Personal accounts by crew member A.A. Stone, Radio Operator, AO-43 1942-1944

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My father A.A. Stone was a radio operator on the Tappahanock from 1942-1944 and recounted many of the events in this article to me long before the advent of the internet or wikipedia.

Regarding the Duckplane incident in 1943 when a float plane clipped the Tappahanock's mainmast - one or more persons aboard the plane may have been killed in that mishap. A.A. Stone, being the youngest of the radio operators, was selected to climb the mainmast and make temporary antenna repairs while the ship was underway.

Sometime after AO-43 successfuly defended itself from air attack in April 1943 and splashed two of the attacking aircraft, the ship had occasion to sidle the aircraft carrier Enterprise and the Enterprise's crew lined the rail and hollered down in salute of AO-43's two kill flags.

Sams617 (talk) 20:01, 11 October 2014 (UTC)sams617Reply