Criteria The Medal of Honor is awarded for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of one's life, above and beyond the call of duty. This gallantry must be performed either while engaged in action ag... The Medal of Honor is awarded for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of one's life, above and beyond the call of duty. This gallantry must be performed either while engaged in action against an enemy of the United States; while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or, while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party. MoreHide
Comments "For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of the U.S.S. JOHNSTON in action against major units of the enemy Japanese fl... "For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of the U.S.S. JOHNSTON in action against major units of the enemy Japanese fleet during the Battle off Samar on 25 October 1944. The first to lay a smokescreen and to open fire as an enemy task force, vastly superior in number, firepower and armor, rapidly approached. Commander Evans gallantly diverted the powerful blasts of hostile guns from the lightly armed and armored carriers under his protection, launching the first torpedo attack when the JOHNSTON came under straddling Japanese shellfire. Undaunted by damage sustained under the terrific volume of fire, he unhesitatingly joined others of his group to provide fire support during subsequent torpedo attacks against the Japanese and, outshooting and outmaneuvering the enemy as he consistently interposed his vessel between the hostile fleet units and our carriers despite the crippling loss of engine power and communications with steering aft, shifted command to the fantail, shouted steering orders through an open hatch to men turning the rudder by hand and battled furiously until the JOHNSTON, burning and shuddering from a mortal blow, lay dead in the water after 3 hours of fierce combat. Seriously wounded early in the engagement, Commander Evans, by his indomitable courage and brilliant professional skill, aided materially in turning back the enemy during a critical phase of the action. His valiant fighting spirit throughout this historic battle will venture as an inspiration to all who served with him." MoreHide
Criteria The Bronze Star Medal may be awarded to individuals who, while serving in any capacity with the Armed Forces of the United States in a combat theater, distinguish themselves by heroism, outstanding ac... The Bronze Star Medal may be awarded to individuals who, while serving in any capacity with the Armed Forces of the United States in a combat theater, distinguish themselves by heroism, outstanding achievement, or by meritorious service not involving aerial flight. MoreHide
Comments
Commanding Johnston, he was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious achievement in action against a Japanese submarine on 16 May 1944.
Criteria The Purple Heart may be awarded to any member of the Armed Forces of the United States who, while serving under competent authority in any capacity with one of the Armed Forces, has been wounded, kill... The Purple Heart may be awarded to any member of the Armed Forces of the United States who, while serving under competent authority in any capacity with one of the Armed Forces, has been wounded, killed, or who has died or may die of wounds received in armed combat or as a result of an act of international terrorism. MoreHide
Criteria The Presidential Unit Citation may be awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and cobelligerent nations for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy occurring on or aft... The Presidential Unit Citation may be awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and cobelligerent nations for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy occurring on or after December 7, 1941. MoreHide
Description "For extraordinary heroism in action against powerful units of the Japanese Fleet during the Battle off Samar, Philippines, October 25, 1944. Silhouetted against the dawn as the Central Japanese Force... "For extraordinary heroism in action against powerful units of the Japanese Fleet during the Battle off Samar, Philippines, October 25, 1944. Silhouetted against the dawn as the Central Japanese Force steamed through San Bernardino Strait towards Leyte Gulf, Task Unit 77.4.3 was suddenly taken under attack by hostile cruisers on its port hand, destroyers on the starboard and battleships from the rear. Quickly laying down a heavy smoke screen, the gallant ships of the Task Unit waged battle fiercely against the superior speed and fire power of the advancing enemy, swiftly launching and rearming aircraft and violently zigzagging in protection of vessels stricken by hostile armor-piercing shells, anti-personnel projectiles and suicide bombers. With one carrier of the group sunk, others badly damaged and squadron aircraft courageously coordinating in the attacks by making dry runs over the enemy Fleet as the Japanese relentlessly closed in for the kill, two of the Unit's valiant destroyers and one destroyer escort charged the battleships point-blank and, expending their last torpedoes in desperate defense of the entire group, went down under the enemy's heavy shells as a climax to two and one half hours of sustained and furious combat. The courageous determination and the superb teamwork of the officers and men who fought the embarked planes and who manned the ships of Task Unit 77.4.3 were instrumental in effecting the retirement of a hostile force threatening our Leyte invasion operations and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service." MoreHide
Criteria The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal was awarded for for qualifying service within the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946, under any of the following condi... The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal was awarded for for qualifying service within the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946, under any of the following conditions: On permanent assignment within the Asiatic-Pacific Theater; or, For service in a passenger status or on temporary duty for 30 consecutive days or 60 non-consecutive days; or, For service in active combat in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations against the enemy and awarded a combat decoration or furnished a certificate by the commanding general of a corps, higher unit, or independent force that the individual actually participated in combat. MoreHide
Criteria The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal was awarded for for qualifying service within the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946, under any of the following condi... The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal was awarded for for qualifying service within the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946, under any of the following conditions: On permanent assignment within the Asiatic-Pacific Theater; or, For service in a passenger status or on temporary duty for 30 consecutive days or 60 non-consecutive days; or, For service in active combat in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations against the enemy and awarded a combat decoration or furnished a certificate by the commanding general of a corps, higher unit, or independent force that the individual actually participated in combat. MoreHide
Criteria The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal was awarded for for qualifying service within the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946, under any of the following condi... The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal was awarded for for qualifying service within the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946, under any of the following conditions: On permanent assignment within the Asiatic-Pacific Theater; or, For service in a passenger status or on temporary duty for 30 consecutive days or 60 non-consecutive days; or, For service in active combat in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations against the enemy and awarded a combat decoration or furnished a certificate by the commanding general of a corps, higher unit, or independent force that the individual actually participated in combat. MoreHide
Criteria The Philippine Defense Medal was awarded for service in the defense of the Philippines from December 8, 1941 to June 15, 1942, under either of the following conditions: Participation in any engagement... The Philippine Defense Medal was awarded for service in the defense of the Philippines from December 8, 1941 to June 15, 1942, under either of the following conditions: Participation in any engagement against the enemy in Philippine territory, waters, or in the air over the Philippines or Philippine waters; or, Assigned or stationed in Philippine territory or waters for not less than thirty days during the authorizing period. MoreHide
Criteria The Philippine Liberation Medal was awarded for service in the liberation of the Philippines from October 17, 1944, to September 2, 1945. In order to qualify, one of the following provisions must be m... The Philippine Liberation Medal was awarded for service in the liberation of the Philippines from October 17, 1944, to September 2, 1945. In order to qualify, one of the following provisions must be met: Participation in the initial landing operation of Leyte and adjoining islands from October 7-20, 1944; or, Participation in any engagement against the enemy during the Philippine Liberation Campaign; or, Service in the Philippine Islands or in ships in Philippine wates for not less than 30 days during the period of October 17, 1944 to September 2, 1945. MoreHide
Description Guam, ringed by reefs, cliffs, and heavy surf, presents a formidable challenge for an attacker. But despite the obstacles, on 21 July, the Americans landed on both sides of the Orote peninsula on the Guam, ringed by reefs, cliffs, and heavy surf, presents a formidable challenge for an attacker. But despite the obstacles, on 21 July, the Americans landed on both sides of the Orote peninsula on the western side of Guam, planning to cut off the airfield. The 3rd Marine Division landed near Agana to the north of Orote at 08:28, and the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade landed near Agat to the south. Japanese artillery sank 20 LVTs, and inflicted heavy casualties on the Americans, especially on the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade, but by 09:00 men and tanks were ashore at both beaches. The 77th Infantry Division had a more difficult landing. Lacking amphibious vehicles, they had to wade ashore from the edge of the reef where they were dropped by their landing craft. The men stationed in the two beachheads were pinned down by heavy Japanese fire, making initial progress inland quite slow.
US Marines move inland.
By nightfall, the Americans had established beachheads about 6,600 feet (2,000 m) deep. Japanese counterattacks were made throughout the first few days of the battle, mostly at night, using infiltration tactics. Several times, they penetrated the American defenses and were driven back with heavy loss of men and equipment. Lieutenant General Takeshi Takashina was killed on 28 July, and Lieutenant General Hideyoshi Obata took over the command of the defenders.
Supply was very difficult for the Americans in the first days of the battle. Landing ships could not come closer than the reef, several hundred yards from the beach, and amphibious vehicles were scarce. However, the two beachheads were joined up on 25 July, and the Orote airfield and Apra harbor were captured by 30 July.
The counterattacks against the American beachheads, as well as the fierce fighting, had exhausted the Japanese. At the start of August, they were running out of food and ammunition and had only a handful of tanks left. Obata withdrew his troops from the south of Guam, planning to make a stand in the mountainous central and northern part of the island. But with resupply and reinforcement impossible because of American control of the sea and air around Guam, he could hope to do no more than delay the inevitable defeat for a few days.
Rain and thick jungle made conditions difficult for the Americans, but after an engagement at Mount Barrigada from 2-4 August, the Japanese line collapsed; the rest of the battle was a pursuit to the north. As in other battles of the Pacific War, the Japanese refused to surrender, and almost all were killed. On 10 August, after three weeks of combat, organized Japanese resistance ended, and Guam was declared secure. The next day, Obata committed ritual suicide. ... More
Memories On July 21, 1944 Johnston supported the Pearl Harbor veteran battleship USS Pennsylvania (BB 38) durOn July 21, 1944 Johnston supported the Pearl Harbor veteran battleship USS Pennsylvania (BB 38) during her bombardment of Guam. By July 29th Johnston had hurled more than 4,000 5-inch shells at the beaches. ... More
Description The Battle of Peleliu, codenamed Operation Stalemate II, was fought between the United States and the Empire of Japan in the Pacific Theater of World War II, from September–November 1944 on the islandThe Battle of Peleliu, codenamed Operation Stalemate II, was fought between the United States and the Empire of Japan in the Pacific Theater of World War II, from September–November 1944 on the island of Peleliu, present-day Palau. U.S. Marines of the First Marine Division and later soldiers of the U.S. Army's 81st Infantry Division, fought to capture an airstrip on the small coral island. This battle was part of a larger offensive campaign known as Operation Forager which ran from June–November 1944 in the Pacific Theater of Operations.
Major General William Rupertus, USMC—commander of 1st Marine Division—predicted the island would be secured within four days. However, due to Japan's well-crafted fortifications and stiff resistance, the battle lasted over two months. In the United States, it was a controversial battle because of the island's questionable strategic value and the high casualty rate, which exceeded all other amphibious operations during the Pacific War. The National Museum of the Marine Corps called it "the bitterest battle of the war for the Marines".... More
Memories By September 1944 Johnston was assigned to Task Unit 32.7.2 of the Western Escort Carrier Task GroupBy September 1944 Johnston was assigned to Task Unit 32.7.2 of the Western Escort Carrier Task Group 32.7, screening the escort carriers Saginaw Bay, Kalinin Bay, and Petrof Bay for the invasion of the Palau Islands. ... More
Description The Battle of Samar (25 October 1944) was the nearest the Japanese came to success during the battle of Leyte Gulf and saw a powerful Japanese battleship force come close to destroying a force of AmerThe Battle of Samar (25 October 1944) was the nearest the Japanese came to success during the battle of Leyte Gulf and saw a powerful Japanese battleship force come close to destroying a force of American escort carriers.
The Japanese realised that an American invasion of the Philippines or of Formosa would cut their Empire in half and prevent vital supplies reaching the Home Islands from the south part of the empire. They decided to try and fight the 'decisive battle' of the war wherever the Americans attacked next. If the Americans attacked the Philippines then the Japanese hoped to use the scattered elements of their fleet in a coordinated attack that might allow them to get at the vulnerable invasion fleet. In the final version of the plan Admiral Ozawa's carriers, coming from Japan, were to drag the US 3rd Fleet away from the invasion beaches in Leyte Gulf, allowing three other Japanese fleets to advance through the central Philippines to attack the invasion fleets.
The most important of these three fleets was Admiral Kurita's I Striking Force. Admiral Kurita began the battle of Leyte Gulf with a powerful fleet, containing five battleships, twelve cruisers and fifteen destroyers. Amongst the battleships were the Musashi and the Yamato, the biggest and most powerful battleships in the world. He also had the older battleships Kongo, Haruna and Nagato, twelve cruisers and fifteen destroyers. This force suffered grievous losses before reaching Samar. In the two day battle of the Sibuyan Sea (23-24 October 1944) the Musashi was sunk by American aircraft, two cruisers were sunk by two American subs and a third crippled. Kurita started the battle of Samar with four battleships, six cruisers and ten destroyers.
On the American side the bulk of the battle was fought by Admiral Sprague's Taffy Three, with six escort carriers, three destroyers and four destroyer escorts. The escort carriers carried modern aircraft, but these were armed for ground attack and so didn't have many of the armour piercing bombs needed against battleships. Twelve more escort carriers in two groups were in the area, but the 7th Fleet's six old battleships were away to the south defending the Surigao Strait. The powerful modern carriers and fast battleships of the 3rd Fleet had been lured away to the north to try and intercept Ozawa's carriers (Battle of Cape Engano). Admiral Kinkaid, commander of the 7th Fleet, believed that Halsey had left a powerful task force (Task Force 34, Admiral Lee) to watch Kurita, but in fact this force had accompanied the 3rd Fleet north.
On the night of 24-25 October Kurita passed through the San Bernardino Straits, turned south and headed for Leyte Gulf. Soon after this, at about 5.30, he learnt that Admiral Nishimura's force had been destroyed and Admiral Shima was retreating (battle of the Surigao Strait). He probably never received the messages Ozawa sent out announcing that the 3rd Fleet was chasing him. Kurita could justifiably believe that the main parts of both the US 3rd and 7th Fleets were somewhere in or close to Leyte Gulf.
At about dawn (6.30) Kurita found Admiral Sprague's Taffy 3, a task force made up of six escort carriers and seven escorts. Kurita believed that he had found a 'gigantic enemy task force' containing large carriers, cruisers, destroyers and possibly battleships. He decided to abandon the charge into Leyte Gulf and turned to attack Sprague's force. At 6.58 the Yamato's main guns opened fire on a surface target for the first time.
Sprague realised that he was in trouble. At 7.01 he issued a call for help in the clear, ordered his aircraft into the air and headed for a nearby rain squall. Under cover of the rain he decided to try and reach the support of Taffy 2, thirty miles to the south. His destroyers were ordered to attack the Japanese fleet while the carriers made their best speed south.
