| Caption | Captain Dixie Kiefer, badly injured in an air attack four days earlier, addressing his crew one more time before being transferred from USS Ticonderoga to the hospital ship Samaritan at Ulithi, 25 Jan 1945. ww2dbase | ||||||||
| Source | ww2dbaseUnited States Navy | ||||||||
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| Photos on Same Day | See all photos dated 25 Jan 1945 | ||||||||
| Added By | David Stubblebine | ||||||||
| Added Date | 1 Jun 2019 | ||||||||
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This photograph has been scaled down; full resolution photograph is available here (1,200 by 800 pixels). | |||||||||
| Licensing | Public Domain. According to the United States copyright law (United States Code, Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105), in part, "[c]opyright protection under this title is not available for any work of the United States Government". | ||||||||
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Modern Day Location
| WW2-Era Place Name | Ulithi, Caroline Islands |
| Lat/Long | 10.0352, 139.7031 |
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Famous WW2 Quote
"With Germany arming at breakneck speed, England lost in a pacifist dream, France corrupt and torn by dissension, America remote and indifferent... do you not tremble for your children?"Winston Churchill, 1935
10 Jun 2019 12:35:55 PM
When Captain Kiefer addressed the men of Ticonderoga for the last time, he said:
“Well, gang; this is the last time I'll speak to you. I have tears in my eyes and it isn't because I am hurt. I always did know that you were a *** good peacetime crew, and the other day out there, you proved to me that you were the best *** wartime crew in the Navy.
“I did not leave the bridge until 11:30 that night, but afterwards seeing how you men kept fighting back, I realized that I could do more good alive when I could come back out here again.
“I want to thank you men for saving the ship, which I thought was beyond saving. I'm going back to the States soon, and I'll be on the dock when you come in.
“The Captain who takes my place will treat you like I did. Keep up your good work. The Big ‘T’ still is and always will be the best damned ship in the Navy. Don’t forget the Big ‘T’ and that you are still Dixie’s kids …”
And he kept his promise. When Ticonderoga put in to Pearl Harbor on her way to Puget Sound, Dixie Kiefer was waiting on the dock, covered in bandages and with his arm in a sling.