LCI (542) - Naval Cruise Book

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11 while, as running lights fiashed on and off, but 'no further collisions. The following afternoon we arrived on our first visit to- Utah Beach and anchored inside the Gooseberry of sunken hulks, where the pas- sengers disembarked in LCVPS. Gn the way in Danielson had aj loud-hailer conversation with his stepfather, the captain of the liberty ship T. B. ROBERTSON, Port Control Vessel, and after we anchored for the night, he went off in a small boat for a visit. After dark came the regular nightly air raidi WC dragged anchor and almost hit a large LSI, which had been mined and was low in the water. Dan could not find the ship and had to spend the night on the 540. This 'was a jinxed voyage, for the next morning on the way to Omaha assembly area some uninvited British LCTs joined us, and one, the 455, unaccountably turned hard to port and rammed us in the starboard quar- ter, denting most of the frames in the galley and throwing all of johnny's fixtures o-ut of line. Undaunted, we started back to Eng- land in a convoy of 5 LCIs and 36 LCTS, anchoring in Weymouth Roads very early on june 19. Forthe next four days we rode out a bad storm at anchor. It was the worst Channel storm in years and severely damaged the beaches, the 542 had left the Far Sho-re just in time. She remained at Weymouth until 28 june, when the whole Flotilla moved to the Southampton area, where they moored to trots off Calshot Castle. On the afternoon of july 1 we paid our first visit to the Royal Pier in Southampton in order to embark 209 tro-ops. After anchoring in the Calshot sailing area, we sailed early the next morning for Omaha Beach in a convoy of LCIS and twelve hours later were anchored inside the mulberry, unloading into LCVPS. The return trip the following day found us once more escorting British LCTS 5 convoy, destination was Southamp- ton, but to our annoyance we were ordered to join the 413 shepherd- ing six of them to Weymouth. Our stay there lasted only long enough to get rid of our charges, and by noon of july 4 the ship was back at Calshot. That afternoon Mr. Hand left to have his back treated in the hospital, after which he was shipped home g all hands sorely missed him. Doc's assistant, Tedesco, was transferred the next day, having been with us since just before the invasion. In the evening of 5 july we paid our first visit to Lymington, fol- lowing another ship up the tortuousf channel without too much difficulty, only to find upon arrival that a pilot was always considered necessary. After mooring alo-ngside HMCS LCICLJ 277 many of us St1'e'tChCd OL11' legs ashore by walking up the quiet country lanes near the. Isle of Wight ferry pier where the ships were berthed. Around midnight 239 soldiers cam-e aboard, the greatest number the 542 ever carried, they

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10 minutes more, trying to keep away from the big ships and narrowly missing collision with a flak boat as well as a stick of bombs. At last the anchor was dropped, and all hands secured below for shelter from shrapnel, since our 20mm guns were useless against the high-flying enemy. In half an hour the raid was over, three planes had fallen in flames, one plummeting directly overhead. The next morning we got under way at 0630 in a rough sea and finally left the Omaha anchorage two and a half hours later, with the 538, carrying Com. Cameron, as guide. We learned that the 416 had been abandoned on the beach after losing screws and cable when a land mine exploded, she was the only ship lost by the Flotilla, and only one of her crew was killed. We ourselves were battered but un- touched by the enemy. That afternoon we arrived off Weymouth and by nightfall had moored alongside the 539 at a buoy in Portland Harbor. Next day we moved to Weymouth docks, where workmen swarmed aboard to repair the damage and install a new starboard ramp. They worked fast, for by 9 June- the ship- was ready for sea once more. In the late afternoon of 10 june we were sent back to Portland for orders. There Lt. P. M. Thacker, RNVR, bustled aboard to ex- plain that the 542 was to escort his nine Royal Navy LCTS to Omaha Beach, carrying no troops herself. I-Ie was surprised to learn that the ship was less heavily armed than his LCTS, some o-f which had 40mm guns. The convoy sailed at 2130, speed six knots, and six- teen weary hours later arrived at the Omaha anchorage without inci- dent. After shepherding the LCTs to the beach to dry out, we an- chored for the night. The return voyage commenced the next morn- ing, after three hours o-f rounding up our charges, which in some cases meant running alongside and sending a man aboard to waken the crews. At 0439 the following morning we arrived at Portland and that evening were back in Weymouth for three days of relaxation. Around noontime on june 16 Z0 nurses, l8 oflicers, and 160 white and colored troops filed aboard-a nice billeting problem for Mr. Littlejohn, although someone helped him out with a fancy sign con- cerning the use of the head. When all were snugly berthed, we sailed in company with 493 and 540, Lt. Roper in command, to escort 18 British LCTS to the Far Shore. The time schedule caused a reversal of course for a few ho-urs in the convoy lane off the Isle of Wight, and thus it was that we ran head-on into a Westbound convoy of coasters in the pitch darkness. Suddenly one illuminated on the star- board bow, and before anything could be done clipped our port cat- head neatly and sheered down the port side-no damage done beyond cutting the port ramp cables. There was confusion all around for a

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12 filled the bunks and slept o-n the decks and even the mess tables. Early in the morning pilot Sublieutenant Taffy Constance C Elank j guided us out of the harbor to anchor in the Solent till daylight. The follow- ing trip- to Omaha to-ok the usual twelve hours, but this time the return trip began the same night, as soon as unloading was comp-leted. We returned to Calshot, where the compasses were compensated. Then on July 9 the Flotilla moved to its new base at Lymington. This time Sublieutenant Poot C Full j piloted us in at a more conservative speed. During the next two days everyone had an opportunity to become acquainted with Lymington, a hospitable, quiet town, almost untouched by the war, although it was there that we experienced our first flying bomb alert on 11 July. Shortly afterwards Pilot 'Taffy flanked us out through the low tide mud, causing us to hit bo-ttom, which p-roduced a heavy vibration in the fantailg so we anchored off Lymington and then Calshot, instead of making the scheduled trip to France. It was off Calsho-t at 0100 July 12 that our first flying bomb was sighted. Three came over, one to s-tarboard, one to port, and one directly overhead, each one trailed by a curtain of anti-aircraft fire from the shore bat- teries-a very upsetting experience, they were landing around South- ampton, and the ship had been ordered to Millbrook, just beyond the city. Millbrook proved to be a pier on a mud flat, where: we moored to the 411 and dried out. While some painted the ship- and helped install the new screw, others to-ok advantage of the first over-night liberties since April and went to London. July 14 brought the second encounter with the 4183 backing onto the mud flat, she contrived to scrape- all along our port side, marring our new coat of rich blue, chalky English paint. Upon leaving the next day the vibration proved as bad as ever, necessitating a return for more repairs. On the 18th Ensign Nave, a survivor of the lost 416, reported aboard as the new Engineering Officer, and the following day we go-t away from Millbrook at last, returning to Lymington. Having been out of operation for eight days, we were quickly put to work, 1-o-ading 162 troops at 0300 the next morning. The convoy this time consisted of 5 -LCIS, led by 408 and trailed, as usual, by 542. It was blowing as was customary on the far shore, even at the anchor- age inside the cr-owded mulberry. In the middle of the night our anchor dragged, followed by forty minutes of hectic activity. We nudged other ships, got caught on an LCT's anchor cable, drifted and steamed, and finally found a place to light in the blackness-not too good a place, since the ebbing tide left the ship half stranded by morn- ing. We tinally pulled off the beach, with a length of electric cable entwined in the screws. That meant a return to Millbrook, and by the