Key West Waterfront Park
Posted On:Since it’s Memorial Day I thought I would reprise a post from a few years back that describes The U.S Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk, newly arrived in Key West for display on the waterfront. There’s also a little sidebar in this blogpost that describes my fathers role in World War II.
Franz Boetes the Directer of the Maritime Museum exhibit
USCG Mohawk
The Mohawk spent it’s war years as a sub chaser in the Atlantic
Here’s the radio room. My father was a radio operator staitoned in Hawaii during WW II so this room gave me kind of a warm feeling. My father, Staff Seargant Al Vagnoni was the radioman, not unlike the one pictured here, sitting with headphones on in a tiny radio shack in the middle of a pineapple field on the westernmost tip of Oahu when he received the first encoded message of the Japanese surrender which he then passed on to San Francisco to be forwarded to Washington. After he received the message he tore of the piece of tape containing the historic bit of code and I believe that spool of tape sits in a tiny box in a drawer in brother’s house today.
Just to kind of complete this thought; Here’s a picture of my dad, Al (wearing the hat), shortly after receiving that message I imagine,celebrating with a few buddies.
The caption on the back reads, “Now what do you think we are so sad about.
Presenting myself, Mariani, Gould and Alabama Davis saying hello you all.
a view from the bridge looking out across the inner mole to the main ship channel.
The ship’s galley