Chester Renel McCashland

 This is a Story about The US Navy Service Record of Chester Renel McCashland and the stories we learned as a result of following the threads of his record.

McCashland is shown here near the end of his US Navy career of over 30 years.  The above photo was undoubtedly captured in the World War Two era judging from the insignia on McCashland's left arm.  By the time McCashland left US Navy service in the the early 1940's he was an Old Salt...and quite likely a very worn out Old Salt.   (NOTE: We believe this is a photo of Mr. McCashland but cannot be 100% certain.)

We believe McCashland enlisted in the US Navy in Omaha, Nebraska, at the age of 19.  He was born July 5, 1895 in McCook, Nebraska, and his service record appears to show he enlisted in 1914 at the age of 19.  Ancestry records indicate most of America's McCashland's populated Nebraska from the 1880's forward and they were all farmers.  It's reasonable speculation young McCashland couldn't stomach farming and ran off to be an Able Bodied Seaman for the US Navy.  By the time 1918 rolled around, McCashland was back in the Omaha Recruiting Office and re-enlisted.

Some how, McCashland wound up on the USS Scorpion in Constantinople, Turkey.  Marrying local women had become a time-honored tradition among the crew of the The USS Scorpion.  Twenty-four-year-old McCashland wasted no time in tying the knot with Greacian Elly Rigopoule, three years his junior.  Even today, genealogical records connect McCashland and Rigopoule.

The Story of the USS Scorpion, upon which McCashland served as a Chief Quarter Master, is truly remarkable in the annals of US Navy history.  In fact, it's multi-year saga in Turkey has been written up as an Essay for the United States Naval War College!  Author Michael Imbrenda concluded: "For the sailors of the Scorpion, Constantinople became a home which allowed the sailors to forge bonds in a country of a vastly different cultural and religion scope. Yet the alien-ness of the city also brought the crew of the Scorpion and other expatriate communities together, including with countries the US eventually go to war against, giving the Scorpion rare direct access to intelligence on Germany."

Imbrenda went on to conclude the Scorpion's long-running duration in Constantinople proved "Long term home porting of navy ships in areas emerging in access importance to the global security architecture will likely derive many of the benefits for the current United States as it did in Constantinople during the World War One Era."

The USS Scorpion was an unusual ship. It was born as a racing yacht powered by a combined 2,500 horsepower plant.  The Scorpion of the late 1890's could easily be compared to the mega yachts of today. It was essentially commandeered by the US Navy to help fight the Spanish-American War of 1898. Thus began the ship's 31-year-long Naval Career.

The USS Scorpion was officially "interned" at Constantinople during World War One.  The Ottoman rulers were determined to send the Officers and crew to a POW camp.  However: "In early April, Taalat Pasha, the Ottoman Minister of the Interior, proceeded to the vessel’s mooring in early April to speak with his friend, the de facto commanding officer of the Scorpion, Lieutenant Herbert Babbitt with the unhappy orders to take the ship and send the crew into captivity. Babbitt and Talat had developed a rapport over drinks at the Constantinople Club during happier times often playing cards together. Rather than submit to capture, Babbitt had another idea. He challenged Taalat to a friendly game of bridge. If Taalat won, Babbitt would surrender the ship and lead his skeleton crew to a dreary imprisonment at the Ottoman POW facilities inland at Bursa. If Babbitt won, the crew would be allowed to stay on board the ship under a sort of house arrest. Babbitt through some clever card playing and a bit of deception was able to save the ship. What “Four Notrump” Babbitt did not tell Taalat was that he was the Atlantic Fleet bridge champion." (Babbitt is seated at far left in front row.)

McCashland's Service Record is a little blurry about the timing of his interface and duration with the USS Scorpion.  But it's clear he served in the ship.  There's NO doubt about it. The entire story of the Scorpion is arguably one of the least known chapters of important Naval History!

McCashland's Navy Service Record goes on to document his service well into World War Two.  It's clear he was a career "Navy Man" and served his Country with Distinction.  McCashland married again in 1931 but we have been unable to find any Ancestry records about children or kin or burial

McCashland's Service Record is yet another reminder of the importance of Military Records in our understanding of "Those Who Served" and what that service means.

We salute Mercedes S. for her "rescue" of these important documents. We sincerely hope she can find a "good home" for the records so that future generations may have yet another scrap of evidence about their ancestor's service.  Thank You, Mercedes.  Carry on.