskatoon writes:

Kind of smoky down Minnesota way, eh?

Dave says:

It’s ok. We had it coming.

Dwight from Free Wheel writes:

Hey, Dave.  It's time for a new bike.  Should I jump on the e-bike bandwagon?

Dave writes: 

Here's the deal.  Ask yourself these 4 questions and if the answer is yes to any, get the e-bike.

1) Do you hate to exercise?  An e-bike gives you access to the great outdoors without any exertion.

2) Do you have artificial knees or alzheimer's? This doesn't absolutely exclude a traditional bike, but it's problematic.

3) Do you ever need to transport your bike on a vehicle? E-bike transport requires a reinforced bumper, improved suspension or a trailer with a ramp. The trailer option requires the previous stuff too, plus a 3 point hitch. No way you can lift it onto the roof.

4) Do you enjoy having traditional bike riders shouting curses at you as you sail by at 30mph on a 10mph trail? 

Let me know what you decide.

Cheryl from Downtown asks:

Hey Dave. What are you thoughts on the WNBA?

Dave says:

Last year I was in love with the skill, the creative playmaking, the amazing shooting and the pace of the WNBA game. It was great entertainment. But then. This year the play has become more akin to rugby or a street fight than basketball. They are mimicking the NBA in order to stifle the great shooters in the league and injuries are happening left and right. They are destroying a great entertainment product.  I watched one game recently where the refs at least tried to control the muggings and it was a one continuous parade to the free throw line - another fan turnoff. 

Sean from Fox River writes: 

Hey, Dave, aren’t tariffs the perfect answer to our fiscal problems? We get Mexico and China to pay down our deficit.

Dave says:

Well Sean, that’s not exactly how tariffs work. You should start keeping a graph of coffee & car prices & corn flakes over the next year and perhaps you will discover who really pays tariffs. The fact is the importer pays the tariff and then recoups by hiking retail prices.  It’s a well known fact.  Of course, facts have little relevance these days.

Ringo from Liverpool writes:

Hey, Dave. Scored your McCartney tix yet?

Dave says:

I don’t think I’m going to spring for a thousand bucks to hear an ancient rocker, and a left-handed one at that. The number of 60’s era geriatric groups reviving themselves, cavorting about on stage like the youth they are not, it’s embarrassing. But I might pay the 60’s ticket price of $5 for a Dylan concert. 

Liam from Lethbridge asks:

Hey, Dave. Did you know that your state bird, the loon, has solid bones? I think it’s the only non-hollow boned avian?  And also, why is the Canadian dollar called a ‘loonie’?

Dave says:

Well, Liam, you could have gotten the answers to these questions in a nano-second from AI in a dry, nicely formatted report. But that would not be as entertaining as this. As I’m sure you know, the Canadian dollar coin, surprise, has a loon pictured on its reverse side - hence, no mystery to the nickname. Now as to the solid bones. The solid bones add mass to the loon and allows it to dive deep in their pursuit of a fish dinner. You have perhaps seen ducks trying to dive. They end up with their bill under water and butts in the air. Too buoyant. Of course, solid bones makes it more difficult to get into the air but loons manage. They need 100 yards of lake and paddle their feet on top of the water to pick up enough speed. Watch a youtube video of a loon takeoff. Pretty cool.  And there are other solid boned avians. Most are condemned to flightlessness due to the weight of those bones - think penguins, ostrich.  You know, I’m thinking this could be a Nature episode. The loon is a beautiful bird with a beautiful song and is a marvelous state bird. The only downside is the human definition of “loony".

Will & Charlie from Rochester comment:

Hey, Dave.  Did you know once you’ve accumulated five specialists on your care team, your days are numbered?

Dave says:

Oh, oh.  What’s the number? And out of curiosity, why did you name your medical facility after a condiment?

Jackson from Parlor asks:

Hey Dave.  Do you have a tat?

