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Oral history interview with Donald Collins

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  • "Donald E. Collins, a Sunbury, Pennsylvania native, discusses his World War II service in the Pacific theater as a radio striker aboard the USS Finback, a Navy submarine. Collins talks about being too light weight to join the Marines, enlisting in the Navy, boot camp at Sampson Naval Training Center (New York), and practical jokes played during time in an outgoing unit. He discusses assignment to code school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, meeting his future wife at a USO, attending submarine school at Naval Submarine Base New London (Connecticut), and being inspected for possession of liquor by Charles Spritz. Shipped to Hawaii aboard one of the "Kaiser's coffins" (an escort carrier built by Kaiser Shipbuilding Co.), Collins describes uneasy relations with the Seabees, earning extra money cutting meat, and being evacuated due to a fire. Assigned to the USS Finback (SS-230), he mentions crash course training in wolf pack procedure to work with other boats, and he explains their use of radio silence, LORAN (Long Range Navigation), and offensive tactics. He describes the different sounds heard while underwater, including identifying ships by the sound of their screws. Collins describes submarine rest camps and reflects on the privileges submariners had. He relates his first experience being near exploding depth charges, and he talks about duty in the conning tower and daily life. He talks about listening to Tokyo Rose, printing a ship newspaper, staying at the Royal Hawaiian hotel, having fun with gooney birds, and busting their captain, who had gotten in trouble for breaking into the beer hall, out of confined quarters to have a party. While at Midway, Collins details getting into a fight over a bottle of alcohol, being put in the brig, and their captain's lying to the commodore that they would be demoted as punishment. Collins touches on the submariners' relations with Marines and using a slot machine to get money from the relief crews for parties. He addresses diving procedures, attacking a tanker off of Iwo Jima, and avoiding enemy airplanes. While on air-sea rescue patrol, he talks about picking up George Bush and meeting him again after he became president. Collins describes good relationships with the officers aboard his boat and almost getting attacked by an American destroyer. He relates hearing about the atomic bombs and V-J Day celebrations. He portrays the treatment of two Japanese prisoners of war that they picked up from a ship they sank. While operating with Schnabel's Sharks, he relates hunting German submarines and passing through mine fields, and he tells of a buddy's submarine that was sunk by a mine. Collins describes life aboard the ship: constant pressure, food, card games, and qualification tests. He characterizes Admiral Lockwood, some of the men from the Finback, and his executive officer, who was a mustang. Collins analyzes World War II submarine statistics, and he describes going back to Hawaii years later and being invited aboard the USS Queenfish. While on Christmas leave, he recalls a memorable train ride home. He speaks of running grease guns to guerillas in the Philippines, a hot thirty hours underwater, and turning down a job at Cramp Shipyard in Philadelphia. Collins highlights the importance of having a good sense of humor. After his discharge, he talks about getting married, using the GI Bill to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison, his career as a parole officer, and overcoming symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Collins mentions his time in the Reserves, working in a Naval Intelligence Unit that was located in someone's basement, and working with an ROTC unit."
  • "Donald E. Collins, a Sunbury, Pennsylvania native, discusses his World War II service as a radio striker aboard the USS Finback, a Navy submarine, serving in the Pacific Ocean. Collins talks about graduating from high school early, enlisting, and being turned down from a Navy bombing squadron and a Marine parachute unit because he was too light-weight. He talks about boot camp at Sampson (New York), radio school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, learning Morse code, and volunteering for submarine service. He describes the testing he underwent prior to submarine duty including aptitude tests, psychological examinations, pressure tests, and a Mommsen Lung escape technique test. Collins touches upon additional training in encryption, sound gear operation, and how to handle any other crew member's job in an emergency. He characterizes Admiral Charles Lockwood and the officer who ran the submarine base, Chief Torpedoman Charles Spritz. Collins touches on volunteering to handle meat aboard a troop ship and being aboard a Fulton sub tender during a fire. Collins mentions assignment to the USS Finback (SS-230) at Midway Island. He describes his first patrol in the China Sea, shooting and exploding mines, sinking Japanese ships, and two weeks of rest at Majuro (Marshall Islands). He discusses qualification testing and his duties as a radioman, lookout, sound equipment operator, and Radio Direction Finder operator. Collins talks about hunting oil tankers off Iwo Jima and expecting air support that didn't come, and he mentions scouting Truk Island. He tells of being shot at by an American destroyer, techniques used by the Japanese Navy involving sampans to lure submarines for attack, and hearing depth charges approach the sub. Collins touches upon military life including the relationship between officers and enlisted men, drinking alcohol distilled aboard the submarine from "torpedo juice," receiving a brandy ration when the ship was under heavy fire, staying at Hawaiian hotels between missions, and eating free dinner at a Hawaiian restaurant. He describes air-sea rescue procedures and tells of pilots who were afraid of the submarine. While patrolling near Chichi Jima, the Finback rescued a downed Navy pilot (President George Bush) and he talks about being shipboard with Bush for about three weeks. After the war, Collins touches on joining the Navy Reserves, attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison on the GI Bill, working in an intelligence unit in the basement of a professor at the University of Wisconsin, marrying a woman from Madison, meeting George Bush when he ran for president, and pursuing a career in criminal justice. Collins states he resisted joining veteran's organizations because he didn't want them to influence his job, but he was made commander of the VFW for two years while helping them solve money-theft problems."

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  • "Personal narratives"
  • "History"
  • "Examinations"

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  • "Oral history interview with Donald Collins"

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