MIGHTY NINETY
Earl R. Shopen
Lieutenant Commander, USS ASTORIA 1944-1946
4th Division and Assistant Gunnery Officer
ASTORIA CL-90 plankowner Earl Shopen as a lieutenant in 1942.
-photo courtesy of daughter Maggie Thompson
Shopen's 1944 Plankowner Certificate from ASTORIA CL-90.
-courtesy of Maggie Thompson
During a brief port of call at San Diego, ASTORIA officers Shopen and Kenneth Meneke (2nd from right) took a train to Los Angeles to meet friends and family. This photo was taken at the Earl Carroll Theater in Hollywood, 4 October 1944. Three weeks later ASTORIA was underway for the Pacific War.
-photo courtesy of Maggie Thompson
CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE
USS ASTORIA officers pose for a night shot at Ulithi Anchorage on 1 February 1945. Although the ship was operating in blackout conditions and flash bulbs were forbidden, they broke the rules for a quick snapshot on deck in celebration of Kenneth Meneke's promotion to commander. Earl Shopen is at center right in the first row standing.
-photo taken by and courtesy of Ship's Photographer Herman Schnipper
Shopen's grid map from the Fire Support Mission conducted by USS ASTORIA CL-90 on 21-22 February 1945 in the early stages of Iwo Jima operations. Shopen was Officer of the Watch for a significant portion of ASTORIA's 26-hour bombardment.
-courtesy of Maggie Thompson
CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE
USS ASTORIA officers relaxing at Macarata Officers Club in the Philippines, June 1945. This was their first time ashore following 80 consecutive days at sea during Okinawa operations, a record for the United States Navy. Shopen is at right rear.
-photo taken by Photography Officer John Lisle, courtesy of Maggie Thompson
Some Navy legal humor from Shopen's collection, appropriate as ASTORIA sailors returned stateside to encounter Navy WAVES and other women for the first time in a year. Res ipsa loquitur is Latin legal-ese for "the thing speaks for itself."
-courtesy of Maggie Thompson
Shopen with family friends upon returning stateside after the war ended. This photo was taken at the Long Beach Army-Navy Club in October 1945, a month after ASTORIA returned from the coast of Japan.
-photo courtesy of Maggie Thompson
LCDR Earl Shopen in a 1946 photograph.
-photo courtesy of daughter Maggie Thompson
Earl Shopen with his daughter Margaret on Memorial Day 1951.
-photo courtesy of daughter Maggie Thompson
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Lieutenant Commander, USS ASTORIA 1944-1946
4th Division and Assistant Gunnery Officer
ASTORIA CL-90 plankowner Earl Shopen as a lieutenant in 1942.
-photo courtesy of daughter Maggie Thompson
Shopen's 1944 Plankowner Certificate from ASTORIA CL-90.
-courtesy of Maggie Thompson
During a brief port of call at San Diego, ASTORIA officers Shopen and Kenneth Meneke (2nd from right) took a train to Los Angeles to meet friends and family. This photo was taken at the Earl Carroll Theater in Hollywood, 4 October 1944. Three weeks later ASTORIA was underway for the Pacific War.
-photo courtesy of Maggie Thompson
CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE
USS ASTORIA officers pose for a night shot at Ulithi Anchorage on 1 February 1945. Although the ship was operating in blackout conditions and flash bulbs were forbidden, they broke the rules for a quick snapshot on deck in celebration of Kenneth Meneke's promotion to commander. Earl Shopen is at center right in the first row standing.
-photo taken by and courtesy of Ship's Photographer Herman Schnipper
Shopen's grid map from the Fire Support Mission conducted by USS ASTORIA CL-90 on 21-22 February 1945 in the early stages of Iwo Jima operations. Shopen was Officer of the Watch for a significant portion of ASTORIA's 26-hour bombardment.
-courtesy of Maggie Thompson
CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE
USS ASTORIA officers relaxing at Macarata Officers Club in the Philippines, June 1945. This was their first time ashore following 80 consecutive days at sea during Okinawa operations, a record for the United States Navy. Shopen is at right rear.
-photo taken by Photography Officer John Lisle, courtesy of Maggie Thompson
Some Navy legal humor from Shopen's collection, appropriate as ASTORIA sailors returned stateside to encounter Navy WAVES and other women for the first time in a year. Res ipsa loquitur is Latin legal-ese for "the thing speaks for itself."
-courtesy of Maggie Thompson
Shopen with family friends upon returning stateside after the war ended. This photo was taken at the Long Beach Army-Navy Club in October 1945, a month after ASTORIA returned from the coast of Japan.
-photo courtesy of Maggie Thompson
LCDR Earl Shopen in a 1946 photograph.
-photo courtesy of daughter Maggie Thompson
Earl Shopen with his daughter Margaret on Memorial Day 1951.
-photo courtesy of daughter Maggie Thompson
BACK TO SHIPMATE PHOTOS AND TRIBUTES
