Quincy (CA 71) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 25 text:

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.

Page 24 text:

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

Page 26 text:

He received the U. S. S. Texas, U. S. S. Arkansas, U. S. S. Tuscaloose, U. S. S. Quincy, H. M. S. Enterprise, H. M. S. Glasgow, a screen of destroyers, and a fleet of minesweepf ers for the job. On the U. S. S. .Quincy the crew was busy for the sec' ond time with the preparations of war. Reconnaisance photos of the many large harbor defense guns gave warn' ing that the duel would be a hot one. In the face of much British Cruiser HMS Enterprise off Cherbourg. opposition fast and heavy pinpoint firing would be ref quired. Up until this war longfhaired admirals would have regarded such an operation as suicidal. A quiet tenseness gripped the crew as the .Quincy steamed into Gherbourg at 0900 on June 25, 1944. Loaded guns were trained out on prefplotted targets. Now all was ready. Commence firing rang throughout the ships, and immediately the long range broadside of the entire fleet pounded German installations. Plane spotters overhead and army spotters ashore radioed salvo corrections to the ships. Ton after ton of steel battered this corner of the Reich, but the Germans remained inactive. At 1000 the long range mission had been completed, and the battle line moved slowly in for targets which could not have been reached from the first hring point. One after another the big ships resumed their rain of steel on the enemy. But now German guns could easily reach the bomf barders and shell after shell of return fire slashed out at the naval force. Geysers of water marked near hits and straddles. One shell was heard whistling between the masts. Below decks the plates of the ship throbbed from the force of underwater explosives. Destroyers sped ahead of the line, their fivefinch guns delivering a continuous U21 Smokers lay a defensive screen. A very near miss inundates the Quincy's bow. 9 if