Admiral Ballentine’s 1948 Journal & Photographs – SOLD

Description

Admiral Ballentine’s 1948 Journal & Photographs.  This lot is mostly photos from Admiral Ballentine’s command of Carrier Division One in the Mediterranean onboard the USS Midway, and the most important item is his diary he began in the first of the year 1948. One photo of USS Franklin D, Roosevelt CVB-42, Ballentine’s next command.

• 1948 Journal

“On duty as Commander, Carrier Division One, Flag in USS Midway currently cruising in the Mediterranean Sea. ”

1 January through 21 April, 1948.  The journal covers flight operations with the Mediterranean Force,  small ships (DDs) make night attacks on flight,  mentions a host of officers coming and leaving the Midway, including U.S. admirals, British, French, Italian high ranking officers, and more. Visits to many stops in the Med, Taranto, Marseilles, Nice, Capri, Naples, Toulon,  and more. Dinners, luncheons, with top flight officers, mayors, off and on shore, Midway, and other US. French, and Italian ships named  Hunting parties, traveling, golf.  One of Midway’s boats had an accident, returns back to the United States on March11, went of a DAR convention at Fredericksburg, Va., Midway came to Portsmouth, were he changed carriers, going to command the FDR, where he records raising his flag on that ship on March 23. went of William and Mary to see President Truman on 1st of April, visited his old homestead in Ohio, car accident on the 8th going back to the FDR, and back on board that carrier on the 8th.  Many names of officers, ambassadors, ships, cities, sites, and more.  A lot of personal things that are interesting,   A very rare journal; The National Archives was given all of his papers by the family years ago.  I have photographed several pages of interest.

• Large pencil sketch of Ballentine in dress blue uniform with the USS Midway in the background. The artist -Ted Wilbur signed his name over the right shoulder of the admiral’s coat. Measures 11 1/4 x 17 1/4 inches.

” Captain Ted Wilbur is a naval aviator, combat artist, editor, and writer with more than thirty years of experience. His paintings hang in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., and are a part of the U.S. Navy’s permanent collection of art. Many of his works are also owned by private collectors. Designated a Naval Aviator in 1950, Captain Ted Wilbur experienced his first flying assignments in night fighter and attack squadrons. He served in VX-3 (Special Weapons) and in VS-26, and was a plank owner in VRC-40, the first designated COD squadron. He was officer in charge of fight support missions in the Mercury project. Additionally, his broad experience in carrier operations includes a total of more than six hundred landings aboard thirty-six aircraft carriers, and more than 5,000 hours in both single- and multi-engine aircraft. Wilbur had additional assignments as a Navy Combat artist covering Projects Vanguard and Polaris, the manned space program, and nuclear submarines. His paintings and articles have appeared in both military and civilian magazines–Naval Institute, Proceedings, Time, True Magazine, and Saturday Review.”  (https://airandspace.si.edu/support/wall-of-honor/capt-ted-wilbur-usn-ret).

• Color photo of RADM Ballentine giving a talk in a naval chapel?  5 x 7 approx.
• Signed portrait of Flag Captain Albert K. Morehouse, USS Midway.   Signed, ” To Rear Admiral John J. Ballentine, USN with admiration and best regards, Albert K. Morehouse, Flag Captain, 1 / 47 – 9 /48  U.S.S. Midway, Flagship CinC C.Div. One.”  On March 4, 1945, he reported as Chief of Staff and Aide to the Commander of Carrier Division FOUR. He is entitled to the Ribbon for, and a facsimile of the Presidential Unit Citation awarded the USS SANGAMON. In October 1945 he became Commanding Officer of the Naval Air Station, Miami, Florida, and in January 1947 reported as Chief of staff and Aide to the Chief of Naval Air Advanced Training, Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, Florida. He assumed command of the USS MIDWAY in August 1947 and while under his command that aircraft carrier operated in the Atlantic and later in the Pacific. Morehouse had a great WWII history in the Pacific.  He retired a RADM in 1950.  The photo is mounted on cardboard, rippled and presentation weak, but would reproduce well.
• Series of 4 – 8 x 10 glossy photos of V-2 Rocket  being launched from the deck of USS Midway. dated 9 /6/ 47.by “Buaer.” Marked CONFIDENTIAL.  All four of these have captions describing what is taking place in the photos.  Taken from the caption of this photo by the U.S. Naval Institute, “On this day in 1947, a German V-2 rocket captured during World War II was successfully launched from the USS Midway (CVB-41) during Operation Sandy. The launch heralded the age of naval missile warfare.” This was the first time that a missile was fired from a ship at sea.  Fine condition.
• Photo of the USS FDR CVB – 42, under way with its flight deck loaded with aircraft. Dated 10 /6/ 48.
• 4 8 x 10s of Pompeii, one with the view of Mt. Vesuvius in the distance. This image is credited to USS FDR 11/27/48.
• 8 x 10 glossy of RADM Ballentine with Flag Lt. and Vice ADM R.L. Conolly. Conolly was a recipient of the Navy Cross for heroism in the rescue of crewman of his ship after being hit by two German torpedoes from U-107 in 1918.  He was in command of Destroyer Squadron 6 at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Commanded the destroyer unit providing security for the USS Hornet, taking Colonel Doolittle and his Tokyo Bombers toward their historic mission to bomb that city.  He had a great war record during WWII, and at the time of this photo, Conolly was the commander of United States Naval Forces Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.  Signed, “R.L. Conolly, U.S. Navy.”  Circa 1947 – 50.  Some holing on left margin from wear being in a ring binder, otherwise fine.
• There was a photo of French Admiral that was intended for another lot, but is shown in the initial photo for this lot. Now removed.

