- I-yiOX OF .nVlKT SOCIALIST Hf TIHI 1 ■t vA it V .■kXS •• ' «i. - - j;: )— v 1 J = .x: ■r 7 iiW y _. i: U. S. S. MASSACHUSETTS Affectionately called Mighty Mamie Sunset at Sea x cd et Stcncf r(,-m l ■r ■•Jil if ,• ■• She fought in a Kamakazl War She fought the Sea (€cC d . . . Theie She Goes — Down the Ways 1- |p| ' wm r i%i t -1 : ,- . ' •% Into fhe Water mumum f lf ;i L l J M To be Fitted Out is?r Standing Out Foi ' Action a an Jake Cai ' toons to Help the Crew Shakedown Fit to Kill Kzra an Jake •Viii ! It tlw Tiiith A Sailor ' s Dieam Rcpoi-ting Abooid for Duty What Meat Shortage? Af the Boston Statler with Feminine Pulchiitude A-Plenty In Portland Snow and Llberfles Were Plentiful Captain Whiting on Veranda Rememboi the Anchor???? S?-=== Only PO ' s Rode Ammo Carts as Wc Armed ot Norfolk Awaiting First Availoblo Govornmr-nt Transpor-tation to Japan Two Types of Loading Drills - : ■;•-«•■ • ••. ••.• • ti- C V. • •. • ' . - ' - tt ? iF _ ; Oui ' Big Guns Silence the Jean Bort as Toipedoes S+iaddle the Ship z y -V fl ' w« ) OL0 iS S S ■: :) E.vei Sea Stories of Cosoblonca Admirol Giffen on the Bridge Captain Whiting Captain Whiting Relieved of Command by Captain Glover J i r .lss i c We.: T VcUWir )M- Having Completed our Job In the Atlantic, We Headed West Up All Honds! PF TO voRK l Inching Thru the Panama Canal Headed for the Pacific Pulling Away From Panama All Hands Expected Immediate Action Entering the Pacific Some Scenes From Below Deck Snlp.s The Cobbler Machine Shop lISiiARCK AftCKIFEL GO | 1323 22 0 I 1200 L-iC -x BOnOAIN 2606 3 7 j „,, ?3 -: S66 ' ;e22 OMwnyv U y ASSAULT LANDING - 19 2 N - ' ' 7-AM-. H ; ro ' V S,.,SiS, « BATTLE OF CORAL SEA ii 6 • • ife jn«a ■' r. I -— CJo mf O r n AX= 1 1 • ' ' 0 s. c NAUMEA-SH. 704 «0 iAURU IS. i Z ' XET RECREATION AT EFATE . r FLEET BASE S° ™ ' opSS ] f iiiF - I Fresh Bread and Pies In Spite of the Japs Cup Super-heater Dept. The Laundiy Did Its Best Out First Fleet Base in Far Pacific Waters «f Recreation on Noumea The Graceful Line of the Moss at Sunset Nauru Before Nauru After The First Japanese Occupied Island To Feel ' Mamie ' s ' Might I L Turret Two ' s Goblin Sixteen Inch Poftern !jt,.w Splash One Bogie VCAR OLD Captain ' s Inspection Captain Ruddock Captain Glovei- Relieved of Command by Captain Ruddock ' ifU Our Combat Am Patiol — Evci Faithful A Card Games, Sports, I ' and Beer Parties Made Recreation at Efate Enjoyable Where ' s Jeff? South Sea Glamor .j ifi, , Lrf i i Salvolll We Retire to Re-arm No Change, No Change — Direct Hit at Ebeye Some Near Misses Down In Flames The Dope Shops Scrub Down Undeiway Overhaul 1 The Meny Minstrels . s CARRIER PLANES BOMBING JAP FLEET LINES • ' ■•iMA- ' ' :, . ■i3G, y- «! APRIL- HA ' 5, ' ■■- ' ' ' ■V . MR -SEA RESCUE N TRUK L.AGOON FEB. 194 ' r ' A Slstei Ship Opens Fire Stand-by to Rccovei One Airciaft to Port 4 m- ' ' Long operations kept us at Sea for months on end Taking One Over the Bow Talking It Over And Looking It Over V 1.: i • ■t X gmjS v, tX: r,yi Pi Relaxation at Meal Time Became the Best Part of Daily Routine Aii-Boine Strike Day -, l Aa- Lying at Anchor Stateside Bound Ah, Mail! Taking It Easy )immmii, A Big Event ot Pearl Hey, Walt For Us! OLO S ' Hc H s e- J i s- As : . ' v. -- :v x . ? ' St ' % Is . SECOND ANNIVERSABY O. t. «. MAflACHUICTTI 13 HUT ■•44 - XT tCA A Ciippled Can Delayed Our Return But Could Not Dampen the Thiill of Ouj- Flist Glimpse of Uncle Sugar i Stores Come on Board As the Yord Hastened Repairs on the Shi . ' , ' ' (: - ' Til • - ' ■-IM, :r =- a-ii - ■■•- -— BK-Jl- --- —. - ■- - . ■--- •) . Port of Seattle — A Hello and Goodbye ♦ Fleet Anchorage — Enlwetok Captain ' s Inspection Papei-woik Experts Real Tars — All Full-fledged Shell-backs Not Even the Officers Escaped King Neptune Payj Hij Respects 67 A Display of Expert Seamanship Out Task Force roamed the Sea at will, provision- ing and fueling in sight of the very shoreline of the enemy. Units of Our Task Foice n Drill Action Action Recoider S W M cM y T. Ashore on So I pen Japanese Landing Barge Japanese Pagoda Destroyed Sugai ' Mi After the Blitz on Saipan Jap Officers ' Club Surviving Spanish Priest Station Keeping Our Buiy Chaplain Whot ' s For Chow? ' H I L 1 P r I N SEA JAP TASK FORCE TEAMING SOUTH ■y A Jop Zeke Dives On the Formation And Scores a Hit Night Action r - ?