textzilmwilliammartin1947.html

North High School Wall of Honor
William Martin Zilm
Would have graduated Class of June, 1947
Joined US Navy in July, 1946

Research done by Claradell Shedd, class of 1953.

William Martin Zilm

Bill would have graduated from North High in June, 1947, but he left early to join the US Navy. At the time, his next of kin was Mr. and Mrs. C.R. Zilm, 103 Hoffman Road, Des Moines, IA. His service number was 3233336.

William Martin Zilm

Year		Rank		Status

June, 1947		Graduated	x	Would have graduated from North High, Des Moines, IA
July, 1946	x	Enlisted/ US Navy	x	Enlisted in the US Navy at downtown *Old Federal Court House, Des Moines, IA.
date	x	US Navy	x	Train from Des Moines to San Diego. Stopped in panhandle of Texas for food. Bill relates it seemed as though they were in cattle cars. A long and memorable journey.
August, 1946	x	Basic Training/ Apprentice Seaman	x	**San Diego Naval Training Center. Twelve weeks.
date	x	Training	x	Bremerton, WA for additional training .
date	x	Training	x	Back to San Diego/Long Beach, CA
date	x	Enroute	x	San Diego to Hawaii, *Japan, Australia, Guam, etc. via **USS Pasadena (CL-65). Admiral's Staff, Cruiser Division 13; 7th Fleet?
date	x	Enroute	x	*****USS Springfield (CL-66) 6th Fleet?
date	x	Enroute	x	Pacific Theater to San Diego.
June 28, 1948	x	US Navy/ Rank; Seaman	x	Seaman discharged at US Naval Receiving Station, Naval Station, Long Beach, CA
1948	x	Enroute	x	Train to Des Moines, IA?
1948-1953	x		x	Undergraduate work at Drake University, Des Moines, IA.
Dec. 24, 1953	x	Family	x	Married Charlotte Norstrum, Class of June, 1952. Married at Unitarian Church near Drake University where Charlotte worked as secretary to the coaches.
1960-1964	x	Schooling	x	Doctorate at Southern College of Optometry; Memphis, TN. Class president.
1964	x	Employment	x	Still Hospital of Osteopathy
1964-?	x	Employment	x	Took boards for CO.
1965	x	Employment	x	Established practice at 20/20 Eyecare in Glenwood Springs, CO.
1965-1994	x	Employment	x	Retired in 1994 from practice. He developed Sunlight View I and Sunlight View II Subdivisions in Glenwood Springs. He holds three patents in the trailering field licensed to Reese; namely the Sidewinder and the Revolution 5th wheel hitches.
1994- Present	x	Civilian	x	Living in Glenwood Springs, CO.

		San Diego Unit #273. He was assigned to the USS Pasadena, CL-65 (Admiral's Staff; Cruiser Division 13). His service number was 3233336. Bill is located in the fourth row up, the third in from the left side. Put your mouse on his face, and his name will appear.
		(left) San Diego, CA; August, 1946 Click here for photo for enlargement


*Old Federal Court House Des Moines, IA		**Naval Training Center, San Diego	***Sasebo, Japan

****USS Pasadena (CL-65) - 1946-1948
CLASS - CLEVELAND Displacement 10,000 Tons, Dimensions, 610' 1" (oa) x 66' 4" x 25' (Max) Armament 12 x 6"/47, 12 x 5"/38AA, 28 x 40mm, 10 x 20mm, 4 Aircraft Armor, 5" Belt, 6" Turrets, 2" Deck, 5" Conning Tower. Machinery, 100,000 SHP; Geared Turbines, 4 screws Speed, 32.5 Knots, Crew 1255. Operational and Building Data Keel laid on 06 FEB 1943 by the Bethlehem Steel Co., Quincy, MA Launched 28 DEC 1943 Commissioned 08 JUN 1944 Decommissioned 30 JAN 1950 Stricken 1 DEC 1970 Fate: Sold for scrap on 05 JUL 1972 to Zidell Explorations, Portland, OR.
	USS Pasadena (CL-65) off of Mare Island, CA; 1946

	USS Pasadena (CL-65) entering Pearl Harbor; 1948


02/47: Sharks caught off of Guam	04/48: Cruiser Division 13 Staff boat used in harbor
		Left: Guam Beer Garden
Admiral's Barge