Sprague's aircraft had a limited potential to do serious damage to the Japanese battleships. The escort carriers didn't have enough storage space to carry both fragmentation bombs for ground support and a significant number of armour piercing bombs. The Japanese had no way to know that, and the American aircraft were able to force the Japanese heavy ships into frantic manoeuvres, slowing their pursuit of the carriers. The torpedo firing destroyers were equally effective.
Just after 7.20am the cruiser Kumano was hit by a torpedo from the US destroyer Johnston DD-557. Her speed was reduced, and at 9.45 she was detached from the main fleet and ordered back through the San Bernardino Strait. This brought her into range of aircraft from the US 3rd Fleet and at around 9.45 she was attacked by SB2C dive-bombers and TBM torpedo bombers from TF 38. They only managed to score one near miss. A second attack early on 26 October managed three bomb hits, but the cruiser could still make 10kts. The Kumano managed to reach safety at Manila where she underwent repairs before leaving for Japan on 5 November. Her luck now turned - her convoy was attacked by four American submarines and the cruiser was hit twice. She remained afloat and reached Dasol Bay on the Luzon coast, but on 25 November she was sunk by American aircraft.
This first destroyer attack cost the Americans dearly. The Johnston was hit by three 14in and three 6in shells and the Hoel by shells that disabled her main engine. The Hoel remained in the fight until she was unable to move and at about 8.30 her crew abandoned ship.
A little further south the escort carriers came under fire from the Japanese battleships. Kalinin Bay and Gambier Bay were both hit but managed to main their position until the Gambier Bay was hit in the forward engine room. The destroyer Johnston attempted to distract attention from the stricken carrier but without success and the Gambier Bay sank at around 8.45am. The Johnston then managed to break up a light cruiser attack on the carriers, but in the process she became their main target and was sunk. Only 141 of her 327 crewmen survived.
The cruiser Chikuma was hit by a torpedo at around 8.54. It was a sign that Sprague's men were getting closer to help that this torpedo was probably launched by an aircraft from Admiral Felix B. Stump's Task Group 77.4.2. The engine rooms flooded, and the ship came to a halt. She was unable to respond when Kurita decided to withdraw from battle, and was left alone. She sank during the day with the loss of most of her crew. Another 100 were rescued by the destroyer Nowaki, but that ship was lost on the night of 25-26 October with the loss of all hands.
The cruiser Chokai was hit by 500lb bombs at around 9.05am. The bombs caused heavy fires and damaged the forward engine room. The cruiser came to a halt, and couldn't be rescued. At around 10.30 the crippled cruiser was sunk by a spread of torpedoes from the destroyer Fujinami.
By this time Kurita was rather losing his grip on the battle. The Yamato was some way behind his cruisers and visibility was poor. He wasn't aware of the damage to three of his cruisers, and had lost sight of the carriers. At 9.11, believing that he had won a major victory over a squadron of fleet carriers, Kurita ordered his surviving ships to withdraw from the battle.
At about 10.50 the cruiser Suzuya suffered a near miss that detonated the torpedoes in the starboard forward torpedo tubes. This set off a fire made worse when more of her torpedoes exploded at around 11.00. Damage control measures failed and at about 12 noon a series of ammunition explosions began. The ship was abandoned at 1pm and sank twenty minutes later.
Taffy 3's ordeal wasn't yet over. At 10.50, just as the Suzuya was being attacked, nine kamikaze aircraft attacked the task group, in one of the first organised suicide attacks of the war. Most were destroyed or missed, but one hit the escort carrier St Lô, triggering explosions that sank her. A second kamikaze attack twenty minutes later did more damage but failed to sink anything.
It took Kurita about two hours to regroup. He then turned south with his remaining fifteen ships in an attempt to reach Leyte Gulf, the original target of his operation. At 11.40 one of his lookouts reported sighting a battleship and destroyers. The fleet turned aside to chase this phantom before turning south again. At around 12.30, when only forty five miles from Leyte Gulf, Kurita decided that it wasn't worth risking the destruction of his fleet just to sink empty transport ships. He had also received reports that an American carrier task force had been sighted 113 miles north of the gulf, and he now decided to turn north to deal with this
In fact Halsey's carriers were still far to the north. All morning he had been receiving urgent calls for help, but had refused to turn back. In the resulting battle of Cape Engano Halsey sank all four of Ozawa's carriers. At around 11 he ordered one of his carrier groups to turn south, and his fourth carrier group, which was some way to the east, was also directed towards Kurita. This fourth task group was first to come into range and during the afternoon it launched two attacks on Kurita's fleet. After spending all afternoon looking for the American carriers Kurita retired to the eastern end of the San Bernardino Strait at 6pm. He was under orders to wait for dark and try and fight a night battle, but at 9.25, with fuel short, he decided to retreat west through the straits. He would suffer further air attack on 26 October, but the main fighting in Leyte Gulf was over.
Kurita has since been blamed for his decisions to withdraw from combat at 9.11 and to turn back from Leyte Gulf at 12.30. Both can be defended using the information available to Kurita at the time, but he later believed the second decision to have been a mistake. If Kurita had advanced into Leyte Gulf then his fleet would almost certainly have been destroyed - if not by Kinkaid's escort carriers and old battleships then by the 3rd Fleet. All he could have achieved was the destruction of empty transport ships, and perhaps a damaging bombardment of the US troops on Leyte, but neither would have altered the eventual course of the fighting in the Philippines.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_samar.html... More
People You Remember Commander Evans was the Commanding Officer of USS JOHNSTON (DD 557) and a unit of Task Unit 77.4.3. Commander Evans was the Commanding Officer of USS JOHNSTON (DD 557) and a unit of Task Unit 77.4.3. (Taffy III).
Task Unit 77.4.3 consisted of six escort carriers (CVEs) FANSHAW BAY, ST LO, WHITE PLAINS, KALININ BAY, KITKUN BAY, & GAMBIER BAY, three destroyers (DDs) HOEL, HEERMANN, & JOHNSTON, and four smaller destroyer escorts (DEs) JOHN C. BUTLER, DENNIS, RAYMOND, & SAMUEL B. ROBERTS. They fought the vastly superior Imperial Japanese Navy Centre Force at Leyte Gulf on October 25, 1944, sustaining losses of five warships sunk and nearly all remaining warships heavily damaged; with the high cost of nearly 900 American lives. ... More
Other Memories
USS Johnston (DD-557) was a World War II-era Fletcher-class destroyer in the service of the United States Navy. She was the first Navy ship named after Lieutenant John V. Johnston.
Johnston was laid down 6 May 1942 by the Seattle Tacoma Shipbuilding Co., Seattle, Washington; launched 25 March 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Marie S. Klinger, great-niece of her namesake; and commissioned 27 October 1943, Lieutenant Commander Ernest E. Evans in command.
The day Johnston was commissioned, Cmdr. Evans made a speech to the crew: "This is going to be a fighting ship. I intend to go in harm's way, and anyone who doesn't want to go along had better get off right now."[1] During the Marshall Islands campaign 3 months later, Johnston bombarded the beaches at Kwajalein 1 February 1944, and made a 5-day bombardment of Eniwetok 17?22 February. She gave direct support to invasion troops there, destroying several pillboxes and taking revetments along the beach under fire. En route to patrol duty in the Solomons 28 March 1944, she bombarded Kapingamarangi Atoll in the Carolines. An observation tower, several blockhouses, pillboxes and dugouts along the beach were shelled. Two days later she came into the mouth of the Maririca River, southeast of Empress Augusta Bay, Bougainville, Solomon Islands. After laying a heavy barrage into that area, she took up antisubmarine patrol off Bougainville. During this duty 15 May 1944, she depth charged and sank the Japanese submarine I-176.
After 3 months of patrol in the Solomons, Johnston sailed to the Marshall Islands to prepare for the invasion and capture of Guam in the Marianas. On 21 July 1944 she teamed up with that Pearl Harbor "ghost", the battleship Pennsylvania, to bombard Guam. The destroyer had sent in more than 4,000 rounds of shells by 29 July. Her accurate gunfire shattered the enemy 4 inch battery installations, numerous pillboxes and buildings. Johnston next helped protect escort carriers providing air support for the invasion and capture of the Palau Islands.
Now the time had come for General MacArthur's long awaited return to the Philippines. Following replenishment at Seeadler Harbor, Admiralty Islands, she sailed 12 October 1944 to help protect the escort carriers maintaining air supremacy over eastern Leyte and the Gulf, sweeping the enemy off local airfields, giving troops direct support on the landing beaches from 20 October, and even destroying vehicle transport and supply convoys on the roads of Leyte itself. Johnston was operating with "Taffy 3" (Escort Carrier Task Unit 77.4.3) comprising Rear Admiral Clifton A. F. ?Ziggy? Sprague's flagship Fanshaw Bay (CVE-70), five other escort carriers, three destroyers including herself, and four destroyer-escorts. "Taffy 3" was one of the three units of Rear Admiral Thomas L. Sprague's Escort Carrier Task Group 77.4 known by their voice calls as "Taffy 1", "Taffy 2", and "Taffy 3".
The morning of 23 October 1944 American submarines detected and attacked units of the Japanese fleet coming in from the South China Sea toward the precarious Leyte beachhead. The battleship-cruiser-destroyer Southern Force was decimated as it attempted to enter Leyte Gulf via Surigao Strait the night of 24?25 October 1944. The more powerful battleship-cruiser-destroyer Center Force under Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita had been pounded by Admiral ?Bull? Halsey?s attack carrier planes and presumably turned back from San Bernardino Strait. Admiral Halsey then raced north with his attack carriers and heavy battleships to engage a Japanese carrier-battleship task force off Cape Engano. This left Johnston and her small escort carrier task unit lonely sentinels in north Leyte Gulf, east of Samar and off San Bernadino Strait.
As enemy ships fled the Battle of Surigao Strait at daybreak of 25 October 1944, the powerful Japanese Center Force slipped through San Bernadino Strait and into Leyte Gulf. It steamed along the coast of Samar directly for Johnston?s little task unit and the American invasion beachhead at Leyte, hoping to destroy amphibious shipping and American troops on shore.
One of the pilots flying patrol after dawn alert of 25 October 1944 reported the approach of Japanese Center Force. Steaming straight for "Taffy 3" were 4 battleships, 7 cruisers, and at least 12 destroyers. Johnston's gunnery officer later reported "We felt like little David without a slingshot." In less than a minute Johnston was zigzagging between the six little escort carriers and the Japanese fleet and putting out a smoke screen over a 2,500-yard front to conceal the carriers from the enemy gunners: "Even as we began laying smoke, the Japanese started lobbing shells at us and the Johnston had to zigzag between the splashes.... We were the first destroyer to make smoke, the first to start firing, the first to launch a torpedo attack...."[citation needed]
For the first 20 minutes, Johnston was helpless as the enemy cruisers and battleships had her in range. But the destroyer's 5 inch guns could not yet reach them. Not waiting for orders, Commander Ernest E. Evans breaks defensive formation, and goes on the offensive by ordering Johnston to speed directly towards the enemy?first a line of seven destroyers, next one light and three heavy cruisers, then the four battleships. To the east appeared three other cruisers and several destroyers. Amazingly, the enemy gunners could not score a hit on Johnston.
As soon as range closed to within 10 miles, Johnston opened her 5 inch battery on the nearest cruiser, IJN Kumano, scoring damaging hits. About this time an 8 inch shell landed right off her bow, its red dye splashing the face of Johnston?s gunnery officer, Lt. Robert C. Hagen. He mopped the dye from his eyes while remarking: "Looks like somebody's mad at us!"[citation needed] In 5 furious minutes, Johnston pumped over 200 rounds at the enemy, then Cmdr. Evans ordered, "Fire torpedoes!" The destroyer got off 10 torpedoes then whipped around to retire behind a heavy smoke screen. When she came out of the smoke a minute later, Kumano could be seen burning furiously from a torpedo hit; Kumano?s bow had been blown completely off. Johnston had taken three 14 inch shell hits from the battleship Kongo, followed closely by three 6 inch shells, from either a light cruiser or possibly the Yamato, hitting the bridge. The hits resulted in the loss of all power to the steering engine, all power to the three 5 inch guns in the after part of the ship, and rendered the gyrocompass useless. A rainstorm came up and Johnston "ducked into it" for a few minutes of rapid repairs and salvage work. The bridge was abandoned and Commander Evans, who had lost two fingers on his left hand, went to the aft steering column to conn the ship.
At 7:50 a.m., Admiral Sprague ordered destroyers to make a torpedo attack: "small boys attack". But Johnston had already expended torpedoes. With one engine, she could not keep up with the others: "But that wasn't Cmdr. Evans' way of fighting: 'We'll go in with the destroyers and provide fire support,' he boomed."[citation needed] Johnston went in, dodging salvos and blasting back. As she charged out of blinding smoke, pointed straight at the bridge of USS Heermann (DD-532), "All engines back full!" bellowed Cmdr. Evans.[citation needed] That meant one engine for Johnston who could hardly do more than slow down. But Heerman?s two engines backed her barely out of the collision course?Johnston missed her by less than 10 feet. Now there was so much smoke that Evans ordered no firing unless the gunnery officer could see the ship. "At 8:20, there suddenly appeared out of the smoke a 30,000-ton Kongô-class battleship, only 7,000 yards off our port beam. I took one look at the unmistakable pagoda mast, muttered, 'I sure as hell can see that!" and opened fire. In 40 seconds we got off 30 rounds, at least 15 of which hit the pagoda superstructure.... The battleship belched a few 14 inchers at us, but, thank God, registered only clean misses."[citation needed]
Johnston soon observed the carrier Gambier Bay (CVE-73) under fire from an enemy cruiser: "Cmdr. Evans then gave me the most courageous order I've ever heard: 'Commence firing on that cruiser, draw her fire on us and away from Gambier Bay.'"[citation needed] Johnston scored four hits in a deliberate slugging match with a heavy cruiser, then broke off the futile battle as the Japanese destroyer squadron was seen closing rapidly on the American escort carriers. Johnston outfought the entire Japanese destroyer squadron, concentrating on the lead ship until the enemy quit cold, then concentrated on the second destroyer until the remaining enemy units broke off to get out of effective gun range before launching torpedoes, all of which went wild. But then, the cruiser and destroyers opened fire on Johnston, and right when it was most needed, the damaged remaining engine quit, leaving Johnston dead in the water.
