Oral History Interview with Richard Jenke, August 24, 2003

Oral History Interview with Richard Jenke, August 24, 2003

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Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Clifford Jenke. Jenke was born in Houston, Texas 25 February 1927. On 7 December 1942, at the age of fifteen, he joined the Navy after receiving written approval from his parents. After undergoing six week of boot training at San Diego, he was assigned to the USS Mizar as the pointer on a five inch deck gun. Soon thereafter, the ship departed for Sydney, Australia. Jenke recalls being attacked by a Japanese submarine, which was subsequently driven off by destroyers accompanying the convoy. Three weeks after their arrival, … continued below

Physical Description

34 p.

Interviewers

Publisher

National Museum of the Pacific War
Place of Publication: Fredericksburg, Texas

Audiences

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Provided By

National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Established in 1967, the Museum honors the 8 million Americans who served in WWII in the Pacific Theater by sharing their stories with the world. Located in Fredericksburg in the restored Nimitz "Steamboat" Hotel, the Museum partners with the Texas Historical Commission to preserve the historical resources of the era.

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Clifford Jenke. Jenke was born in Houston, Texas 25 February 1927. On 7 December 1942, at the age of fifteen, he joined the Navy after receiving written approval from his parents. After undergoing six week of boot training at San Diego, he was assigned to the USS Mizar as the pointer on a five inch deck gun. Soon thereafter, the ship departed for Sydney, Australia. Jenke recalls being attacked by a Japanese submarine, which was subsequently driven off by destroyers accompanying the convoy. Three weeks after their arrival, he was sent to Brisbane. After spending a night on the submarine tender USS Fulton (AS-11), he volunteered and was accepted for submarine duty. Assigned as an electrician striker on the USS Scamp (SS-277), he describes the battery propulsion system of the submarine. He recalls sinking a Japanese submarine, HIJMS I-24, during his first patrol aboard the Scamp. After making three patrols aboard the Scamp, he was transferred to the USS Dace (SS-247). With Jenke aboard, the Dace, working in conjunction with the USS Darter (SS-227), sank HIJMS Maya and HIJMS Atago in October 1944. The Dace made eight successful patrols, sinking thirteen ships during Jenke’s time on board. The boat returned to Mare Island, California in November 1945 and Jenke went to Santa Fe, New Mexico to be discharged.

Physical Description

34 p.

Subjects

Keywords

Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms

Library of Congress Subject Headings

World War, 1939-1945

University of North Texas Libraries Browse Structure

Language

English

Item Type

Text

Identifier

Unique identifying numbers for this text in the Portal or other systems.

Accession or Local Control No: OH00922
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1604340

Relationships

Oral History Interview with Richard Jenke, August 24, 2003 - ark:/67531/metapth1608149

Collections

This text is part of the following collections of related materials.

National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection

This oral history collection depicts an instrumental era in American history. In these transcripts of interviews with World War II veterans are personal experiences with the war, from the Doolittle Raid and D-Day to the Battle for Bataan.

National Museum of the Pacific War Digital Archive

The Digital Archive presents digitized collections from the Center for Pacific War Studies collections at the National Museum of the Pacific War. Collections and material are continuously being added and represent only a small portion of the archives' physical holdings.

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