*****USS Springfield; (CL-66)

	Flat Hoist/Radio Call Sign: N - W - D - M

****USS Pasadena (CL-65)
Following the cessation of Pacific hostilities, Pasadena commenced occupation duties. On 23 August she became flagship of TG 35.1, on the 27th she anchored in Sagami Wan, and on 1 September shifted to Tokyo Bay where she witnessed the official surrender ceremony the next day. From then until mid-January 1946, she remained in the Tokyo Bay area supporting the occupation forces. On 19 January she got underway for San Pedro, California and an overdue overhaul. Training and local operations followed and in September she headed west again. From November to February, 1947, she participated in division exercises in Micronesia, then, after fleet maneuvers in Hawaiian waters, returned to California. For the next year she conducted local operations, then, during the summer of 1948, conducted an NROTC training cruise. On 1 October she got underway again for the Far East. At the end of the month, she arrived at Tsingtao, and until May 1949 operated off the China coast. On 1 June, she returned to California. During the summer, she conducted local exercises, and on 12 September departed Long Beach, California for Bremerton and inactivation. She decommissioned on 12 January 1950.

****History of the USS Pasadena (CL-65)
USS Pasadena (CL-65)
History of the USS Pasadena Cruiser
The USS Pasadena (CL-65) was ordered for the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her keel was laid down at the Fore River Shipyard in Massachusetts on February 6, 1943. She was launched on December 28, 1943 and commissioned on June 8, 1944 under the command of Captain Richard B. Tuggle.

USS Pasadena arrived at Ulithi in mid-November 1944 to join Task Force 38. She took part in the operations at Luzon and Formosa until the end of the year. In January 1945, she headed to the South China Sea to strike at enemy shipping and shore targets along the coast of Indochina and on Formosa. Renamed Task Force 58 in February, the cruiser joined her fellow ships to the Japanese home islands. She covered the troop landings at Iwo Jima and provided shore bombardment.

After replenishing at Ulithi, the USS Pasadena took part in Operation Iceberg in March, hitting the Japanese home islands and the northern Ryukyu Islands to support efforts on Okinawa. She served as the flagship for Cruiser Division 17, making attacks on Minami Daito, Okinawa, and Kyushu through May.

Along with her task force, USS Pasadena struck at targets on Tokyo, Honshu, and Hokkaido until the Japanese surrendered on August 15. She took up occupation duties, becoming the flagship of Task Group 35.1 eight days later. The cruiser arrived at Tokyo Bay on September 1 to witness the surrender ceremony the following day.

After supporting the Allied occupation forces for several months, the USS Pasadena departed on January 19, 1946. She put in at San Pedro, California for a much needed overhaul before taking up training duties and local operations. The cruiser headed west for exercises before returning to California to conduct local operations for the next year.

The USS Pasadena made a training cruise in the summer of 1948 before another Far East deployment. Upon her return, she conducted local operations off California until she was decommissioned on January 12, 1950. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on December 1, 1970 and sold for scrap. The cruiser was awarded five battle stars for her service in World War II.

The use of asbestos was common in shipbuilding components for much of the 20th Century because of its resistance to heat, fire, water and corrosion. Because of their asbestos exposure onboard ship and in the shipyards, seaman, shipyard workers and longshoreman are at risk for developing asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma.

*****History of the USS Springfield (CL-66)
USS Springfield, a 10,000-ton Cleveland class light cruiser built at Quincy, Massachusetts, was commissioned in September 1944. She made her shakedown cruise along the U.S. East Coast and in the West Indies then, in late January 1945, helped to escort President Franklin D. Roosevelt part way on his voyage to the Yalta Conference. Shortly afterwards Springfield passed through the Panama Canal to join the Pacific Fleet. Arriving in the Western Pacific in mid-March, she served with Task Force 58 during air strikes against the Japanese home islands and during the Okinawa campaign. In May 1945 Springfield briefly left the carrier force to use her guns to bombard the island of Minami Daito. During the war's final month of raids against targets on Honshu and Hokkaido, the cruiser mainly served with the carriers, but also fired another bombardment and made anti-shipping sweeps.

Following Japan's surrender on 2 September 1945, Springfield continued to operate in the China-Korea-Japan area. She left the Far East in early January 1946 and served off the U.S. West Coast for nearly two years, with time out from November 1946 until March 1947 for a cruise through the Central Pacific. Springfield deployed again to Asiatic waters between October 1947 and May 1949. After inactivation preparations, in January 1950 she entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet

<br><br>	William Martin Zilm Seaman 6th and 7th Fleet? US Navy
WWII Victory Medal

References

The comprehensive list of names from North High's 1893-2018 graduation classes are from Claradell Shedd's North Des Moines High School website. The names of all North High School graduates can be found online at http://www.ndmhs.com/. William Martin Zilm's 1947 class page can be viewed at
http://www.ndmhs.com/pages/yearclass1947(2007.60).html.

01/29/12: Glenwood Springs, CO

Music: "Anchors Aweigh" by the U.S Navy Band