Page Carter

'We escorted several convoys'

Page H. Carter

I served in the North Atlantic aboard the USS Zircon on patrol duty before the United States entered World War II.

Life magazine artist Tom Lee drew most of his pictures for the magazine presentation of the battle of the North Atlantic aboard the Zircon.

Immediately after we entered the war, the Zircon was transferred to patrol off the New Jersey coast and served during the time the German submariners called the "Happy Days." Saw many sinkings.

The destroyer USS Jacob Jones swapped patrol areas with us one night and was sunk by a torpedo. We escorted several convoys between New York and the Caribbean. I was transferred to the USS Knight about the time of the North African invasion. I participated in the Sicilian Campaign and the invasion at Salerno.

The USS Knight was the flagship for Task Force 80.4, which is noted in a number of articles and books. A number of well-known individuals participated in this task force.

I served as a chief warrant officer in several naval hospitals after being assigned to shore duty for the latter part of the war.

The Olympian Copyright 2001

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