Macomb (DD 458 DMS 23) - Naval Cruise Book

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-v r Q .ws -asv'-lvnlillnpustxv --1--i which made an ordinarily diflicult task even more hazardous, in coming alongside, the lVIa- comb was caught in the undertow of the big ship's port screw and slipped into the battleship, damaging our foc'sle. Repairs were promptly made by the shipis force-a plate was welded on the side while underway. This work received com- mendation weeks later at a British repair base. The officials said 6'We couldnit do a better job, and won't attempt to replace your fine work? On lVIay 20 the task group reached the Brit- ish Isles and put into Scapa Flow, Orkney Islands, and reported for duty with the British Home Fleet. It seemed as if the lVIacomb's train- ing period would never end. This time there were variations to the usual theme as provided by Wellington bombers and French submarines. On June 3rd the Mac put into another cold port-Hvalfjordur, Iceland. Often we were un- derway as a unit of sub screens for combined forces operating near Iceland. On the Ilth the U.S.S. Emmons, our sister ship, reported a sub contact. A few moments later she evaluated the contact as firm. Almost in the same breath she reported a torpedo wake bearing down on her . . . it missed and the Emmons finally lost con- tact with the elusive German and we rejoined I . Depth charge explosion the formation. Another attack developed the next day when the U.S.S. Ellyson reported a sound contact. She attacked immediately with depth charges while the Emmons and the Mac stood bv in readiness. The Ellysonis attack brought large patches of oil to the surface. We then gained a contact on another sub. We dropped charges twice and then a third sub- marine was contacted. We dropped another pat- tern of charges. Then the three destroyers were ordered to rejoin the screen to insure the safety of the capital ships. Taking them over 55. 15

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-xrv -. is Catun Locks, Panama Canal with the Arkansas, Philadelphia, and others for plane launching exercises. Once one of the planes from the Arkie failed to pull out of a dive and crashed into the sea-no survivors. We made the return trip across the Atlantic and stopped at Brooklyn for a yard period. Training cruises followed, with the U.S.S. Ran- ger and later with the USS. Alabama and USS. Tuscaloosa. W'ith the beginning of the new month the Mac joined Task Force 22 as a unit of an anti- submarine screen. Base of operations was Casco Bay, Maine. One day when we had the ready duty, we were ordered to investigate an unidenti- fied surface ship. The ship got underway and soon was challenging the stranger. All hands were at their battle stations ready for action, but the ship turned out to be the first lrish false alarm we ever answered . the merchant ship Irish Elm The next port of call was Argentia, New foundland as unpleasant a place as can be found on the East Coast It was out of this port that the lVlac received much of hei train ing that was to put her in good stead for th1n0Q to come On this rough North Atlantic Sea the crew became familiar with the equipment through endless repetition of gunnery and darn- age control exercises, torpedo runs, Hre drills, communication drills, casualty drills-these wearisome practices welded the Macomb and her crew into a fighting unit. v At this point in her career the Mac served as an escort for the carrier, U.S.S. Ranger, many times. Usually it was the Macomb who fished some hapless pilot from the drink after he had mis-judged a hazardous takeoff or landing. This period constituted the most intensive training the ship ever received, and developed to a cli- max in a sixty-hour concentrated battle prac- tice, with the planes bombing and straiing the cans, while they retaliated with torpedo runS 011 the carrier. The Mac had scarcely' reached p0It when an emergency call brought her speeding out to the scene of a plane crash, near Virgill Rock. Debris of the wrecked plane and the pilots lacket were all nc found On May 12 we mu underway as a unit of anti submarine QLIPLII lol 'lt 61 consisting Of the South Dakota Allbnna ind escorting de stro cis Visibility xx 1 un pmol ind the 00 s we it unlblm ln mln: hips 01 Ubllllf l sets mic xux rough 8 r Q Q i ? i Y i 1. L, wma wwxr. '2-arf' '- ,nu-Q Vx K WP1qil'- cc ' as I . - 7 - ,L K 1 IA - I i i V' . z +21 ' tt i . . .- . I 1 I 1 T T . . . - il . k V , . , . . - . t ic , z z nz . L 1. 3 , ' ' D i V il Q :Ss Uuls T 'W 1 'P lo set' l ' r l S ig -- Later . I . . ' ' C the Mac was ordered alongside the South Dakota L I ' 7 - , - - A ' gi r alle A S V7 y - , , x vi, . . A ,ig e ' e if

