02 - The USS Neosho: The Ship That Wouldn't Die
The WW2 Podcast
Angus Wallace
4.6 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 1 June 2015
⏱️ 42 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The USS Neosho was a fleet oiler during WW2. She was delivering fuel at Pearl Harbour when it was attacked in December 1941. Laiden with fuel, if hit she would have caused and an enormous explosion. The quick thinking Captain saved her on that day.
Dispatched with Task Force 17 to the Coral Sea, she was the only big oil tanker serving the fleet until the battle began, when she was ordered to leave the fleet for her own safety.
I'm joined by Don Keith to discuss the USS Neosho.
His book The Ship That Wouldn't Die is the story of the attack on the oiler by 78 Japanese planes, three quarters of the planes available to their Carriers. Its an incurable story of duty, determination and survival.
To find Don's other books have a look at his website donkeith.com.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome to another World War II podcast in this episode we'll be looking at the |
| 0:05.4 | sinking of the American oil tanker the USS Neo Show during the Battle of the Coral Sea. |
| 0:10.8 | But before we get started if you've not already done so, have a look at the website |
| 0:15.0 | W.W.2 Podcast.com. There you'll find news, updates and things I've dug up that are |
| 0:21.3 | World War II related. Recently, I've dug up that are World War II related. |
| 0:23.0 | Recently, I've been scanning in a photo album that I own of an unidentified German soldier. |
| 0:28.0 | The album starts with him in the hit the youth. |
| 0:30.0 | Next he's conscripted into the Labour Corps before he joins the Weymacht. |
| 0:34.0 | Looking to those pictures I think he's probably in France for some photos of French colonial prisoners of war |
| 0:40.0 | before I believe he was transferred to fight on the Eastern Front. |
| 0:43.0 | Anyway, they are on the website if you have any insight I would love to hear from you. |
| 0:48.0 | Joining me today is Don Keith. |
| 0:51.0 | Dawn is an author with a prestigious body of work, both fiction and non-fiction. |
| 0:55.2 | His latest book, The Ship that Wouldn't Sink, A World War II Story of Courage and Survival at |
| 1:00.0 | Sea, is a fantastic read, focusing on the events surrounding the USS Neosho and her crew when it came |
| 1:06.4 | under attack by Japanese pilots. Dawn, thank you for joining me. What first drew you to the story of |
| 1:12.2 | the Neosho? How did you hear about it? |
| 1:15.0 | Well, I always look for stories that are about average people placed into unusual situations who do remarkable things. |
| 1:27.0 | And I've done a number of books on World War II submarines. |
| 1:32.0 | I did a book about the USS Nautilus and the journey under the North Pole in 1958. |
| 1:37.0 | And I was actually looking for the next story when my literary agent asked me if I'd ever considered writing about the Neosho. |
| 1:45.0 | Well, my first question was, well, what Japanese vessel was that? |
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