William Geimer was born in Jamestown, North Dakota in 1925. After graduating from Jamestown High School, Bill entered the U.S. Navy in March of 1943 during World War II.
After basic training, Geimer became a gunnery mate and was assigned to the USS Mazama. The Mazama was a large Navy ammunition ship that served in the Pacific. Navy ammunition ships were named after volcanoes, mountains that could explode.
Ammunition ships could do the same. The Mazama was named after Mount Mazama, a collapsed volcano in the Cascade Range in Oregon. Duty on ammunition ships was not very desirable.
Because of the ordnance they carried, they were known for spectacular explosions that would also wipe out anything in the vicinity. As a result, unless they were loading munitions on other ships, they often anchored off by themselves. The Mazama participated in the Battle of the Philippines and Leyte Gulf.
While anchored at Ulithi Atoll, Geimer witnessed the first successful attack of a chiton, a Japanese manned suicide torpedo which sank a fleet oiler on November 20, 1944. By December 1, the Mazama headed to Espirito Santo to replenish her munition stores. Fully loaded, she returned to Ulithi on January 5, 1945.
While at anchor on January 12, another chiton got by the submarine nets and was sighted off the Mazama's starboard quarter. Minutes later, the Mazama was rocked by a terrific blast that blew her bow out of the water. By some miracle, the ammunition in her hold did not detonate.
The Mazama was severely damaged and started taking on water. Pumps were engaged to counteract flooding and munitions were transferred to other ships. Tons of damaged munitions were dumped overboard.
On this date in 1945, Geimer, along with his crewmates, were desperately trying to save their ship, caulking and plugging burst hull seams. The Mazama was eventually able to limp back to San Francisco for major repairs. By June, Bill and the Mazama were headed back to war with 5,000 tons of ammunition, remaining in the battle zone until the war ended.
Bill Geimer left the Navy in 1946 and came back to North Dakota. He got an associate degree in mechanics and business in Wahpeton, married Carol Jett, and had two children. Bill Geimer passed away in 2014.
Dakota Datebook written by Scott Nelson