The enemy ships closed in for an easy kill, pouring fire into the crippled destroyer. Johnston took a hit which knocked out one forward gun, damaged another, and her bridge was rendered untenable by fires and explosions resulting from a hit in her 40 mm ready ammunition locker. Evans, who had shifted his command to Johnston?s fantail, was yelling orders through an open hatch to men turning her rudder by hand. At one of her batteries a crewman kept calling "More shells! More shells!"[citation needed] Still the destroyer battled to keep the Japanese destroyers and cruisers from reaching the five surviving American carriers: "We were now in a position where all the gallantry and guts in the world couldn't save us, but we figured that help for the carrier must be on the way, and every minute's delay might count.... By 9:30 we were going dead in the water; even the Japanese couldn't miss us. They made a sort of running semicircle around our ship, shooting at us like a bunch of Indians attacking a prairie schooner. Our lone engine and fire room was knocked out; we lost all power, and even the indomitable skipper knew we were finished. At 9:45 he gave the saddest order a captain can give: 'Abandon Ship.'... At 10:10 Johnston rolled over and began to sink. A Japanese destroyer came up to 1,000 yards and pumped a final shot into her to make sure she went down. A survivor saw the Japanese captain salute her as she went down. That was the end of Johnston." [citation needed]
From Johnston's complement of 327, only 141 were saved. Of 186 lost, about 50 were killed by enemy action, 45 died on rafts from battle injuries; and 92, including Cmdr. Evans, were alive in the water after Johnston sank, but were never heard from again.
The destroyer Hoel (DD-533) and destroyer escort Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413) also sacrificed themselves to save the escort carriers and to protect the landings at Leyte. Two of four Japanese heavy cruisers were sunk by combined surface and air attacks, and Admiral Clifton Sprague was soon amazed by the sight of the retirement of Kurita's entire fleet. By this time planes of "Taffy 2" and Taffy 1" and every available unit of the Fleet were headed to assisting the fighting "Taffy 3." But Johnston and her little escort carrier task unit had stopped Admiral Kurita's powerful Center Force in the Battle off Samar, inflicting a greater loss than they suffered.
Johnston's supreme courage and daring in the Battle off Samar won her the Presidential Unit Citation as a unit of "Taffy 3" (Task Unit 77.4.3). Lt. Cmdr. Ernest E. Evans was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor: "The skipper was a fighting man from the soles of his broad feet to the ends of his straight black hair. He was an Oklahoman and proud of the Indian blood he had in him. We called him?though not to his face?the Chief. The Johnston was a fighting ship, but he was the heart and soul of her."[citation needed]
In addition to the Presidential Unit Citation, Johnston received six battle stars for service in World War II.
Criteria The European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal was awarded for for qualifying service within the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946, ... The European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal was awarded for for qualifying service within the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946, under any of the following conditions: On permanent assignment within the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater; or, For service in a passenger status or on temporary duty status for 30 consecutive days or 60 non-consecutive days; or, For service in active combat in the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater of Operations against the enemy and awarded a combat decoration or furnished a certificate by the commanding general of a corps, higher unit, or independent force that the individual actually participated in combat. MoreHide
Criteria The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal was awarded for for qualifying service within the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946, under any of the following condi... The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal was awarded for for qualifying service within the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946, under any of the following conditions: On permanent assignment within the Asiatic-Pacific Theater; or, For service in a passenger status or on temporary duty for 30 consecutive days or 60 non-consecutive days; or, For service in active combat in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations against the enemy and awarded a combat decoration or furnished a certificate by the commanding general of a corps, higher unit, or independent force that the individual actually participated in combat. MoreHide
Criteria The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal was awarded for for qualifying service within the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946, under any of the following condi... The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal was awarded for for qualifying service within the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946, under any of the following conditions: On permanent assignment within the Asiatic-Pacific Theater; or, For service in a passenger status or on temporary duty for 30 consecutive days or 60 non-consecutive days; or, For service in active combat in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations against the enemy and awarded a combat decoration or furnished a certificate by the commanding general of a corps, higher unit, or independent force that the individual actually participated in combat. MoreHide
Description In the Pacific Theater of World War II, the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign, from November 1943 through February 1944, were key strategic operations of the United States Pacific Fleet and MarineIn the Pacific Theater of World War II, the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign, from November 1943 through February 1944, were key strategic operations of the United States Pacific Fleet and Marine Corps in the Central Pacific. The purpose was to establish airfields that would allow land based air support for the upcoming operations across the Central Pacific. The campaign began with a costly three-day battle for the island of Betio at the Tarawa atoll. The campaign was preceded a year earlier by a diversionary raid on Makin Island by U.S. Marines in August, 1942.
About 4,000 kilometers southwest of the Hawaii Islands, the Marshall Islands represented part of the perimeter of the Japanese Pacific empire. The former German colony was given to Japan after the closure of WW1, and had since been an important part of both offensive and defensive plans of the Japanese Navy. By the end of 1943, Admiral Mineichi Koga of the Japanese Combined Fleet knew the Americans were eyeing the islands, but he could not figure out where they would strike. His difficulties were further complicated by the lack of carrier aircraft, as they were taken away from him in an attempt to reinforce land-based squadrons. With his hands tied, all Koga could do was to send his submarines out as forward observers and order the regional commander in Truk Admiral Masashi Kobayashi to reinforce the island garrisons that were most exposed to American attacks. Kobayashi shifted men to the outer islands of Jaluit, Mili, Wotje, and Maloelap. In total, Kobayashi had 28,000 troops available to him in the Marshall Islands. For a garrison that size ground fortifications were sub-par, but that was rather by design at this stage of the war, for that Tokyo had since decided that the Marshall Islands were to serve only as a part of a delay action campaign. The new defensive perimeter was to be established much closer to the home islands.
American intelligence decoded Japanese messages and detected movements for the outer islands, and decided to change the invasion plans. Unbeknownst to the Japanese, the Americans were now bypassing the reinforced outer islands; they were now directly attacking Kwajalein and Eniwetok.... More
People You Remember Under Evans' command the crew saw their first combat a few months later during the Marshalls CampaigUnder Evans' command the crew saw their first combat a few months later during the Marshalls Campaign when Johnston bombarded the beaches of Kwajalein on February 1, 1944. ... More
Chain of Command
n August 1941, assigned as Executive Officer aboard Alden, earning a Legion of Merit in sinking a Japanese submarine in January 1942
Other Memories
USS Alden (DD-211) was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II, named for Rear Admiral James Alden, Jr. (1810?1877).
Alden was laid down on 24 October 1918 and launched on 14 May 1919 by William Cramp and Sons; sponsored by Miss Sarah Alden Dorsey, a niece of the late Rear Admiral Alden; and commissioned on 24 November 1919, Commander William Ancrum in command.
1920 to 1923 Following shakedown training and post-shakedown repairs and alterations, Alden, subsequently reclassified from "Destroyer No. 211" to DD-211 during the fleetwide assignment of alphanumeric hull numbers on 17 July 1920, sailed on 5 December 1919 for duty in European waters, proceeding to Constantinople, and thence to Samsun, Turkey.
Alden visited Adriatic ports during the spring of 1920, investigating political conditions and "showing the flag" to protect American interests in the area, her ports of call including Split, Gravosa, and Pula. During her trips along the Adriatic coast, she carried mail and passengers, and for a time served as station ship at Venice. Proceeding to Constantinople to participate in relief efforts for refugees from the Russian Civil War, she resumed her Adriatic operations soon thereafter, visiting Kotor and Split before she returned to Venice (12?13 December 1920). She then again visited Split and Gravosa, in succession, before she proceeded to Salonika, Greece, where she arrived on 15 December 1920.
Released from duty with the United States Naval Detachment in the Adriatic soon thereafter, Alden sailed for the Asiatic Station via the Suez Canal. She ultimately reached Manila, Philippine Islands, on 2 February 1921. Following upkeep at the Asiatic Fleet's base at Cavite, the destroyer sailed for Chinese waters, and arrived at Chefoo on 22 June 1921. She operated out of the Asiatic Fleet destroyers' summer base until 15 September, when she sailed for Shanghai. Assigned special duty, Alden wound up her ten-day stay in that port on 27 September and cleared Shanghai for the Yangtze River port of Hankow, which she reached on 1 October. Remaining there until the 7th, she proceeded back to Shanghai, arriving on the 9th to stay only long enough to fuel and take on provisions, before she sailed for the Philippines the same day.
Alden arrived at Cavite on 12 October, but soon shifted to Manila on the 14th for a three-day liberty and recreation port visit. The ship then spent two months operating out of Olongapo on target practice, returning to Manila on 17 December 1921. She then fueled and took on stores at Cavite before she sailed to Mariveles, whence she operated with Asiatic Fleet submarines. Alden then conducted long-range battle practice evolutions out of Manila into January 1922. Subsequently, she based temporarily out of Olongapo before undergoing a tender availability alongside Buffalo in March. Then, following a stint of target and torpedo practice in the waters of Lingayen Gulf from 13 April to 25 May 1922, the destroyer enjoyed a five-day respite at Manila before she sailed for Shanghai, China, on 3 June and a drydocking in that port. Alden then sailed for Japanese waters, visiting the port of Yokohama.
Winding up her deployment in the Asiatic Fleet that summer, Alden sailed for the United States, and ultimately reached San Francisco, California on 2 October 1922. She was decommissioned at San Diego, California on 24 January 1923.
1930 to 1941 Alden remained inactive through the rest of the 1920s, but was recommissipned at San Diego on 8 May 1930, Lt. Comdr. Lloyd R. Gray in command, and assigned to Destroyer Squadrons, Battle Fleet (later, Destroyers, Battle Force). As part of Destroyer Division 46 (DesDiv 46), and later as a unit of DesDiv 10, Alden was homeported at San Diego, with her home yard at Mare Island Navy Yard. She carried out regular underway training evolutions, with routine periods of upkeep in port over the next six years.
The training for each year culminated in the annual large-scale war games, or fleet problems. Over the next few years, Alden participated in six of these. However, she did not participate in Fleet Problem XVII in the spring of 1936 due to DesDiv 10's undergoing two months' overhaul at the Mare Island Navy Yard.
While Alden lay at Mare Island, Smith Thompson (DD-212) had suffered heavy damage in a collision with Whipple (DD-217) on 14 April 1936, and, unfit for further service, had been struck on 19 May. Alden, chosen to replace the lost Smith Thompson, sailed on 15 July for the Asiatic Station. Stopping briefly at Pearl Harbor, the ship paused at Wake Island and Guam, eventually arriving at Chefoo on 20 August 1936.
Over the next six years, Alden?assigned initially to Destroyer Division 13 (DesDiv 13)?steamed north to China in the spring, spent the summer operating out of Chefoo, and returned to the Philippines in the fall for further exercises and upkeep at Cavite over the winter. She carried out this routine against a backdrop of rising Sino-Japanese tension. Hostility between these two Asiatic powers had flared and abated during 1930s, and open warfare broke out in July 1937.
Since the Sino-Japanese hostilities seemed confined at the outset to North China, Admiral Harry E. Yarnell, Commander in Chief, Asiatic Fleet (CINCAF), had few reservations about carrying out a planned goodwill cruise to Vladivostok, USSR. Alden accompanied the squadron flagship Paul Jones (DD-230), her division-mates Whipple and Barker (DD-213), to sea from their base at Chefoo, and rendezvoused with Admiral Yarnell's flagship, Augusta (CA-31), at the end of the afternoon watch on 25 July. Yarnell's ships reached Vladivostok on the morning of the 28th, and remained there until the afternoon of 1 August, in this first visit to a Russian port since the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union in 1933. On the latter date, the destroyers sailed for Chefoo and Augusta for Tsingtao.
After hostilities broke out at Shanghai in mid-August, the ships of the Asiatic Fleet carried out a curtailed training schedule for the remainder of the summer and into the fall, chiefly standing by to assist Americans who might be affected. Alden eventually returned to the Philippines for the winter for upkeep and training. One incident, however, interrupted this routine.
Early on the morning of 11 December 1937, Alden and Barker, then at Manila, received orders to proceed immediately to the aid of the American Dollar liner SS President Hoover, which had run aground off Formosa. Due to the urgency of the situation, Alden sailed without her captain, Lt. Comdr. Stanley M. Haight, and several officers and men. An amphibian plane from the Asiatic Fleet's utility unit, however, brought Haight out to Alden, rendezvoused with the ship and landed nearby. Sea conditions, however, precluded a boat's coming alongside the Grumman JF-2 "Duck", for fear of its damaging the plane's main float. Lt. Comdr. Haight seized the initiative and swam to one of his ship's 26-foot motor whaleboats to be brought on board his ship to assume command.
Alden, resuming her voyage, eventually sighted her destination, Hoishoto Island, at 12:45 on the 12th, and immediately requested permission from the captain of the Japanese cruiser Ashigara to enter Japanese territorial waters. Barker arrived soon thereafter, after which time an officer from Ashigara arrived on board Alden to give his government's permission to enter and assist President Hoover. Anchoring to the westward of Hoishoto, Alden remained off that island until 23 December, sending a guard of two officers (Lt. Comdr. Haight and Ens. John H. Parker) and 15 men to protect the considerable amount of mail on board the stranded liner. Early in this period, perhaps due to the tensions which existed in the wake of the sinking of the gunboat Panay (PR-5) in the Yangtze River by Japanese aircraft on 12 December, Alden broke out and stowed in her ready racks 47 rounds of 4-inch service ammunition during the forenoon watch on 14 December.
The following summer, Alden, in company with her sister ships and the tender Black Hawk (AD-9), visited Haiphong, French Indochina, from 21 to 28 June 1938 before continuing up to Chefoo. With the start of the European war in September 1939, concern over the Japanese taking advantage of the preoccupation of the British and French with European affairs to extend her own sphere of influence prompted increased American vigilance to protect the lives and property of Americans in the Far East. To this end, some of the ships of the Asiatic Fleet's destroyers were rotated to duty with units such as the South China Patrol. Alden operated with this command between September and November 1939, before she returned to the Philippines.
The international climate making it dangerous to keep the Asiatic Fleet deployed to Chinese waters, Admiral Thomas C. Hart (who had relieved Admiral Yarnell as CINCAF in July 1939) withdrew it, with the exception of the river gunboats on the Yangtze and South China Patrols, to the Philippines in late 1940. There, in the waters of that archipelago, the fleet prepared for war. Alden took part in this training, interspersing it with periods of upkeep at Cavite, into the tense autumn of 1941.
