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Walter N Nelson Signed Naval Art
Walter N Nelson
Walter Nelson was born in Minnesota in 1920 and joined the Navy in 1939. Following three months of training at the Great Lakes boot camp he reported aboard the USS Lexington. He served as a radioman before being transferred to Torpedo Squadron Two. He was trained in aerial gunnery and joined the crew of a TBD Devastator with Ted Wiebe and Lt. Farrington, the pilot. Married just before the Pearl Harbor attack, Nelson missed the attack on December 7 th , as he was ferrying ground crew for a USMC Fighter squadron aboard his TBD to Johnson Island. Nelson remembers watching Butch O'Hare down five aircraft on an early mission. He flew a raid against Japanese forces in New Guinea which destroyed several ships including two heavy cruisers. On May 7, 1942 a large Japanese fleet was sighted in the Coral Sea. Nelson's TBD attacked the Shoho and they put their 'fish' into the Japanese carrier's bow. On May 8th Nelson was in action again, and his squadron was attacked by a large force of Japanese fighters on their return. They were shot at by their own fleet, but somehow managed to get their TBD down on the Lady Lex' deck. With no fuel available due to the fires on board, they would later abandon ship and board the Destroyer Phelps, which would later sink the Lex. Nelson returned to the States after his first combat tour and was later assigned to V17- 17 on the USS Hornet where he served until the end of the War. He rejoined the Navy during the Korean War serving with antisubmarine squadrons in several locations. He retired from the Navy\after 30 years of service. Nelson's awards include the D17C, the Air Medal, the Presidential Unit Citation, and the American befense Service Medal. Walter would sadly pass away on the 4th of October, 2014.
| Walter N Nelson - Signed Naval Art Naval Crew Signatures |
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Scratch One Flat Top by Stan Stokes. The Douglas TBD Devastator torpedo-bomber was the first low-wing, all metal monoplane to see service with the US Navy. Delivered in 1937 about 100 TBDs were in service when the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor thrust the United States into WW II. Powered by a 811-HP Pratt and Whitney radial engine, the TBD had a maximum speed of about 200 MPH and a range of about 700 miles. Unfortunately, given the design of the torpedoes used, attacks had to be made at a maximum speed of only about 110 MPH, and at an altitude of no more than 100 feet. This made the Devastator a sitting duck for both enemy fighters or anti-aircraft gunners. The highlight of the TBDs brief battle career in WW II came during the Battle of the Coral Sea in 1942. This battle, the first ever waged solely between the aircraft of opposing carrier attack groups, involved air groups from the USS Yorktown and USS Lexington. Three Japanese carriers, the Shokaku, the Zuikaku, and the Shoho were involved. On May 7 the Lexington launched fifty aircraft and the Yorktown another 43. Two squadrons of TBDs were involved in the attack. This massed force located the Shoho around 11:00 AM. SBD Dauntless dive bombers initiated the attack, and were successful at fending off fighter attacks by Zeros during their near vertical dives. The large force of SBDs put several 1000-pounders into the Shoho. Minutes later the Devastators from the Lexington attacked, gaining advantage from the smoke and confusion created by the dive bombers. Coming in low and slow the Devastators put six or seven torpedoes into the Shoho. In Stan Stokes painting the TBD flown by Lt. R. F. Farrington, T.R. Wiebe, and Walter N. Nelson of VT-2 from the USS Lexington is depicted. Several more hits by the Dauntlesses sealed the fate of the Shoho which slipped under the waves while still making a headway of about 20 knots. Witnessing the Shohos final moments, Lt. Cdr. Bob Dixon reported by radio at 11:36 AM the following message, Scratch One Flat Top! Dixon to carrier. Scratch one Flat Top! This was the first loss of a significant ship by the Imperial Navy. It also foretold of an end of the era of surface war ships slugging it out in a gunnery duel within sight of each other. The era of the carrier battle group had begun, with destruction delivered to a distant enemy by carrier based aircraft. Weeks following the Battle of the Coral Sea, at the Battle of Midway, the United States Navy would destroy almost 50% of Japans carriers in a momentous battle. The Navys TBDs would be virtually wiped-out at Midway, and would be replaced in front-line service by TBF Avengers and SB2C Helldivers for the balance of the War. |
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