US WWII Identified Navy Uniform & Document Grouping, USS Bull (DE-693/APD-78), Atlantic Convoy Escort, Pacific Landings, Philippines, Iwo Jima, Okinaw
This item is listed for historical interest only. It was listed on our site previously but has been sold and is no longer available for purchase.
Sold for: $275.00

Original era issue. A complete grouping, purchased from the daughter of the sailor who served aboard the USS Bull during WWII. The grouping includes his undress blue wool uniform with a hand-sewn Amphibious Forces SSI on the left shoulder, in addition an assortment of paper ephemera ranging from an unused US Navy Scrapbook, to an interesting manual on ship-board gunnery instruction. The USS Bull (DE-693)was a Buckley-Class Destroyer Escort, commissioned in August 1943. She and her crew performed North Atlantic escort and target towing duty for nearly a year before a dockyard conversion process which transformed her into a fast transport, being re-designated as APD-78. In this process, her main battery was replaced with a single, turret mounted 5-inch gun forward, and 40mm Bofors AA mount. She transported UDT-14 to the beaches of Linguyen Gulf, enduring a close call from a Japanese Kamikaze which crashed into the sea a mere 20 yards from her hull. On her way back to the fleet, she rescued a downed American aviator, landing her crewmen and two boats on Siguijori Island thought to be Japanese occupied. She arrived off of Iwo Jima on 16 February 1945, performing recon investigations of both preferred and alternate beach landing areas, drawing Japanese fire on several attempts. Withdrawn in early March 1945, preparing for the landings on Okinawa, where she participated in support for three months. Ancestry records show Louis S. Vajda serving aboard USS Bull from February 1944, until December 1945.