Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Lighter |
Catalog Number |
2005.33.5 |
Maker |
Gibson |
Date |
ca. 1957 |
Material(s) |
Nickel/Brass |
Description |
This is a Gibson brand nickel-plated brass lighter with a hinged top. An outline drawing of a destroyer labeled "U.S.S. COBB APD-106" is engraved in the side. Scratched on the opposite side is "J.J. Hicks 440-92-37". The Gibson logo is stamped on the bottom. |
Notes |
Jolly J. Hicks (1934-2012) was born June 23, 1934, in Catlettsburg, Kentucky, the son of John H. and Minnie Rowe Hicks. Jolly Hicks served on the U.S.S. Cobb 1953-1957. The U.S.S. Walter B. Cobb was an attack personnel transport, APD-106, launched in May of 1945. It was mothballed after WWII but recommissioned at the beginning of the Korean War in February 1951. The ship was named after a young sailor, Walter B. Cobb (1919-1942) from Grays in Knox County, Kentucky. Cobb achieved fame during the 1942 naval battles off Guadalcanal. Blown off his original ship, the U.S.S. Mugford, by Japanese aerial bombing, Cobb was picked up by a second destoyer, the U.S.S. Ralph Talbot. Volunteering to man a gun on the Talbott, Cobb and the Talbott ran into a strong force of Japanese cruisers on the night of August 9, 1942. Cobb and eleven shipmates were killed during the encounter, what became known as the First Battle of Savo Island. |
Collection |
Jolly Hicks Collection |
People |
Cobb, Walter Benjamin, 1919-1942 Hicks, Jolly J., 1934-2012 |
Subjects |
Naval ships Navies Ships Smoking |
Search Terms |
Catlettsburg (Ky.) Boyd County (Ky.) World War II World War Two World War, 1939-1945 U.S. Navy United States Navy |