LaVerne E. Lang
World War II
LaVerne Lang was born in Templeton on August 10, 1926, to Edward and Vera (Umbaugh) Lang. Edward was employed in Templeton as truck driver. By 1940, the family had moved to Carroll where Edward was a police officer. LaVerne enlisted in the US Navy shortly after his 17th birthday on September 8, 1943. Some information located indicates he enlisted in Des Moines while other information suggests Burlington, IA. He was assigned serial number 621 98 21.
The location of his boot training has not been determined but it is known that by late 1943 he was stationed at Puget Sound Navy Yard in Bremerton, WA. By this time, all records use the last name “Long” rather than Lang.
On January 3, 1944, he became part of the initial crew of the USS Nehenta Bay which was a newly commissioned escort carrier designated CVE-74. This ship carried 27 aircraft and was fitted with enhanced anti-aircraft weapons due to the increasing threat from kamikaze attacks.
The USS Nehenta Bay conducted its shakedown down cruise off the West Coast and then sailed to Hawaii on a transport mission to retrieve damaged planes arriving there on February 12, 1944. She subsequently conducted another transport mission again returning equipment and wounded personnel to San Diego.
On June 18, 1944, she sailed for the Mariana Islands and her aircraft were involved in strafing and bombing the island of Tinian. The ship was later involved in the Battle of Saipan. By December, 1944, the USS Nehenta Bay was supporting operations off the coast of the Philippines when she encountered Typhoon Cobra. This storm carried winds of 109mph and created waves 60 feet high. The ship struggled in these conditions, listed dangerously and temporarily lost steering control. However, the ship was stabilized and, aside from losing three airplanes overboard, was relatively undamaged.
They continued replenishing the fleet carriers through early 1945 when the ship was ordered back to San Diego for repairs arriving on February 19. After completion, they sailed back to Hawaii and went on to arrive at Ulithi on May 9, 1945. The USS Nehenta Bay then supported the landings on Okinawa. During this time, the fleet came under frequent kamikaze attack. Two other carriers were struck on June 7 but LaVerne and his crewmates escaped unharmed.
The ship was sailing to the Aleutian Islands when the Japanese surrender was announced on August 15, 1945. She sailed into Mutsu Bay, Japan on August 31 in support of the US occupation. By September 24, the USS Nehenta Bay was back at Pearl Harbor. She conducted two voyages returning servicemen to the US. By the end of 1945, she was sailing for Boston through the Panama Canal. Once in Boston, the crew began inactivation work. LaVerne was discharged on March 18, 1946 as a S1c (Seaman First Class).
LaVerne stayed in California after the war and was in the Los Angeles area in 1949. By 1992, he was living in Las Vegas. He died in North Las Vegas, NV on April 6, 1996 at age 69. He was buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery in Templeton.