Born in 1928 and raised in Jersey City, New Jersey, Henry Carattini enlisted in the U.S. Navy at the age of 17. He served from 1945-1946. During World War II, he was assigned to the U.S.S. Puget Sound (CVE-113), an escort aircraft carrier, out of the Pacific fleet. Mr. Carattini worked as a catapult and equipment operator helping to launch aircrafts from the ship.
Seaman Carattini was part of the crew that commissioned the ship in 1945 and also de-commissioned it in 1946. For his service, Mr. Carattini received the Victory Medal, American Theater Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Medal and reached the rank of Seaman First Class.
Following the war, Mr. Carattini went back to school to learn carpentry, worked as a safecracker and eventually worked for many years at St. John’s University. Mr. Carattini moved to Smithtown in the early 1960s.
Mr. Carattini’s interview was recorded at the Smithtown Library on July 2, 2019.
Most of the images below illustrate Mr. Carattini’s military service in the U.S. Navy. Images courtesy of Henry Carattini.
