Macomb (DD 458 DMS 23) - Naval Cruise Book

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lfniwetok. the Mac tried for her first Japiliill. hy depth charging a sound contact. Results were negative, however. During the stay at Iflithi continuous flrills were stressed in View of the forthcoming operation. and then on March IU, l9-15 the Nlaeoinh in re-oinpany with the rest ul the squadron texeept for the Fitch. who hacl run LlL!l'UUllflt joined 'litl 32.2. and sailetl for Ukinana fiunto. Ukinana. which was to he the first footholfl in litlllilft? Waters. antl the serene of the niltla-st ship-xersus-plane fighting in history. fXrrixing1 ut Ultinana I5 flaps lnefore le.-clay. the Nlut' nnrl tn-r uwoiinpttityiing sneeps t'onnnent'etl tht- urrlnons task ul 1-learing tht- extensixe areas ztssigiwtl to l.ltl'lll. 'lille islttntl ol' Ultiituuzt lay silent nntl lJ0'ilf't'illl. floss- nt hatntl. l'lllilllf. on the flux ol' the inxu-ion til' lx:-rgmnt lit-tto. the Nine' sun tn-to lilst ,lamp plantes. Noi'-'ensuite at group ol' 'll-A Tal. lin- Xian-:init nat- one ol' the lil-tt to -ight .1 group ul lit-gms soon tht- nit' nn- till.-it with XXlvni-t- .unix tht- x.n.l nas nipetl out to tln- In-t lvl.un', Nwvlnl unit- sn-lninetl ll'lllt't t' llllt' lwilv' tltv' 1-lil llxlx l tltt' llwlsvt t A .. - .- . . which was hit hy 2 planes that just IlllSSCtl th.. Mae. The Macomb stood by to pick up s11rviv,,,.S. of which there was only one. Later in the clans the Macomb and 3 other DNlS's xsantlered intl, the Keraina Rotto invasion antl tleliweretl at hw. salvos at a Cave. and got a eonple of near misses in return. With this first fierce clay of intimate enum,-1 with the enemy. the Nolan' reatlietl herself for nhat she knew nas going to he at rnggetl tom of clutx. the ,laps hail hegnn then' netne ale- fense of the Okinawa Cnnto. A len days later the Sine uns steznninu in eolnntn with three other llllgs nhen lntt on th. mater out ol the setting snn eanne n ,Inp sniritlt plane. lt nns at Neat. All four ships opt-neil nl. on the plane antl the hlnes -ltlnnn. sin-lls eonltl he seen ripping into the fuselage. The plane n- iusetl to tllSlIllt'Q1I'Ltll' antl eznne on llt lntrronh missing the seeontl ship in the eohnnn. 'liht plane hrolxe np ancl sanlt lllltllt'tllillt'lt. Naples Hnrlmr ! ww .,.,zym.?. if ff . M, - ajyi .54 Lf?

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,M . 5 ' m .- J '-Q-, 'f N .. W ,K .N To fm lm A ' 1Q '-A x 2 Wh. .. s K 's-If far ' Q xw 'T -Q ,- ' ' - 'vfif 4' x - ' -S ' Yard. f,l'l8l'lffSlfJll. 5. C.. on Xuxle'-rrmlwr 'Jtl1, ami ' . Y, . 'KH the Mar: sailed happily up thf- murky lf.,..!,.er River lo lrfrffln llfrr fr hf'f'liP 15-riml nl rl-ru..-p-' 1' l l l frnm the UD-153 to llvlf' llf--truyvr Nlin.---,,.-.-5,4.-y 23. Herr znallalrilily po-riml Hxvr. llnf- XI4-Mfgdi. sailwl for Nnrfull-.. arrixing ilu-rr -.rl l,luri-l:r,l. Hay nf l'Jlfl-. Flu' nu- rw lung'-r 41 llll, MM lf.-y numlwr wa- nu lfmgvr l.lJ5. ln-h'.ul -ln' 1.-.lv LM ln' lunmn lu'ru'o'lnrll1 41- llNl' XJ. Xml nw.-, -Elf- v1 r1t1im-:llx I.r.1Q r lr. X. l,. L Vs l-EN: H-l 4 ll' V, LH 'll I I l.nlwrlv-lr-vuml In N.qaln-- ulnn I'l'lll'El'lll.4llll1ll'.lH'HlL1l' llutl lam-Hn Url Il.- l'l'lIIlN'I' ll, Xlllrl' -ufrlv' v xv'Il I-Q'-, mul V-fl mi-lmp runnin-' nwmnml mln- -lui, I'-Ir ll 1' l I, ,. f. lull Hilillli. xlffllllkl. In fflrualmrm Hllll lvl- N, - v 2 '.f+L X.....grs4.li 6. v . lf f l'::p-1 N-lm l I- l'-nl llnv ' ' I Ilu lllllllfl H 1 M lllll ..l'l..f.l lu-ml.-.I ln - . X. ' - all lln I1-Ugilll'-l lllt' Flllll xvlilx ual' 'l 'lIl .ll llllwlwlnll l.lII1ll fl-11-' Kim l X l lI 1 'll l'll ll' llmlll l H'llu'llll1: mul lilwllx. .mol ms l.mu.ux 'I rlrf l 1 NA' l 'Null' lu' l lllP1 ,ul'HHlr,,n U 'm,,,.,l IQHHHLJ, HM, 'IH' HU' K 1 ' ' lr Nl.1ll.a!l--I1 ul llgjlllvl llllvvlnl llillldll. Imuml lui Nm lllo-L fff. l ulslwrrum Ulm ll lm' !' l ll ' ll4 'l'f 'ln' -.ulllr alan- -In-nl Ill:-lv. llllllllij mlm ln mm lu Ill- l P l l ' l' ll' l' ll ll l'?'lll ' -lilf'-ll-'I vrlx annul mu- lui-lmie-.nllx lunulu Ill-fvwllllxu IH--lx A l ll 5 l'l 'l 'l lrlilrr, lllf' 'lllll walllvtl llirl xlklllll' YY.l-lllrwllfel ll ,. , ,g,' ,,.3 ,,l l,, l,,,u,-'UL in HH. llll'lN'I' lu l'm'l Nltggvlr'-. Vlr.l'lllIlL1lHlI llll I.-l-:ff XI ,f.+ ,lf l.,, 1 ,MMU gl, ,, 'l,,, I 'ggi 'yum' :IH l. l'll.-r. lllr' Xlglr4nlr1lv.lml umx-wx xx-Aw Ill? ,X -,r ,K ,H .,.,g ,,,k g.. I I,1I,,. M ll,,.1QH,,,. elvrmu. lmuml lu: llwrmlulu, l-V v Q 4.4, 'Alum -.nl-X tw- flux- mul ul IVIWIIIK lnrpu vlml- :ul 'lkurnnlu priur In Ilia- ill!1l'ilIH Wlvk al- il lmot nl' 'nnlh-'rn l'Rllf'1' q. 1 Y . 4 x Y' I 21

