Macomb (DD 458 DMS 23) - Naval Cruise Book

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the enemy time and again, always outnumbered, but never outfought. No further attacks on the Mac that night. Shortly after noon the next day an aircraft suddenly appeared on the star- board beam about four miles away. The main battery again swung into action on the plane, identified as a '4Betty,,7 .lap bOH1bCf- Twenty- ftve knots was rung up as the ship began lunging and maneuvering through the water in an at- tempt to confuse the pilot as to course and speed for laying his egg. With the flak bursting around him, the Nip lost his nerve, and dropped the lone bomb to lighten his load. lt splashed some distance away, and the plane escaped. Then came a pause in the day's action, as no Bogies were reported in the immediate vicinity. But machine gunners and gun crews worked dogged- ly to clear and replace exhausted ammunition. The first cigarettes were scarcely lighted when at i520 Hllash red. control yelloww was again he-ard. The rt-cognition crew spotted a plane headed tht- Maris way. and innnediately identified it as at .lap dive bomber nit-k-named i'Val by Ameri- vnn form-s. Combat and plot cfonnneneed track- ing. 'l'In- guns at ont-v were trained on the tar- gvl. dotting tht- sky with many black bursts, whit-h sonn-times vonnplvtvly hid thc would-be th-slrlndionisl. Again the engine room heard flank spged Sig 1 anda naledg screws spun, the ship accelerated roaring wake was left behind. With the main battery firing whenever the attacker was clear of clouds and the black puffs from our bursts the Macomb presented a perfect picture of thg hit and run method of waging picket war. Var- ious other vessels in the vicinity commenced ing, creating a thick screen of almost impenetra- ble flak. Suddenly as the dive bomber pointed nose downward into a vertical dive, a destroyer. escort steaming directly astern was broughi to the attention of all hands topside. She See, destined to be the target the plane had selected, lir- ned Down, down, increasing in speed every foot she plunged. The Diffs 40mm Bofors wereifiring at a 90 degree angle of elevation. Closer and closer the plane came. Then an explosion. a tremendous fountain of water rose in the air as men held their breaths in fearful anticipation. The next instanct the DE came bounding through tne geyser. Had it been photographed, the un- forgettable scene would have made one of the most spectacular pictures of the war. As the engine room telegraph rang up stand- ard, routine patrol speed, another blessed breath- er was taken. However, all dreams of the rc- mainder of the day being tranquil were given a Sth Fleet at Ulithi before Okinawa invasion 1

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of their softening-up process was felt hy the ships off shore. Thus the main ordeal was over. and everyone mentarily' relaxed with smokes and exclama- of relief. Then suddenly in the our juhilation, a salvo from a German mo tions midst of 88 strad- PICKET The days that the Xlacoinh spent on Radar Picket duty are. in the opinion of many men who have serycd on her since eommissioning. the most tedious and hergrie of her entire eareer. Few' of the long. drawn-out hours will ever lie forgotten hy' those who tool-Q part in this. her trial-hy -fi rr: test. lt all started on the night nl- Nlareh ISU. l'1t3. when the Nlaeoinli. together with several other destroyer-type ships formed a sr-reen for the hat- tleships 'texas and Nlaryland. the er'iiiser 'llusea- loosa plus the l.S.S. lfstes. one ol' the several thllllllllllitfillliill ships that played sueh a prorni- nent i'ole in the drama ol' the toughest ain- philiious operation ol the l'ar'itii' Ytitirp Ulvinawa tlunto. Long liefore dawn on the Isilst. ilu- Nlaeonili was dispatehed from the sereen. and instrueted to proeeed to liadar l'ieltet station No. 3. one ul I5 sueh stations surrounding the island as a means of warning the troops on the lieaelies and ships anchored within inner harliors ol' the approaeh of the enemy. 'l'his station was lfl miles due east ol the lieaeh where :Xrneriean troops had made their initial landings. 'l'here hegan an endless patrol of a fi-mile srprare. ts the patrol wore on without any sign ol an enemy. our first impression ol the Roger Peter stations was iust another monotonous. dull jolt to he dorie. As was customary when in or around en- eruy waters or territory. sunset general quarters was held from sunset to one hour tliereafter. This was one of the most popular times lor air Rtiiliflis'-'slllt' setting sun making visiliility highly ditlieult. However. no planes were seen on the radar screen hy the time relief arrived at 1913. Again we joined forces with the Texas. Mary- land. and Tuscaloosa. and another night went past uneventfully' in the aura offered hy the float- dled the can. Hetaliating with the main battery, the Macomb quickly eliminated the upstart in 1 minute lflat. Thus the Mighty Mae came through her second invasion hattle-weary hut unseathed. i LINE Ui ulllugernauls. lstillinyittg the invasion of tllr' lsltttiil. lltr' Itlgllts well' spent in screening K assignments. while the daylight hours were tale- en up with the routine sweeps. lhen the morn- '?1 of Xl'l'll 3 the Xlaeoinli again found herself Lt tllllt nl lltr' lilelxvt si'l'r'r'lt. liitlllilliiig in th,- run until early in the morning. when tour or - t tiye sniall raids were reported approaehtiig. the nearest lu-ing tilt miles distant and already re- l i1'l ?1 llleir' load til. lioinlvs. l lash red-eonlrol ' . . 'ss yellow-tire at any planes in the air. . eame the ioive ol' the radio. tleneral Quarters was sound- ed and all hands rar-ed to respeetive liattle sta- tions. llowever. the twenty-nnle inarlt was the f'lo-est these initial raids earne to the ship. at whit-li time they altered eourse, 'l'lien a lew niin- utes later eanie the warning ol nllogies approaeh. ' I ' ' , I H ing lroni ilre North. lu rnen of the lil1'lilt' ,i.llt lll'l tlie word lite-evu is the eoile word lol' ' -- ern-my airrialit. 'lliat is only the lieginning though. lor lin dn'tionai'y eould deserilie the piilse-riuiel-tening horror the word was to eaiise in ilu- ensuing days in the liatlle for the lilood- spatteied island ul Ultinawa. llie radar operators and plolters lvept a eon- stant llow ol inlorniation tliiough the your rii ' ' -,. si u eiiils, pertinent dope lo plot. rllliilol dlltl tht tlaptain on the liridge. Sr-eonrls alter the lirst warning. the main liattery 3 ineh opened tire. their the ttlnim liulirilis added to the din as a speetar-iilar' streal-t of flame illuminated the heavens and iolrl of a dirt-vt hit. 'l'he attaelter was later identified as a liomlier. The ,lap des- perately tried to r-rash the Nlar-ornli. lint plunged into the sea. Over the voir-e eireuit vihrated our message. this is llipsy-lloodle. Splash one irgtislpvil- The remainder ol the night saw' the radar sereen constantly filled. with the heartening sight of our own aircraft diving into the midst of 29

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