Station HYPO

By Thomas G. Sanders

I joined the Naval reserve at 17 and went to boot camp and CT school before I went on two years active duty. My assignment was Kamiseya, Japan. I arrived in September 1964. Later the Navy solicited volunteers for the Naval Security Detachment on Kyushu and I volunteered, which is why I wasn’t at Kamiseya during the fire. I left for my new assignment two months before the fire and I took Scott’s death very personal when I heard about the fire. I was still assigned to Kami but worked in southern Japan. I worked with the men that died and were injured but Scott (“Red”) was special to me in ways different than most of his friends.

Image: All photos this page courtesy John Pappone
Three pictures of Gregory Scott “Red” Williams
(December 1945 – September 1965)
at Kamiseya prior to the fire.
John Pappone is also pictured (left) in the upper left featued image.

Featured image is the only plane ever to drop a bomb on the United States during WWII was this submarine based Glen. September 9, 1942, the I-25 B1 type Japanese submarine was cruising in an easterly direction raising its periscope occasionally as it neared the United States Coastline. The B1 type was the most numerous class of Japanese submarines.  They were fast, long-ranged, and carried a seaplane behind watertight doors, which could be launched on a forward catapult.  Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor less than a year ago and the Captain of the attack submarine knew that Americans were watching their coast line for ships and aircraft that might attack our country. 

By Stan Karn

It was the fall of 1964. I had been at Kamiseya about six or eight weeks when a shipmate received a letter from a buddy at Corry Field. In that letter was news that Wilfred (Bill) Cordell had received orders for Kamiseya and would be arriving soon. I had been wondering why I had not heard from Bill and this news was the answer. He must have wanted to surprise me.

Kamiseya was a great place to be stationed and orders there were highly coveted. The base was located to the south-west of Tokyo and there was plenty to do during off-duty hours! No wonder Kami had gained a reputation as the “Camelot of the Orient.”

RM3 Emil White, KIA, NSGA Sabana Seca
September 7, 1959 – December 3, 1979