Oral History Interview with George Gowen, May 3, 1993

Thumbnail image of item number 1 in: 'Oral History Interview with George Gowen, May 3, 1993'.
Thumbnail image of item number 2 in: 'Oral History Interview with George Gowen, May 3, 1993'.
Thumbnail image of item number 3 in: 'Oral History Interview with George Gowen, May 3, 1993'.
Thumbnail image of item number 4 in: 'Oral History Interview with George Gowen, May 3, 1993'.
Showing 1-4 of 22 pages in this text.

PDF Version Also Available for Download.

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with George Gowen. Gowen joined the Merchant Marine in 1934. He trained aboard the USS Annapolis (PG-10) for two years. He graduated from the training program in 1937 as an engineer, then worked aboard a ship delivering oil as third assistant engineer. From 1940 to 1942 he continued working in his same role on the USS Santee (CVE-29). From there he went to Bath, Maine to work as an assistant engineering officer aboard USS Chevalier (DD-451). He went into the Battle of Vella Lavella in 1943 on the Chevalier and … continued below

Physical Description

22 p.

Creation Information

Gowen, George May 3, 1993.

Context

This text is part of the collection entitled: National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection and was provided by the National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation to The Portal to Texas History, a digital repository hosted by the UNT Libraries. More information about this text can be viewed below.

Who

People and organizations associated with either the creation of this text or its content.

Interviewee

Interviewer

Publisher

Audiences

Check out our Resources for Educators Site! We've identified this text as a primary source within our collections. Researchers, educators, and students may find this text useful in their work.

Provided By

National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Established in 1967, the Museum honors the 8 million Americans who served in WWII in the Pacific Theater by sharing their stories with the world. Located in Fredericksburg in the restored Nimitz "Steamboat" Hotel, the Museum partners with the Texas Historical Commission to preserve the historical resources of the era.

About | Browse this Partner

Contact Us

Corrections Questions

What

Descriptive information to help identify this text. Follow the links below to find similar items on the Portal.

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with George Gowen. Gowen joined the Merchant Marine in 1934. He trained aboard the USS Annapolis (PG-10) for two years. He graduated from the training program in 1937 as an engineer, then worked aboard a ship delivering oil as third assistant engineer. From 1940 to 1942 he continued working in his same role on the USS Santee (CVE-29). From there he went to Bath, Maine to work as an assistant engineering officer aboard USS Chevalier (DD-451). He went into the Battle of Vella Lavella in 1943 on the Chevalier and provides details of their travels from Maine to the Solomon Islands. He describes the events of the Chevalier being sunk during this battle. In 1944 Gowen went on to be an engineering officer of another destroyer and participated in the Marianas Campaign. In 1951 Gowen was selected to command the USS Ingersoll (DD-652) in the Mediterranean. In 1958 he attended the Naval War College and was made commanding officer of the USS Aludra (AF-55). He then took command, as a captain, of the Navy’s portion of testing atomic weapons in the Pacific area and provides details of this experience. He retired in 1970 after 30 years of service.

Physical Description

22 p.

Language

Item Type

Identifier

Unique identifying numbers for this text in the Portal or other systems.

Collections

This text is part of the following collections of related materials.

National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection

This oral history collection depicts an instrumental era in American history. In these transcripts of interviews with World War II veterans are personal experiences with the war, from the Doolittle Raid and D-Day to the Battle for Bataan.

About | Browse this Collection

National Museum of the Pacific War Digital Archive

The Digital Archive presents digitized collections from the Center for Pacific War Studies collections at the National Museum of the Pacific War. Collections and material are continuously being added and represent only a small portion of the archives' physical holdings.

About | Browse this Collection

What responsibilities do I have when using this text?

Digital Files

When

Dates and time periods associated with this text.

Creation Date

  • May 3, 1993

Added to The Portal to Texas History

  • Oct. 15, 2023, 8:28 p.m.

Usage Statistics

When was this text last used?

Congratulations! It looks like you are the first person to view this item online.
More Statistics

Interact With This Text

Here are some suggestions for what to do next.

Start Reading

Thumbnail image of item number 1 in: 'Oral History Interview with George Gowen, May 3, 1993'.
Thumbnail image of item number 2 in: 'Oral History Interview with George Gowen, May 3, 1993'.
Thumbnail image of item number 3 in: 'Oral History Interview with George Gowen, May 3, 1993'.
Thumbnail image of item number 4 in: 'Oral History Interview with George Gowen, May 3, 1993'.

PDF Version Also Available for Download.

Citations, Rights, Re-Use

International Image Interoperability Framework

IIF Logo

We support the IIIF Presentation API

Links for Robots

Helpful links in machine-readable formats.

Archival Resource Key (ARK)

International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF)

Metadata Formats

Images

URLs

Stats

Gowen, George. Oral History Interview with George Gowen, May 3, 1993, text, May 3, 1993; Fredericksburg, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1606259/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation.

Back to Top of Screen