• t-jld Typhc I ' ll be Right Back Bos ' n — Just Forgot My Rubbois V ' ' ' it. ' i-r.v i . ?XV 1 lg,3 t5 .. .i fer ' ' ' V A ' .M MM! . - . -- - cr ::-,: ' f L f . ; JU T  lW U. ' tJ ; •  fi A Betty Posses Close Abooid Near Miss H 4 ii t X 4 1 Sand — Beer — and Water Mog Mog — Island of Paradise!!! -■• -.j-yrx- w :.-- — jm-M ' KW ' 7- Admiral Davis Shafioth Vice Davis Admiral ' s Inspection Armored Tonker Stand-by to Fuel One Destroyer to Starboord Christmas in Ullthi Spent in Prayer Romon Catholic Moss Protestant Divine Service I ..- . From Formosa to Iwo then on to Toklo «:SS Cuitiss Helldiveis Moving In % Destroyer ' s Eye-View of Big Mamie ' One Got Through All in the Day ' s Work Sunshi Morale Buildei ' OPENING OPERATION, MAR. 1945 V % ■' . 1 j. ' miiliiii ;,to. .m ' Our Fontall Messerschmidt Af+er a Successful Rescue Mission Clash Rescue Mission Successful Commendation Captain Redman vice Captain Warlick |W ' Over the Side Captain Redman on the Bridge k- J I f ' « ' ' Beards and Acey Ducey Hog-Calling Contest Bet+ y Gioble i aa assiO ' uss ' H % X IHD ANNIVEHSAHY Skeet Shoot Warrant Officers ' Mess B ZO s OH TO TOKYO SHIP ANCHORED K SAIPAN HARBOR SAIPAN HARBOR ACTIVITIES ' :C -3. T os- f ' ' TURKEY SHOOT k Carrier Warfare The Wasp is Hit- -Bu Fights On i w The Band Entertained as the Ship Fueled, Brought Aboard Mail, and Trans- ferred Officers and Men. Fiee Ride Hof Mutic Everyday Heroes - V« 1 Ashore in the Philippines Noon Rush — Tacloban Bai ' io Jail Baibe F!;; ' «l -f V ' ' - !t S ± J(X The People The Land - — r.r- j,r. .;. JAP FLEET, JULY, 19 5 l -u bo fcT.. ' ■' y - ' — — •  ♦ , y ■' JAPANESE HOMEU  „ EMTIO«s FEB. W 5 The Massy Standing By for First Salvo on Japanese Homelands Six for Japon Target Japan lion Woiks On Taigcf Ex Iron Works - - They Cried ( Quits The Battle ' s Over Landing Force Under Way for Japan Up and Over The Nagato— The Last or rnc uponc.v impenai Battleships IIS Elements of Our Landing Foice Return Aboard Souveniis of the Rising Sun We ' re Under Woy foe Home t - ' - k ' - To All Hands— Well Done! r r THE LOG Tossing Ihe first sixteen-inch shell to open the European offensive and firing the last big naval bullet in the Pacific campaign — these are the outstanding mileposts in the 39-month fighting career of the U. S. S. Massachusetts. The Japs have capitulated; details for carrying out the formal surrender ceremonies have been arranged for the official end of World War II. The stories that make the war history can now be released and Big Mamie has one of her own. It may not be spectacular, but it reveals a ship manned by resolute and efficient officers and men who turned in a workmanlike job and who more than once received well done from the Admirals. It wasn ' t always easy going and the grind was monotonous but . . . here ' s our story. When peace come to the Pacific, Mamie could look back on a long and action-packed careei ' . From the time of commissioning on May 12, 1942, until the end of the war in mid-August, 1945, she hod logged over 225,000 nautical miles, her jouineyings taking hei ' all the way from Casa- blanca to Tokyo and the China coast. She had token port in some thirty-five engagements with the enemy. She had sunk or damaged five ships. Including the mighty French battleship, Jean Bart. She had taken port in nine bombardments of enemy teriitory, three of which were directed at the Japanese home islands. She had destroyed or assisted In the destruction of at least eighteen Japanese aircraft. Her scout Kingfisher planes hod rescued seven aviators downed by enemy fire, often per-forming the rescues within sight and lange of Jap guns. Thanks to hei ' fiie-powei ' and speed, she had lent Invaluable suppoi-t to the fast carrier task forces as they carried out their mission of crippling Japanese olrpowei ' and seizing control of Pacific skies. Our ship has been a workhorse of the Fleet. She was always in there pitching when there was fighting to be done. She went about her tasks without ostentation and with a high degree of com- petence and skill gained from long hours of practice and of combat. Birth of a Fighting Ship Big Mamie ' s keel was laid July 20, 1939. Her- launching took place two years and two months later on September 23, 1941 — A few scant months before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Her spon- sor at the launching was Mrs. Charles Francis Adams, wife of the former- Secretary of the Navy. The ship, building of which