US Navy World War II Photo Archive
Welcome to the Photo Archive of Hank M Nuckols… a gallery of images reflecting family and his time served during World War II in the US Navy aboard the USS Chicago and the USS Gabilan.
Select a gallery to view by clicking on the title or thumbnail.
Photographs taken enroute to and in Australia aboard the USS Chicago CA29 via Panama, Phillipines, Samoa & Pago Pago.
34 Photos
Newspaper clippings and documents relating to the Nuckols, Beard and Wheeler families including military notifications, press releases and documents, obituaries and other news related items concerning the family and Hanks service in the US Navy.
12 Photos
King Neptunes Court - Pictures taken by Hank Nuckols on board the USS Chicago CA29, Heavy Battle Cruiser as she crosses the equator on the way to Australia via Hawaii. Polywogs and scoundrels abound... Shellbacks they all shall be.
20 Photos
Family photos and correspondence for the family surnames of Nuckols, Beard, and Wheeler.
36 Photos
Pictures taken by Harold (Hank) Nuckols while stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii from 1943 to 45 during WWII.
45 Photos
General Navy photos taken by Hank including officer and crew shots from the USS Chicago and USS Gabilan, military ceremonies and get to-gethers, and battle photo`s aboard the USS Gabilan while on patrol. A lot of the people shown in these photo`s are person`s unknown as there were no descriptions on the corresponding photographs.
52 Photos
Old Postcards from the South Pacific, all of Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand except for one of the USS Porter, DD356.
23 Photos
Harold (Hank) Melville Nuckols CY (SS)
Enlisted: June 1938.
Honourable Discharge: June 1945.
Served: USS Chicago CA29, Heavy Battle Cruiser from December 31, 1938 to February 1, 1943; Pearl Harbor, Coral Sea, Midway, First Savo Island.Also Served: USS Gabilan SS252 Gato Class Submarine from September 1, 1943 to September 1, 1945; Gabilan saw six (6) patrols, four (4) of which were successful.
1918 - 1989
King Neptune’s Court
When a ship approaches the Equator, crew members who are crossing for the first time must appear before King Neptune & his court to demonstrate their worthiness as subjects of the sea.
Navy Books @ Amazon
Crossing the Line: Violence, Play, and Drama in Naval Equator Traditions. -
Proof is exacted through tests & punishments that can range from the mildly embarrassing—singing a song or reciting a nonsensical rhyme—to much more grueling treatments: running the gauntlet, tarring & feathering, or crawling through slops. The custom earns the sailor or passenger little more than a certificate & the right to call himself or herself a shellback (click to view example of certificate)
