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1945 antique USS MOUNT HOOD EXPLOSION new haven ct MICHAEL PACELLA USN archive
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Historically significant World War II U.S. Navy scrapbook archive relating to MICHAEL P. PACELLA, Shipfitter First Class, U.S. Navy, of new haven ct, who was killed in the catastrophic explosion of the ammunition ship USS MOUNT HOOD (AE-11) on November 10, 1944 at Manus Harbor in the Admiralty Islands.
The archive centers around a cloth-covered naval scrapbook titled “Ditty Book of a Shell-Back – Log, Snapshots, Diary,” decorated by Georges Duplaix and published by The Educational Press, New York. The album measures approximately 11.25 x 9 inches and contains numerous mounted postcards and souvenirs collected during naval service.
Inside the scrapbook are colorful postcards and travel ephemera from ports visited by U.S. Navy personnel, including Puerto Rico, San Juan, Ponce, Aguadilla, the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas and St. Croix), Quebec, and other locations, along with naval visit cards, business cards, ship-related invitations, and other sailor souvenirs.
The scrapbook also retains several unused decorative log and diary pages, including illustrated ship-log pages with spaces for entries such as port, date, and remarks. These blank sections were intended for recording shipboard events and voyages and remain unused, preserving the original printed artwork and layout of the album.
Accompanying the scrapbook are official documents relating to Pacella’s death:
• U.S. Navy condolence letter from The Secretary of the Navy, Washington, dated 21 March 1945, informing Mrs. Florence Ann Pacella, 247 Orchard Street, New Haven, Connecticut, that her husband—previously listed as missing—was confirmed to have lost his life in the USS Mount Hood explosion. The letter bears the printed signature of James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy.
• Navy Department Bureau of Naval Personnel letter, dated 3 March 1945, explaining that extensive searches following the explosion failed to locate survivors.
• Newspaper clipping reporting the fatal munitions ship blast and identifying Pacella as a New Haven serviceman.
• Veterans Administration Certificate of Eligibility, issued April 9, 1953, to Florence Pacella, widow of the deceased sailor.
• Original government envelopes addressed to Mrs. Pacella.
• Period photograph showing the smoke plume from the USS Mount Hood explosion.
The USS Mount Hood disaster was one of the most devastating non-combat explosions of World War II. The ammunition ship detonated suddenly while anchored at Manus, instantly obliterating the vessel and killing all 350 men aboard, including MICHAEL P. PACELLA. The blast also damaged nearby ships and caused additional casualties in the harbor.
Material tied to identifiable victims of the Mount Hood explosion is scarce, and this grouping combines official Navy casualty correspondence, family documentation, and a personal sailor scrapbook, making it a compelling artifact of World War II naval history and genealogy connected directly to MICHAEL P. PACELLA of new haven ct.
Authentic period piece related to family, historyor local heritage - well-suited for historical collections, genealogical /genealogy research, or museum acquisition.Vintage or Antique.
CONDITION: See listing description and photos.
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LOC2: BOOKSHELF34-TMKTK-F260305BTA75G2
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