JOURNAL of DONALD ANDERSON, USN

1941 and 1942

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Below is the journal my father kept during the years of 1941/42. I found it in his effects after his death in April of 1998, along with a series of photos that he took during that time period. I am publishing this account on the Web because it is a wonderful way to get to know the man who was my father, and the hundreds of men like him who manned the ships known as Four Stackers. Words in black type are transcribed directly from the journal. Where I deem it useful and appropriate I will include background data in other colors, and photos from his collection.

This is where my father's Journal ends. Having added one day's journal entry to this website each day for two years, I now feel I know what the men aboard USS BARRY experienced during WWII just a little bit better. I am left with a greater opinion of their dedication to duty, of their privation, and of their character than I ever had before. For this I am thankful. I am a little bit sad, too, that the Journal does not continue further. Sailors were forbidden to keep such accounts onboard, as they could be used for intelligence gathering if they ever fell into the hands of the enemy.

Some men did continue to keep such diaries, and I am attempting to obtain permission to use one or more of them to supplement the material found here. At any rate, I will continue with an accounting of the war's progress, and also of the whereabouts of BARRY, although probably not on a daily basis.

This page, and all contents, are Copyright (C) 2000 by Kenn Anderson,Sr., Scranton, PA. (USA)