With the 1942 season fully in the rear view mirror and the departure of key players (including Bob Feller and Sam Chapman), the retooled and heavily re-stocked 1943 Norfolk Naval Training Station Bluejackets roster was, perhaps the most formidable base or command team in the armed forces. This program showcases the ’43 team’s opening weekend series against the Washington Senators ahead of the Major League Baseball opening, played on April 2, 1943.
The two-sided single sheet of card stock is professionally printed and incorporates subtle, yet classy cover art and 11 head-shot roster photos (four members of each team) along with the Bluejackets’s leadership (on the back cover). Each team is divided up by position and the rosters provide jersey numbers and their 1942 team experience.
Download a printable copy of this program.
Showing all four panels of the April 1943 Norfolk Naval Training Station vs Washington Senators program. The paper of this program is slightly discolored due to aging and it has been folded (perhaps kept in a uniform pocket of an attendee) yet the overall condition is quite good.
The two interior pages provide rosters of each team which include the team members’ name, jersey numbers, position and previous professional ball-playing experience.
Norfolk Naval Training Station Bluejackets:
| No. | Name | Position | 1942 Club |
| 2 | Ben McCoy | Inf | Great Lakes |
| 7 | Jim Carlin | Inf | NTS Norfolk |
| 8 | Jack Conway | Inf | Baltimore/NTS Norfolk |
| 13 | Phil Rizzuto | Inf | New York Yankees |
| 16 | Eddie Robinson | Inf | Baltimore |
| 19 | Jeff Cross | Inf | Rochester/Houston |
| 3 | Ernest DeVaurs | OF | NTS Norfolk |
| 21 | Don Padgett | OF | St. Louis/Great Lakes |
| 11 | Jim Gleeson | OF | Cincinnati/Columbus |
| 9 | Dominick DiMaggio | OF | Boston Red Sox |
| 20 | Mel Preibisch | OF/Asst. | NTS Norfolk |
| 1 | Fred Hutchinson | P | NTS Norfolk |
| 5 | Walter Masterson | P | Washington |
| 6 | Henry Feimster | P | NTS Norfolk |
| 10 | Tom Earley | P | Boston Braves |
| 12 | Max Wilson | P | NTS Norfolk |
| 14 | Charles Wagner | P | Boston Red Sox |
| 15 | Ray Volpi | P | Kansas City |
| 17 | Carl Ray | P | NTS Norfolk |
| 4 | Vincent Smith | C | NTS Norfolk |
| 18 | Bill Deininger | C | Sheboygan Wis. |
| G. R. Bodie, Bos’n | Head Coach | NTS Norfolk | |
| C. M. Parker, Ensign | Assistant | NTS Norfolk |
The addition of the Norfolk base’s leadership and the message from Captain McClure is a nice touch along with the month’s playing schedule at the bottom of the page.
Chevrons and Diamonds 