Harold Hansen with Margaret and Claire 1944
My Grandfather Harold Hansen enlisted in the United States Navy on the 28th of March, 1944. He served until the 3rd of December, 1945 aboard the USS Lenawee which was built to transport assault troops to hostile shores. Grandpa served as a Fireman 2nd Class, which meant he was responsible for tending to the boilers in the ship's engine rooms. It was hot, dirty work down in the lowest recesses of the ship. Veteran Thomas Monteith (93 years old) described his job as a Fireman First Class in the Lake Okeechobee News (April 14, 2019). He served on the USS Wadsworth in the same theater as the Lenawee. It was his job to fire the boilers, and his regular workstation was the boiler room where the temperatures got up to 130 degrees. Firemen couldn't wear any metal at all on their bodies and they didn't sweat. Monteith explained that they had to take salt pills due to the intense heat. There were two boilers and the pressure was roughly 600 pounds. The steam temperature could get up to 1,000 degrees. The ship was part of the attack force from the sea during the invasion of Iwo Jima. He was able to see the man who raised the flag on Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima, from his vantage point on deck where he was stationed watching the stacks to make sure no smoke could be seen by enemy artillery. His ship endured kamikaze attacks at around this time; one night a plane came across the bow flying very low. The left wing hit Monteith's gun tub a glancing blow and came within 4 feet of him while going 300 miles an hour. He was training on a Bofor twin 40mm AA gun.
Harold Hansen Spring, 1944 in his Navy Uniform
The U.S. Navy website Naval History and Heritage Command describes the Attack Transport Lenawee history and her service during the war. She departed San Francisco November 26, 1944 and sailed for the Pacific theater. Following amphibious training in the Hawaiian Islands, she sailed in January 1945 for Saipan. In the Marianas the final rehearsals for her entrance into the battle zone were held. After a 3 day voyage she arrived in Iwo Jima on February 19 where her boats helped place the first wave of marines ashore. The article does not describe what specifically happened during this time, but it was probably a similar experience to what the Wadsworth went through. She withdrew on the 27th, and sailed for Guam to discharge Marine casualties and prepare for the final large-scale amphibious operation of WWII.
She sailed south to Espiritu Santo where she embarked reinforcements to the Okinawa invasion. She landed troops and cargo each day and then retired to open sea each night. She was subjected to kamikaze attacks during her stay in the area from April 9-14, but suffered no damage.
The Lenawee transported troops from the Philippines to Japan, and was present in Tokyo Bay when the Japanese surrendered on September 2, 1945. Grandpa said he had to stay at his station below decks in case the Japanese decided to "pull a fast one on them" (according to Margaret Hansen Boothby).
The Lenawee was part of the "Magic Carpet" voyages, making two trips to take soldiers back to the United States from the Pacific Theater. She returned to her home port of San Francisco on October 31, 1945. Grandpa ended his war service December 3, 1945.
The Lenawee APA-195 operating out of San Diego, Ca March 1957
Veteran John Ludtke, in a Quad-County (Iowa) Newspaper article written February 16, 2010, described his experiences on board the Lenawee. He served as meteorologist aboard the newly built ship, edited the ship's newspaper The Lenaweekly Bullhorn, and kept a log of his observations at Iwo Jima. The ship was named for Lenawee County, Michigan, and was derived from the Shawnee Indian word "Lenawai" meaning men or people. He stated that the ship had a crew of 479 enlisted men (including my Grandpa) and 31 Officers. The ship was called "Leapin' Lena" and had a mission to land assault combat troops and equipment on hostile shores. On D-Day (February 19, 1945), the specially trained Seabees, Marines and beachmasters from the Lenawee were put ashore, and were in the first wave of Marines and equipment ashore. On board the ship, the medical corps were swamped with wounded Marines. Ludtke describes how he "was busy passing on weather information through the radio room to those in command, and I worked whenever I could comforting the wounded". The ship was occasionally strafed by enemy aircraft, prompting the gunners to race to their 40mm machine guns. Ludtke gave the report of weather conditions prior to the invasion of the Pacific Island. It said "Swell forecast for Iwo Jima zero eight hundred king eighteen February four foot six second sea from northwest no significant change during twenty four following hours". His predictions that the waves would stay below 5 feet meant that an amphibious landing was practical. He looked back with pride on his role during the assault where 100,000 Americans and 20,000 Japanese battled one another for more than a month.
As I write this, I can't help but think of the tremendous choice and subsequent sacrifice my Grandfather made. He left his wife and two young daughters to serve and to possibly loose his life for his country. He lost his father during this time and both of his brothers were in harms way doing their part in the war. He chose to step into an unknown future which turned out to be a horrific experience for him and thousands of others. He served in the Pacific Theater at a time when the United States was anticipating invading Japan. The Pacific Theater experienced some of the most horrific fighting and casualties of WWII. The atomic bombs of August 6th and 9th effectively ended the war with Japan, so he was able to experience the end of the war by being in Tokyo Bay, and he experienced the repatriation of thousands of soldiers. I hope he felt pride in the role he played down in the belly of that ship keeping it in top shape to perform its duties both during and after the war. I am certainly very proud of him.
Unfortunately, he came home and suffered years of nightmares and most likely PTSD. Mom (Margaret) recounted how one night he woke up the whole house hollering and pushing the bed around, scaring her mother to death. He could not watch any movies that depicted war or fighting. He suffered from mood swings. He didn't talk about his experiences; neither did his brothers. It just wasn't done back then. Soldiers came home and got on with the rest of their lives. This was part of the legacy of "The Greatest Generation". Unfortunately, his family did not realize the extent of his service and experiences which led to his suffering.
But, I remember him as a loving, happy Grandpa who had a bear hug that could squeeze the wind right out of you. You always had to prepare for it ahead of time. He was proud to serve his church choir most Sundays with his singing and loved working in his yard. He was proud of his daughters and his grandchildren. He got to spend a little bit of time with his great grandchildren too!
I hope I have put Harold Hansen's story of service into context through research and reflection. This is dedicated to Mom and Auntie Claire. I hope this begins to answer some of those questions you have had for many, many years and gives you a clearer perspective. He was a brave soul who loved his family and his country.
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