USS Spearfish.

[Chris Weddell]

Hello All,

            I recently brought some letters sent to USS Spearfish. I then read Colin Tabeart's most excellent article on her in the last society journal. I have just noticed a letter of mine was posted to USS Spearfish the redirected to CSD 44. Does anyone know what CSD 44  is ??? I have only been able to find CSD-44 RC mentioned in a few entries in the US Navy muster rolls of 1944 as a ship or place served.

                                                                    Chris

[Chris Weddell]

A scan of the back of the cover.

              Chris.

[Michael Dobbs]

Chris

I got in this evening around 9.30pm and checked my emails and Discussion Forum and couldn't stop trying to find the answer to your query - what does CSD signify !  I may have found the answer:

Modern US Navy websites indicate CSD stands for Customer Service Desk - see US Navy, Navy Personnel Command website http://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/psd/Pages/default.aspx - but I don't think that fits with your cover.

Like you I have seen various references to US Navy Muster Rolls.

Then altering the search parameters I came across a reference to a book for sale on Amazon with the text that included the reference to Commander Submarine Division (CSD) 142 under the ultimate command of Commander Submarine Force Pacific Fleet (COMSUBPAC) in WWII - the book is Navy Priest, the Life of Captain Jake Laboon, SJ by Richard Gribble - see link below to the relevant page:

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=iUF5CAAAQBAJ&pg=PA74&lpg=PA74&dq=csd+us+nAVY+ww2&source=bl&ots=I9Nq1ylj5U&sig=Ut1Zqb7iqRo5UPtmmFRRrWaHGjw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwicmNKG3cPWAhVHWBQKHZSQDR4Q6AEIYzAO#v=onepage&q=csd%20us%20nAVY%20ww2&f=false

Then I came across another book reference - "Find 'Em, Chase 'Em, Sink 'Em: The Mysterious Loss of the WWII Submarine USS Gudgeon" by Mike Ostlund.  This makes mention of "From there he served as Commander of Submarine Division 44 and Submarine Squadron 34" - again see the link below:

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=N_yqbFmAtFIC&pg=PT429&lpg=PT429&dq=submarine+division+44&source=bl&ots=RZUWppltl5&sig=iBeyobAl7Adm8b2r1859iNJuIKY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiLudSu3sPWAhWEvRQKHeGoD6IQ6AEIOjAD#v=onepage&q=submarine%20division%2044&f=false

As the USS Spearfish was a submarine I think there can be no doubt that CSD-44 indicates Commander Submarine Division 44

There is a reference to Spearfish in the Wikipedia entry for Captain John Philip Cromwell (September 11, 1901 – November 19, 1943) at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_P._Cromwell

I presume you have seen the list of Spearfish links here:
http://www.angelfire.com/planet/wajitfeluz/links/190LINKS.html

I hope this helps you in your researches, Mike  8)

[Chris Weddell]

Mike,

        Thank you. You have indeed found the answer.

I can add a little more to it. After going though all the information you found I went back though the service history of the Spearfish. The letter was posted on the 14th of May 1944 when the Spear was on here 11th war patrol in the East China Sea. On the back of the letter you have the U.S. Navy receivers mark for June 19th 1944. On May 27 she returned to Pear Harbour and was then ordered to go to Mare Island Navy Yard for a major refit which started on the 31st of may and finished in early October. So at the time my letter got to sailor the Spearfish was having a refit. This is where the CSD 44  address code comes in as this would be his address code as the Spearfish not in operational service at this time. I then went back to the Muster roles and found my sailor with the code of CSD-44 RC. So I had a had a look at other members of the crew and found that some were transferred to other submarines and others just had the address code CSD 44. I then found other engineers and machinists like my sailor had address code with RC at the end. I now think the RC means refitting crew as I would think the engineers of the Spearfish would have been part of the refitting crew as they would know the submarine. The Spear went back on war service in October 1944 and my sailor was part of the crew.

Thanks again Mike for the great help.

                                            Chris  :D 

[Peter Harvey]

Chris,

Certainly is Commander Submarine Division, as many of the other letters I had used the full address. Having said that several abbreviated to Commander Submarine Dive, but Mike is absolutely correct. I may have some others and will list this at https://my.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?MyEbay&gbh=1 if you are interested.