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ii Args-ntin A couple of xstielts latt-r txt' rt-turnt'tl lti tLnt- ter Sound, in Scapa lflou. l'lt-rt' tht- trttininp recommenced with t-onihint'tl fort-vs. int-lutlinp Beaufighters and Spitfires. Un july oth tht- Matt- was steaming as anti-snh st'rt't'n for tht- pritlt- of the British lleet-eetlitf lI.M.S. llnltt- ol lorlt and H.M.S. Anson in cotnpztny with llritish twins Deamedi and Grenville. We showt-tl till hy shoot- ing down the sleeve during AA prttt'tit't'. Manny enemy mines were sighted antl tltistroyvtl in this area. A scare developed later when nnitlt-ntifititl planes were reported. The Matfonxh nntl othtir destroyers proceeded to encircle task group with a smoke screen. Then the plantvs wtirt- itlvnti- fied as friendly. On July 9 we wtfrt' hut-lt in Scapa Flow. The same pattern COI1llllUCCl lol tht rt in nntlt t of July plylng the sea lar es httwttn St ip Flow and Iceland Another foray off tht toa t l Norway was made 1n late July with tht htavy unlts of the Brltlsh home fle Then 011 July 30 came the happy woitl tht ship would depart 1n two days as part of tht tstott for the Alabama and South Dakota to tht lt 3 and thence to Boston for a Navy Yartl ovt ,haul et it sults nt htllIVl Havlng returned from tht sttmlng,ly tntt 'mm able t f our o duty with the lirttlsh II nnt ll l 0 intn ol tht lVll ht Mit ln August of l9113 th l rt, ready and wtlhn lor 1 lt no 'Nm' Siateslde duty hut hardly prtpaittl for tht l it perlod of tender tlu ly whith ltistttl with nlx --'-4 tllt' tal Alttll. ont- lttt-tilt tttntl that tlt-lightlult, until the mid 'lilnis tht- Wlnt-otnlt t'1ttIlIltt'Ilt't'tl its New Eng lttntl toot til thttt in tht' South lloston annex till tht- lloston Nui lztrtl in Autinst. lor a warm lulvitsittll. lt':txt'lt'ss llll tlztti. Ilillt' lltzijttl' HCCOIH ltllPlllllt'lll Mats lltt' l't'p:til' ol lltt' SlLlt'lioElfd side til' tht- hull. sotntixxltztt mtinglt-tl tluring an au tl:tt'iot1s tztnplt' with tht- South llzlliotai lIl6I1li0ned prt-x iousli. Alum plztnlt-tmnvrs ltift the ship for ntwt tlutx. ttotl tht- lztrpt-st tlrztlt ol hoots SirlCC votnntissiottitigg 1ll'llXt'tl. lvriultt-t'yt'tl. on board At tht- t-ntl ol' August. tht' Matt- stttlly left friend ly llostoo. Svollzti StIll5tl't'. :mtl lui' 0115+ be Ititttl. lfilst stop was lluzzztrtlis lilly for 3 tram ' Fl t - ' ' ' 'intl thtin down t -. itn it was in into -ut tl -Ulllllll , ,,,,t,,,,, tt.. lllltllllltlullce yt is UNI lNttl' do t lllttl llnlxed 1 tltistut l'or C tt 4 U bt I at I t tttlt nt flllll in t Ill! lt lfllll t tt Nl t nt 1 l0l 0 tx INIII llitsttptultt Ba lltlllllllg U' I mt tt lt t llt itll wil N lllhtl ltislttl 'Ill en 0