I was fortunate to have talked to a number of survivors of the WASP's sinking and I found out the reason for Leonard Kangas' death. Leonard had been an Appleton Academy and New Hampshire state basketball sensation. On the WASP he was the captain of the WASP's basketbball team and a photo of him playing on the hangar deck is in the official WASP's photos. Leonard and another sailor named Henry Cooper were assigned that day to work in a supply room on the third deck right at the water line. Due to a transcription error when the operational orders were decoded, the WASP's task force had been mistakenly sent right into the location of a Japanese submarine picket line and the Japanese Submarine I-19 fired a spread of 6 torpedoes, 3 of which struck the WASP with the others hitting the destroyer O'Brien and the Battleship North Carolina. The third torpedo struck directly in Leonard's work station. No one came out of that area of the ship alive per first hand testimony. The Japanese submarine commander evaded his own destruction by maneuvering his sub immediately to the aft of the stricken WASP where the sailors were abandoning the ship thus avoiding the US destroyers depth charges. The exact record of these events were kept 'Secret' by the Navy for 30 years after the war ended. Per my father, when George Silver brought the telegram of Leonard's death to the family farm, my grandmother screamed and was inconsolable. She never fully recovered from Leonard's death. Later the government mailed a life insurance policy claim to the family. My grandfather could not figure out all the technical jargon so my father brought the paperwork over to John Preston who was a lawyer and he was able to fill in the application. Leonard's name is on the WW2 memorial on Hampton Beach as well as the Punchbowl Cemetery in Honolulu.
Feel free to share. In addition, both the NY Yankees and the forerunner team for the Boston Celtics sent scouts to the Kangas farm to recruit Leonard as his fame as the 'Blond Blizzard' from New Ipswich had spread all the way to New York City. However, in those days one had to have the means to support themselves while on the professional farm teams. Unfortunately, my grandfather did not have the means to do so. 50 years after Leonard's death former Governor Walter Peterson still vividly related to my brother how he still remembered Leonard's basketball skills. "Older men declare war. But it is youth that must fight and die." President Herbert Hoover.
I was fortunate to have talked to a number of survivors of the WASP's sinking and I found out the reason for Leonard Kangas' death. Leonard had been an Appleton Academy and New Hampshire state basketball sensation. On the WASP he was the captain of the WASP's basketbball team and a photo of him playing on the hangar deck is in the official WASP's photos. Leonard and another sailor named Henry Cooper were assigned that day to work in a supply room on the third deck right at the water line. Due to a transcription error when the operational orders were decoded, the WASP's task force had been mistakenly sent right into the location of a Japanese submarine picket line and the Japanese Submarine I-19 fired a spread of 6 torpedoes, 3 of which struck the WASP with the others hitting the destroyer O'Brien and the Battleship North Carolina. The third torpedo struck directly in Leonard's work station. No one came out of that area of the ship alive per first hand testimony. The Japanese submarine commander evaded his own destruction by maneuvering his sub immediately to the aft of the stricken WASP where the sailors were abandoning the ship thus avoiding the US destroyers depth charges. The exact record of these events were kept 'Secret' by the Navy for 30 years after the war ended. Per my father, when George Silver brought the telegram of Leonard's death to the family farm, my grandmother screamed and was inconsolable. She never fully recovered from Leonard's death. Later the government mailed a life insurance policy claim to the family. My grandfather could not figure out all the technical jargon so my father brought the paperwork over to John Preston who was a lawyer and he was able to fill in the application. Leonard's name is on the WW2 memorial on Hampton Beach as well as the Punchbowl Cemetery in Honolulu.
Since Leonard was the only New Ipswich casualty in WWII, this would be a great story to share for this Memorial Day observance tomorrow.
Feel free to share. In addition, both the NY Yankees and the forerunner team for the Boston Celtics sent scouts to the Kangas farm to recruit Leonard as his fame as the 'Blond Blizzard' from New Ipswich had spread all the way to New York City. However, in those days one had to have the means to support themselves while on the professional farm teams. Unfortunately, my grandfather did not have the means to do so. 50 years after Leonard's death former Governor Walter Peterson still vividly related to my brother how he still remembered Leonard's basketball skills. "Older men declare war. But it is youth that must fight and die." President Herbert Hoover.