| Abstract |
Captain Southard comments on his childhood in Maine and his experiences while at the U.S. Naval Academy as part of the Class of 1941. He describes duty on the USS LANG, including cruises out of Charleston and Norfolk, ferrying of British planes from Scapa Flow to Malta, duty in the South Pacific in support of the USS WASP, the Guadalcanal invasion, R& R assignment for the LANG while the WASP was being sunk, and the encounter in Vella Gulf. He comments on leaving the LANG for Fire Control School, commissioning of the USS MC FOX, his presence in Tokyo harbor at the end of the war, and assignments to the USS DORAN and the USS VERMILLION. Other comments pertain to command of Escort Squadron 18, assignment to the Naval Station at Key West, duty as Naval Science professor at Princeton University, command of the USS GRAND CANYON, and assignments to Guantanamo Bay, Boston, and Newport. |
| General note | Interviewer: Donald R. Lennon. Interview date: April 27, 2001. |
| Access restriction | No access restrictions. |
| Cite as |
Pemberton Southard Oral History Interview (#OH0199), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA. |
| Terms of use | Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law. |
| Acquisitions source |
Joyner- Gift of Pemberton Southard. |
| Biographical note | Captain Pemberton Southard was born in Augusta, ME (February 4, 1918), and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) in 1941. During World War II, Southard served on the destroyers USS LANG (DD-399) and USS MYLES C. FOX (DD-829), and after the war, the destroyer minesweeper USS DORAN (DMS-41), the attack cargo ship USS VERMILION (AKA-107), the radar picket destroyer USS TURNER (DDR-834), and the destroyer tender USS GRAND CANYON (AD-28). Southard also held many administrative positions with the Bureau of Naval Personnel; Amphibious Group Two; the Naval War College; the Naval Station in Key West, FL; the NROTC Unit of Princeton University; the Fleet Training Group in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; the First Naval District; and the Fleet Training Group and Center in Newport, RI. Southard was awarded several medals, including the Silver Star for his conduct for the Vella Gulf Night Action. |