Dave says:

I am an aging male of Scandinavian heritage, so no. I can see myself with a sagging, unreadable “Born to be Wild” tat with me sitting drooling in a wheel chair in the home. It's not a pleasant thought. I know people with tats and on occasion have even asked them to tell me about them. In many cases, it is something very personal and important to them. So, I certainly can appreciate a tattoo that (subtly) states a strong personal tenet or a treasured memory in a word or symbol. Full body canvas performance art is a bit over the top for me. It's kind of irreversible in'it? But que sera sera.

Fema from Florida writes:

Fires, floods, hurricanes, tsunamis, deadly heat. Is this the end of the world?

Dave says:

Very likely.

Copyright ©  2025  Dave Hoplin

The Duck Pass

 

I am betting most of you don't have a piece of geography named for you.  No Pike’s Peak, Hudson Bay, Cook Islands, Bolivia, Eiffel Tower, Hennepin Ave or Lowry. Many people claim Lake Superior was named for them but almost all of those claims are bogus. But I have actual proof - a map - unaltered - showing "Hoplin Creek" running between Stowe lake and Little Chippewa Lake and terminating at Redick Swamp and Devil's Lake, a distance of well over 2 miles. Pretty impressive, eh? 

My great-grandfather Nils Hoplin immigrated from Norway in 1879, worked on JJ Hill’s railroad and bought a small farm bordering Little Chip in1884, adding parcels over the years (see My People for Nil's Story). The farm was situated just north of Brandon off County Road 7 and south of lakes Little Chippewa, Baumbach and Devils. His son Ole and sisters inherited the farm upon Nil's death in 1927. Sisters Antoinette & Berit, known as Nettie & Bessie, lived on that farm until old age <see Brandon Farm for a deep dive into the place>. There was a 3rd sister, Nikoline, but she married the neighbor boy so maybe she lost out. And there was an older brother Peter who by rights of primogeniture should have been the sole inheritor but he was a county commissioner and hardware man and lost a race for the state legislature so he perhaps had no interest in farming. 

Ole moved from Brandon to Lowry with his new bride in 1916 and built a Swedish style home there in 1929, just before the crash (see Depression Years). After Nils’ death, Ole operated the farm remotely with the help of numerous hired hands, making frequent forays from Lowry to Brandon to plant, harvest, cut hay and do chores.  

 

Sisters left/right & unknown @ farmhouse

Mail route between barn and farmhouse

 

A gravel county road - the mail route - passed between the farmhouse and the barn so the furniture in the farm home was generally dust covered throughout the summer. The farmhouse was pretty much abandoned in the summer, except for sleeping. There was no indoor plumbing and no electricity until the REA came along in 1938. My father tells a story of rusty screens on the upstairs windows. There was a separate structure, termed the "summer kitchen" where food preparation and meals were taken.  Today all the structures are gone and there is no evidence of a road ever being there. 

Summer Kitchen
Nils & grandchildren. My father far right.

Grandfather Ole was an electrician, plumber, hardware owner, undertaker and part time farmer, but I never knew him him to be a hunter, which makes the existence of the "duck pass" a mystery. 

Little Chip and Baumbach are separated by a rather high, tree covered ridge. Baumbach, in particular seemed to attract large flights of ducks. Ole's idea was to clear that ridge of trees to encourage the ducks to fly over to Little Chip and the slaughter that awaited them as they passed over that land bridge. And when Ole put his mind to something, it generally happened. The Duck Pass was born. 

Ole proceeded to clear the timber between the lakes and made his dream a reality. I know some relatives who took advantage but I never heard of Ole ever bagging any ducks. I don't think Esther ever served duck, so ... what the heck? Maybe his dream was selling the timber. Anyway, the Duck Pass has passed into family lore. 

At some point, Uncle Lynn coaxed a chunk of that real estate away from a reluctant Ole and built a rustic cabin on that duck pass. The land has quite recovered its foliage over the years. On donated land adjoining Little Chip, Douglas County has created a lovely county park. Chippewa Park. Stop by if you're in the area. 

