Van Horne Morris Biography
Family History
While I was vaguely aware that my grandfather, Van Horne Morris, was in the Merchant Marine, I didn't know much about it. He died when my mother was only nine, so I never got to meet him. Luckily, my mother saved a treasure trove of documents from her parent's formative years, including diaries, letters, and photographs. Through a combination of studying these documents, talking to my mother, and conducting outside research, I was able to piece together my grandfather's biography.One exciting new discovery (which even my mother didn't know) was that her father was a graduate of the the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. In my grandfather's papers I encountered photographs of a ship captioned "The Nantucket 1937" that piqued my curiosity. A deep dive on the internet led me to the NavSource Online Gunboat Photo Archive, which confirmed that the ship (formerly named the Ranger) served as the training ship of the Massachusetts Nautical School from 1909-1940. I reached out to the Mass Maritime Library and received a prompt reply from Librarian Arlene Cardoza, who kindly sent me copies of my grandfather's records. I was also shocked to learn that my grandfather served as a fighter pilot on one of the most famous of World War II aircraft carriers, the USS Hornet, and participated in one of the most significant events of the war, the Battle of Midway.
Cadet and Merchant Mariner
Van Horne Morris was born in 1919 (the same year that Cecil Northrop went on his first sea voyage) and grew up in Melrose, Massachusetts, a suburb located about 7 miles north of Boston. He entered Massachusetts Maritime Academy (then called the Massachusetts Nautical School) on September 19, 1936.
As a cadet on the training ship Nantucket he visited San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Ponta Delgada, Azores in 1937. Morris's relatively short list of cadet infractions at Mass Maritime included leaving ship on liberty without a pass, sleeping in without authority, taking coffee from cadet officers pot, and causing a disturbance in class. (Some cadets in the SUNY Maritime conduct books racked up full pages or more of offenses).
After graduating on on September 27, 1938, Morris's career as a merchant mariner took him through ports in Singapore, Malaysia, and India, among others. After five years at sea, Morris expressed a desire to give up his maritime career. As he wrote in an intensely personal and poetic letter home, he longed to “sleep in a bed that doesn’t roll, to hear the wind rustling through the trees.” However, his time at sea wasn't over just yet.
World War II and Beyond
After leaving the Merchant Marine (circa 1940) Morris enrolled in the Naval Aviation Cadet program, traveling to Florida to complete advanced flight training. According to Military Wiki, this program grew out out of the Aviation Cadet Act, passed by Congress on April 15, 1935. After completing his aviation training, Van married his high school sweetheart, Marion “Betty” Gilmore, in early 1942. Gilmore was a member of the American Ballet Theater in New York, and had spent six months traveling in South America with her dance troupe in 1941. At their wedding Ensign Morris wore the dress uniform of the Navy Air Service, while Betty wore a navy blue dress with anchor buttons.After completing the Naval Aviation Cadet program, Morris was assigned to the US Hornet (CV-8), an aircraft carrier which saw significant action during its single year of service (from October 1941 through October 1942). In early 1942 Van and Betty (who he affectionally nicknamed “Butch”) were stationed in Norfolk, Virginia, where the Hornet was docked prior to her departure for the war zones.
In March 1942 the Hornet sailed for the West Coast via the Panama Canal. Van was not on board for that journey, or the subsequent "Doolittle Raid" of April 18, 1942 (a surprise attack on Tokyo that served to boost American morale during a low point in the war). Instead, Van and Betty remained in Norfolk until April 25, when they embarked on a cross country trip to California. Pictures show that they got a flat tire on April 28th "somewhere between Texarkana, Arkansas and Mt. Pleasant, Texas," and had car trouble again just two days later in Arizona.
Once Van and Betty reached California, according to my grandmother's caption, "Van left San Francisco for Pearl Harbor on the morning of May 8." The Hornet entered Pearl Harbor on May 26th and left on May 28th. Van was away until February 23rd, 1943; he was on the Hornet for the Battle of Midway (June 1942) and the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands (October 1942). This photo shows Van on the Hornet on October 4, just a few weeks before the carrier sank on October 26. According to a story passed down to my mother, he was later listed as "missing" though he had already made it home safely. (More World War II history on the USS Hornet page).
Later photos show Morris with the VC-58 squadron at the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Oak Harbor, Washington, as well as at Naval Air Station Quonset Point in October 1943. The Wikipedia page for USS Wake Island notes that it took on the planes and personnel of VC-58 in 1944. Wake Island went on to participate in battles in the Philippines and Japan. My mother recalls seeing a letter or diary where my grandfather recounts his impressions of the appalling conditions of Japanese prisoners held on his carrier. We are still hoping it will emerge from the attic!
My mother's recent discovery of a news clipping confirms and expands on Morris's record of service, which included missions in North Atlantic waters, and skill as flyer. The article reads:
Air Medal Awarded to Lt. Van Morris
Lieutenant Van Horne Morris, USNR, formerly of 10 Haskell Street, recently was presented with the Air Medal for outstanding performance of duty while participating in hazardous aerial flights during the winter season over North Atlantic waters.
The presentation was made by Commodore Gordon Rowe, USN, Commander Fleet Air Detachment, U.S. Naval Air Station, Quonset Point, R.I.
The citation, signed by Admiral Ingram, states that “Lieutenant Morris as pilot of the United States Navy plane conducted many anti-submarine aerial flights from an aircraft carrier under extremely adverse weather conditions involving constant hazards due to winds of gale force, icing, low visibility, blizzards, rough seas and unstable flight deck conditions with great skill, fortitude and distinction, resulting in substantial curtailment of enemy submarine activity. Lieut. Morris’ courageous and persistent performance reflects great credit on the United States Naval service.”
During his combat duty in the Pacific area, Lt. Morris served with Squadrons VC-58, VF-3, and VF-72. Their combat experiences included the Battle of Midway and the Battle of Santa Cruz.
In addition to the Air Meda, Lt. Morris wears the Presidential Unit Citation, the Asiatic-Pacific Theater Campaign Medal, and the European Theater Campaign Medal.
Lieut. Morris is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Alden. B Morris,of Conway, New Hampshire.
After World War II, Van and Betty settled in Hingham, Massachusetts, where Van embarked on a career as a commercial airline pilot (see "Postscript" for more on that). He and Betty had three children: Peter in 1944, Patricia (my mother) in 1949, and Gene in 1952. Sadly, he died in a car accident in 1958 at the young age of 39.