Due to the continued "tense and unpredictable" situation in the Far East at that time, Admiral Hart desired to "obtain additional security from surprise attack" and reduce the possibility of the Japanese cutting off "certain of his surface forces" from British and Dutch bases in the event of war. To that end, on 24 November 1941, CINCAF ordered Task Force 5, formed around Marblehead (CL-12), two destroyer divisions (57 and 58, the former including Alden) and Black Hawk, to the ports of Balikpapan and Tarakan, Borneo. Hart directed the detachment commanders to proceed to these ports for fuel, but to "have difficulty" in doing so, with a view toward lingering in those ports "for a protracted period if necessary."
Alden got underway on 25 November 1941, bound for Borneo, accompanying Black Hawk, and arrived at Balikpapan on the morning of the 30th. While she lay in that port, the British Admiral Sir Tom Phillips, the newly designated Commander in Chief, Eastern Fleet, flew to Manila for conferences with Admiral Hart on 5 and 6 December. Phillips' sought the loan of destroyers from the Asiatic Fleet to help screen his capital ships, but Hart, opining that the British already possessed adequate resources in that department, demurred. Intelligence information disclosing the movement of a Japanese convoy in the Gulf of Siam, however, changed Hart's mind, and as Admiral Phillips resolved to return to Singapore, CINCAF decided to transfer one division of destroyers.
Consequently, Alden and three of her sister ships, as well as Black Hawk, were soon directed to proceed to Batavia, Java, "for supplies and liberty." Soon after they departed Balikpapan, however, the destroyers received new sailing orders: they were to proceed instead to Singapore, where they were to join Phillips' force formed around the battleship HMS Prince of Wales and the battle cruiser HMS Repulse.
World War II
1941 Alden was en route to her destination when, at 03:00 on 8 December 1941, she received word that "war has been started by Japan." At Singapore, reports of a Japanese invasion convoy standing toward Malaya compelled Admiral Phillips to act before his reinforcements could arrive, and he cleared Singapore on the evening of 8 December with Prince of Wales and Repulse, screened by four destroyers, to seek out the enemy.
Reaching Singapore on the morning of 10 December, Alden moored at 11:13, and embarked a liaison party consisting of a Royal Navy lieutenant and four signalmen at 11:30. She and her sister ships were still preparing for sea as Japanese high-level and torpedo bombers, flying from bases in Indochina, overwhelmed Prince of Wales and Repulse off Kuantan, Malaya, that afternoon and sank them both. Underway at 15:09, Alden and her sister ships soon cleared Singapore, and stood toward the scene of the action in response to Admiral Phillips' desperate signal, sent early in the battle, for destroyer assistance. Accompanying British and Australian destroyers had already rescued the survivors from the two capital ships, however, and were retiring toward Singapore.
Alden and her division mates subsequently entered the waters in which the battle had taken place earlier that day, looking for survivors, but only sighted pieces of wreckage, eventually winding up the search effort during the mid-watch. En route back to Singapore, Alden noted a "probable submarine attack," at 06:30 on 11 December, and Edsall (DD-219) left the formation to investigate the source of "torpedo wakes" but found nothing. Alden and her sister ships reached port on the morning of the llth, Alden mooring alongside the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Franco at 10:41 to replenish her fuel bunkers. While in port, she lowered her flag to half mast in tribute to the men lost in Prince of Wales and Repulse. Alden remained at Singapore until the morning of the 14th when, after disembarking the Royal Navy liaison party, she got underway with the rest of the division for Surabaya, Java. She reached that Dutch port late on the afternoon of 15 December.
Underway on the 20th for Australian waters, Alden sailed for Port Darwin in the screen of Houston (CA-30), breaking up the routine of the voyage by sending boarding parties to investigate and establish the friendly character of various small craft and ships sighted en route. She fell in with another formation of American ships moving to Australian waters, Pecos (AO-6), Otus (AS-20), and Gold Star (AG-12), two days before Christmas, and fueled at sea from Pecos the same day. The destroyer ultimately saw her charges safely to Darwin, dropping anchor in that north Australian port at 13:05 on 28 December.
1942 Alden?soon reassigned to DesDiv 58?spent the next several weeks escorting troop and supply convoys in support of efforts to defend the Malay Barrier. During the course of one such evolution, she was screening the oiler Trinity (AO-13) to Port Darwin, on the morning of 20 January 1942, when Trinity reported torpedoes fired at her. Alden immediately reversed course in the predawn darkness and carried out a depth charge attack, but, in the ensuing moments, lost contact with the "submarine".
"Mindful of leaving (the) convoy unprotected" if she continued to seek out the submarine, Alden returned to her screening station and arrived at Port Darwin without further incident. At 16:20 that afternoon, though, while she was taking on fuel from the tanker British Sailor, Alden received orders to accompany Edsall to the scene of the above attack. Underway at 16:41, leaving a third of her crew behind to break out stores on board Black Hawk, Alden rushed to the scene, finding an Australian ship already dropping depth charges.
Alden and Edsall patrolled one area in proximity of the submarine contact, while two Australian ships patrolled another. Alden developed a good contact early the following morning (21 January) and dropped six charges, with no result. A plane from Langley (AV-3) reported carrying out an attack on a submarine a short time later, and Alden steamed to the scene; seeing oil still rising, she attacked, expending the rest of her depth charges in the tracks. Bringing up more charges from below, the destroyer carried out another attack soon thereafter. Then, having expended her last charge, Alden returned to Port Darwin.
Edsall and the Australian ships, accompanied by a PBY, returned to the scene but were unable to locate the slick, last seen by Alden, because of a heavy rain squall in the vicinity. A short time later, it was determined that the victim of the earlier attack by Edsall and the Australian minesweeper HMAS Deloraine was I-124, a large Japanese mine-laying submarine had laid 27 mines near Darwin that had already sunk three Allied merchantmen.
Clearing Darwin on 3 February, Alden sailed with a convoy, bound for Java. Fueling from Trinity en route, the destroyer reached Tjilatjap, on the south coast of Java, late on the afternoon of 10 February. Getting underway late the following day, Alden joined Paul Jones and the British auxiliary vessel HMS Ban Hong Liong on the morning of the 12th, and convoyed the Briton to the port of Koepang, Timor, arriving on the 16th. Returning to Tjilatjap on the morning of the 19th, Alden fueled from Pecos. The following day, the destroyer briefly patrolled off the harbor entrance, covering the sortie of Black Hawk.
As the Japanese neared Java, the American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) forces began gathering for a show-down. As part of this movement, Alden cleared Tjilatjap on the morning of 22 February for Surabaya and, along with Paul Jones, screened Houston during the passage. The three ships arrived at their destination on the afternoon of the 24th.
Intelligence information indicating the possibility of a Japanese landing attempt in the vicinity, a mixed Dutch and American force (Houston, the Dutch cruisers De Ruyter and |Java, two Dutch and five American destroyers (including Alden) , sortied after dark on 25 February and conducted a sweep off the northern coast of Madura Island. Not making any contact, the Allied force returned to Surabaya early the following morning.
Later that same day, 26 February, the commander of the ABDA striking force, the Dutch Rear Admiral Karel Doorman, called a meeting of his commanders, and promulgated his plans to meet the Japanese. At 1922 on 26 February, the striking force, reinforced by the arrival of the Australian light cruiser HMAS Perth, the British heavy cruiser HMS Exeter and three British destroyers, got underway and stood out of Surabaya.
Doorman's force again swept along the north coast of Madura, but then, after having found the waters clear of enemy shipping, at 22:12 on 26 February reversed course. During the early morning, the ABDA force continued past Surabaya, and shaped a course toward the entrance to the minefields at 13:00 on the 27th. Fresh contact reports, however, indicated the presence of a Japanese force heading south from the vicinity of Bawean Island. At 15:00, as Alden was about to enter the channel through the minefields, she observed De Ruyter reverse course and make a signal: "I am going to intercept an enemy unit...." The rest of the ABDA force followed, and stood toward the enemy.
At 16:17, Alden observed gun flashes as the Japanese ships opened fire, answered shortly thereafter by Houston, De Ruyter and Exeter. The American destroyers, Alden steaming second in column, took up their position on the disengaged side of the column of Allied cruisers, to Java's starboard quarter. "Straining every rivet" to keep up with the cruisers, Alden and her sister ships made all possible speed. At 17:14, observers on board Alden noted a Dutch destroyer, Kortenaer, take a torpedo which broke her in two. Soon thereafter, the Allied fleet changed course twice, in disarray due the accurate enemy gunfire and the threat posed by his superior torpedoes. The shell-damaged Exeter veered out of the allied battle line; to cover her retirement, Alden and her sister ships laid smoke.
After he had made one order to counterattack with torpedoes and cancelled it, Rear Admiral Doorman again ordered the destroyers to counterattack. On Alden's bridge, a man remarked: "I always knew these old four pipers would have to go in and save the day...". All within earshot laughed, and the comment broke the tension as the American destroyers, the oldest ships in the ABDA line, steered a course toward the Japanese and launched torpedoes from their starboard tubes at 18:22. Then, following the movements of John D. Edwards (DD-216) ahead, Alden reversed course and loosed her port "fish" at 18:27. Alden's captain, Lt. Comdr. L. E. Coley, firmly believed that the American destroyers' attack saved Exeter from destruction at that time.
Poor visibility and the increasing range soon ended that phase of the battle, and the Allied force retired, Japanese scoutplanes occasionally dropping flares above the Allied ships. At 19:58, the ABDA cruiser column turned to westward where, before the night was over, De Ruyter and Java would be sunk, and Houston and Perth forced to flee; Alden and her sisters turned eastward, to retire independently toward Surabaya, their torpedo stocks exhausted. Entering the minefields at 22:30, the American destroyermen anchored their ships at 02:10 on 28 February.
Alden remained there throughout the daylight hours. She fueled at Holland Pier and anchored in the harbor, where she observed two waves of enemy high-altitude bombers carry out raids that afternoon. That afternoon, Alden's captain, Lt. Comdr. Coley, noted carrier-type aircraft overhead, indicating that "enemy air activity" would soon be on the increase.
"It seemed that our best chance of getting through to an allied base," Coley wrote later, "was to evade the enemy and trust to the reduced visibility of night to get out of range of enemy aircraft." Given permission to clear out as the noose around Java tightened, and to proceed to Exmouth Gulf, Australia, the four destroyers of DesDiv 58 sortied that night, clearing the minefield an hour before midnight on 28 February, their crews at feneral quarters. Alden and the others steamed as close to the Javan shore as they dared, hugging the coast, and turned, undetected, into Bali Strait. There, however, they soon encountered the Bali Attack Unit consisting of the Japanese destroyers Hatsukaru, Nenohi, Wakaba, and Hatsushimo.
Around 02:15, Alden spotted one destroyer almost due east of her, followed by two or more a short time later. Emerging from the coastal waters to clear a reef, the Americans apparently came into the enemy's sight soon thereafter, since gunfire erupted from the Japanese ships within 15 minutes' time. A five-minute running gun duel ensued between the two groups of destroyers before Alden and her sister ships checked fire and laid smoke. At a range of about 12 miles, the Japanese opened up again at 02:50; the Americans, however, held their fire, reasoning that the enemy sought to force them into revealing their position by firing back.
Continuing on at 28 knots, the four "four-pipers" emerged from the encounter unscathed. As they neared their destination, Cdr. Thomas H. Binford, Commander, DesDiv 58, paired his ships, the ones with Australian charts (Alden and Paul Jones), with those which did not (John D. Edwards and John D. Ford (DD-228)), and the destroyermen reached Fremantle on the afternoon of 4 March 1942.
Reporting to Commander, Australia-New Zealand area, on 28 March 1942, Alden operated in the waters of the Southwest Pacific until sailing for Pearl Harbor, reaching her destination on 7 June en route to the west coast of the United States. Following an overhaul at the Mare Island Navy Yard, Alden commenced convoy escort duty between San Francisco and Hawaiian waters on 11 August 1942.
1943 Over the next eight months, Alden carried out prosaic, but highly important, escort duty until she departed Mare Island on 9 April 1943 for the Caribbean. Transiting the Panama Canal on 16 April and reporting that day to Commander, Caribbean Sea Frontier, she continued on to Trinidad, arriving there on 25 April.
The destroyer spent the next two months shuttling convoys between Trinidad and Guantanamo Bay, before she proceeded north to the New York Navy Yard, which she entered on 28 June for repairs and alterations. Upon completion of this availability, Alden sailed for Norfolk, Virginia on 11 July, and joined a Morocco-bound convoy soon thereafter, reaching Casablanca on 28 July. After returning to the United States via Gibraltar, the ship entered the Charleston Navy Yard for a drydocking on 27 August. She sailed for Port of Spain, Trinidad, on 7 September and ultimately proceeded to Brazilian waters, reaching Recife on 8 October.
Underway for the Caribbean on 4 November, Alden reached Trinidad ten days later, and sailed on 26 November as escort for the Army transport George Washington. Seeing that ship safely to her destination, Key West, Florida, on 1 December, the destroyer proceeded to Charleston, arriving there on the 3rd for upkeep. She steamed from there to Casco Bay, Maine, and refresher training, before she headed back to Norfolk, arriving at that port on the last day of the year 1943.
1944 Alden sailed for North African waters on 5 January 1944, in an antisubmarine group formed around the escort carrier Guadalcanal (CVE-60). On 16 January, a pair of Grumman TBF-Ic "Avengers" from Guadalcanal's Composite Squadron 13 (VC 13) caught a pair of U-boats on the surface, rendezvousing near the Azores, and attacked, sinking U-544 before she could transfer radar detection gear to U-129. Reaching Casablanca on the 26th, the task unit sailed for the United States three days later, and reached Norfolk on 16 February. Shifting to the Boston Navy Yard for repairs and alterations soon thereafter, Alden returned to Norfolk on 12 March.
The destroyer sailed the following day for Tunisia as one of the 16 escort vessels shepherding convoy UGS-36, 72 merchantmen and 18 tank landing ships. Escort vessels drove off what was believed to be a U-boat late on 31 March, and six hours later, early on 1 April, 22 German aircraft attacked UGS-36. Alden, in the rear guard, aided the defense of the convoy, as the escorts shot down two enemy aircraft and probably damaged two others. Ultimately, UGS-36 reached its destination, Bizerte, on 3 April. Nine days later, Alden sailed for the United States, reaching Hampton Roads on 1 May.
