Here's
Bill, March, 1942. Note the leggings, scabbard and
other attire of the day. Bill joined the Navy in Jan 22, 1942.To return to War antics and memories,
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Memories of William Bort
Bill's son, Ronald Bort, attended the 2004 USS Bergall reunion in New York, chatted with Chuck Kennedy and a few guys and offered to loan us these pictures for our archives and the web site. We are certainly thankful and hope that we offer them here in proper account.
Here's
Bill, March, 1942. Note the leggings, scabbard and
other attire of the day. Bill joined the Navy in Jan 22, 1942.
In
his "boot issued" blues, Here's Bill just proud as heck to carry that first
stripe on his sleeve making him a Seaman 3rd Class, note the "Flat Top" hat of
the day! Picture taken March 15, 1942 and process by 'Electric
Studio', Newport, R.I.
Home
on leave? This is probably Syracuse before he went to sub school,
circa March 1942!
The
classic "send home to mom" shot!
Now
an S1c and proudly wearing the insignia of Quartermaster,
3rd class... but still a puppy!
Trinidad, 1942, here's Bill (on the right) with a buddy and one fair size
bull!
Same
sequence but Bill is now on the right and you can see he proudly wears the
submarine insignia on his lower right sleeve indicating that he's a qualified
submariner!
Billy
(Pint) Bort, QM 2nd Class.
Out
on the town with friends!
no
note on location or date!
Fresh
from the sea, sporting a beard and eyes that show that the "boy" that went to
sea came back a man ! November 1943.
A
nice colored version!
Bill,
on the left, with buddies at sea, probably on the fan tail of his boat!
He was accepted aboard the USS Bergall as a commissioning crew
member ("Plank Owner") on June 12, 1944 but was with her earlier as she was
prepared to be accepted by the Navy from the Groton EB factory. His
rate on coming aboard was second class Quartermaster (QM2c). He rode
the ole girl over to Pearl Harbor and on through the first war patrol.
He changed rate to QM1 on 11/1/1944, rode the Bergall through her infamous second patrol, listing next of kin as "wife: Jean Ruth Bort, 1103 Willis Avenue, Syracuse, N.Y." With the Bergall having come so close to not returning from that mission, the skipper made a point to record this information on all of the crew!
Now
here's a proud
Quartermaster 1st class!
With
Bill on the left, he and a couple others are out for some fun... Australia,
early 1945! On
12/31/1944, Bill was transferred off the Bergall and was
assigned to the USS Baya. The Bergall's Chief Quartermaster was
quite a rowdy guy and Commander Ben Jarvis (the PCO riding the Bergall's second
patrol) was heading for a new command of the Baya and probably asked Bill to
come along!
Bill is in the back
row, second from the left, with other crew members of the USS Baya, probably on
the liberty boat heading to some fun, April 13, 1945!
If
this isn't a great home coming shot... there just ain't one!
Bill and Buddy Bort on Tappan St., B'ville
Discharged
Oct. 21, 1945!
It
looks like a civilian now, just taking things a bit easier!
Bill
and Chuck meet up again!
Dear Ronald,
I was sorry to hear of your dad's death. As you probably know, we were shipmates and went through a few attacks against the Japanese. He went out on the Baya and we did not meet again until 1945 in Greenwich Village after the war ended. I knew I had a picture of he and your mother somewhere. My wife found it and I thought you would like to have it. I believe you are his son and not a grandson so forgive me if I am wrong. We met again in Orlando when the Sub Vets National Convention was held there. That was when he told me about his love, Jeanie, I can't remember if she was still alive then or seriously ill. My memories grow dim as time goes by but I will never forget Bill and Jean.
Sincerely
Charles A. Kennedy
Jean and Bill Bort with Chuck and Chuck and Dot Kennedy,
The Nut Club, 1945
Here's
the souvenir cover from that event!
And
the back!
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