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The USS Hancock ("Hannah")
The USS Hancock (CV-19) was an Essex class aircraft carrier built during World War II by the Bethlehem Steel Co., Quincy, Massachusetts. It was the fourth US ship to bear the name Hancock but was originally named the Ticonderoga when the keel was laid on January 26, 1943. It was renamed Hancock on May 1st of the same year and launched on January 24, 1944.1
After out fitting in the Boston Navy Yard she was commissioned on April 15, 1944 and saw action serving in the South Pacific theater. Almost a year later, on April 7, a suicide plane cart wheeled across her flight deck and crashed into a group of planes while its bomb hit the port catapult causing a tremendous explosion. Although 62 men were killed and 71 wounded, heroic efforts doused the fires within half an hour enabling her to be back in action before an hour had passed.1 When the formal surrender of the Japanese Imperial Government was signed on board the battleship USS Missouri, Hancock's planes flew overhead. On April 29, 1946 she steamed to Seattle, WA to await inactivation and was decommissioned and entered the reserve fleet at Bremerton, WA.1
On December 15, 1951 the Hancock commenced conversion and modernization to an attack aircraft carrier in Puget Sound and was reclassified CVA-19 on October 1, 1952. She was re-commissioned on February 15, 1954 and was off San Diego in May of 1954 for operations along the coast of California. She was the first carrier of the United States Fleet with steam catapults capable of launching high performance jets. Commander Henry J. Jackson piloted the first aircraft, an S2F-1, launched by the C-11 steam catapult off the deck of the USS Hancock.1 After a year of operations along the Pacific coast that included testing of Sparrow I and Regulus missiles and Cutlass jet aircraft, she sailed 10 August 1955 for 7th Fleet operations ranging from the shores of Japan to the Philippines and Okinawa. She returned to San Diego March 15, 1956.1
On April 3,1956 the Milton Berle Show, one of the most popular programs of the Golden Age of Television was broadcast live from the deck of the USS Hancock on NBC while docked at the Naval Air Base in San Diego, California. The show starred the Esther Williams, Berle's comedy sidekick, Arnold Stang and the Harry James Orchestra featuring Buddy Rich and featured Elvis, Scotty, Bill and DJ. Elvis Presley Fan Club members were sent a 12" x 18 1/2" TV/Concert double-sided announcement / promotional handbill from the Colonel to publicly thank Milton Berle for having Elvis perform on his program and to promote the upcoming concerts in San Diego.
Elvis was now being managed by Colonel Parker since Bob Neal's contract expired on March 14, 1956, the day after the release of Elvis' first LP. They had already appeared on television six times by then, on the Dorsey Brothers show. They performed three songs including "Heartbreak Hotel" and "Blue Suede Shoes". Elvis also performed a comedy sketch with Milton Berle acting as Elvis twin brother Melvin. It was the first time that they had performed to an all military audience.2
Scotty felt right at home on the carrier deck. He was the only member of the entourage who had been on a ship. "We had a ball," he said. "Uncle Miltie was great. He did the wig thing with Elvis and busted up a guitar. He did all kinds of goofy stuff. It was funny."2
The boys performed the next two nights at the San Diego arena drawing 11,250 screaming fans. Back in San Diego for the first time since his release from the Navy, Scotty tracked down John Bankston, a former Navy buddy and member of one of his first bands. Bankson's wife Analee, recalled Scotty phoning when he got to town. "He invited my husband down to see the first performance," she said. "He was backstage with Elvis and Scotty. When he got home, he told me he had helped Elvis tune his guitar. I said, 'Oh, you did.' Of course, we didn't know who Elvis was at that time."2 The Hancock was decommissioned ten days later, on April 13, 1956 for conversion that included the installation of an angled flight deck and then re-commissioned November 15 1956. By 1959 she was seeing service in Southeast Asia and in early 1960 participated in a new demonstration of communications by reflecting ultra-high-frequency waves off the moon.1
The Hancock returned to San Francisco in March 1961, then entered the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for an overhaul that gave her new electronics gear and many other improvements. During most of the '60s and '70s she saw action in the Vietnam conflict participating in many deployments in the South China sea.1
After over thirty years of service The USS
Hancock was decommissioned on January 30, 1976, stricken from the Navy list the following day, and sold for scrap by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS)
on September 1, 1976.1
The USS Hancock was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation and received four battle stars for service in World War II. length: 888 feet page added January 21, 2008 |
| All photos on this site (that we didn't borrow) unless otherwise indicated are the property of either Scotty Moore or James V. Roy and unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. |