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Two days after this, while on night patrol. thc- Macis radar-controlled five-inch guns knmfked flown a two-enginerl Jap hmnlwr. Thv plane il- luminatcfl thc' hlafrk night with an spe-1'tzu'ulnr sheet of fire as it hit the water. The next clay was a had one, anfl the Xlaf-mul. lost her sister ship. the l'.5.5. Ennnmns: anal another ship from the squaflmn. the LQS5. llml- man, was badly damaged. 'llwro we-rv lap planes in the vicinity alnmst umtinuuusly that day, aml the Navy racluefl up u te-rriliar tntul of japs fur the IIHEVS slmuting. During tht- fnlllm- ing :lays the- Nlighty Mac' was luvl-gy she' lnflpml ...hi waitin ' . . , - . g .il tht lmln injured ships lunp han-l-. lu purt. was ulefrtvcl mghl: lmubh, hurling countless tinws, rlrme- ull' nunn-rmif alla:-l-.s. lnul never sullercrcl zz svruta-li. 'l'ln- 4-lim-ft smart- Vllllll' when a lust Jap :live--lmmln-r utturl-.1-ul in an Fll'H' ru-nn lu lln- vhn-l in rlmrge- of tht- fn roaring cliw nut ul' the- sun. With lf-rrilir ape-ml thu ,lap 1-lim-tl the' ship lllfilllgll the' l'n-mi'-cl X X - M ' ' llll ' ' . ' A ' - . . .. llarruw' l 'f'll?- 'll lmul l ful th' lllm' fnulll mul nl lhe- um l In Vullllllg illlilllgh. rvleurwcl its lunnh. It 1-xplmle-il in the- wut:-r ulmut 50 fvvl ull our pnrl lwzun. zuul tha' Nliu- luirlx r- luapml nut uf the- mule-r. hut se-ttle-cl almsn x-.ith I . I . . , ,. . plamv- in uluvh -hv llNllllIH'1i t :-lllrlalv lllii. nu se-rims:-i elumzuge- eluna-. lht- gre-uh-st alnwlt ul the vxplnsinn was fe-lt in tht- t'Ilg1lIlt't'I'lllA!l ,pam--. sslwrc il snumli-fl us if thc- ship haul ln-vu lnlmsn npnrt. We- wvrr making mp spew-fl mul iununwli- ' - - utvly after tht- vxplusiun thi- fnllmsing re-nmrlt ' ' wus lunch' hy thc' 1-hit-f in Vllllfgt' ul the- alt:-in ' .intl twin lla-1-lf.-. l.:uh-r an lla-4-I Ing l'l'lll'Yt'4l ll ugml vngim- imma. lla-I that elaunm-il engine Xn nnllulgvtlulnli- ,ight may illill uf thu- -'ullalnl l,4lIl'.-x Llllil'l he-n ln-mis' luillle- with lhe- killlliliilll' Ihv llm' in e'e- al lu lll'I' aiiel all lnp r-pe-vel. llillliillfl Vllllllllt' mils lung vu-ulpll In pump ai 4ii5f,lllSll'li lint-.lir pil-it will ul lln' uallvr. illllvll tu' lnmlt tha- l.4ille-x in hm. while' -ln' f-lime-lc-sl tht- wl'1-vlt nge- lin-l rlnnn-il Nl mp- ul lnmllvs ull lwl' fulllvcl 5 fig? ax fs Nu .J ev x wp. , -. t. Q, Leaving dork at Pearl Harbor Waikiki Bmfh 23