Paul, thanks for the follow up video with episode #2. Curious, have you ever seen the blog on the USS Slater? My dad, a W.W.II (SK1) veteran was on destroyers. He enjoyed bringing us to the Cod, yearly, and this Slater video once again brought all these great boats into my purview. Thanks, Paul for keeping the history alive for all of us.
Despite the heartache of Johnson going on eternal patrol, this has been one of the best videos about Cod. I joined the USSVI because of a chance encounter with a WW2 vet I ran into in a barbershop. We must have talked for 3 hours about his time on his boat during tense times. You guys are doing a great job maintaining the Cod and your videos are great as well. Thanks!
The only thing better would have been if the Foley family could have attended the dedication and met the Johnson family. Foley was a hero for keeping Johnson alive so long.
Paul, thank you for such a GREAT STORY!!! I was hanging on each word...Amazing! When Seaman Johnson's family reached out to you and the day of the benches dedication just prove one thing: There are no coincidences in this World, and everything happens for a reason.
Paul, I believe you are one of the best story tellers of all time. One thing you might consider doing to bring more people to your boat is to invite your local ham radio club to your park for the upcoming FIELD DAY. It is held on the last full weekend of June every year. They could operate their radios from your location which could bring in lots of free coverage on your local media.
Give God the glory for both his plan for this world and the connections He provides to prove His love. There are no coincidences there is only God's grace and love. ❤
Thank you for sharing the story of the memorial bench for Seaman Johnson, the way you told the story of finding the family brought tears to my eyes, so heartbreakingly sad how he was lost but uplifting by the events leading up to the family being able to attend the dedication. Thank you for all you and your team does keeping the legacy of the USS COD and her crew.
Andrew Gordon Johnson was my Great Uncle. My paternal Grandmother’s twin brother. I was given his name as my middle name, as was my Dad’s too…..why I’m a “Jr”. I’ve known so much about him as I grew up but this gives so much more details of his death. My family and I appreciate you Mr Farace for honoring him so graciously. PS… I think it was a good spot for Christmas too Sir lol
The Cosmos is amazing... To those who welcome her... Our world is small... And we are all interconnected... Blessings to all... Each and everyone... We shall meet again... Within the wonderful tapestry of life... . The Ten Cent Poet, aka Petty Officer Third Class Walker USN, Damage Controlman, 1987-1991
Thanks, COD Museum Crew! I, too, have experienced the "cosmic connection." I believe ancients referred to this phenomenon as "the Hand (or Spirit) of God" moving among humankind. I imagine many of us who have been in crises can relate to those events that defy logic and probabilities. Great story, Paul. Well done. (DED, RVN 1969-1970, US Army REMF)
Thank you, Paul. It was sad but had a good ending. The Navy does its best to see that we're all safe. Sadly, things happen. On 1 Dec 69, we lost a man overboard. Despite hours searching, we lost him. 1 month 2 days later, an AO3 loading ordnance on an A-7A Corsair, walked in front and was sucked into the intake. He died 2 days later in Da Nang. We hold services for our brothers and get on with our jobs as we are trained to do. War time simply increases the risks. 🙏❤🫡
Once again, another great video Paul! I have 2 quick stories about this. This first is a sad one. I was speaking with one of Cod's crew about this in 1978. As you said, Andy was everyone's friend, and would give you the shirt off of his back. Andy's birthday was coming up when this happened. I believe that he was turning 26. Instead of being happy about it, he was more scared than anything else. Andy had told his friends that several of his male family members, including his father had passed by their 26th birthday. He was talking to the crew, they thought jokingly about keeping him alive past this birthday, and he thought that it would break the cycle. Sadly, this incident happened and he was lost. The second happened is June of 1980. I don't remember the day. Doggie Dishong and I had been giving tours of the boat all day, and it had been busier than usual. 5 o'clock came around and we were closing the gates, and putting Cod to bed. As we were leaving, there were some people standing outside of the fence. As we approached them, the lady said that they were passing through Cleveland on vacation and were surprised to see Cod from the freeway. and stopped. She stated that her brother served on Cod during the war. Doggie spoke up and said "So did I! Who is he?" She replied "Andy Johnson." Paul, you remember what a crotchety old man that Doggie was, the look on his face was priceless and he actually teared up. We welcomed them aboard and spent a couple of hours with them going through the boat. His sister (whose name escapes me) told us that they never knew the whole story of how he had passed. He told her the story, and all of us ended up in tears. This was one of my favorite memories about working on Cod when I was a kid.
The age curse involved his 27th birthday.... (some things you have to edit out to keep it from being three hours long! 😂). Doggy talked about his sister and baby brother visiting. The sister was the mother of the couple who sent me the email. They thought Codcwas in commission when you and doggie met them and was subsequently scrapped.😮
This ....this was an outstanding story! The last part about the Johnsons and the coincidences.....that was the icing on the cake! It gave me a chill! I truly enjoy the way you tell the story of USS COD, keeps me coming back for more! Thank you!
This story and all the sailors involved were incredible. I can’t even imagine options of A: Do nothing and get detonated in short order and end up at the bottom of the sea. B: Run toward a burning torpedo and attempt to “move it”/fire fight and get french fried crispy. C: See A or B
What a wonderful, although sad story. It often seems strange how events occurring over many years, come together to tell a story like this. The oddest being that lady contacting you, seemingly out of the blue. Nothing happens totally by chance. There is a guiding hand that moves and shapes things to result in a certain outcome. Your idea for the bench coming to mind is what started everything leading up to these 2 videos, Chance? Not hardly.
The Mk. 18 rudder posts were stamped from plain steel (I'm told) andcwwre susceptible to rust jamming, which doomed Tang. The ever present issue with batteries almost got us... submarines are dangerous places to live and fight.
Paul, thanks for the follow up with Episode 2. Curious, have you watched any of the USS Slater videos? My dad, being a World War II veteran enjoyed taking my brother and I to visit the Cod, but since he was on destroyers, this video on the Slater I found very near and dear to my heart. Thanks for keeping history current!
Yes we have! And we have done five videos onboard the USS slater. If you look at our video catalogue they were published five to six months ago. We did them in conjunction with Ryan and Battleship New Jersey.
Regarding the strange email from the relative, one day several years ago I was on the computer and something told me to google the name of my best friend from kindergarten and first grade. We lost touch in 1959 when one of us moved away. As soon as I typed in his name his obituary popped up. He had died several years earlier. But it listed his sister and an email address. So I contacted her and told her who I was. I even sent her our class pictures. She filled me in on what had happened in their family. There is no way this was a coincidence.
Paul, Thank you for the wonderful amazing true story filled with spiritual "coincidences"........... Now you could do a follow up on what it took to get the aft torpedo room back into spiffy condition after this tragedy. AND perhaps another follow up about what if anything changed regarding the "care and feeding" of that MK of electric torpedo. OMG we were living with the MK 37 electric fish on our GUPPY boats, and one theory is that one of those may have sunk the SSN USS Scorpion, perhaps in a similar way.. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!!!
There is a lesson in here… when going to drown or be “lost at sea”… it might be preferable to risk identifying yourself… no matter if it is friend or foe. Even a short life in captivity is better than a few hours to days in the sea followed by an eternity under it…. I’d reckon.
