Louis Lianez, like many Americans, was drafted to fight in World War 2. It was June 1942 that he joined the ranks of America’s Navy. Eventually he’d serve along side hundreds on the USS Massachusetts which was commissioned in May 1942.

The ship was armed with a main battery of nine 16″/45 caliber Mark 6 guns in three triple-gun turrets on the centerline, two of which were placed in a superfiring pair forward, with the third aft. The secondary battery consisted of twenty 5-inch /38 caliber dual purpose guns mounted in twin turrets clustered amidships, five turrets on either side. Massachusetts  was equipped with an anti-aircraft battery that included quadruple 40 mm Bofors guns and 20 mm  Oerlikon autocannon instead of the .50-cal. guns.

It’s noted that Louis likely manned an anti-aircraft gun station

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What follows is the the address of Captain F.E.M. Whiting, U.S. Navy, first commanding officer, to the crew of the U.S.S. Massachusetts at its commissioning 75 years ago today, on May 12, 1942.

“A Fighting Ship”

At this time, which is the only opportunity I shall have to address the entire crew, I wish to lay down the policy of this vessel. I do not think of this ship as just a battleship — she is more. She is the Massachusetts. Let me tell you what I mean by that.

The Massachusetts has had built into her the intestinal fortitude of the pilgrim Fathers, the watchfulness of Paul Revere, the discipline of Banker Hill, the education of John Harvard.

The ancestors of the men who built her, built the first American ship ever to sail around the world. Right here in Quincy, a century and a quarter ago, they built the biggest ship of that day, and her name also, was the Massachusetts.

They built the Flying Cloud and other Clipper ships. They built the immortal frigate Constitution — “Old Ironsides.” And they built the Hartford, flagship of Adm. Farragut, who lashed himself to the rigging and called out the command that will never be forgotten: “Damn The Torpedoes: Full Speed Ahead.”

These are the traditions handed down to us who walk the deck of the Massachusetts. Traditions of daring, fortitude, character, and a love of liberty so fierce that a man would rather give up his life than give up his freedom. Never forget that only a few miles from here free government in America had its start. They were poor people, ordinary people. They were not seeking power or gold. They were seeking a place where they could live in liberty. For this ideal they cheerfully crossed the ocean in tiny wooden ships, and landed in a winter wilderness to face hostile savages and wild beast. Half of that brave company died in the first winter but those who died and those who survived, never had a thought of turning back. They believed that any price was not too great to pay for the privilege of being free.

They chose a motto for the seal of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is a fighting motto — With The Sword It Seeks Peace Under Liberty.

That is our motto, yours and mine. That is our assignment — to win peace under liberty, and to keep on fighting until we do win it. Our only purpose in life at this moment is battle; we must not waste a single hour in getting ready for it.

I quoted a minute ago some American words that I like — “Damn The Torpedoes: Full Steam Ahead.” I shall close with some famous words that I do not like — “Don’t Give Up The Ship.” Those words were uttered by one of the bravest men who ever wore the uniform of the American Navy, your uniform and mine, Capt. James Lawrence. I honor him, but I resent the words because they were uttered at the end of a fight in which he and his men did not have a chance. They were the words of a dying captain, on a sinking ship, spoken to a brave but untrained crew. Because they were untrained, they were doomed.

So would we be doomed if we had to fight today even in this great ship, one of the biggest and most powerful in the world. We would be doomed because we are untrained. Our first business, our only business is to make this ship an efficient fighting unit, and to do it in the shortest possible time. We are going on a 24 hour basis.

I shall be intolerant of shirking. I intend to drive you because I am responsible for your lives. The quicker and better you are trained, the greater your chance for victory is, and the sooner we shall go home to an honorable peace. I shall give you full opportunity, but in the while “work” is our motto. I would not be doing my duty to you if I did not drive you and drive you hard.

The minute our training is complete, we shall show the world how the Massachusetts can take it and how she can dish it out. We shall prove that we appreciate the great traditions handed down to us. We shall be worthy of the name.
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Facts about the USS Massachusetts

  • Nickname: “Big Mamie”
  • Built: Quincy, Massachusetts
  • Commissioned: May 1942
  • Major campaigns:
    • 1942 – Invasion of North Africa, engaging French warships at and off Casablanca, Morocco, on 8 November 1942.
    • 1943 – Massachusetts transferred to the Pacific
    • 1944 – Raids on Japanese-held islands
      • Hollandia Invasion
      • Gilberts and Marshalls Invasion
  • Post-war status: Decommissioned after the war, now a museum ship at Battleship Cove in Fall River, Massachusetts

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