had cost more than $75,000,000, was for-molly commissioned on May 12, 1942. She was constructed by the Bethlehem Steel Co. and the workmen at the Fore River Yard at Quincy, Massachusetts. She was given tremendous firepower- in her- nine 16-inch guns ond twenty 5-Inch guns — the latter weapons adding to the anti-aircraft might of the many 40-m.m. and 20-m.m. guns bristling from her decks and superstructure. After her trial i uns. Big Mamie, undei ' the command of Captain (now Rear- Admiral) Francis E. M. Whiting, USN, began an intensive period of ti aining in preparation for the battles for the bottles In which she was soon to take port. About six or seven hundred of the men who took par-t in That Battle ore still aboard and so generous hove they been in sharing their reminiscences that even the newest boot just arrived is familiar with the affair down to the last detail, and he almost feels as though he were there him- self. Here, briefly, is what happened: In the early morning hours of November 8, 1942, a large task force of American worships and transpor-ts, with the Massachusetts as flagship, moved In toward the coast of Casablanca in French Morocco. It was the signal that the United States, having marshaled its strength, was now ready to throw its might across the seas. French fleet units. Including the huge new battleship, Jean Bart, were at anchor in the harbor. The American force approached slowly, under orders not to fire unless resistance developed. Suddenly starshells lit the sky and the Jean Bart fired four salvos. Rear Admiral R. C. Giffen, USN, in command of the American force, gave the agreed signal for action — Play Ball! — and the Masscachusetts found herself in one of the hottest engagements of her career. Salvo after salvo poured from her main battery in reply to the fire from the French ship as well as fiom the shore batteries. hHer Kingfisher planes, sent up to spot her gunfire, were attacked by enemy planes and Big Mamie ' s anti-aircraft guns opened up. Shells were falling all about her as she was bracketed by fire from the direction of Casablanca. At length the Jean Bart was re- ported afire and in a short time her guns were silenced as she lay at her berth a blazing wreck. Shore batteries continued to pound away and under cover of a smoke screen enemy cruisers and destroyers got underway and attempted to sortie from the harbor. The battle roared to a new crescendo as enemy planes roared in for fresh attacks; again Mamie ' s AA fire drove them off. A shell fired by one of the shore batteries struck the ship abreast one of the forward turrets; a small fire that broke out in a lower compartment was quickly extinguished. The Massachusetts began to close with the enemy ships and again was bracketed with heavy fire. She was hit a second time, the shell striking abreast the after turret. Meantime, her accurate fire was taking heavy toll. Two enemy destroyers had been hit; one was sunk and the other down by the stern. Then one of our salvos struck another destroyer amid- ships and in less than a minute she went under. The French ships laid another smoke screen and tried to head into port but were cut off by our cruisers and caught in a withering cross-fire. Another destroyer went to the bottom before the op- posing ships succeeded in withdrawing to the protection of the shore batteries. A final salvo at the beach guns and the battle was over — a battle in which the Massachusetts was credited with sink- ing the battleship Jean Bart and two destroyers, and with silencing shore batteries. The ship ' s battle colors received a shell hole during the battle. Big Mamie returned to the States and her battle-tested crew was granted leaves and liberties. Captain Whiting was promoted to Rear Admiral and replaced by Captain Robert Ogden Glover, USN. On to the Pacific On February 6, 1943, the ship left Portland, Maine, and after passing (with little room to spare) through the Panama Canal, proceeded to Noumea, New Caledonia. Another period of in- tensive training and Big Mamie was ready to add her weight to the warfai ' e in the Pacific which at that time was just beginning to emerge from the defensive stage to the offensive-defensive phase. In April the Massachusetts pushed into the Coral Sea as a member of a task force group sup- porting operations against Russell Island. The following month she was bock in the Coral Sea