World War II Service and Diary of John R. McKnight - Ex Rd M 3c USN
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| Launched in July of 1942 and commissioned on December 31st, the U.S.S. Essex was the newest aircraft
carrier of the fleet. Its deck was the length of three football fields, had a crew of over 3,400 men, and carried up to 105 aircraft. Top speed was a remarkable
33 knots (38 mi/hr). The ship's defenses |
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included seventeen quad-barrel, 40 mm, anti-aircraft guns and 65 single, 20 mm, close-in defense guns. The main defensive weapons were the five-inch
guns. The Essex class made use of advanced technological and communications equipment. Radar and four-channel very high frequency radio provoded
the most modern entification and communication capablities. |
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On May 10, 1943 the U.S.S. Essex CV 9 left the Chesapeake Bay for the Panama Canal and finally Hawaii.
The young man from Pittsburgh suddenly found himself on the other side of the world.
During the spring and summer of 1943 the Essex operated out of Hawaii in a variety of actions. Jack settled into his job as a member of the C.I.C.
Because the duty was so mentally demanding, shifts were limited to four hours on eight hours off. |
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Jack found sleeping a great way to spend his free time earning him the nicknamed "Weary." Jack Flattery took the name from the character, Weary O'Reilly, in a Studs Lonigan book being passed around the division.
Fifty-five years after the war ended Cliff Jones remembered Weary McKnight:
| "There are a million Weary McKnight stories. Weary was from Pittsburgh. He was a lovable, funny man.
He holds the record for captain's mast on the entire ship, always managing to come out of them easily with no bad record…One charming guyI I never
forgot his girlfriend's name was Kitty... Never able to find him after the war." (Life and Death Aboard the U.S.S. Essex; by Dick Streb 1999) |
A strong bond formed among the first men assigned to the C.I.C. It would continue throughout the war. As individuals and as a group they felt a serious responsibility to protect the ship from attack. Operating as a unit they lived and worked together. |
| Jack "Weary" McKnight - 1st Year on the Essex - April to September 1943 |
| Dates |
Pre-diary Notes |
Ralph Jones - Jack McKnight
Tom Maxey - Ernie Thomas |
| April 25, 1943 |
Assigned to U.S.S. Essex CV-9: Division V-3-R -
(C.I.C.), Combat Information Center. |
| May 10, 1943 |
Left for the canal zone aboard the U.S.S. Essex for passage to the Pacific. |
| May 20, 1943 |
Exited the Panama Canal. Enroute to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. |
| May 31, 1943 |
Reached Pearl Harbor, Hawaii |
| June 1 to Aug. 21 |
Conducted training exercises in and around Hawaiian Islands. |
| Aug. 22 to Sept. 1 |
Joined Task Force 15 to conduct strikes on Marcus Islands with U.S.S.
Yorktown CV-10. |
