Reference portrait of Stephen Decatur
Clemson University Libraries Portrait by the American neoclassicist painter John Vanderlyn, 1815.
Oral history of Raymond Zieverink
Clemson University Libraries. Special Collections and Archives A video recording of an in-person interview conducted by John Richter with Sonar Technician Second Class Raymond Zieverink on March 19, 2014. Born on November 16, 1946, Zieverink volunteered for the United States Navy to avoid being drafted into the Army for Vietnam.
After completing basic training, he volunteered for submarine duty and underwent submarine school. In 1967, he was assigned to the USS Lapon, a fast attack nuclear submarine. As sonar technician, he played a key role in tracking underwater activity, listening for enemy submarines, surface ships, and potential threats. He recalls long patrols, including operations above the Arctic Circle and Cold War surveillance missions. He also talks about how life aboard a submarine was both demanding and close-knit, with 18 hour workdays and limited space.
2014-03-19
Oral history of Allen Easterday
Clemson University Libraries. Special Collections and Archives A video recording of an in-person interview conducted by Jeff Fulton with Allen Easterday on February 22, 2013. Born in 1932, Allen Easterday served in the United States Navy during the Korean War, where he was assigned to a destroyer escort as a disbursing clerk.
Easterday shares memories of his early life, enlistment, naval training, and the daily challenges of life aboard a warship. He recounts a harrowing experience when his ship was struck by shore bombardment, detailing the impact it had on him and his crewmates. He also discusses his responsibilities as the ship's disbursing clerk and how his time in the Navy shaped his post-service life.
2013-02-22
Oral history of Walter Morgan
Clemson University Libraries. Special Collections and Archives A video recording of an in-person interview conducted by Austin Mall with Petty Officer Second Class Walter Morgan on November 17, 2013. Born on April 30, 1925, Morgan enlisted in the United States Navy in 1943. After completing radio school, radar school and gunnery training, he was assigned to 85th Bombardment Group as a rear gunner and radar operator on Curtiss Helldiver bombers.
Morgan describes his intensive dive-bombing training where he witnessed fellow pilots lose their lives due to the extreme stress placed on aircraft during practice dives. After additional carrier landing training, he was assigned to the USS Shangri-La, a newly commissioned aircraft carrier that saw combat in the Pacific during the final months of the war. He recounts narrowly escaping enemy anti-aircraft fire over Kure Harbor, where his squadron successfully bombed the Japanese cruiser Oyodo and describes the intensity of kamikaze attacks. Morgan also reflects on the dropping of the atomic bombs and their continued operations until Japan's official surrender. He later participated in prisoner of war supply drops and the mass flyover of Japan to demonstrate US air power.
2013-11-17
Oral history of Carl Weisenberg
Clemson University Libraries. Special Collections and Archives A video recording of an in-person interview conducted by Anna Hickey with Chief Motor Machinist's Mate Carl Weisenberg on November 26, 2012. Born on December 16, 1911, Weisenberg was working as an auto mechanic when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Driven by a deep sense of duty, he volunteered for the United States Navy within days of the attack.
Weisenberg trained in diesel mechanics before being assigned to Landing Craft Infantry gunboat, LCI-475. As motor machinist, he was responsible for maintaining and repairing eight main diesel engines and three generators to ensure his ship remained operational. His ship supported amphibious landings in the Pacific Theater, including battles at Guam, Saipan, Leyte, and Okinawa, where his crew fired rockets to clear enemy defenses before United States troops landed. He describes the intensity of Okinawa during which he operated a 75mm gun firing at the swarm of Japanese planes attacking his fleet. After three years at sea, Weisenberg was discharged at Pearl Habor in 1945 just before the war's official end.
2012-11-26
Oral history of Jim Mahony
Clemson University Libraries. Special Collections and Archives A video recording of an in-person interview conducted by Caleb Hawkins with Captain Jim Mahony on November 26, 2013. Born on February 29, 1929, Mahony enlisted in the United States Navy in 1946. After basic training, he completed the Electronic Technician Program which led him to serve on a submarine, the USS Tilefish.
Mahony later graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1953. He served aboard the USS Boxer as a signal officer, assistant navigator, and engineering officer, managing vital ship systems during the final days of the Korean War. His career continued with assignments in nuclear submarine development and shipyard management. As a submarine engineering specialist, Mahony played a role in the construction and overhaul of nuclear submarines, working on the USS Thresher program and later implementing critical Submarine Safety Program (SUBSAFE) safety reforms following its tragic loss in 1963. He finished his career as Commander of the Charleston Shipyard, supervising submarine overhauls and refueling operations.
2013-11-26