USS Cassin Young Volunteers

FYI... Cassin Young is now closed for the 2025 Season... Anticipated reopening next season is around the end of May 2026. Also, Volunteers will not be able to bring visitors on board during this time, except fora few key dates such as Dec 7, 2025... Check BNHP NPS site for exact dates.

CY's Sister USS The Sullivan's started taking on water this morning our thoughts and prayers are with her and her crew as they work to keep her afloat...

Historic World War II ship partially sinking in Buffalo, New York Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown said the ship was taking on water due to a major hull breach.

Today WCVB Channel 5 News was on board filming for an report on the explosion aboard USS Leyte in October 1953 while she was being refit in the Navy Yard... Specifically WCVB reporter Josh Brogadir interviewed Ranger Dave B about the event... Check out the report here... https://www.wcvb.com/article/uss-leyte-explosion-in-boston-decades-later/38173872 #

Another Friday on board CY and another view of our great neighbor going out for a spin around the harbor with week 2 CPO on board.

As part of our series, celebrating 40 years of the USS CASSIN YOUNG (DD-793) opening to the public as a museum ship, current Lead Park Ranger, Dan Gagnon, shared this memory:

"As a park ranger I have spent a lot of time on USS CASSIN YOUNG greeting visitors. Often Navy vets who came on board would share their stories about their experience on a Navy ship, but there was one story that stood out for me. It was about what a particular veteran experienced during the Kamikaze attack on July 30, 1945.

In the early 2000s a short white-haired old man came on board USS CASSIN YOUNG and when I greeted him, he told me that he had served on the ship during the Second World War. I asked him what he did on the ship and he walked me over to where a 20mm gun mount used to stand on the starboard side of the ship near where I was standing. The gun was long gone when it was removed after the war during a re fit.

I asked him when he served on the ship and he told me that he was a plank owner and served on the ship until it was taken out of service at the end of the war. I realized that he must have been on during the Kamikaze attacks. During our conversation I mentioned to him that it must have been terrifying. He told me that it was and then he started telling me what he experienced.

He told me that he was woken out of his sleep to the general quarters alarm and he ran to his battle station which was the near the mid ship passageway. At first, they couldn’t see anything and waited for instructions. After a shot while he could hear the 5 in guns start firing off the port side. As the plane got closer, they could hear the engine and he looked up as the plane passed over the ship off the starboard side. As soon as it was in view, he began to fire the 20mm gun.

He said that he watched as the plane went out a short distance off the starboard side and then turned around and headed back to the ship. He told me he continued to fire until the plane slammed into the ship at almost deck level under the forward smokestack.

He told me that he just stood and stared as that area of the ship as it was engulfed with flames. Then to his horror he told me he could see men trying to scramble out of the forward fire room hatch. As the vet and I walked toward the hatch he told me that he ran to try to help the guys that were laying on the deck and get them out of harm’s way.

At this point I could tell that the vet was reliving the event in him mind. He paused before he told me the next part. I’m sure he was debating about how detailed he should get. I guess he must have thought I could handle what he was about to say. He looked down at the at me, then at the deck and then at his hands as he said, “When I picked up the guy his skin peeled off like..like boiled chicken. I knew there was not much I could do for him.” He told me that he carried the man to the enlisted head on the main deck as more of the wounded were brought in. He tended to the wounded as best he could for some time after. I walked him to that area and went in with him so he could see the space today. While we were in there, he told me that initially when they did a head count after things settled the officers thought he had been blown overboard, because they couldn’t find him.

After that I brought him out to the main deck and left him to explore his old ship. I didn’t get his name at the time, but his story became an important part of my program from then on."
- Dan Gagnon, Park Ranger



Image Description: Park Ranger Dan Gagnon is shown sitting at his desk.

Yesterday some great guys from The USS Slater DE-766 visited the ship and navy yard. Talks and suggestion on how best to preserve our two great ships were had while touring Cassin Young.
And thanks for the challenge coin… going to look good in our collection… Till next time Fair Winds and Following Seas…