We were on shore leave in Algiers, North Africa in 1943, and were sightseeing around Algiers. We ran into these three soldiers and decided that we would like to have our likeness preserved for posterity. In the picture, going from left to right, is a sailor from my ship, and 4 unknown soldiers.
Before I met Rita, my first tour in the Navy was aboard the USS Thomas Stone. We practiced maneuvers with the British Army troops, early November 1942. We set out to make the invasion of North Africa.As we entered the Straits of Gibraltar, we were torpedoed by an aerial attack. I saw the plane as it circled the convoy. Evasive action was taken by the ship, and the torpedo almost missed us. However, it did hit and exploded, ripping a large hole, which destroyed the propeller and navigational system.To learn more about the attack read the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships account.