Copyright ©  2025  Dave Hoplin
 

Brinksmanship

In post WWII politics, brinksmanship, the practice of pursuing a dangerous policy to the limits of safety before stopping, was political gospel, epitomized by Secretary of State John Foster Dulles and the Cold War of the 50's that gave us the Korean War and the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 where the US and USSR brought the threat of nuclear extinction "to the brink". Thankfully, in 1962, Khrushchev blinked, although I believe there were two blinks - the US coincidentally removed some missile sites in Turkey shortly thereafter. Sanity prevailed.

Back then threats of the 'bomb' and fear of 'preemptive strikes' were part of daily life but over time these worries subsided as the Berlin Wall fell and the USSR crumbled. But I am old enough to remember the tension of those momentous 13 October days. Schools staged "duck and cover" drills instructing students to kneel under their desks with hands covering their heads. Bizarre. Walter Cronkite's newscasts were grim.

Our current political environment seems to have regressed to the days of being constantly on edge as brinksmanship is reincorporated across the board as the first policy option. The world is being managed by the 'Art of the Deal'. Brazen threats have displaced diplomacy and compromise.

Tariffs and threats of tariffs to force the world into economic submission. Bomb your enemies into submission. Deport your population into homogeneity. Eliminate entire agencies, cut funding and generally inject chaos into government. Threats to sovereign countries with invasion and annexation. Passively watching Russia's unending conflict with Ukraine with nuclear threats rampant. Israel and Iran at war (again) with more nuclear threats and calls for 'unconditional surrender'. Marines on the streets. Denial of due process and abductions off the streets generating fear. Increasingly virulent political language. Unpardonable pardoning. A politically motived assassination of a beloved Minnesota legislator. Pressure on Congress to pass unpopular measures under the threat of being "primaried". (The obsession of members of Congress to retain their office at the cost of abandoning any integrity they might have had when entering that august body is unconscionable.)  

We have of course frequently witnessed threat followed by pull-back followed by re-threat - a seeming endless cycle. This constant bombardment of crises push people into despair. No wonder. I do not trust the judgement of this administration to know where the brink is or how to avoid it. And judging by the number and size of protests, I am not alone. I had expected the Supreme Court to serve as the counter balance, but now, with a hyper-sensitive 'popularity hound' in charge, I believe the court of public opinion is the last bulwark. 

Copyright ©  2025  Dave Hoplin

Ponder These Things

 

I am reading the book, The Interrogative Mood by Padgett Powell.  It is comprised solely of questions, thousands of them, one after another in seemingly random, stream of consciousness, run-on style. It's billed as a novel but I have yet to discover any plot. But it's fascinating, however I can't read more than a couple pages at a time.  It's exhausting. One person has claimed to have written an answer to each and every question.  I am skeptical.

I here offer up a random sampling of the interrogatives, roughly equivalent to one of the 164 pages of the book.  I'm pretty sure Professor Powell would not object. It might even sell him a few copies.  

“Do you know anything at all about the circumstances by which Leon Trotsky, in exile in Mexico City, happened to be assassinated with an ice ax? How many screwdrivers do you think is necessary for able-bodied normal household maintenance? Have you ever been catheterized? In your opinion, does the human brain receive a special benefit from chocolate? What does "it just goes to show you" mean? Why do 'making hay' and 'haymaker' have substantially different meanings? Can you recall eating crayons? Have you ever watched bats coming out of a wall? How the soft, friendly things keep pouring out of the brick? How they have focus and mission and you do not? How they will never need a colonoscopy and you will? What is the fastest you have ever gone in an automobile?

Have your forays into plumbing been successful? Do you have the patience for pick-up-sticks? How many people per hundred would you say are asses? Do you comprehend how more casualties on the battlefield can be said to render previous casualties on the battlefield not to have been in vain? Do you listen to classical music but feel you don't ever really advance past knowing it's better than it sounds? Do you take pills you are not precisely sure you can identify? Have you ever not been disappointed by a banana split? Do you have plans for long-term improvement or have you just about given up in that area? Do you know what culottes are? Can you handle honey without getting it on your fingers? Have you hunted ducks, and if so, did you use decoys, and if so, did the decoys seem to make the hunting unfair? Have you ever managed to pet a chicken? Do you travel in better underwear than you wear on a daily basis? Do you know the names of your great grandparents?

