This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Dave Gale (Bubba Gump), BM3
to remember
Gale Sr., Dave, Cox (Coxsw.
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Contact Info
Last Address Darien, Georgia
Date of Passing Jul 31, 2004
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Last Known Activity:
Dave L. Gale Sr. is my grandfather who served under AdmiralHalsey with the 3rd fleet on the USS Hilbert (DE742) during WWII. He was honorably discharged from the Navy in 1945 when he returned to Darien, GA. where he made his living shrimping, fishing, and hunting alligators. My granfather use to sit with me and tell me stories of his time in the Navy in which he was very proud of. He was my inspiration to go and join the Navy. He is really missed.
Other Comments:
The USS Hilbert received 8 battle stars for her WWII service. She was also in the Luzon Operation, Okinawa Gunto Operation, Capture of Saipan and Tinian. The Hilbert successfully rode out a disastrous typoon which caught the 3rd Fleet unaware Dec.17-18, 1944 in which the Hull (DD350), Monaghan (DD354), and Spence (DD512) capsized with a total loss of 778 lives. The fleet was caught again in June 5, 1945 in which the Hilbert on suffered minor damage.
Mariana and Palau Islands Campaign (1944)/Battle of Philippine Sea
From Month/Year
June / 1944
To Month/Year
June / 1944
Description The Battle of the Philippine Sea (June 19–20, 1944) was a major naval battle of World War II that eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious invasion of the Mariana Islands during the Pacific War. The battle was the last of five major "carrier-versus-carrier" engagements between American and Japanese naval forces, and pitted elements of the United States Navy's Fifth Fleet against ships and aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Mobile Fleet and nearby island garrisons.
The aerial part of the battle was nicknamed the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot by American aviators for the severely disproportional loss ratio inflicted upon Japanese aircraft by American pilots and anti-aircraft gunners. During a debriefing after the first two air battles a pilot from USS Lexington remarked "Why, hell, it was just like an old-time turkey shoot down home!" The outcome is generally attributed to American improvements in pilot and crew training and tactics, technology (including the top-secret anti-aircraft proximity fuze), and ship and aircraft design. Although at the time the battle appeared to be a missed opportunity to destroy the Japanese fleet, the Imperial Japanese Navy had lost the bulk of its carrier air strength and would never recover. During the course of the battle, American submarines torpedoed and sank two of the largest Japanese fleet carriers taking part in the battle.
This was the largest carrier-to-carrier battle in history.
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