Rescued cat lived on USS North Carolina 80 years ago during World War II. Meet George
As World War II raged in the Pacific, a U.S. battleship added a unique new resident.
The newcomer didn’t “look or act exactly human” but was “enlisted” on Aug. 28, 1944, records show.
Now, on the 80-year anniversary of George the cat making his debut on the USS North Carolina, military documents give insight into his life.
How did George get on the ship?
George arrived on the ship after his owner rescued him off the coast of New Caledonia, an island east of Australia.
“I will always remember my pets,” crew member Edward F. Cope said, according to a past post from the USS North Carolina Battleship Facebook page. “‘George,’ my cat, whom I pulled out of the bay at Noumea.”
George later was “enlisted” as an electrician’s mate and given a service number. He even had his photo taken for his U.S. Navy health card, according to details and documents that Battleship North Carolina shared with McClatchy News via email.
“George the cat received his clear medical record, which describes his religion as ‘Catholic’, his next of kin as ‘the guys in the lighting shop; USS North Carolina’, and his eyes as ‘green; peachy condition,’” the battleship wrote on social media.
The records, from a physical exam George got in September 1944, also list George as 1 foot, 1 inch with a “hairy” complexion. A human anatomy drawing was altered to add his ears and tail.
So, what happened to George?
“‘George’ lived with me in the lighting shop for over a year and then went over the hill when we reached Seattle,” said Cope, who also kept lizards on the ship.
History of pets on ships
Over the years, historians said animals “were a source of companionship and affection onboard ships named North Carolina.” For example, a dog and cat lived on the Armored Cruiser North Carolina in the early 1900s.
“It wasn’t uncommon to have a cat onboard a ship for centuries as they kept the rodent population down,” Mary Ames Booker, curator of Battleship North Carolina, told McClatchy News in an email.
The USS North Carolina, now docked at a museum site in Wilmington, was commissioned from 1941 to 1947. The ship “participated in every major naval offensive in the Pacific theater of operations during World War II,” according to the Battleship North Carolina website.
This story was originally published August 28, 2024 at 7:03 AM with the headline "Rescued cat lived on USS North Carolina 80 years ago during World War II. Meet George."
