Massachusetts (BB 59) - Naval Cruise Book

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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.

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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

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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?