Oral History Interview with William Meehan, October 11, 2003

Oral History Interview with William Meehan, October 11, 2003

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Track One 0:44:19

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William Meehan. Meehan was born in Lambertville, New Jersey. He attended midshipman’s school at Northwestern in Chicago completing the course in December 1940. He was commissioned by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. Meehan received orders to report to the USS Goldsborough (AVD-5), a seaplane tender, as the communications officer. He recounts various missions to Mexico and Iceland and describes a trip to Greenland during which the ship encountered a storm that resulted in the loss of a crewmember. He was sent to Panama in early 1942 as part of … continued below

Physical Description

1 sound recording (44 min., 19 sec.)

Creation Information

Meehan, William October 11, 2003.

Context

This audio recording is part of the collection entitled: National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection and was provided by the National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation to The Portal to Texas History, a digital repository hosted by the UNT Libraries. More information about this recording can be viewed below.

Interviewee

Meehan, William

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 William Meehan. Meehan was born in Lambertville, New Jersey. He attended midshipman’s school at Northwestern in Chicago completing the course in December 1940. He was commissioned by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. Meehan received orders to report to the USS Goldsborough (AVD-5), a seaplane tender, as the communications officer. He recounts various missions to Mexico and Iceland and describes a trip to Greenland during which the ship encountered a storm that resulted in the loss of a crewmember. He was sent to Panama in early 1942 as part of a force to protect the Canal Zone. In June 1942 the ship went to Honduras to patrol for German submarines. He witnessed two PBY patrol aircraft capturing two large boats that provided support to German submarines. In July 1943, Meehan was made captain of the Goldsborough. He recalls being part of a hunter-killer group and describes an encounter with a German submarine. In March 1944 the ship was converted to a high speed transport and designated APD-32. Moving to the Pacific, the Goldsborough participated in the invasion of Saipan. The ship also delivered an Under Water Demolition Team (UDT) to Leyte. The ship was attacked by a shore battery that resulted in 25 casualties. The ship was then involved in the Lingayen operation after which Meehan was ordered to the University of Notre Dame midshipman’s school where he taught navigation. He was there when Japan surrendered. Meehan remained in the Navy and retired as a Commander after 21 years of service.

Physical Description

1 sound recording (44 min., 19 sec.)

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

Sound

Identifier

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

Accession or Local Control No: OH00997
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1608217

Relationships

Oral History Interview with William Meehan, October 11, 2003, [transcript] ark:/67531/metapth1604408

Collections

This recording 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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