again, this time covering operations against Munda, New Georgia, in the Solomon islands. Hei final operations in this area took place in late August and early September when she supported action against Vella Lavella. There followed a lull during which the ship was based first at Efate in the New Hebrides Islands and later in the Fiji Islands. On November 19 she returned to the attack, accomponying a task force making air strikes on Makin in the Gilbert Islands. During the next five days she played a supporting role for landing op- erations on MakIn and Tarawa. Thanksgiving evening saw the Mamie ' s first brush with Japanese aircraft; hei ' guns opened up and splashed two enemy planes. That night and tfie next, the task force fought back repeated attacks by Jap torpedo planes In the Gllber-t Island area. Two years and one day after the Pearl Harbor attack, the Massachusetts began hei ' fiist bombardment of Japenese-held territory — the island of Nauru. American planes roared in add- ing their bombs to the explosions of the big Navy shells and In a short while Nauru was lost to sight in the blanket of smoke billowing up from the many fires that had been started. Meanwhile, the strength of the Pacific Fleet was being rapidly built up and by the first of the year the Navy was ready to begin Its all-out offensive against the network of Japanese Island de- fenses, which had been heavily fortified In violations of treaty stipulations. The first assault was oginst the Marshall Islands. On January 29 the Massachusetts was part of a fast carrier task force which made initial air strikes against Taroa and Maleolap Atolls. The following day the Mamie and other botleshlps moved in for bombardment of Kwajaleln. There was some reply by shore batteries which was soon silenced. A salvo from the Mamie struck an ammu- nition dump, causing a tremendous explosion which sent smoke and debris hurtling 5,000 feet in the air — and the captain of another ship promptly messaged: You hit the jackpot that time! The Massachusetts on February I helped cover ' landing operations on Kwajaleln, the world ' s largest atoll. The landing went according to the book and within a few days the Fleet anchored at Majuro — the first pre-war Japanese territory to be occupied by American forces. Truk Struck In mid-February the Massachusetts took port in the strike that avenged Pearl Harbor: A sur- prise air onslaught against the Jap ' s mighty Naval stronghold at Truk. A total of 209 Jap planes were destroyed, both in the air- and on the ground, and forty-one ships of various types were sunk or damaged. Lieutenant C. C. AInsworth, USN, flying one of the Mamie ' s Kingf Isheis, made a daring rescue of a fighter ' pilot forced down in Truk Lagoon, for- which he was awarded the Dis- tinguished Flying Cross. Instead of returning to base after this operation, the Fleet steamed swiftly to the west to launch air strikes against the Marianas. Despite the unexpected of the move, the force was detected by Jap patrol planes and on February 21 and 22 the Massachusetts helped repel repeated and per- sistent air attacks. This was the longest sustained air- attack we had yet encountered, and all hands spent two days and two night at their ' battle stations. Our- planes bombed and strafed Salpan, Tlnlon, Ota, and Guam. Some I 35 Jap planes weio destroyed during the operation. In the latter ' par t of March, the Massachusetts took part in a raid deep into Japanese territory — the strike against the Palau stronghold and Yap, Ulithl, and Woleal Islands in the Western Caro- lines, during which 160 Jap planes were destroyed and 29 ships sunk. Captain T. D. Ruddock, USN, who had relieved Captain Glover ' , was promoted to Rear ' Ad- miral and replaced by Captain William W. War-lick, USN. The following month the Massy made a journey far- to the south to take par-t in covering the April 22 Invasion of Hollandia — a leapfrog amphibious assault which cut off 60,000 Jap troops in New Guinea. On the way back to base, the Fleet launched new air- air strikes against Truk, dur- Ing which Lt. Ainsworth in one of the Mamie ' s Kingfishers again rescued a pilot downed within range of shore guns. As carriers were recovering aircraft after the second day ' s strike, a Jap plane sneaked in and dropped a wild bomb which fell in the water 1 ,000 yards off our port bow. On May i the ship took part in the