June 1, 1943. Fresh out of mid-shipman's school, naval lieutenant Jim Hampton sneaks an illegal
camera aboard his destroyer before embarking on his first tour of duty. Jim's conscience gets the better of him, and he presents the contraband to the captain.
Instead of handing out a court marshal, the captain makes Jim the ship's photographer.
Sixty years later, Jim decides it's time to dust off the photo albums and tell some stories. Stand By to Ram is the result.
This video tells the story of my experiences in the navy during World War II.
Among the DVD chapters are many stories of battles, but also anecdotes from the lighter side of military life,
such as the hazing ritual I photographed when my ship crossed the equator,
and the time I cavorted with the "enemy" (a Japanese family) during shore leave in Hawaii.
To find out more about the people who helped make the DVD possible, please read the DVD credits.
My travels during the war started in Adak, Alaska on the destroyer USS Frazier DD-607, where I was a communication and deck officer. On a foggy morning during our first trip out, we attacked a submarine after spotting its periscope, a battle
described in
the Dictionary of American Naval
Fighting Ships.
We sailed from Adak to Seattle, and then to New Zealand. From New Zealand we helped escort the convoy of ships that attacked Tarawa. It was during this battle that we rammed and sank a Japanese submarine and picked up a wounded Japanese sailor. The collision bent our bow, so from Tarawa we sailed to Hawaii for repairs and to deliver the prisoner.
Soon thereafter, I was transferred to the USS Zeniah AG-70, a converted Liberty ship designed to carry ship repair personnel to work on floating dry docks. We sailed from the East Coast through the Panama Canal back to Hawaii, and from there to the attack of Okinawa.
