Robert H. Spiro papers

This collection relates to U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Robert H. Spiro who served aboard the U.S.S. Morris destroyer during World War II in the Pacific Theater of Operations.  The collection includes two journal articles about Spiro's time in the Pacific theater and one article related to the battle history of the Morris. One newsletter article was written in 1996 for the naval history magazine United States Naval Institute, by Rear Admiral Robert H. Spiro. In his article, he describes briefly some activities performed in the USS Morris several days before the Okinawa invasion. Furthermore, he describes, in general, the planning for the Okinawa invasion within the Pacific Fleet. Then he explains in detail what happened during the Okinawa invasion of April 6-7,1945. He explains how enemy planes were operating, and how the USS Morris was hit by a kamikaze aircraft during the attack. He also explains the damage produced to the USS Morris and the full magnitude of the damage revealed on April 7 & 8. He ends by telling how the USS Morris was declared not seaworthy. The collection also includes an article entitled "Life Aboard a Tin Can," which is a newsletter article written by the Rear Admiral Robert H. Spiro (Retired). It concerns Spiro's time in the Pacific Theater. The article gives a brief biography of Spiro and describes the difficult living conditions in which he and his co-workers had to live on the ship. He also describes in detail the damage made to the USS Morris during the Okinawa invasion by a direct hit of Japanese kamikaze on April 6, 1945. He describes certain historical facts of the Okinawa invasion. Finally, he describes the last days of the USS Morris that contributed in part to the victory over Japan.