Following a brief availability at the Boston Navy Yard, Alden departed Boston, Massachusetts on 27 May for New York, reporting for duty under Commander, Service Force, Atlantic Fleet, soon thereafter. She then operated out of Norfolk during June, principally on local escort duty. During this time, she screened Wisconsin (BB-64) during a phase of that new battleship's shakedown training.
Following emergency repairs to a damaged propeller, Alden resumed escort operations, this time with Elokomin (AO-55), as she convoyed the ship from Norfolk to Baytown to Galveston, thence to Guantanamo Bay and back to Galveston, before she escorted the oiler on a trip from Galveston to Bermuda, Casco Bay and Norfolk.
Undergoing routine maintenance at the Norfolk Navy Yard upon conclusion of this duty in August 1944, Alden escorted Chicopee (AO-34) from Norfolk to Bermuda before the destroyer then convoyed Adair (APA-91) and the (ultimately ill-fated) ammunition ship Mount Hood (AE-11) from Norfolk to the Canal Zone. Relieving sister ship John D. Edwards under the auspices of Commander, Panama Sea Frontier, Alden operated in Panama waters as a training ship with submarines into November 1944, after which time the destroyer returned to Norfolk.
1945 After she had suffered damage in a collision with the fast transport Hayter (APD-80) on 31 January 1945, Alden underwent repairs in the Norfolk Navy Yard. These ended on 28 February, Alden emerged from the yard soon thereafter and joined the escort of a Mediterranean-bound convoy, UGF-21, on 1 March. Subsequently returning to the United States with convoy GUF-21, the warship escorted the oiler Mattaponi (AO-41) between Bermuda and Guantanamo, and Chiwawa (AO-68) between Guantanamo and Bermuda before the destroyer returned to Norfolk. Then, following tender availability at Tompkinsville, Alden sailed for Mayport, Florida, on 2 June, where, upon her arrival, she was assigned plane guard duty with Guadalcanal, the ship assigned to conduct carrier qualifications for fledgling pilots out of the Naval Air Station at Pensacola, Florida. Completing this tour on 13 June, she proceeded thence to the Delaware capes.
Alden reached the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on 15 June 1945 and was decommissioned there on 15 July 1945. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 13 August 1945, and the ship was sold to the Boston Metals Salvage Company, of Baltimore, Maryland, on 30 November 1945, to be broken up for scrap.
Alden was awarded three battle stars for her World War II service.
Criteria The Legion of Merit is awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States without degree for exceptionally outstanding conduct in the performance of meritorious service to the United States. ... The Legion of Merit is awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States without degree for exceptionally outstanding conduct in the performance of meritorious service to the United States. The performance must merit recognition by individuals in a key position which was performed in a clearly exceptional manner. MoreHide
Comments
n August 1941, assigned as Executive Officer aboard Alden, earning a Legion of Merit in sinking a Japanese submarine in January 1942
Criteria The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal was awarded for for qualifying service within the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946, under any of the following condi... The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal was awarded for for qualifying service within the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946, under any of the following conditions: On permanent assignment within the Asiatic-Pacific Theater; or, For service in a passenger status or on temporary duty for 30 consecutive days or 60 non-consecutive days; or, For service in active combat in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations against the enemy and awarded a combat decoration or furnished a certificate by the commanding general of a corps, higher unit, or independent force that the individual actually participated in combat. MoreHide
Criteria The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal was awarded for for qualifying service within the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946, under any of the following condi... The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal was awarded for for qualifying service within the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946, under any of the following conditions: On permanent assignment within the Asiatic-Pacific Theater; or, For service in a passenger status or on temporary duty for 30 consecutive days or 60 non-consecutive days; or, For service in active combat in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations against the enemy and awarded a combat decoration or furnished a certificate by the commanding general of a corps, higher unit, or independent force that the individual actually participated in combat. MoreHide
Description The American Theater was a minor area of operations during World War II. This was mainly due to both North and South America's geographical separation from the central theaters of conflict in Europe aThe American Theater was a minor area of operations during World War II. This was mainly due to both North and South America's geographical separation from the central theaters of conflict in Europe and Asia. Thus, any threat by the Axis Powers to invade the mainland United States or other areas was considered negligible, allowing for American resources to be deployed in overseas theaters.
This article includes attacks on continental territory, extending 200 miles (320 km) into the ocean, which is today under the sovereignty of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and several other smaller states, but excludes military action involving the Danish territory of Greenland, the Hawaiian Islands, and the Aleutian Islands. The most well known battles in North America during World War II were the Attack on Pearl Harbor (the first attack on US soil since the Battle of Ambos Nogales), the Aleutian Islands Campaign, the Battle of the St. Lawrence, and the attacks on Newfoundland.... More
Memories Meeting USS Houston (CA 30) and her escorts in Java the group sailed to Darwin, Australia, arriving Meeting USS Houston (CA 30) and her escorts in Java the group sailed to Darwin, Australia, arriving on December 28th. Alden was then reassigned to Destroyer Division 58 and spent the next several weeks escorting troop and supply convoys in support of efforts to defend the Malay Barrier. During this period on January 20-21, 1942 Commander Evans would earn a Legion of Merit when his destroyer and Australian warships made at least four depth charge attacks against a Japanese submarine, later determined to be the mine-layer IJN I-124. ... More
Description The Battle of the Java Sea was a decisive naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II.
Allied navies suffered a disastrous defeat at the hand of the Imperial Japanese Navy, on 27 February 19The Battle of the Java Sea was a decisive naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II.
Allied navies suffered a disastrous defeat at the hand of the Imperial Japanese Navy, on 27 February 1942, and in secondary actions over successive days. The American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDA) Strike Force commander—Rear-Admiral Karel Doorman—was killed. The aftermath of the battle included several smaller actions around Java, including the smaller but also significant Battle of Sunda Strait. These defeats led to Japanese occupation of the entire Netherlands East Indies.
The battle was the largest surface ship engagement since the Battle of Jutland in 1916.... More
People You Remember
As Executive Officer aboard the four-piper destroyer USS Alden (DD 211).
Criteria The American Campaign Medal was awarded for For thirty days service outside the Continental United States but within the American Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946; or,... The American Campaign Medal was awarded for For thirty days service outside the Continental United States but within the American Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946; or, an aggregate service of one year within the Continental United States during the same period under the following circumstances: On permanent assignment outside the continental limits of the United States; or, On permanent assignment as a member of a crew of a vessel sailing ocean waters for a period of 30 consecutive days or 60 non-consecutive days; or, For service outside the continental limits of the United States in a passenger status or on temporary duty for 30 consecutive days or 60 non consecutive days; or, For service in active combat against the enemy and awarded a combat decoration or furnished a certificate by the commanding general of a corps, higher unit, or independent force that the individual actually participated in combat; or, For service within the continental limits of the United States for an aggregate period of one year. MoreHide
Other Memories
The USS Black Hawk (AD-9) was launched in 1913 as SS Santa Catalina by William Cramp and Sons Ship and Engine Building Co., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; purchased by the U.S. Navy 3 December 1917; and commissioned 15 May 1918, Commander R. C. Bulmer in command.
Post-World War I North Atlantic Operations Assigned as tender and flagship to the Mine Force, USS Black Hawk departed Boston in June 1918 to take station at Inverness, Scotland. She remained there until the end of World War I and then shifted her base to Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, for the North Sea mine sweep. She returned to New York in November 1919 and served as flagship and tender for the Atlantic Fleet destroyers in reserve at Philadelphia. After the installation of a torpedo workshop and other equipment she was designated a destroyer tender (AD-9) in November 1920 and reported as flagship of the Operative Squadron, Destroyer Flotillas, Atlantic Fleet. She served mainly in Caribbean and Panamanian waters until June 1922 when she left Newport, Rhode Island, via the Suez Canal, for the Asiatic Squadron. USS Black Hawk remained in the Far East for 20 years during which she tended Destroyer Squadrons 5 (1922-40) and 29 (1940-42).
Pacific Ocean Operations On 7 December 1941 USS Black Hawk was at Balikpagan, Borneo. She operated as a tender and repair ship at Java until 31 December 1941; Darwin, Australia (January-3 February 1942); Java (3-20 February); and in Australian waters (26 February-29 May). Leaving Australia she steamed to Pearl Harbor, arriving 15 June 1942. She was assigned tender duty in Alaskan waters and arrived at Kodiak 29 July 1942. Remaining there until 4 November 1942 she then returned to San Francisco, California, for repairs and overhaul.
Completing her overhaul 16 March 1943, USS Black Hawk returned to Alaskan waters, arriving 10 April 1943. Except for a short stay at Pearl Harbor (30 September 1943-1 February 1944), she remained at Adak until 21 March 1945. Following repairs at Alameda, California, she arrived at Pearl Harbor 30 May 1945; remained there until 11 September; and then proceeded to Okinawa. USS Black Hawk served in the Far Eat tending vessels at Okinawa and in China until 20 May 1946 when she headed home for the last time.
End-of-War Decommissioning Decommissioned 15 August 1946, she was transferred to Maritime Commission 4 September 1947.
Awards USS Black Hawk received one battle star for her service in World War II.
Criteria The American Defense Service Medal was awarded for service in the Armed Forces between September 8, 1939, and December 7, 1941. Army members had to serve 12 months to be eligible, but Navy and Marine ... The American Defense Service Medal was awarded for service in the Armed Forces between September 8, 1939, and December 7, 1941. Army members had to serve 12 months to be eligible, but Navy and Marine Corps members were eligible based on any length of service. MoreHide
Other Memories
Chaumont (AP-5) was built in 1920 by American International Shipbuilding Corp., Hog Island, Pa.; requisitioned from the War Department 3 November 1921; and commissioned 22 November 1921, Lieutenant Commander G. H. Emmerson in temporary command. On 1 December 1921 Commander C. L. Arnold assumed command.
Assigned to transport duty, Chaumont sailed the Atlantic, Pacific, and Caribbean throughout the twenties and thirties. She carried military supplies, Marine expeditionary forces, sailors and their dependents, and occasionally members of congressional committees on inspection tours, calling at ports from Shanghai to Bermuda. One of her most important contributions, when in the Pacific, was aiding in the collection of meteorological information used by the Weather Map Service of the Asiatic Fleet.
On 29 November 1941, Chaumont departed Pearl Harbor, carrying sailors, civilian workmen, and cargo for Manila, P.I. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941, she was diverted to Suva, Fiji, then sailed to Brisbane and Darwin, Australia, where she landed her passengers and discharged her cargo on 5 January 1942. Chaumont returned to Brisbane at the end of the month, then sailed to Sydney, Australia; Wellington, New Zealand, and Balboa, C.Z., before returning to San Francisco on 29 March 1942. She made two voyages from the west coast to Pearl Harbor carrying men to aid in the buildup of the Pacific war's nerve center, then was assigned to runs between Seattle, Wash., and Alaskan bases, bringing men and supplies to the forces resisting the Japanese in the Aleutians.
Chaumont was decommissioned 28 August 1943, for conversion to a hospital ship, and on 2 September she was renamed and reclassified Samaritan (AH-10). The hospital ship was recommissioned 1 March 1944, and between 25 March and 11 May made two voyages from San Francisco to Hawaii, with passengers outward bound and patients homeward bound. Arriving in Honolulu a third time 11 May, she continued to Kwajalein, where from 17 June to 1 July, she treated casualties from the Saipan invasion. On 8 July she arrived off Saipan itself to embark patients for evacuation to Noumea, New Caledonia, from which she returned to Saipan 1 August for two weeks of duty as a receiving hospital.
Samaritan evacuated patients from Guam to Guadalcanal, and from Peleliu to the Russell Islands in August and September 1944. After a brief overhaul at Espiritu Santo, she served as base hospital at Ulithi until 16 February 1945, when she sailed for Iwo Jima. She arrived off the bitterly engaged island 20 February, and sailed 2 days later with 606 patients on board for Saipan. On the second day out, eight men were buried at sea.
The hospital ship returned to Iwo Jima 25 February 1945 to embark patients for transportation to Guam on the first of two such voyages. She arrived at Ulithi 2 April, and a week later got underway for embattled Okinawa. Arriving 13 April, she received casualties at the beach during the daytime and withdrew at night to the transport areas offshore, alternating her stays at Okinawa with evacuation voyages to Saipan until 1 July, when she sailed from Saipan for Pearl Harbor. Here she took patients from several island hospitals on board, sailed to San Francisco, and on 10 September back to Pearl Harbor thence Sasebo, where she provided hospital facilities to occupation forces until 15 March 1946. She returned to San Francisco 23 April, and was decommissioned there 25 June 1946. On 29 August 1946 she was transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal.
Samaritan received four battle stars for World War II service.
Other Memories
USS Pensacola (CL/CA-24) of the United States Navy was the lead ship of her class of heavy cruiser. The third Navy ship to be named after the city of Pensacola, Florida, she was nicknamed the "Grey Ghost" by Tokyo Rose.
She was laid down by the New York Navy Yard 27 October 1926, launched 25 April 1929, sponsored by Mrs. Joseph L. Seligman, and commissioned 6 February 1930, Captain Alfred G. Howe in command.
Operational History
1930-1940 Pensacola departed New York 24 March 1930, and transited the Panama Canal to Callao, Peru, and Valparaíso, Chile, before returning to New York 5 June. For the next four years she operated along the eastern seaboard and in the Caribbean Sea, several times transiting the Panama Canal for combined Fleet battle practice ranging from California to Hawaii.
Pensacola departed Norfolk 15 January 1935 to join the Pacific Fleet arriving San Diego, her new home port, 30 January. Fleet problems ranged to Hawaii, one cruise took her to Alaska, and combined fleet maneuvers returned her briefly to the Caribbean Sea before she sailed 5 October 1939 to base at Pearl Harbor, arriving the 12th. Maneuvers frequently found the cruiser off Midway and French Frigate Shoals, and she made one voyage to Guam.
1941-1942 Pensacola departed Pearl Harbor 29 November 1941 with a convoy bound for Manila in the Philippines. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the convoy was diverted to Australia, entering Brisbane Harbor 7 January 1942. Pensacola returned to Pearl Harbor 19 January and put to sea 5 February to patrol the approaches to the Samoan Islands. On 17 February 1942, she rendezvoused off Samoa with Carrier Task Force 11, built around the aircraft carrier Lexington.
