I spent 3 years aboard the USS Nields 1943 to 1946, with the rate of coxswain. I spent most of my time taking care of the two boats aboard, one a whaleboat and the other a captains gig, when we were in the Mediterranean. We never went into any ports but anchored out so I got to spend a lot of time running back and forth to shore.

About the USS Beatty DD640, we were escorting two hospital ships off the coast off Africa when we dropped off to refuel the Beatty. We took our place in the escort and by the time we got back German torpedo planes sank the Beatty. One hospital ship was hit and sinking. We got a line on her , towed her, and beached her .

After the invasion of southern France and the beachhead was secured, we left for our homeport of Brooklyn NY. They took off our torpedo tubes and put a pair of quad forties in place, took off all our single twenties and twin forties and put on all twin twenties and quad forties. By this time we knew where we were going, next stop Panama next stop Hawaii next stop Okinawa. One evening we left Okinawa and the next morning I woke up, went out on deck, and I think the entire pacific fleet was all around us.

Then we heard about the first atom bomb and then the second one and then it was all over. We sailed into Tokyo bay and I watched the signing on the Missouri, we left there and went back to Okinawa where we were taking all the guns away from the Japs. Early 1946 we sailed for Charleston S.C. where we decommissioned ship with two Japanese suicide boats aboard. The suicide boats had Chrysler marine engines. We lost one in a typhoon on the way back. I was home early March 1946 to end my naval career.

The only casualties we had during the entire time I was on the Nields, almost three years, was when we had just pulled into the Brooklyn navy yard. We got a call that a German sub was spotted just outside of New York City. We headed right back out with other cans of our Squadron . We got a sonar contact and the squadron made a depth charge run and brought up the German sub. The Germans were running for their deck guns and the closest can (USS Champlin DD601) opened fire on the German sub. One of the 20mm shells fired from DD601 hit their captain and he was killed. We buried him at sea with full naval honors and all this happened in sight of the Statue of Liberty. Our second casualty was from our ship while we were in Africa. One of our shipmates went into the Casbah alone and they found him the next morning knifed to death. We were fortunate we did not get a scratch in all our engagements.

Charles Antosik
USS Nields 1943-1946