bombardment of Ponape Island. Stateside Duty After fifteen months of the heat and monotony of Pacific duty, the Massachusetts at long last headed back for the States. She celebrated her second birthday at Pearl Harbor and then shoved off with everyone on extra-good behavior In anticipation of stateside leave and liberty. In Puget Sound, all former records were smashed in getting rid of ammunition and by next morning the first leave parties were over the side. Within less than two months, the Massachusetts headed out again. Another stopover at Pearl and one August 8 she dropped the hook at the Pacific paradise of Eniwetok — very much like the Pacific paradise of Majuro, only bigger. Toward the close of the month she headed for the Palau area and en route took time out to cross the Equator and dish out proper punishment for a number of unworthy Pollywogs that had come aboard in the States. This vital matter attended to, she supported air strikes against Palau and as the invasion of Peleliu commenced, the Fleet began launching the first of many air strikes against the Philippines — strikes which not only destroyed many aircraft, ships and ground facilities, but which also un- covered the weakness of Jap airpower in the area and led to a speed-up in the plans for invasion of the islands. The first strikes were made against Leyte, Cebu, Negros, and Panay islands, during which one of Mamie ' s Kingfishers, piloted by Lieutenant G. A. Robinson, successfully performed a sea rescue. On September 13, shortly after secure from dawn stand-to, a Jap plane, identified as an Oscar flew through the formation. The Massachusetts and several other ships opened fire; the plane was splashed and the Massachusetts given credit for the kill. Then the Massachusetts accompanied the force northward and on the 20th of September — after a lapse of two and a half years — the war came back to Luzon and the Manila area. In a two-day strike our carrier aircraft sank forty Jap ships and destroyed 375 Jap planes in the air and on the ground and damaged many more. On October 10, the Japanese home islands in the Ryukyus archiperago felt the fury of air warfare as our planes swept over Okinawa and other islands In the group. From October 12 to October 14 the Massachusetts operated with the foice that made air strikes against Formosa. Big Mamie shot down two planes and effected another sea rescue during this operation. Fleet Action Covering the invasion of Leyte, the force made new air strikes against the Philippines. Then, during the period October 22 to October 27, the Massachusetts took part in one of the decisive battles of the Pacific war — the second battle of the Philippine Sea, now officially termed the Battle for Leyte Gulf. The close of the battle found all three of the Japanese forces taking part In the encounter fleeing in defeat, the gieat majority of theli ' ships having been either sunk or seriously damaged. After a brief period at the new base In Ulithi, the Massachusetts went back to the Philippines as part of the force making new onslaughts against Japanese airpower. December 14 to 16 found the force making oir attacks on Manila and covering the Invasion of MIndoro. During this time the Massachusetts weathered one of the worst typhoons In Naval history. At the start of the New Year, the Massachusetts was In waters off northern Luzon and For- mosa while carrier planes made renewed strikes In the area. Then she swung south into the China Sea where air raids were made on shipping and air fields in the Saigon-Kamranh Bay area of Indo-China and the Hong Kong, Swatow, and Amoy areas of the China Coast. The operation, which had severed the Jap ' s lifeline of communications with Its southern empire, lasted until January 23, 1945, and was concluded with new air strikes against Formosa and Okinawa. Tokyo Bombed In mid-February the Massachusetts took part in the operation that hod been the goal of naval planning and strategy for many months — the first raids by carrier based planes on Tokyo. As our planes sowed destruction over the Japanese homeland, the Massachusetts was in the van of the supporting force, lying less than 70 miles from thr coast of the main Jap island of Honshu and I 17 miles from Tokyo. The next operation was In support of air strikes against Chichi JImo and Iwo JIma. After another raid on Tokyo, the Massachusetts remained In the Iwo JIma area