Some very historical photographs here.

 

John J, Ballentine (1896 -1970).  Graduated United States Naval Academy, Class of 1917.  After graduating he served during WWI on the U.S.S. Nebraska, and a few years later was aboard the U.S.S. Arizona in 1920. Later that year Ballentine reported for flight training at Pensacola Naval Air Station, with additional training with U.S. Army Air Corps, Carlstrom Field, Arcadia, Florida, and in pursuit plane training at Kelly Field, San Antonio, Texas.

May of 1921, he reported to the Atlantic Fleet, Torpedo Plane Division, for duty with the first torpedo plane squadron in the fleet.  In June of 1922, he was Officer In Charge, Naval Air Detail, Naval Proving Ground, Dahlgren, Va, where he served until February 1926. During that time, he worked with Carl Norden, a Navy consultant, who designed his first bombsight in 1922, and then Lieutenant Ballentine put it through its original tests, and later tested the first production model; he also controlled from the ground, the first airplane operated under radio control.

In the late 1920’s, Ballentine assumed command of Observation Squadron 11, serving in the Asiatic and made to special trips to Tokyo, Japan to make official inspection of Japanese naval aviation and aircraft manufacturing facilities.

During the early years of WWII, he was the executive officer of the U.S.S. Ranger in 1941, and later that year assumed command of the U.S.S. Long Island, a converted merchant ship with a flat top only.  On January 2, 1943 he reported to the Bethlehem Steel Company, Quincy, Massachusetts, to fit out the U.S.S. Bunker Hill, which he commanded from her commissioning from May 25, 1943 to February 5, 1944. He was awarded the Silver Star Medal for “conspicuous gallantry in intrepidity in action against enemy Japanese forces during the assaults on Rabaul Harbor and the invasion and occupation of the Gilbert Islands in November 1943.

In February 1944, he was promoted to Rear Admiral, and reported for duty as Deputy and Chief of Staff and Aide to the Commander, Aircraft, Pacific Fleet, at Pearl Harbor until October 1944. After a brief duty as commander of Carrier Division 7, under Admiral Halsey’s 3rd Fleet, from June until August 1945, with his flag in the U.S.S. Bon Homme Richard. On August 15, planes from his division in the 3rd Fleet were launched against Japan, not knowing at the time that two atomic bombs had been dropped on Japan. Admiral Halsey sent out instruction to recall all aircraft from the attack on the Japanese homeland.  In his message, he said that all pilots will not shoot down any enemy aircraft with vindictiveness but to shoot them down in a “Friendly” manor (at this point the order related to Kamikazes apparently unaware of the surrender talks then beginning between the Allies and Japan. The Bon Homme Richard dealt with 70 some Kamikazes that day.  Halsey ordered all ships in the fleet, to raise their battle flags, and for all officers to send up their own flags. Ballentine said in his diary, it was the first time he had flown his flag in action,  Shortly after, he was reassigned as Fleet Liaison Officer for the Commander in Chief, and Supreme Commander for the Allied Forces, Pacific. Ballentine had the honor of landing at Atsugi Airport on August 30, 1945, in the airborne occupation of Japan and of escorting General of the Armies, Douglas MacArthur to the surrender ceremonies aboard the U.S.S. Missouri on September 2, 1945.

He was awarded the Legion of Merit (second gold star), and the citation better sums up his importance in the Pacific Theater, ” …for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the Government of the United States as Liaison Officer between the CinCPac (Nimitz) and the Supreme Commander for the Allied Forces for the Occupation of Japan (MacArthur) from 30 August to 20 December 1945. Rear Admiral Ballentine, as the representative of the CinCPacFlt accompanied the Supreme Commander on his flight into Japan on 30 August 1945 and thereafter rendered outstanding service and displayed commendable initiative in connection with the arrangements for the formal surrender of Japan, the recovery of Allied personnel from Japanese prison camps, the repatriation of the Japanese from overseas, the seizure of Japanese naval vessels, stations, and equipment, and the removal of mines from Japanese waters. Rear Admiral Ballentine’s conduct was at all times with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.”

He had several assignments after the war, and in July 1947, assumed command of Carrier Division One, in the Mediterranean in the U.S.S. Midway, that winter, and then commanded the Sixth Fleet in the U.S.S. Roosevelt 1948-49.  In April of 1951, he became the Commander Air Force, Atlantic Fleet, and served in that capacity until his retirement in 1954.  Much, much more in his career to go into here.