This Military Service Page was created/owned by
CWO4 Lou Collazo
to remember
Mandrackie, Andrew (Andy), SCPO.
If you knew or served with this Sailor and have additional information or photos to support this Page, please leave a message for the Page Administrator(s) HERE.
Contact Info
Last Address New York
Date of Passing Sep 10, 2005
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
He served in the United States Navy for 37 years retiring in 1980 as a Senior Chief Petty Officer. He saw action in 13 Naval battles during World War II including Guadalcanal, Cape Esperance, Savo Island, Munda, Southern Solomons, New Georgia, Rondova, Stanmore Plantation, Enogia Inlet, Bairoko Harbor, Rice Anchorage. He served on the U.S.S. Helena, his favorite ship during his career, which was torpedoed and later sank during the attack on Pearl Harbor as well as on the USS Roche in the Kula Gulf, where again the ship sank after being torpedoed. For both of these incidents, he was awarded two purple hearts. While in the Naval Reserves, Mandrackie worked as a printer for the Strawberry Hill Press in New York City. He was placed in charge of overseeing the USS Intrepid?s transport to New York City Harbor where it is now docked as a Naval Museum. He enjoyed hunting and fishing, carpentry and cabinet making. He was an avid history buff and enjoyed telling stories and answering questions about his war service. He did extensive historical research at West Point in regard to recreating the Naval Revolutionary War Uniforms as well as the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was a member of St. John the Apostle Catholic Church, Milford. He was a member of the NRA, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and American Legion and the Pearl Harbor Survivors. He was preceded in death by his wife of 56 years Helen (Dobson) Mandrackie in 2002.
Other Comments:
Andy was my recruiter in North Bergen, NJ. A great Sailor and friend. We will truly miss him. Fair Winds and Follwing Seas, Shipmate.
Northern Solomon Islands Campaign (1943-44)/Battle of Kula Gulf
From Month/Year
July / 1943
To Month/Year
July / 1943
Description The naval Battle of Kula Gulf took place in the early hours of 6 July 1943 during World War II and was between United States and Japanese ships off the coast of Kolombangara in the Solomon Islands.
Background
On 5 July, United States Navy Task Group 36.1 (TG 36.1)—commanded by Rear Admiral Walden L. Ainsworth and consisting of the light cruisers USS Honolulu (CL-48), USS St. Louis (CL-49), and USS Helena (CL-50), plus four destroyers, had received word of another "Tokyo Express" mission down "the Slot" in the Solomon Islands, and the task group proceeded northwest past New Georgia Island.
The Allies were in the process of launching their next offensive in the Solomon Islands, having just landed troops on the island of Rendova as a preliminary step to seizing the major Japanese airstrip at Munda on New Georgia Island. In support of this landing, which was to set up an initial beachhead for moving U.S. troops across Blanche Channel to New Georgia, Admiral Ainsworth had the night before conducted a cruiser bombardment of Vila on Kolombangara Island and Bairoko on New Georgia and, short of fuel and ammunition, was in the process of retiring to the Coral Sea to replenish. A U.S. Marine landing was scheduled on the northern shore of New Georgia on 10 July, that would require further naval support.
Battle
At 01:06 off Kolombangara, the task group came into contact with a Japanese reinforcement group commanded by Admiral Teruo Akiyama which consisted of ten destroyers loaded with 2,600 combat troops that were bound for Vila, which they used as a staging point for moving into Munda. The Japanese were divided into two forces, a formation of three escorts trailing the main column first came under attack.
The U.S. ships opened fire at 01:57, firing 612 shells in 21 minutes and six seconds, quickly sinking the destroyer Niizuki and killing Admiral Akiyama. However, Helena had expended all of her flashless powder the previous night, she was forced to use smokeless powder, thus illuminating herself to the Japanese ships with every salvo. Two of the Japanese destroyers launched their Long Lance torpedoes and hit Helena, fatally damaging her. The main Japanese force, which had countermarched away from Vila with the first contact, then broke away, having landed only 850 of the 2,600 troops. The Japanese destroyer Nagatsuki ran aground, while Hatsuyuki was damaged.
Both forces began to withdraw from the area, but one Japanese and two American destroyers remained to rescue survivors. At about 05:00, the destroyers Amagiri and USS Nicholas exchanged torpedoes and gunfire. Amagiri was hit and retired. The beached Nagatsuki was abandoned by her crew in the morning, she was bombed and destroyed by American aircraft.
Aftermath
The destroyers USS Radford and Nicholas both stayed behind to rescue survivors from Helena. While rescuing over 750 men, Radford and Nicholas had to reengage the enemy three times, they were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for their rescue. Amagiri escaped and later rammed and cut in half the motor torpedo boat USS PT-109, captained by future President of the United States John F. Kennedy (1917-1963), in Blackett Strait southwest of Kolombangara on August 2.