until February 28, cov- ering the landing operations there. Steaming Oftentimes the Massachusetts cruised in the forward area off Formosa, the Philippines and even Japan without seeing any signs of the enemy. This did not mean, however, that we were relaxed. Then, even moie than when in battle, it meant that all personnel had to be alert, ready for any emergency. Going to Geneial Quaiters at all hours of the day and night. Watches and routine functions competed for the 24 hours in each day, and the ship, a home for 2,500 men, had to be kept In good repair . . . every gun and piece of equipment had to work. Though operations grew longer and longer as the fleet found it expedient to continue the of- fensive, there were times when fueling and replenishing were carried out in port. Aftei- thirty or forty days ot sea the ships and men retired to such Pacific poi-ts as Eniwetok, Saipan, Ulithl, etc.; It might be noted that these ports must in no way be confused with the island settings frequently seen In Dotty Lamour films. Nor are they as Inviting as pictured by correspondents aftei ' a one week tour of the Pacific battle theotre. The Massachusetts has been in port for a total of only 70 days since starting out on the first Philippine operation, August 30, 1944. Most of these days were spent In Ullthi atoll which Is typical of the Pacific bases . . . plenty of water surrounded by a circular foimatlon of sandy, palm-topped Islands. One of these dunes was designated as a recreation center where thousands upon thousands of liberty-famished officers and men were landed. Baseball diamonds, horseshoe pits, basketball courts and swimming areas were provided for their amusement after which a limited amount of beer was available. The long boat trip to and from the recreation center (at times consuming more thon two hours of the afternoon llbeity period), the hot sun, and crowded facilities made the excursion a tedious one. It was repoi ted that one correspondent termed Uli- thl Atoll Heoven without women whereupon an enlisted man retoited, It seems more like Hell to me and without women. Yet those days in por-t were soon to be prized. Despite the job of replenishing which kept a goodly poi-tion of the crew busy 24 hours a day after our entry and the poor nature of the recreotion, there was less strain than when underway. Movies were held topside and one had less watches to stand. March opened with a successful rescue by our Gooney Birds. The rescue was made pos- sible through a message picked up by the communications plane, and was accomplished despite very adverse conditions. For the exploit, Lt. Robinson was awarded the distinguished service medal while Lt. A. B. Cenedella, and Aviation Radioman First Class Stanley John Krejeski, who were In the communications plane, were awarded air medals. On March 17 our carriers were launching strikes against Kyushu. Early the next morning, a group of Tojo ' s lamplighters showed up and dropped a large pattern of flares. An enemy plane swooped In, all but taking off a yardarm as it roared by the Mamie at an extremely low altitude. This was the start of a big day, with air attacks continuing throughout the day, the following night, and well into the next day. Massachusetts ' guns splashed a Nell fifty yards off the bow of a carrier and then she knocked down two planes near anothei cari-Ier. Then her 5-inch guns opened up on a plane which burst Into flames 8,000 yards away. Shortly after midnight the lamplighters were back again with more flares. Later In the morn- ing a plane diving on a carrier was brought down by Massachusetts ' gunfire assisted by fighter planes. Retiring from Kyushu, with speed slowed because of a damaged ship In the formation, a large Jap raid came in but was disposed of by fighter planes. While the Mamie was executing an emer- gency turn, a huge wove broke over the port catapult, damaging one of the Kingfishers beyond repair. Prior to this the Kingfishers had made an air-sea rescue off Kyushu. This was the first mis- sion flown by a Kingfisher in these waters. The Task Force then turned Its attention to Okinawa, launching repeated air strikes. The Massachusetts went in to bombard Okinawa on the twenty-fourth, hurling shells at Jap defense positions for three and a half hours. Her spotting plane nosed over on landing and had to be de- stroyed. Both Pilot and Radioman were rescued. Continuing