Have you ever participated in a cakewalk? Do you know much about plate tectonics? Has your experience with bankers been positive, in general? If you were to find an unopened stick of Juicy Fruit on the sidewalk, would you chew it? Have you ever heard the saying 'life is a sandwich of activity between two periods of bed-wetting'? Have you ever fished with Niblet corn? Do you care for Laurel & Hardy? Would you like more ballroom skills than you now have? Does having to call Ping-Pong "table tennis" strike you as an abomination? Are you disturbed by, amused by or indifferent to foul language on t-shirts and bumper stickers? Do you know what is meant by the term 'pipe dope'?"  

"Is there trouble in Paradise?”

Copyright ©  2025  Dave Hoplin

Steal This Post

I looked.  Mine is not in the list.

My blog is not popular.  Most of my posts garner from 100 to 200 hits. I don't write for the masses :-). Actually I write for my own pleasure. But I like to think my writings go to only the most discerning readers. But some posts surprise me and have readership in the thousands.  Why is that?  Thanks to Google no doubt.

But, let me speculate.

1. Titles that play well with Google get lots of accidental views, like this one perhaps, or the attempt at satire How to Hire a Programmer that fakes out hiring managers looking for tips. There's a lesson there - be careful following random links. Miss Woods Training School for Teachers of Young Children hits several search hot buttons. Minnesota Not So Nice attracts Iowa readers.

2. Mayhem, death and destruction seem to play well. Mayhem in Ben Wade Township,  Death & Destruction, The Bank , Mitmoen Revisited

3. Most anything Lowry related draws a crowd. Lowry Area Honor Roll,  Lowry's Latvian DP's, Photographic History of the Village of Lowry, The Red Brick School, The Rink, Big Time Tales, Doris the Riveter, Lowry Pioneers, Herman and Dave's Excellent Adventure, Town Team (6 posts), Melting Pot, Nicknames, Martin and Marian, Lowry to the Rescue,  

4. Pope County area posts are occasionally popular. GHS 1927: Absolute Zero, Pope County Arcana, Red River Ox Carts, KCMT. 

5.Humor and advice columns are risky as you are bound to offend someone, but sometimes it works. How to do Lutheran, Weighty Matters, Men Listen Up

6. Pictures & recipes are an easy win. Backyard Wonders, Scandinavian Delicacies. 

7. Posts about the Twin Cities score pretty well. Minnesota's Hidden Ford Plants, Nicollet Island, Minneapolis Nordeast, Bridges of Hennepin County, Diversions

8. Surprisingly, my immigrant stories are fan favorites. Johanna's Journey, My People - The Journey, The Family Name, Fageras to Brandon 1886, Immigrant Stock

9. Personal stories I love to write. Hoplin & Nelson Hardware, USSBB62, A Prairie Salt, Twinkie Factory, Workup, Brain Drain, A Life, Othelia's Story (8 posts) with companion posts Serendipity , Serendipity 2, Serendipity 3 

And of course, shameless self promotion is sometimes effective.

This post took an inordinately long time to "write" as I ended up reading most of those referenced.  Some I found passable (see above statement)

Copyright ©  2025  Dave Hoplin

Deep Thoughts Vol 9

You can stop hiccups with a pinch of sugar under the tongue. No fooling.

“Being in politics is like being a football coach. You have to be smart enough to understand the game and dumb enough to think it's important."  Eugene McCarthy 

I’ve been accused of being sardonic. I think that’s a form of wit but that may be only half right. 

Backyard decks have replaced front porches.  The decline of neighborliness.

Tariffs are a way to extract money from the general population and give it to oligarchs via tax policy.  You know this is true.

The 'Golden Years' should really be the 'Iron Years' since we gradually rust out.

"The Pulpit, The Press and The Novel are the greatest molders of public opinion and public morals."  Frank Norris 1902.  But today, church attendance is plummeting, journalism is on the cower and few people are readers. So public opinion and morality, at the mercy of demagogues, are on the same downward trajectory.

