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Jim Chavis, a Casta del Sol resident served as a war
time crew member aboard the USS Pintado, SS387 under Cdr. Bernard A. Clary who
subsequently became Admiral in charge of the Pacific Fleet. After Pearl
Harbor, the Navy was severely damaged. The submarine force was the only
fighting force remaining to retaliate against the enemy until the Navy could
rebuild. The USS Pintado made six war patrols. The Pintado sank or
damaged 132,900 tons of enemy shipping and its crew received the Presidential
Unit Citation, equivalent to the Navy Cross, one of 38 submarines so honored. Jim enlisted in the Navy at age seventeen and volunteered for the Submarine Service. Jim is still with us here in Casta del Sol after surviving attacks by torpedoes, depth charges and Typhoon Cobra. He served aboard the 2nd, 3rd and 4th patrols before R&R of a long overdue leave home. During Jim’s tours aboard the Pintado, the Pintado sank the Tonan Maru, the largest merchant ship sunk by an American submarine in WWII. More times than he can count, Jim had to stand by for light bulbs in his coffee from the jarring of enemy depth charges. And he even survived a torpedo that had accidentally gone live in their forward torpedo room. A submariner's life is not dull! The National Museum of the Pacific War, formerly the Admiral Nimitz Museum in Fredericksburg, Texas is starting Phase III construction this year. Plans call for the Pintado’s conning tower to be installed in front of the museum’s entrance. As Western Representative of the Pintado Association, Jim has been busy raising funds to complete the project scheduled for 2008 – 2009. You may support Jim by sending a tax-free donation to: Admiral Nimitz Foundation WWII Submarine Memorial 328 Main Street Fredericksburg, TX 78624. |