Near Bougainville, Solomons, Pensacola's gunners helped repel two waves of Japanese bombers, 20 February. Not a ship of the carrier task force was damaged. Anti-aircraft fire and Lexington Combat Air Patrol planes shot down 17 of the 18 attackers.
Pensacola continued to help guard Lexington on offensive patrol in the Coral Sea until carrier Yorktown joined the task force 6 March. The American ships steamed for the Gulf of Papua where, 10 March, Lexington launched planes for a surprise strike over the Owen Stanley Mountains at Japanese shipping and installations at Salamaua and Lae. A complete surprise, the raid caused heavy damage. The task force then turned toward Noumea, New Caledonia, to replenish. Pensacola patrolled with the Yorktown carrier task force until 8 April, then headed, via Samoa, for Pearl Harbor, arriving 21 April. She carried Marine Fighting Squadron 212 to Efate in the New Hebrides Islands and returned to Pearl Harbor with famed carrier Enterprise 26 May.
Pensacola departed Pearl Harbor 28 May with the Enterprise task force for a rendezvous 2 June northeast of Midway with units of Task Force 17. Two days later, 4 June, when the Japanese armada came within range of the American carriers, the decisive battle of Midway commenced.
Adm. Spruance's torpedo planes and dive-bombers attacked the Japanese carriers. Akagi and Kaga went up in flames, and Sōryū was badly damaged. A fourth enemy carrier, Hiryū, still at large, launched strikes at Yorktown and the American flattops struck back, leaving the enemy carrier hit many times, in a mass of flames. Meanwhile, gallant Yorktown, hit by three bombs, was fighting for her life. Pensacola raced from the Enterprise screen to aid the stricken carrier. While tring to aid the yorktowan, the ship was stuck with a torpedo and hit in the kitchen. Yorktown was dead in the water when Pensacola arrived, and the cruiser assisted in shooting down four enemy torpedo bombers during a second attack.
Despite all that could be done, Yorktown received two torpedo hits amidships and had to be abandoned. Pensacola rejoined the screen of Enterprise to pursue the retiring Japanese.
Pensacola returned to Pearl Harbor 13 June and, with Enterprise, again put to sea 22 June carrying 1,157 marines of Marine Aircraft Group 22 to Midway. She patrolled and trained in Hawaiian waters until 7 August. As Marines stormed the shores of Guadalcanal, the cruiser set course for the Solomons in the screen of carriers Saratoga, Hornet and Wasp to support the leathernecks in that bitter campaign. In submarine infested waters, torpedoes damaged Saratoga 31 August and sank Wasp 15 September.
Pensacola arrived at Noumea, New Caledonia, 26 September and departed with carrier Hornet 2 October to strike the enemy in the Santa Isabel?Guadalcanal area. On 24 October, Hornet's carrier task group joined Enterprise and the combined force steamed to intercept enemy warships approaching the Guadalcanal-Tulagi area.
On 26 October 1942, search planes located a Japanese carrier and battleship formation, beginning the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands which was fought without contact being made between surface ships of the opposing forces. Air strikes inflicted severe bomb damage to Japanese carriers Zuihō and Shōkaku, and sank Japanese light cruiser Yura. Bomb hits damaged battleship Kirishima and other enemy ships.
Pensacola helped fight off a coordinated dive bombing and torpedo plane raid which damaged Hornet so severely that she had to be abandoned. Within minutes of the attack on Hornet, 24 dive bombers dropped 23 bombs in a run on Enterprise. Despite damage, the famed "Fighting Lady" launched a large number of planes from abandoned Hornet besides her own.
Pensacola received 55 officers and 133 men?survivors from Hornet whom she debarked at Noumea, 30 October 1942. The Task Force had turned back a Japanese attempt to regain Guadalcanal, sunk cruiser Yura, and damaged a number of enemy capital ships. Japanese carriers had lost 123 planes.
Pensacola departed Noumea 2 November 1942 to guard transports landing Marine reinforcements, and supplies, at Aola Bay, Guadalcanal. She helped guard Enterprise during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal 12 November?13 November 1942. Planes from Enterprise assisted in the sinking of battleship Hiei, one cruiser, three destroyers, and eleven auxiliaries and the damaging of four Japanese cruisers and four destroyers.
Pensacola returned to Espiritu Santo to join cruiser-destroyer Task Force 67 under Rear Admiral Carleton H. Wright. On 29 November, the task force sailed to intercept a Japanese destroyer-transport force expected off Guadalcanal the next night. Just before midnight of the 30th, the American ships transited Lengo Channel and headed past Henderson Field on Guadalcanal as the Japanese task group steamed on a southerly course west of Savo Island to enter "Ironbottom Sound."
The two opposing task forces clashed in the Battle of Tassafaronga. American destroyers launched torpedoes as the enemy range came within five miles Pensacola's cruiser formation. Now gun flashes, tracers, and star shell candles stained the inky darkness. Japanese destroyer Takanami, hit many times, was afire and exploding. American flagship Minneapolis took two torpedo hits that blasted her bow downward like an immense scoop and left her forecastle deck awash, but she continued to fight on. New Orleans, next astern, closed the disabled Minneapolis and ran into the track of a torpedo that ripped off the forward part of the warship.
Pensacola turned left to prevent collision with two damaged American ships ahead of her. Silhouetted by the burning American cruisers, she came in the Japanese line of fire. One of 18 torpedoes launched by Japanese destroyers hit her below the mainmast on the portside. Her engine room flooded, three gun turrets went out of commission, and her oil tanks ruptured to make a soaked torch of her mast. Meantime, Honolulu maneuvered radically at 30 knots, her guns continuing their rapid fire as she escaped the trap. But the last American cruiser in column, Northampton, took two torpedo hits to duplicate on a larger scale the havoc inflicted on Pensacola.
The oil-fed flames engulfed Pensacola's main deck aft where torpedoes and machine gun ammunition exploded. Only supreme effort and skillful damage control by her gallant men saved the ship. The fire, punctuated by the frightful explosion of 8 inch projectiles in her Number 3 turret, gradually subsided. Pensacola made steady progress towards Tulagi. She arrived there still aflame. After twelve hours the last fire was quenched. Her dead numbered 7 officers and 118 men. One officer and 67 men were injured.
1943-1945 Camouflaged as part of the island, Pensacola made repairs in Tulagi Harbor that enabled her to steam to Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides Island. She arrived there 6 December for emergency repairs by repair ship Vestal until she sailed 7 January 1943 via Samoa to Pearl Harbor, arriving 27 January.
On 8 November, Pensacola sailed from Pearl Harbor in the screen of Southern Attack Force aircraft carriers. On 19 November, Pensacola made bombardment runs on Betio and Tarawa. She rained 600 projectiles to put coast defense guns out of action, and destroyed enemy beach defenses and numerous buildings. As troops stormed ashore on Tarawa 20 November, the cruiser screened carriers launching air strikes supporting the landings. That night she fought off Japanese torpedo bombers and assisted torpedo-damaged carrier Independence into Funafuti, Ellice Islands. For the next two months, she ranged out of that base to screen carriers covering the movement of reinforcements and supplies to the Gilberts. On 29 January 1944, she began strikes and bombardments to destroy Japanese air power and shipping in the Marshall Islands. That night, Pensacola helped bombard Tarao in the Eastern Marshalls. She then slammed shells into airfield runways, seaplane ramps, ammunition stowage areas and buildings on Wotje. She continued pounding these targets as Marines and Army troops landed 31 January to seize Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls. Invasion of the Marshall Islands continued 1 February as Marines occupied Roi and Namur Islands. Pensacola continued to hit hard at Tarao, Maloelap Atoll through 18 February, destroying coastal defenses and air bases of the enemy in the eastern Marshalls. Operating from Majuro and Kwajalein, she continued to patrol in approaches of the Marshalls. She again served in the screen of fast carriers conducting raids in the Carolines 30 March?1 April, against Japanese defenses at Palau, Yap, Ulithi and Woleai.
Pensacola departed Majuro 25 April sailing via Pearl Harbor and Mare Island for duty in the Northern Pacific, arriving in Kulak Bay 27 May. On 13 June, she joined her cruiser-destroyer task force in raining destruction on the airfields of Matsuwa, Kuriles. In the early morning of 26 June, she fired 300 8 inch projectiles to destroy shipping, airfields and installations at Kurabu Zaki, Paramushiru To, Kuriles, returning to Kulak Bay 28 June. Pensacola continued patrol in Alaskan waters until departing Kulak Bay 8 August for Hawaii.
Pensacola arrived Pearl Harbor 13 August and put to sea the 29th. En route to the Marianas 3 September, she joined an air-sea bombardment of Wake Island. On 9 October, she pounded the main radio station and installations on Marcus Island. She and her sister cruisers and destroyers stirred up a fire melee in their "impersonation" of Halsey's 3rd Fleet to lead the Japanese into thinking the ladder of islands to the Bonins was next on the American timetable for invasion. Meanwhile, Admiral Halsey's units advanced on the Philippines while Fast Carriers rained destruction on the enemy air and Fleet bases at Okinawa and Formosa.
Pensacola made rendezvous with the units of the Fast Carrier Task Force retiring from the great air battles over Formosa. After protecting battle damaged cruisers HMAS Canberra and USS Houston to Ulithi, she joined a Fast Carrier Task Group, including Wasp, 16 October. The following day, troops supported by the 7th Fleet, began the liberation of the Philippine Islands.
Pensacola screened fast aircraft carriers striking Luzon and directly supported the invasion of Leyte beginning 20 October. She raced north to aid in the destruction of the enemy carrier force in the battle off Cape Engaño 25 October, then turned south as the fast carriers launched planes to aid the gallant escort carriers.
Pensacola bombarded Iwo Jima the night of 11 November?12 November and returned to Ulithi the 14th. As she was about to depart for Saipan 20 November, she spotted a periscope about 1,200 yards to starboard. As she maneuvered clear, destroyer Case rammed the enemy. Four minutes later, her men witnessed the flaming explosion that destroyed fleet oiler Mississinewa, victim of a Japanese midget submarine.
Pensacola arrived Saipan 22 November to prepare for the invasion of Iwo Jima. Five nights later, she helped splash several attacking Japanese aircraft. She departed Saipan 6 December, plastered Iwo Jima with 500 8 inch projectiles on the 8th. She returned to Iwo Jima on the 24th and the 27th, pounding mountain gun positions north of Suribachi Mountain. She hit defenses on Chichi Jima and Haha Jima as well as Iwo Jima on 5 January and 24 January 1945.
At Ulithi, 27 January, Pensacola formed with a battleship-cruiser-destroyer gunstrike task force under Rear Admiral B. J. Rodgers. Six battleships, four cruisers and a destroyer screen comprised the bombardment force which sailed 10 February via Tinian to Iwo Jima.
On 16 February, Pensacola opened fire on the northwest sector of Iwo Jima to prepare for the landings. That afternoon Lieutenant Douglas W. Gandy, USNR, piloting one of Pensacola's gun-spotter scout planes, shot down a Japanese fighter. The next morning, Pensacola took six hits from enemy shore batteries as her guns covered operations of the minesweepers close inshore. Three of her officers and 14 men were killed. Another five officers and 114 men were injured.
Pensacola fired back as she retired for temporary repairs then returned to her bombardment station. The morning of 19 February she commenced harassing and counter-battery fire in direct support of the invasion landings. Her deadly guns fought day and night into 1 March when she silenced enemy shore batteries which had hit destroyer Terry amidships. After helping Terry's wounded, she resumed direct bombardment support to advancing Marines that continued into 3 March.
She arrived in Ulithi 5 March and put to sea on the 20th to support the invasion and capture of Okinawa, the "last stepping stone" to Japan.
On 25 March, Pensacola bombarded enemy defenses and covered the operations of minesweepers preparing the way for the Okinawa invasion landings. On 27 March, she spotted a torpedo wake on her port quarter. A second "fish" streaked towards the ship from dead astern. As her 40 mm gunners opened fire on the torpedoes, Pensacola went hard left then hard right to parallel the deadly missiles. The first torpedo missed her starboard quarter by less than twenty feet. The second passed some twenty yards along the port side of the cruiser as her gunners opened with automatic weapons on a submarine periscope.
Pensacola gave direct bombardment support to the initial invasion of Okinawa 1 April and continued to blast at enemy targets until the 15th. She then sailed via Guam and Pearl Harbor for home. She arrived at Mare Island 7 May for overhaul.
She sailed 3 August for Adak, Alaska and was there when hostilities ended. On the 31st, she sailed with units of Cruiser Division Five en route to Ominato, Northern Honshū, Japan. She anchored in the outer harbor of Ominato 8 September.
Operation Magic Carpet Pensacola departed Ominato 14 November to embark 200 veterans at Iwo Jima, then touched Pearl Harbor en route to San Francisco, California, arriving 3 December. Five days later, she put to sea for Apra Harbor, Guam, where she embarked nearly 700 veterans for transport to San Diego, arriving 9 January 1946.
Operation Crossroads Pensacola departed San Pedro 29 April to stage with units of Joint Task Force One at Pearl Harbor in preparation for Operation Crossroads, the atomic bomb experiments at Bikini Atoll. She stood out of Pearl Harbor 20 May and reached Bikini the 29th to serve as a target ship. She survived the tests of 1 July and 25 July 1946. On 24 August 1946 she was taken in tow for Kwajalein where she decommissioned 26 August 1946. Her hulk was turned over to the custody of Joint Task Force One for radiological and structural studies. On completion of these studies, her hulk was sunk 10 November 1948 off the Washington coast.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: USS Pensacola (CA-24)Pensacola received thirteen battle stars for World War II service.
Other Memories The first USS Rathburne (DD?113) was a Wickes class destroyer in the United States Navy during the World War I. She was named for John Peek Rathbun.
Rathburne was laid down 12 July 1917 by William Cramp & Sons Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; launched 27 December 1917; sponsored by Miss Malinda B. Mull; and commissioned 24 June 1918, Comdr. Ward R. Wortman in command.
During the final months of World War I, July to November 1918, Rathburne escorted coastal convoys from the mid-Atlantic seaboard as far north as Halifax, Nova Scotia and oceanic convoys to the Azores. Completing her last convoy at New York 27 November, she remained there until the new year, 1919, then sailed south to Cuba for winter maneuvers. With the spring, she again crossed the Atlantic, operated from Brest during May and June, and returned to New York in July. In August she was transferred to the Pacific Fleet. West coast operations occupied the remainder of the year, while the first half of 1920 was spent in overhaul at Puget Sound. Designated DD-113 in July, she cruised the waters off Washington and in the Gulf of Alaska from August 1920 until January 1921, then shifted south for operations off California.
