Clifford was born February 11, 1925 in Courtland, Kansas.
Enlistment Date: 21 June 1943
Discharge Date: 27 Feb 1946
Clifford's Draft Registration (side 1)
Clifford's Draft Registration (side 2)
Clifford's induction letter
Clifford's Naval Training School Certificate from the U.S. Naval Training Station in Farragut, Idaho
Clifford’s Dog Tag
The yacht Velero III before conversion to the Chalcedony
Chalcedony, PYc-16, circa 1943
The information for this section comes mostly from a phone conversation between Clifford and Richard Jones on 13 February 2007.
My earliest memories of Uncle Cliff have him working in his garage, fixing a car, or doing some kind of machinist-type work. He always seemed to love it. Despite the passing of over 60 years, the detail revealed in my conversation with him about the ship on which he served is proof of his interest and capabilities in this regard.
Uncle Cliff served on a ship named Chalcedony, PYc-16. The ship was converted from a yacht called the Valero III owned by a Mr. Hancock of the Hancock Oil Company. The University of Southern California donated it to the Navy. The Chalcedony served as part of the Hawaiian Sea Frontier. Cliff was assigned to the Chalcedony from January or February 1944 to December 1945.
The duties of the PYc-16 included patrol, convoy service and the gathering of weather data. The crew consisted of 45 men and 6 officers. The ship was 198’ long by 38’ wide with a steel hull.
The military gear on board included:
There were two engines on board, built in 1929, each with the following specifications:
They could move the Chalcedony backwards by changing cams and the firing order of cylinders. It had a top speed of 18 knots.
Clifford’s time on board included going from Pearl Harbor to Midway (about 1200 miles), Wake Island (across the date line) and Johnson Island. The Chalcedony carried enough fresh water and fuel in storage tanks such that it could be at sea for up to 100 days. Cliff was on board during two hurricanes; the Chalcedony rolled 59° to port and 61° to starboard during one hurricane.
Sea Frontiers were established by the United States Navy from 1 July 1941 during World War II as areas of defense against enemy vessels, especially submarines. The Hawaiian Sea Frontier (HawSeaFron) was a formation organized to defend the island of Oahu. [from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Frontier]
One of their most important missions was to gather weather data and radio it to Pearl Harbor every 4 hours. Watch duty included 4 hours on, followed by 8 hours off. Cliff was a gunner's mate besides other duties.
Crew members could shower once per week when water was short, and the toilets used salt water.
PYc-16 was decommissioned in December 1945 at San Pedro near Long Beach.
"Sacred Order of the Golden Dragon" to commemorate crossing the 180-degree line of longitude (also known as the International Date Line)
Muster roll of the U.S.S. Chalcedony, January, 1946 showing Clifford Moline
Clifford's Notice of Separation
Discharge Certificate (front)
Discharge Certificate (back)
