Quincy (CA 71) - Naval Cruise Book

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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

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wr -' rattle of fire, Behind them billowed layer after layer of smoke to screen the ships from the beach. One Scan took a hit on this operation, but she remained under control. The big ships poured white smoke shells to cover the smokers. Again and again the Quincy,s gunners shoved bullets into Cherbourg, but fanatical men manned those guns and still they fired back. Shrapnel rattled against gun shields. One life jacket was torn by a spent piece. Another piece dented a man's helmet. 600 yards off our port side the H. M. S. Glasgow received a straddle and then a hit, but she continued to hre. Another near miss thundered past the Quincy, peppering the hull with small holes and floodf ing a compartment of candy. One shell splash drenched a 20 MM gun crew on its station. Yet time and again came the welcome words from the spotting radio Cease ire, target neutralized. Then the army moved in and made naval fire impossible. At 15 30 the force was given a well done and orders to retire. Those who turned their heads for one last look at the town saw two last splashes settling in the distance. p Smokers lay a defensive screen. Over Oherbourg that night flew those beautiful Stars and Stripes. SOUTHERN FRANCE August 15, 1944, found the veteran ship Quincy exf ploding shells against the shores of Southern France. One more segment of the circle of steel surrounding the Axis was being added and the Quincy's guns were forging it into place. When she received her orders for the Mediterranean, the Quincy was resting in Belfast Lough. She complied at once, and on July 10, she steamed through the Straits on her way to Oran, Algeria. Here ammunition was loadf ed aboard and vital information about this latest assault against the Nazis was received. Palermo, Sicily, was the first practice spot for the Quincy crew. Ten days later the ship moved on down to Valetta, Malta. Here she was assigned to a British bomf bardment group and old friendships of Normandy and Oherbourg were renewed. Drills and practices again nlled the days for the Quincyis crew. The old familiar hush hush of secret meetings and classified papers once more pref vailed. Short trips to Filfia Island and Oamerata, Italy, were taken so that the gun crews could sharpen their marksmanship. But the big guns were trained out in deadly earnest on August 15. The time for drilling was past. Silently through the dawn into station in Baie de Oavalaire slipped the bombardment group. By 0600 the entire force hemmed the edge of the grey bay-an ominous challenge to the defenders on the beach. Then on command, gunfire pierced the silence. A fourfgun 150 MM battery felt the first shock of the power. Overhead the Quincyis seaf i As shells come closer, more smoke is laid, Another shell splashes harmlessly into Cherbourg Harbor.