to operate In the Okinawa area, Big Mamie fought off an air attack on April 6, splashing three planes. The next day the Japs sent over a huge formation of some 380 planes, the great majority of which were dealt with by aircraft. One enemy plane came within range and was downed by gun- fire from Big Mamie and other ships before it could attack. Carrier planes then attacked the big battleship Yamato and accompanying ships, sinking or damaging the entire force. From then until the end of the month, Mamie remained in support of the Okinawa operation, helping to repel the frequent air attacks. Back in Ulithi, on May 2, Captain Warlick, who had been promoted to Commodore, was re- lieved by Captain John R. Redman, USN. Celebrating her third birthday en route back to the Okinawa area on May 12, we heard some prophetic words from the new Captain who said: The forces in the Philippines have about completed the mopping-up of the Jap forces there, and the Tenth Army on Okinawa has only the southern end of the island left to take. These bases will per- mit further operations which might well bi ' ing victory over Japan before the Massachusetts is four years old. Stiiklng at Kyushu, she underwent several air attacks in mid-May. On the fourteenth, her guns splashed two enemy planes. On the sixteenth. Lieutenant Cenedella, flying a Kingfisher, res- cued Lieutenant Commander Hessel, who had been shot down over Minami Dalto Shima. Stormy Weather The Japs were not the only opponent In the Pacific; the weather frequently proved to be a difficult adversary. On June 5, the Massachusetts weathered a typhoon — the third since coming to the Pacific. A typhoon is the Pacific ' s version of a hurricane — with trimmings. The first one came as Mamie was riding the hook In UllthI in the early morning hours of October 3, I 944. The entire task force group hurriendly got underway and by the time she stai-ted through the channel, the visibility had dropped to zero. Radar, the magic eye of the Fleet, was used to bring her safely out to the ocean where she had sea-room for battling the stoim. The next typhoon, one of the worst in Naval Histoiy, struck while the Task Force was refueling off Luzon. Heavy seas and winds in advance of the major part of the storm forced discontinu- ance of the fueling operation. The next day — the I 8th — the storm struck in all its fury with screaming winds and mountainous seas. Many ships sustained damage, with fires breaking out on some of the convei-ted carriers, and three destroyers, the Spence, Hull, and Monoghan, went down in the storm. Luckily, the Massachusetts, except for loss of a seaplane, suffered only minor damage. An equally vicious typhoon struck early in June — again Interrupting a fueling operation. Many ships ran into difficulties, one cruiser lost her bow, and another reported her bow had been buckled by the mountainous waves. The peak of the storm was reached in the early morning houis of June 5 when estimated wind was bettei ' than one hundred knots. At 0700, Mamie passed through the eye of the storm, and though the wind force dropped sharply, the waves became even more huge. Again Mamie came through with only mlnoi damage, but with a Kingfisher damaged beyond repair. On June 10 the Massachusetts bombarded MInami Daito Shlmo, firing both main and sec- ondary batteries. Three days later she came to a new anchorage in San Pedro Bay, Leyte Gulf. Recreation facilities In the Philippines were much the same as Ulithl except for the addition of a longer- boot ride and mud. Going Home On July I, Big Mamie took off on what proved to be the final offensive action of the war — the Third Fleet ' s month and a half of operations in Japanese waters. Which brings to mind the fact that disappointments aren ' t too common In this life, for ' thei e aren ' t too many things to set heor-ts upon. One case, however, stands out and tops them all . . . even tho It is not without Its amusing sidelights. July I 5th, 1944, was the day Mamie left the Stotes, and on July 16 scuttlebutt was already cliculotlng regarding the next yard period. There isn ' t a minute of the day that there Isn ' t a new rumor- stai ' ted regarding the ship ' s chances of going bock, and the officers and men devour- every bit of It. Well, It wasn ' t so long ago that the scuttlebutt took on an air- of authenticity. Smiles looked out from ever-y stanchion