In July she headed west and in late August arrived at Cavite to join the Asiatic Fleet. Based there for almost a year, she departed the Philippines on 16 July 1922, cruised off the China coast into August and on the 30th of that month sailed from Nagasaki en route to Midway, Pear Harbor, and San Francisco. Arriving at the latter 2 October, she soon shifted to San Diego, where she was decommissioned 12 February 1923 and was berthed with the reserve fleet until 1930.
Recommissioned 8 February 1930, Rathburne remained in the eastern Pacific, engaged in exercises including fleet problems involved with strategic scouting, tracking, attacking, and defense of convoys and the defense of the west coast, through 1933. In the spring of 1934 she departed San Diego for the Panama Canal and the Caribbean for Fleet Problem XV, a three-phased problem involving the attack and defense of the Canal; the capture of advanced bases; and fleet action. A cruise along the east coast followed and in the fall she returned to San Diego.
Two years later she was transferred to the West Coast Sound Training Squadron, and, until the spring of 1944, she was used primarily as a schoolship.
On 25 April 1944 she departed San Diego for Puget Sound and conversion to a high-speed transport. Reclassified APD-25 on 20 May, she returned to San Diego in June; underwent amphibious training, and in July steamed for Hawaii. During late July and early August she trained with underwater demolition teams (UDT). On 10 August UDT 10 reported aboard, and on the 12th Rathburne continued west.
After rehearsals in the Solomons, Rathburne sortied from Purvis Bay with TG 32.5 on 6 September. Six days later she arrived off the Palaus to begin her first combat operations, the Peleliu and Angaur preinvasion bombardment and minesweeping operations. On the 14th she debarked UDT 10, supported them with gunfire as they cleared the approaches to the Angaur beaches, and reembarked them on the 15th. Rathburne resumed covering fire for UDT 8, after reembarking UDT 10, then on the 16th took up screening duties. On the 19th she departed Angaur and headed for Ulithi, where UDT 10 reconnoitered the Falalop and Asor beaches, beginning on the 21st. By the 23d the atoll had been occupied and Rathburne moved south, to New Guinea and the Admiralties, to prepare for the invasion of Leyte.
On 18 October the APD entered Leyte Gulf. On the 19th, UDT 10 went ashore on Red Beach in the northern assault area between Palo and San Ricardo. Through the morning Rathburne provided covering fire and shortly after noon pulled the team off the beach. On the 20th, she covered the landings, then shifted to fire support off the Dulag beaches. Detached, soon after her arrival, she began messenger and passenger runs between the northern and southern transport areas.
The next day she transited Surigao Strait en route to Kossol Roads, the Admiralties, the Solomons, and New Caledonia. At the end of November she steamed west, for New Guinea. During December she prepared for the Luzon offensive. On the 27th she sailed for Lingayen Gulf.
Assigned to TU 77.2.1, the San Fabian fire support group, she acted as part of the antiaircraft screen en route and splashed two enemy planes on 5 January 1945. On the 6th she was in Lingayen Gulf, screening larger ships bombarding the assault area. On the 7th, she landed UDT 10 on Blue Beach and covered them as they reconnoitered the area to destroy natural and manmade obstacles. On the 8th she resumed bombardment activities.
On the 9th, troops went ashore, and from then until the 11th, Rathburne alternated fire support duty with patrols in the transport area. On the 11th, she got underway for Leyte, but 14 days later headed back to Luzon to provide support during the push against Manila. UDT 10, disembarked on the 29th, reported no opposition at San Narciso, but Rathburne remained in the area until after the landings.
By 3 February Rathburne was back in San Pedro Bay, whence, on the 4th, she sailed for Saipan. From Saipan, she carried mail to Iwo Jima in early March, then at midmonth she returned to the Bonin-Volcano area for antisubmarine patrol duty. On the 22d, she departed the area; transported POW's to Guam; and prepared for duty off Okinawa.
Escorting LST Group 91 en route, Rathburne arrived at Kerama Retto on 18 April. On the 19th, she shifted to the Hagushi anchorage and took up screening and escort duty.
On the evening of the 27th she was on patrol off Hagushi. Air alerts had been called throughout the day. At about 2200 her radar picked up an enemy plane on the port quarter, 3700 yards out but closing fast.
Increasing speed, changing course, and antiaircraft fire did not deter the kamikaze. He crashed the port bow on the waterline. Three compartments were flooded. Sound gear was put out of commission. Fires broke out on the forecastle. But there were no casualties. Damage control parties soon extinguished the fires and contained the flooding. Rathburne, slowed to 5 knots, made for Kerama Retto.
By mid-May temporary repairs had been completed and she was underway for San Diego. Arriving on 18 June, she was reconverted to a destroyer and reclassified DD-113 on 20 July.
Still on the west coast when hostilities ceased in mid-August, Rathburne was ordered to the east coast for inactivation. Sailing on 29 September, she arrived at Philadelphia on 16 October and was decommissioned on 2 November 1945. Struck from the Navy list on the 28th, she was sold for scrapping to the Northern Metals Co., Philadelphia, in November 1946.
Rathburne earned six battle stars during World War II.
Other Memories
USS Roper (DD-147) was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy, later converted to a high-speed transport and redesignated APD-20.
She was named for Lieutenant Commander Jesse M. Roper, commanding officer of USS Petrel (PG-2), who died during the Spanish-American War while rescuing his crew.
Her keel was laid down on 19 March 1918 by William Cramp & Sons, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was launched on 17 August 1918 sponsored by Mrs. Jesse M. Roper, widow of Lieutenant Commander Jesse M. Roper, and commissioned on 15 February 1919 with Commander Abram Claude in command.
Interwar period Following shakedown off the New England coast, Roper sailed east in mid-June 1919 and, after stops at Ponta Delgada, Gibraltar, and Malta, anchored in the Bosporus on 5 July. For the next month she supported Peace Commission and Relief Committee work in the Black Sea area, carrying mail and passengers to and from Constantinople, Novorossisk, Batum, Samsun, and Trebizond. On 20 August the destroyer returned to the United States, at New York City, only to sail again six days later. At the end of the month she transited the Panama Canal and moved north to San Diego, California.
Roper remained on the West Coast until July 1921. On 23 July, she departed San Francisco, California, for duty on the Asiatic Station. Arriving at Cavite, Philippine Islands, on 24 August, she remained in the Philippines into December. She then moved into Chinese waters and, into the summer, operated primarily from Hong Kong and Chefoo. On 25 August 1922, she headed back to California. Routed via Nagasaki, Midway, and Pearl Harbor she arrived at San Francisco on 13 October. Two days later she shifted to San Pedro, California, thence proceeded to San Diego, where she was decommissioned on 14 December 1922 and berthed with the Pacific Reserve Fleet.
Recommissioned on 18 March 1930, Roper resumed operations in the Pacific. Operating primarily in the southern California area, in active and rotating reserve squadrons, for the next seven years, she deployed to Panama, to Hawaii and to the Caribbean Sea for fleet problems and maneuvers in 1931, 1933, 1935, and 1936. During 1933, Lieutenant (junior grade) Robert A. Heinlein transferred aboard Roper. In 1934 he was promoted to Lieutenant, then "invalided out," permanently disabled from tuberculosis. During January and February of 1936, Roper moved north for operations in Alaskan waters.
In February 1937, Roper departed California and, after transiting the Panama Canal, joined the Atlantic Fleet. For the remainder of the year, through 1938, and into 1939, she conducted exercises primarily off the mid-Atlantic seaboard and, during part of each year, in the Caribbean. In November 1939, after the outbreak of World War II in Europe, she shifted from Norfolk, Virginia, to Key West, Florida, whence she patrolled the Yucatan Channel and the Florida Straits. In December she returned to Norfolk. In January 1940, she moved south again, to Charleston, South Carolina, and in March she headed north for duty on the New England Patrol.
World War 2 Through the prewar "Neutrality Patrol" period, Roper continued to range the waters off the East and Gulf Coasts. Off Cape Cod on 7 December 1941, she returned to Norfolk for an abbreviated availability at midmonth, then steamed to NS Argentia, Newfoundland. In early February 1942, she completed a convoy escort run to Londonderry Port, then, in March, returned to the Norfolk area for patrol and escort duty. A month later, on the night of 13 April-14 April, she made contact with a surfaced U-boat off the coast of North Carolina. The ensuing chase ended with the sinking by artillery fire of U-85, a unit of the VII U-boat Flotilla. Authors Franz Seidler and Alfred de Zayas have suggested in their 2002 book that the failure of the Roper to rescue the U-85 crew after they abandoned the submarine and Roper's subsequent depth charging of the submerged U-85 constituted a war crime.[2] According to the after action report, the attack occurred after midnight local time after Roper closed to identify an unknown contact (U-85) and was narrowly missed by a torpedo prior to opening fire. The commanding officer delayed rescue operations until daybreak and after the arrival of air support from a PBY and an airship due to concern of an attack by a second u-boat. No charges were filed against the crew of the Roper and 29 sailors of U-85 were buried with military honors at Hampton National Cemetery.[4] Commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander Hamilton W. Howe received the Navy Cross for the engagement of the submarine and retired in 1956 with the rank of Rear Admiral.
At the end of May, Roper began a series of coastwise escort runs, from Key West to New York, which took her into 1943. In February of that year, she shifted to Caribbean Sea-Mediterranean Sea convoy work and remained on that duty until October when she entered the Charleston Navy Yard for conversion to a high speed transport.
Reclassified and given hull classification symbol APD-20 on 20 October 1943, Roper departed Charleston in late November and trained in the Chesapeake Bay area and off the Florida coast into the new year, 1944. On 13 April she steamed east and at the end of the month joined the Eighth Fleet at Oran, Algeria. A unit of Transport Division 13, assigned to support the offensive in Italy, Roper landed units of the French Army on Pianosa on 17 June and, into July, plied between Oran and Naples and operated along the western coast of the embattled peninsula. In August she shifted her attention to southern France. On 15 August, she arrived off that coast as part of the "Sitka" Force and landed troops on Levant Island. On 5 September she returned to Italy; resumed runs between Naples and Oran, and, in early December departed the latter port for Hampton Roads.[1]
Arriving at Norfolk on 21 December, Roper sailed again on 29 January 1945. On transiting the Panama Canal, she reported to the Pacific Fleet, and, after stops in California and Hawaii moved into the Mariana Islands. On 11 May she departed Guam for the Ryukyu Islands. Arriving in Nakagusuku Wan on 22 May, she circled to the Hagushi anchorage the same day. Three days later, while on screening station off that transport area she was hit by a kamikaze.
Ordered back to the United States to complete repairs, she departed the Ryukyus on 6 June and reached San Pedro a month later. In August she shifted to Mare Island, but with the cessation of hostilities repair work was halted. Decommissioned on 15 September 1945, Roper?s name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 11 October 1945 and her hulk was sold to the Lerner Company, Oakland, California. Removed in June 1946, it was scrapped the following December.[1]
Roper earned four battle stars during World War II.
Other Memories
USS Colorado (BB-45), the third ship of the United States Navy named in honor of the 38th state, was the lead ship of her class of battleships. Her keel was laid down on 29 May 1919 by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation of Camden, New Jersey. She was launched on 22 March 1921 sponsored by Mrs. M. Melville, and commissioned on 30 August 1923 with Captain R. R. Belknap in command.
Colorado sailed from New York City on 29 December 1923 on a maiden voyage that took her to Portsmouth, England; Cherbourg, France, and Villefranche, France; Naples, Italy; and Gibraltar before returning to New York 15 February 1924. After repairs and final tests she sailed for the west coast 11 July and arrived at San Francisco, California, on 15 September 1924.
From 1924 to 1941 Colorado operated with the Battle Fleet in the Pacific, participating in fleet exercises and various ceremonies, and returning to the east coast from time to time for fleet problems in the Caribbean Sea. She also cruised to Samoa, Australia, and New Zealand from 8 June to 26 September 1925 to show the flag in the far Pacific. She aided in earthquake relief at Long Beach, California, on 10 March and 11 March 1933 and during an NROTC cruise from 11 June to 22 July 1937 she assisted in the search for the missing Amelia Earhart.
Based in Pearl Harbor from 27 January 1941, Colorado operated in the Hawaiian training area in intensive exercises and war games until 25 June when she departed for the west coast and overhaul at Puget Sound Navy Yard which lasted until 31 March 1942. On May 31, 1942, Colorado and USS Maryland set sail from the Golden Gate to form a line of defense against any Japanese attack mounted on San Francisco.
After west coast training, Colorado returned to Pearl Harbor 14 August 1942 to complete her preparations for action. She operated in the vicinity of the Fiji Islands and New Hebrides from 8 November 1942 to 17 September 1943 to prevent further Japanese expansion. She sortied from Pearl Harbor 21 October to provide preinvasion bombardment and fire support for the invasion of Tarawa, returning to port 7 December 1943. After west coast overhaul, Colorado returned to Lahaina Roads, Hawaiian Islands, on 21 January 1944 and sortied the next day for the Marshall Islands operation, providing preinvasion bombardment and fire support for the invasions of Kwajalein and Eniwetok until 23 February when she headed for Puget Sound Navy Yard and overhaul.
Joining other units bound for the Mariana Islands operation at San Francisco, Colorado sailed on 5 May 1944 by way of Pearl Harbor and Kwajalein for preinvasion bombardment and fire support duties at Saipan, Guam, and Tinian from 14 June. On 24 July during the shelling of Tinian, Colorado received 22 shell hits from shore batteries but continued to support the invading troops until 3 August. After repairs on the west coast, Colorado arrived in Leyte Gulf 20 November 1944 to support American troops fighting ashore. A week later she was hit by two kamikazes which killed 19 of her men, wounded 72, and caused moderate damage. Nevertheless as planned she bombarded Mindoro between 12 December and 17 December before proceeding to Manus Island for emergency repairs. Returning to Luzon on 1 January 1945, she participated in the preinvasion bombardments in Lingayen Gulf. On 9 January accidental gunfire hit her superstructure killing 18 and wounding 51.
After replenishing at Ulithi, Colorado joined the preinvasion bombardment group at Kerama Retto on 25 March 1945 for the invasion of Okinawa. She remained there supplying fire support until 22 May when she cleared for Leyte Gulf.
