Oroville Mercury July 8, 1944
3 Cannon Boys Found Each Other After Sinking Of Their Navy Ship
“We were out looking for trouble and we got it—but so did the enemy.”
That’s what the three Cannon brother’s survivors of the Escort Carrier
Block Island, say about the sinking of the “baby flat top,” during
May, in the Atlantic. Home on a 30-day furlough after 15 months’
sea duty, each of the three navy men wear campaign ribbons for American,
European and Asiatic theaters of war. Each also wears five stars,
four bronze stars signifying combat and a silver star for action
on a sinking ship. The brothers are: Gordon, 21, aviation machinist’s
mate 3/c, Jack, 22, seaman 1/c; and Clyde, 20, seaman 1/c. They
are the sons of Mr. and Mrs. L. C. Cannon of Pine Street. The Block
Island was out sub hunting at the time of the action, Gordon related.
The ship had a record for knocking-out subs. It did not go down
without getting the sub that sank it.
ON DIFFERENT RAFTS
The three brothers were separated when they went into the water
as the ship went down. Before being picked up by destroyer escorts,
Clyde was on a raft for about an hour and a half. Gordon was forced
to hang onto the side of another raft, while Jack spent two hours
swimming and hanging on to a raft at intervals before he was rescued.
Safe on a destroyer escort, but sick as a result of swallowing a
mixture of gasoline, oil and salt water, Gordon was resting when,
“along came Jack.” The two brothers were not very worried about
Clyde they said, because other men told them they had seen the brother
get off all right.
ANOTHER LOCAL BOY
It was a different matter with Clyde. He had heard nothing about
his brothers since the action and he was worried. He “worried some”
for three days before the three brothers were reunited. Nick Aleck,
of Oroville, also a machinist’s mate, 3/c on the carrier, was picked
up by the same escort boat that rescued Gordon and Jack. The men
were taken to North Africa for several days before they began their
trip back to the states. Gordon was the only one of the Cannon brothers
who admitted ever being seasick. “Some of the boys got sick,” the
brothers said, “but they blamed it on the coffee.”
Oroville Mercury Register, May 1, 1959
The Oroville Of Years Ago 15 Years Ago (1944)
At requests of American Legion Posts of the county the supervisors
have agreed to make a budgetary provision in 1944-1945 for employment
of a county service officer to assist returning war veterans. The
officer, who would be appointed by the supervisors, would help disabled
men in obtaining hospitalization and compensation and would cooperate
in obtaining employment for the service men, if necessary.
Oroville High School Year book 1944
George Beard, Leslie Bidwell, Howard Gould, Kernick Smith, and Alphie
Worthy. …. “They left the peaceful river, The athletic field, the
quad, The renowned halls of learning To seek the bloody sod. They
gave their merry youth away For country and for God. God rest you,
happy gentlemen, who laid your good lives down, Who took the khaki
and the gun, Instead of cap and gown, God bring you to a fairer
place Than even your Hometown.”
W. M. Letts
Stu’s Notes: Those brave young Cannon brothers did so much for
their Country. The family even had another brother in reserve to
fight in the Korean War, James E. Cannon Yeoman apprentice USN,
served on the Battleship USS New Jersey, fighting off the coast
of Korea see my article Jan 12, 2007 on our website.
Does any one know of W. M. Letts? He or she wrote a very moving
poem in Honor of those young Oroville High Class of 1944 that “Gave
All”. That poem could be of any of Butte Counties High Schools,
Chico, Paradise, Durham, Biggs Gridley and Oroville. So many, gave
so much from those schools, as did so many through out our Great
Country. I think those words should go in Our Memorial somewhere.
The words of one of our Brave National Guard Soldiers; The 2668th
Transportation Company of the California Army National Guard based
in Oroville, Ca. In addition to responding to emergencies such as
floods, fires and riots, the local unit fights the Global War on
Terrorism and 90% of the unit has deployed overseas at least once
, with some doing as many as 3 tours since September 11, 2001. We
would like to thank Oroville and the wonderful people who live here
and support us. We truly appreciate it.