and clean- ing space on the ship. Even the Captain was hopeful. Big Hearted Mamie opened up her- heart and storerooms to distribute well-hoarded supplies to the ships that were to be loss fortu- nate and were to stay while Mamie enjoyed some Stateside fun. Cigarettes, clothing stores, gun parts, point, paper-, radio tubes, etc., were carefully packaged and presented to all comers . . . with the compliments of the Massachusetts. Then . . . rosy-fingered dawn in the nature of exigencies of war . . . , Mamie didn ' t go home. Opcrotlon oftei- operation, bomboi-dment after bombardment and she is still In the forward area. Did someone soy stateside? The Big Push The Japs became aware on July 10 that a new fleet operation was in pi ' ogress when cai i ' ier- based fighters, bombers and torpedo planes swept in, blasting air fields and installations in the Tokyo area. For two days Mamie supported carriers as their planes carried out assigned missions of destruction. On July 14, the planes struck again at the island of Honshu, this time farther north. Then, shoi ' tiy before noon, watchers along the coast near Kamaishi — the Empii ' e ' s second lai ' gest iron and steel producing center — saw an imposing and portentous sight. A line of big, fast battle- ships, escorted by cruisers and destroyers, was moving swiftly in over the sunlit water. The U. S. Navy, after sweeping all opposition from the Pacific, had penetrated to the very shores of Japan and Mamie was there. She went in so close that it looked like her men could toss a heaving-line over to the shore with no strain, and steamed nonchalantly about until the spotting planes got into position. Then Big Mamie and her accompaning ships opened fire and the war ' s first bombardment of the Jap- anese Homeland was underway. The big shells crashed into blast furnaces, open hearth works, and factory buildings. Oil storage tanks were hit and billowed into smoke and flame. A railroad bridge was straddled by our fire. For an hour and a half Mamie continued to pound away, tossing projectiles into the target area. No Jap planes were sighted and there was no return fire from shore batteries. When she withdrew, a huge column of dark smoke was rising to blend with the clouds over Kamaishi. For- the next two weeks she was with the cai ' i ' iers as they made continued strikes, while other ships of the fleet bombarded. Then, on July 29, Mamie went in to participate in the spectacular midnight bombardment of Hamamatsu, an industrial and railroad center. Her particular target was the Japan Musical Instrument Company. The attack on this was not an advance form of musical criticism, but arose from the fact that the factory had been converted to the manufacture of aircraft propellors. Admiral Halsey sent Mamie and her companions a Well Done and dubbed them the Hammer Hamamatsu Club. On August 9 Mamie returned to Kamaishi and worked over what was left after her first visit. As she withdrew fi ' om the bombardment, an officei ' — who would rather forget the whole matter — said something over the public address system about proceeding Eastward. But what with continued assaults by the Third Fleet, the entry of Russia into the war, daily postings by the B-29 ' s with a few atomic bombs as exclamation points, and imminent threat of invasion, the Japs decided to throw in the sponge. Peace did not come suddenly. Its advent was very hesitant and fighting continued in many areas while messages flashed between the capitals of the warring nations. Even as Admiral Halsey was broadcasting concerning the Jap capitulation, carrier based fighter planes shot down foui- Jap planes approaching the formation. But gradually the fighting died out, the Japs went to Manila to get word from General Mac- Aithur conceining surrender proceduies, and Mamie began dispatching landing forces. On August 19, her entire contingent of Marines and a number of Bluejackets assigned to the Marines and to a special pool for operating small boats in Jap harbors, were transferred to an attack transpoit. The next day, a bluejacket landing force went to a high speed transport, a ticklish job as the APD was acting skittish in the choppy water. The end the war- found the U. S. S. Massachusetts still cruising and fighting, a member- of the Third Fleet, pr-esent at the kill. ■v • . — — ■fr jZf ' M
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