Quincy (CA 71) - Naval Cruise Book

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Hg- A L,-. , Mines explode in the transport area, Baie de la Seine American ships deliver the goods on D-Day. 5201

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BY'DU IH'VHREFROhl Q.As Of Same ' 121 SIMBOLS Tnmi..mwm .IRL un u- rZ. i. '..'Z1.IJ E95 ern-d I-.huaaa In in ehnmd by 1 mumble - qvvfnfpv nnammmnsl Y Q li- -!-tx, 'L :u:::5:L1 W .':333:r:5gg:.g:.. ..g,2..'M .........i. H- nun unsqhmruh mann-n u-gm-.IEIIAZLSIS-rANTSTi1i.D 'rfnkxu ,.uIZi2fEA.'inaiuqunumAiinhnEzupamuua.uI DC78 NBIBI 1811180 DPR PAID NX NEWYORK NY JUNE I7 1944 1254? .nu uononev, PERSONAL ,, DALLAS NEWS DALLAS TEX WE HAVE ECEIVED FOLLOWING UESSAGE FROM PINKLEY IN LONDON: 'CRUISER QUINCY HAS BEEN MENTIONED THREE TIMES IN OFFICIAL NAVAL STATEMENTS SINCE THE INVASION AS GIVING ACCURATE BLISTERING SUPPORT ASHORE FOR ADVANCING ALLIED TROOPS ON THE NORMANDY BRIDGEHEAD. THE QUINCY HAS NOT RECEIVED A SINGLE HIT FRON ANY GUNS OR BONES AND THE CLOSEST SHELLS FROM SHORE BATTERIES DIDN'T EVEN SPLASH WATER AGAINST THE SIDES. ARNY SPOTTERS ASHORE SIGNALED CONGRATULATIONS TO THE QUINCY ON JUNE EIGHTH AND TENTH FOR WHAT WAS DESCRIBED AS 'HIGHLY ACCURATE PINPOINT FIRING AGAINST ENEMY MOBILE BATTERIES AND EVEN AGAINST SNALL.CONCENTRATIONS OF TANKS, TRUCKS AND TROOPS lILAND.' IN SOUE CASES THE QUINCY TURNED ITS GUNS ON BATTERIES UP TO ELEVEN MILES INLAND INCLUDING ONE IMPORTANT BRIDGE. FREQUENTLY DURING THE PAST TWELVE DAYS THE QUINCY SHELLED BATTERIES OVER TWENTY THOUSAND YARDS. ONE NAVAL OFFICER WHO RETURNED TO LONDON AFTER HAVING VISITED THE QUINCY SEVERAL DAYS AGO TOLD THE UNITED PRESS , THAT SHARP SHOOTING QUINCY GUN CREWS KNOCKED OUT ONE COASTAL BATTERY WITH ITS FIRST BROADSIDE WHILE ANOTHER CONCENTRATION OF COASTAL GUNS WAS SILENCED ON THE THIRD SALVO. JACK BISCO UNITED PRESS U. P. correspondent tells of exploits of Quincy in invasion of Fortress Europe. Quincy again returned her fire to the beach. A stubborn sea wall was breached and the fight of the Allied Armies for French soil began. Shore fire control spotters established com' munication with the ship. Spitfires overhead indicated targets not visible from the ground. For 36 hours the Quincys big guns roared out, working on first one target and then another. But at the end of that time she had fired every' thing in her magazines and was ordered to ref tire from the fire support area. Hot chow was ordered in the messing compartments, and then dog tired men made their way to inviting sacks below. But the ship still had work to do. She made something of a cross channel record as she took off at high speed, outran a destroyer, loaded at Portland, England, and returned to her place in the firing line thirty hours later. By then the beaches had been well secured. Pouring ashore were supplies and mechanized units. Yet the .Q's', job had not been com' pleted, for still within range of her big guns German shells were killing American men. She resumed her fire against important installations and dangerous shore batteries. An important veloped in flashes, smoke, and concussion. The enemy battery which opened the engagement was silenced. Soon a second battery was heard from no more. Smoke and twisted steel marked the location of a third German gun. Bit by bit the exact prefarranged schedule of the invasion was carried out. Prior to the landing of the first wave the .Quincy drenched the beach itself with shells. But dead ahead enemy batteries had found the range of a destroyer and were battering her to death. The .Quincgfs guns helped return fire. White smoke shells poured from her muzzles to wrap the wounded ship in smoke. Still the German shells smashed into the thin skin of the can. Finally hope for the doomed ship faded and her two whale boats pushed out into the churning bay. Another destroyer came in under the murderous range of the shore batteries to rescue survivors. The ships A pounded away until the killers were silenced. Then the E191 The Quincy stands guard over the coast of Normandy.

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bridge at Gaen collapsed under the impact of her hot steel. Gun emplacements exploded from her shells. Gnce the U. S. Army spotters ashore signaled their congratulations to the Quincy for what was described as highly accurate pinpoint firing against enemy mobile batteries and small concentrations of tanks, trucks, and troops inf land. An army colonel thanked the ship's gunf ners for saving our bacon after the Quincy shell had smashed into a German staff car purf suing the colonel and a handful of men at a point several miles inland. Aid was given to a spunky little minesweep who radioed back, Glad you were among those present. U. S. S. Augusta. Thus did the Quincy spend her days. Her nights, howf ever, were different. Since it was impossible to spot the splash of the shot, the roar of the big guns was replaced by a watchful, waiting stillness. In G.l.G. the radar operf ators kept a sleepless vigil over the fleet. Radios received reports from picket boats which stood guard over their larger sisters. Gften the reports were routine, but some' times they warned of' a small boat or submarine attack. The aggressive patrolling of the pickets, however, pref vented every suicider from getting within range of the Quincy's guns. Gverhead an occasional German plane stabbed at the fleet through the darkness. A radio conf trolled glider bomb was sighted from the deck of the Quincy. A few nights later another one went out of conf trol and crashed into the bay just ahead of the Quincy's l Explosion on the Isle of St. Marcouf. bow. Several times the Jerries flew over and at' tempted to take pictures by the light of flares. The fleet was not in a photographic mood. As the troops pushed farther and farther inf shore, and more and more artillery was landed, the targets which could be assigned to ships be' came scarce. By then the competition for firing missions was high. Finally, on June 21, fifteen days after DfDay, the ship was told her part of this job was com' pleted. So seaward she turned her head and steamed for Portland, England, for ammunition, fuel and supplies. Here also the crew heard news of its next mission. CHERBOURG It was a sunny Sunday morning that the U. S. S. Quincy, in company with three battleships, three other cruisers, and a host of destroyers appeared off the coast of Gherbourg with guns trained out and battle flags flying. Gherbourg, with its deep water docks and its facilities for handling large amounts of supplies, was a prize which the Allies desperately needed in order to continue their push toward the heart of the Reich. But well did the Germans know that need, and the closer the armies of freedom moved toward this choice tip of Normandy the tighter became the defense of the isolated Nazis. 4 When the Navy was called upon to help capture the harbor, Rear Admiral Morton Deyo was given command.