Just finished book #8 of Caimh McDonnell's Dublin Trilogy. Now hoping to get to the Beach Boys' 20th annual farewell tour.

You might have noticed this post makes this series a triple-trilogy. I hear you saying 'enough already' but I am determined to stay one ahead Caimh. And in these times, these things practically write themselves, so there you go.

Some good coping advice for these times. "Get a colonoscopy. Forgive yourself, be nicer to people, order the good wine."  Scott Galloway  (Not so enthusiastic about the colonoscopy part)

“What I’m feeling is moral shame: To watch the loss of your nation’s honor is embarrassing and painful.”  David Brooks

The Twins lineup stands pat from 2024, except for replacements at 1st base & outfield, tho new guys are downgrades in my opinion. This is a lineup that tanked dramatically at last season end. All the other American League Central teams look improved so I see the Twins right there challenging the Sox for last.

With all the drama around Twins on/off television rights I was worried I’d be forced back to radio days for my baseball fix. Now, with Twins.tv I watch what has been so far essentially unwatchable baseball. e.g. seven overthrows of first base and counting by Twin's pitchers. Seven!

Would you believe it is 34 years since the Twins’ World Series win?  Kirby’s number.

SNAP (aka food stamps) is on the cutting board. Three-fourths of SNAP recipients live below the poverty line ($26,000/yr for a family of 3). Two-thirds are elderly, children or disabled. Families in rural America depend on SNAP more than cities. The irony is that in the communities that grow our food, many cannot afford healthy meals.

"Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last?" Joseph Welch, at Army-McCarthy Hearings 1954

"Memory sustains man in the world of life."   Samuel David Luzzatto

I find joy when immersed in Lutheran congregational hymn singing.

I wish for you the sailor's prayer: Fair winds and a following sea.

There is no need for FEMA. That is, until there it is in your backyard.

The most highly praised books are rarely read. The fat classics almost never.

"There's nothing like eavesdropping to show you that the world outside your head is different from the world inside your head."  Thornton Wilder

I have reached the point that when I drop something, I stop and ponder whether I really need it.

If you were facing the maw of oblivion what piece of wisdom would you leave behind? 

Remember the last time you experienced frisson? What caused it?

How does discarding civil servants, veteran programs, educators, artists, scientists, students, medical researchers, doctors, food and drug safety inspectors, FEMA, Head Start, SNAP, Voice of America, PBS, AmeriCorps, immigrants, National Parks, trade relationships, universities, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, World Health Organization, stock market, allies, NATO ... provide value to our country?

Every generation wishes a better life for their children & grandchildren. Will that promise hold? I worry for my grandchildren's future.

Read more novels. You will gain empathy, much needed in this world. And you will go to places and experience cultures you likely never otherwise would.

Back on my bike, a major concern is crossing intersections with cars turning right while looking left. Had that near-run-thing with a school bus just the other day. Now I also have to worry about eBikes on the trails whizzing past me at 30mph.

The Vietnam War ended 50 years ago, April 30, 1975.

Garage sales are great fun unless they happen to be your own.

Electrical engineering is the study of how to get the rocks to do math. Beleaguered EE student.

These new-fangled gas cans are impossible to pour from if you have arthritic hands. Time for a solar mower. My consolation is these product designers someday too will be old.

I think ice cream may be nature’s most perfect food. Perhaps augmented with apple pie.

If you had any doubt we live in unusual time, Congress redefines time: “Each day for the remainder of the first session of the 119th Congress shall not constitute a calendar day for purposes of section 202 of the National Emergencies Act with respect to a joint resolution terminating a national emergency declared by the President on February 1, 2025.”  The gambit removes the ability for any House members to use an expedited process to force a vote on repealing the tariffs.

Adding to my vocabulary. History washing.

A poll of US scientists finds 75% are considering relocating to Canada or Europe. Other countries are in recruiting mode.

Time to pony-up and help keep your favorite non-profit afloat.

Copyright ©  2025  Dave Hoplin