Macomb (DD 458 DMS 23) - Naval Cruise Book

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Kamikaze! nl our burden and wt- prom-crlctl ln our radar picket station. 'lihc Maris clay was coming soon. ln the early pl'c-stulrisc hour on flpril 27th a raid was pickctl up by liaclar. :Xt least fl planes closing in for an attack on our picket station. The next sixty ltlitttIlt'S were busy oncs hring almost continuously. making top speed. turning. dodg- ing but at tht- end of the hour 3 planes had crashcd in llann-s as a result of the ll'c' . e , at s ac- vuratc lirc. with one assist from the l'.S.S. XV. llittcr. Une plane had just missed the Mac. splashing into the wake a scant 30 wards astem, willvlt May rolled around the Macomb had been in there pitching.. as long as anvong, Then on the 3rd of Nlay. on a Thursdavi eve- ning. hcr luck ran out altogether. Whenia big .lap twilight raid was picked up heading our Wilt- the usual shiver of apprehension went over the shipa--then a Tony ta Jap suicide-fighter planet. broke off into a dive but was splashed near the Macis companion destroyer. the l,7.S.S. liache. A second Tony coming in fast at a low altitude got through the AA fire and swerved to crash into the Mac at the No. 3 live-inch gun 24 mount. The ship raced on at high speed while her damage control crews quickly subdued the flames. The five-hundred pound bomb which the plane had carried, miraculously crashed through one side of the ship and out the other without exploding. The doctor and his pharma. cistis mates and volunteers worked throughout the night treating the wounded. Three deadg one fatally burnedg three missingg live seriously injuredg eight injuredg one slightly injured. This was the sad accounting the Macomb made that night. Vlfhen the Macomb had to retire to a repair base lsaipant to liek her battle wounds, she received commendatory messages from her squadron commander. from the connnandcr of minecraft, Pacific Fleet, and from thc comman- der of all Navy forces in the Okinawa Clllll- paign-she had earned a uwell done. Alter almost 3 months at Saipan where battle damage was repaired. the Macomb got under- way for Okinawa on the morning ol August lst. Nightly air raids greeted the ships arrival and short stay at Buckner Hay from August 5 to 9th, The afternoon of the 10th saw this vessel under- way for a combat sweep operation near Alumni Shima. Thirty minutes after the amiouncemeut of the laps, first ofler of surrender the ship went lo C.O. However, no shots were hred as the Gun Ill after suicide hit

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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

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hggey did not attack. hut the sky was filled with AA fire from the celebration on Ukinaw a. Short- ly after sweeping had f.'Ul1IH1f?l1CF3fl on the follow. ing morning. orders were l'f'f.'F?lX'f?fl lu rvturn U, Buckner Bay. From thffrf- on thf- 13th wt- Sailefl for a rffndffzxnous with thf- mighty flrd Fleet. The following two wer-ks wrro- -in-nt at sea, fueling. dodging the typhoons whirh de-- layffll the lflffrftis f'lllf'l'llljLf 'loluo lim. I-xpl-nlin: floating: ll'llIH'5 and making final prvparalion- lol' thi? lflllllllhllillll Hf'f'liFlUll. 'lllv hllil' v'nlv'rv'-l Siigiillll wliill. jllrl nlll:-itll' nl' rllllklll lint. Ula lltv' Zflll. sm-pt llu- f'hannv'l ahviul nl' tln- Ili--.Inu and lows: on tln- 20th. und nt ln-I. 'III Xnznxt 20, lllls. ill lllll clrnmwll L1n4'lI-II' III l-flu-I llzly. wi' rrmainv-el at unvhor until the' lth of Supl.. :tml wilno---ml tho- I'ornml -urn-rnlf'r .llvwtllvl llu' Kline-ollrl from il Ili-tauue' ol lllllll mural-. Sltorllt lllo'ro'ill'lo-T wo- II-It llluvlun link. Ile'-Iuzt Top: llultlo- llc-4-t nt znwlmr in 'foluo Hin nllnllllll Yirtorv flight ou-r 'liulnvn Han W 4... A... we W i,a 5 -t'k 4'q,. -.P ,+- ii 'ti' Ur' .Im-L.-tl ul Saipan: -If lin- hz -I lin XM- wt-Iv in Ukingnwu on tha- E-vtl. - It lv- lll.l'l Il I-ut I-I -1-.I lu ll llII'c'e'-llaly pil ailr I .th z, wlnh- -n I--ulv II- IIIilIvswm'pilIg1 'IJII -:,- I New- - III.-N NlldllxlIuIII5QIs1'lln. wa' I' I It ll l.Ilv.Ilw-1' 'ltlXlXUI' In al Flllilll -li If-lls,I'IlI-lllIvI:I.1l---.itil ln...-I llI4'M'hlIl'- ' II llll' LJIHIIII IMI- I-nm-II lux I I I Il 2 l.In- .In-l Iln-I urn' 1'XllI'lII1'lI ll ' I I , 'lIl?4'lN' .nl ln-I, l'IlIiIllX.lll1'I I ' ' I I 'IvslII.ll II-n.IInn'nI llulll us, ' l I ' I I 'wfl li' I- 'Il 'Illl Ilgggllvllvs, lll' I WIA- I' 'lt l'llII.' In Iln- Sllzlils. we- I'IlI 'v-9 Il xlhlj Nlnusnit 'III llta- lull 'IN- l III- .I-lst-if fi' II 'II--ruling, .mal rullllllt-nw-cl al I'I'f- I l Ilxfvll NIIJII-, 1'nlllltlIll'll 'II i'I'I- II' lil Iln jfltln, llnfn l4'lll4'4l In llll' l'iiI!-I lion.: 'ue to ,II-'nfl .Inf-Ilwr Ixplaoon. fllh-r ll MIllI lllil-llIIIQ llt' Nuf1 nmlllll'5ll1tll'-Htl llll' 1 I 4 . . ..Ih, ww mf-ffl--lffl If- Hl-.nn'mu. ruling out il Ixplmoon on Ihr wax mul JIIHXIVQJ Ilwra- on Ilu' lL2Ih. llnr n--xt iw:-vp jolt was in Iln' l:llHSl'll x - I- '., -m ' . ' tI.II.- lr 'rn Ihr ..-nfl Illl Ihr- Zfvlh. llc' H'lIll'IHtl If- Fav-lfo on thf' Zfith. lluring Ilw nvxt 3-day -I.1x Ihr- fr'-w wai gmntv-fl lilwrlx. Wil' II-It on Ihv l-I nl XuXl'Illl'f'f for EllIfllllf'lA swf-vp olwra- ll'III. Fvvrmv of thi- onr- wel- sal Ihr- 1-ntranf'f' to the- Y I-llow Fm. nf-ar Qlzf-lport lsland. 'llw swoop group I'llf'nIHllf'I'f'fl lIIIlDZll'illlf'lf'll FIIf'l'l'4S and ther . I , . liar- 1-ompllvrl a grand total of Zld IIIIIIVF swept lu datv, Thf- group rf-turnf-d to Siliffllfi in the middlv nf 'Nownilvf-r. Soon the-rf-after orders wi-rv rffvviw-rl lu rvturn to thf- .-Xtlantir: Fleet for 25