Carl Joseph Winters

Carl Joseph Winters served in World War II in the U. S. Navy and was assigned to the USS Corvus (AKA-26). The Corvus carried materials to the island of Tinian in advance of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, on August 6 and August 9, 1945, respectively.

The crew was not aware of the significance of their cargo, but Mr. Winters recalled that in Seattle, Washington they picked up "Army personnel" before going to Tinian. However, he got the sense that they were actually civilians. One or more of them told the officers of the Corvus that the U.S. had a weapon capable of destroying an entire city. The officers, according to Mr. Winters, were skeptical, thinking it was all some sort of joke. Later, of course, they learned that it was true.

Mr. Winters was an Ensign in August 1945.

Source: Family member's account.

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