Returning to occupied Okinawa 6 August 1945, Colorado sailed from there for the occupation of Japan, covering the airborne landings at Atsugi Airfield, Tokyo, on 27 August. Departing Tokyo Bay 20 September 1945 she arrived at San Francisco on 15 October, then steamed to Seattle, Washington, for the Navy-Day celebration 27 October. Assigned to Operation Magic Carpet duty, she made three runs to Pearl Harbor to transport 6,357 veterans home before reporting to Bremerton Navy Yard for inactivation. She was placed out of commission in reserve there 7 January 1947, and sold for scrapping 23 July 1959. Her bell is currently on display in the University Memorial Center (UMC) at the University of Colorado.
Colorado received seven battle stars for World War II service.
Other Memories
The United States Naval Academy (USNA) is an institution for the undergraduate education of officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps and is in Annapolis, Maryland . The Academy often is referred to simply as "Annapolis" although naval officers normally refer to it in conversation as "The Academy," "The Boat School," or "Canoe U." Sports media refer to the Academy as Navy; this usage is officially endorsed. ROTC graduates, Officer Candidate School graduates as well as cadets from the Air Force Academy, Coast Guard Academy, and the U.S. Military Academy (West Point), USNA's traditional rivals, often refer to the Naval Academy as "Canoe U." The U.S. Naval Academy was established October 10, 1845.
The Academy's motto is ex scientia tridens, which is Latin for "from knowledge, seapower". The Academy also supports the Navy and Marine Corps core values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment.
The USNA's campus is in Annapolis, Maryland, on the banks of the Severn River and Chesapeake Bay.
Students at the Naval Academy are referred to by their military rank (Midshipman). Upon graduation, most Naval Academy Midshipmen are commissioned as Ensigns in the U.S. Navy or Second Lieutenants in the Marine Corps and must serve a minimum of five years after their commissioning. Foreign Midshipmen are commissioned into the armed forces of their native countries. Since 1959, Midshipmen have been able to "cross-commission," or request a commission in the Army, Air Force or Coast Guard, provided they meet that service's eligibility standards. Every year, a small number of graduates do this, usually in a one-for-one "trade" with a similarly inclined Cadet at one of the other service academies.
Midshipmen who resign or are expelled from the academy in their first two years incur no military service obligation. Those who are separated - voluntarily or involuntarily - after that time are required to serve on active duty in an enlisted status, usually for two to four years. Alternatively, separated former Midshipmen can reimburse the government for their educational expenses; the sum is often in excess of $200,000.
There is no graduate school directly associated with the Naval Academy. Instead, the Navy operates the Naval Postgraduate School and the Naval War College separately. The Naval Academy Preparatory School (NAPS) is the official prep school for the Naval, Merchant Marine, and Coast Guard Academies.
The institution was founded as the Naval School in 1845 by Secretary of the Navy George Bancroft. The campus was established at Annapolis on the grounds of the former U.S. Army post Fort Severn. The school opened on October 10 with 50 Midshipmen students and seven professors. The decision to establish an academy on land may have been in part a result of the Somers Affair while that vessel was being used for officer training. Commodore Matthew Perry had a considerable interest in naval education, supporting an apprentice system to train new seamen, and helped establish the curriculum for the United States Naval Academy. He was also a vocal proponent of modernization of the Navy.
Originally a course of study for five years was prescribed. Only the first and last were spent at the school with the other three being passed at sea. The present name was adopted when the school was reorganized in 1850 and placed under the supervision of the chief of the Bureau of Ordnance and Hydrography. Under the immediate charge of the superintendent, the course of study was extended to seven years with the first two and the last two to be spent at the school and the intervening three years at sea. The four years of study were made consecutive in 1851 and practice cruises were substituted for the three consecutive years at sea. The first class of Naval Academy students graduated on June 10, 1854.
Commanding Officer.
USS Johnston (DD-557) was a World War II-era Fletcher-class destroyer in the service of the United States Navy. She was the first Navy ship named after Lieutenant John V. Johnston.
Johnston was laid down 6 May 1942 by the Seattle Tacoma Shipbuilding Co., Seattle, Washington; launched 25 March 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Marie S. Klinger, great-niece of her namesake; and commissioned 27 October 1943, Lieutenant Commander Ernest E. Evans in command.
The day Johnston was commissioned, Cmdr. Evans made a speech to the crew: "This is going to be a fighting ship. I intend to go in harm's way, and anyone who doesn't want to go along had better get off right now."[1] During the Marshall Islands campaign 3 months later, Johnston bombarded the beaches at Kwajalein 1 February 1944, and made a 5-day bombardment of Eniwetok 17?22 February. She gave direct support to invasion troops there, destroying several pillboxes and taking revetments along the beach under fire. En route to patrol duty in the Solomons 28 March 1944, she bombarded Kapingamarangi Atoll in the Carolines. An observation tower, several blockhouses, pillboxes and dugouts along the beach were shelled. Two days later she came into the mouth of the Maririca River, southeast of Empress Augusta Bay, Bougainville, Solomon Islands. After laying a heavy barrage into that area, she took up antisubmarine patrol off Bougainville. During this duty 15 May 1944, she depth charged and sank the Japanese submarine I-176.
After 3 months of patrol in the Solomons, Johnston sailed to the Marshall Islands to prepare for the invasion and capture of Guam in the Marianas. On 21 July 1944 she teamed up with that Pearl Harbor "ghost", the battleship Pennsylvania, to bombard Guam. The destroyer had sent in more than 4,000 rounds of shells by 29 July. Her accurate gunfire shattered the enemy 4 inch battery installations, numerous pillboxes and buildings. Johnston next helped protect escort carriers providing air support for the invasion and capture of the Palau Islands.
Now the time had come for General MacArthur's long awaited return to the Philippines. Following replenishment at Seeadler Harbor, Admiralty Islands, she sailed 12 October 1944 to help protect the escort carriers maintaining air supremacy over eastern Leyte and the Gulf, sweeping the enemy off local airfields, giving troops direct support on the landing beaches from 20 October, and even destroying vehicle transport and supply convoys on the roads of Leyte itself. Johnston was operating with "Taffy 3" (Escort Carrier Task Unit 77.4.3) comprising Rear Admiral Clifton A. F. ?Ziggy? Sprague's flagship Fanshaw Bay (CVE-70), five other escort carriers, three destroyers including herself, and four destroyer-escorts. "Taffy 3" was one of the three units of Rear Admiral Thomas L. Sprague's Escort Carrier Task Group 77.4 known by their voice calls as "Taffy 1", "Taffy 2", and "Taffy 3".
The morning of 23 October 1944 American submarines detected and attacked units of the Japanese fleet coming in from the South China Sea toward the precarious Leyte beachhead. The battleship-cruiser-destroyer Southern Force was decimated as it attempted to enter Leyte Gulf via Surigao Strait the night of 24?25 October 1944. The more powerful battleship-cruiser-destroyer Center Force under Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita had been pounded by Admiral ?Bull? Halsey?s attack carrier planes and presumably turned back from San Bernardino Strait. Admiral Halsey then raced north with his attack carriers and heavy battleships to engage a Japanese carrier-battleship task force off Cape Engano. This left Johnston and her small escort carrier task unit lonely sentinels in north Leyte Gulf, east of Samar and off San Bernadino Strait.
As enemy ships fled the Battle of Surigao Strait at daybreak of 25 October 1944, the powerful Japanese Center Force slipped through San Bernadino Strait and into Leyte Gulf. It steamed along the coast of Samar directly for Johnston?s little task unit and the American invasion beachhead at Leyte, hoping to destroy amphibious shipping and American troops on shore.
One of the pilots flying patrol after dawn alert of 25 October 1944 reported the approach of Japanese Center Force. Steaming straight for "Taffy 3" were 4 battleships, 7 cruisers, and at least 12 destroyers. Johnston's gunnery officer later reported "We felt like little David without a slingshot." In less than a minute Johnston was zigzagging between the six little escort carriers and the Japanese fleet and putting out a smoke screen over a 2,500-yard front to conceal the carriers from the enemy gunners: "Even as we began laying smoke, the Japanese started lobbing shells at us and the Johnston had to zigzag between the splashes.... We were the first destroyer to make smoke, the first to start firing, the first to launch a torpedo attack...."[citation needed]
For the first 20 minutes, Johnston was helpless as the enemy cruisers and battleships had her in range. But the destroyer's 5 inch guns could not yet reach them. Not waiting for orders, Commander Ernest E. Evans breaks defensive formation, and goes on the offensive by ordering Johnston to speed directly towards the enemy?first a line of seven destroyers, next one light and three heavy cruisers, then the four battleships. To the east appeared three other cruisers and several destroyers. Amazingly, the enemy gunners could not score a hit on Johnston.
As soon as range closed to within 10 miles, Johnston opened her 5 inch battery on the nearest cruiser, IJN Kumano, scoring damaging hits. About this time an 8 inch shell landed right off her bow, its red dye splashing the face of Johnston?s gunnery officer, Lt. Robert C. Hagen. He mopped the dye from his eyes while remarking: "Looks like somebody's mad at us!"[citation needed] In 5 furious minutes, Johnston pumped over 200 rounds at the enemy, then Cmdr. Evans ordered, "Fire torpedoes!" The destroyer got off 10 torpedoes then whipped around to retire behind a heavy smoke screen. When she came out of the smoke a minute later, Kumano could be seen burning furiously from a torpedo hit; Kumano?s bow had been blown completely off. Johnston had taken three 14 inch shell hits from the battleship Kongo, followed closely by three 6 inch shells, from either a light cruiser or possibly the Yamato, hitting the bridge. The hits resulted in the loss of all power to the steering engine, all power to the three 5 inch guns in the after part of the ship, and rendered the gyrocompass useless. A rainstorm came up and Johnston "ducked into it" for a few minutes of rapid repairs and salvage work. The bridge was abandoned and Commander Evans, who had lost two fingers on his left hand, went to the aft steering column to conn the ship.
At 7:50 a.m., Admiral Sprague ordered destroyers to make a torpedo attack: "small boys attack". But Johnston had already expended torpedoes. With one engine, she could not keep up with the others: "But that wasn't Cmdr. Evans' way of fighting: 'We'll go in with the destroyers and provide fire support,' he boomed."[citation needed] Johnston went in, dodging salvos and blasting back. As she charged out of blinding smoke, pointed straight at the bridge of USS Heermann (DD-532), "All engines back full!" bellowed Cmdr. Evans.[citation needed] That meant one engine for Johnston who could hardly do more than slow down. But Heerman?s two engines backed her barely out of the collision course?Johnston missed her by less than 10 feet. Now there was so much smoke that Evans ordered no firing unless the gunnery officer could see the ship. "At 8:20, there suddenly appeared out of the smoke a 30,000-ton Kongô-class battleship, only 7,000 yards off our port beam. I took one look at the unmistakable pagoda mast, muttered, 'I sure as hell can see that!" and opened fire. In 40 seconds we got off 30 rounds, at least 15 of which hit the pagoda superstructure.... The battleship belched a few 14 inchers at us, but, thank God, registered only clean misses."[citation needed]
Johnston soon observed the carrier Gambier Bay (CVE-73) under fire from an enemy cruiser: "Cmdr. Evans then gave me the most courageous order I've ever heard: 'Commence firing on that cruiser, draw her fire on us and away from Gambier Bay.'"[citation needed] Johnston scored four hits in a deliberate slugging match with a heavy cruiser, then broke off the futile battle as the Japanese destroyer squadron was seen closing rapidly on the American escort carriers. Johnston outfought the entire Japanese destroyer squadron, concentrating on the lead ship until the enemy quit cold, then concentrated on the second destroyer until the remaining enemy units broke off to get out of effective gun range before launching torpedoes, all of which went wild. But then, the cruiser and destroyers opened fire on Johnston, and right when it was most needed, the damaged remaining engine quit, leaving Johnston dead in the water.
The enemy ships closed in for an easy kill, pouring fire into the crippled destroyer. Johnston took a hit which knocked out one forward gun, damaged another, and her bridge was rendered untenable by fires and explosions resulting from a hit in her 40 mm ready ammunition locker. Evans, who had shifted his command to Johnston?s fantail, was yelling orders through an open hatch to men turning her rudder by hand. At one of her batteries a crewman kept calling "More shells! More shells!"[citation needed] Still the destroyer battled to keep the Japanese destroyers and cruisers from reaching the five surviving American carriers: "We were now in a position where all the gallantry and guts in the world couldn't save us, but we figured that help for the carrier must be on the way, and every minute's delay might count.... By 9:30 we were going dead in the water; even the Japanese couldn't miss us. They made a sort of running semicircle around our ship, shooting at us like a bunch of Indians attacking a prairie schooner. Our lone engine and fire room was knocked out; we lost all power, and even the indomitable skipper knew we were finished. At 9:45 he gave the saddest order a captain can give: 'Abandon Ship.'... At 10:10 Johnston rolled over and began to sink. A Japanese destroyer came up to 1,000 yards and pumped a final shot into her to make sure she went down. A survivor saw the Japanese captain salute her as she went down. That was the end of Johnston." [citation needed]
From Johnston's complement of 327, only 141 were saved. Of 186 lost, about 50 were killed by enemy action, 45 died on rafts from battle injuries; and 92, including Cmdr. Evans, were alive in the water after Johnston sank, but were never heard from again.
The destroyer Hoel (DD-533) and destroyer escort Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413) also sacrificed themselves to save the escort carriers and to protect the landings at Leyte. Two of four Japanese heavy cruisers were sunk by combined surface and air attacks, and Admiral Clifton Sprague was soon amazed by the sight of the retirement of Kurita's entire fleet. By this time planes of "Taffy 2" and Taffy 1" and every available unit of the Fleet were headed to assisting the fighting "Taffy 3." But Johnston and her little escort carrier task unit had stopped Admiral Kurita's powerful Center Force in the Battle off Samar, inflicting a greater loss than they suffered.
Johnston's supreme courage and daring in the Battle off Samar won her the Presidential Unit Citation as a unit of "Taffy 3" (Task Unit 77.4.3). Lt. Cmdr. Ernest E. Evans was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor: "The skipper was a fighting man from the soles of his broad feet to the ends of his straight black hair. He was an Oklahoman and proud of the Indian blood he had in him. We called him?though not to his face?the Chief. The Johnston was a fighting ship, but he was the heart and soul of her."[citation needed]
In addition to the Presidential Unit Citation, Johnston received six battle stars for service in World War II.