Quincy (CA 71) - Naval Cruise Book

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back to Ulithi for a welcomed rest. At noon of April 30 the Quincy maneuvered into the entrance of the lagoon of Ulithi Atoll. ' Ulithi is not the garden spot that many Pacific islands are reputed to be. Life Magazine, at one time, dedicated a secf tion to Ulithi and the pleasures available there for weary sailors. The pleasures actually found there, however, were not nearly so colorful. They consisted of a chance to put one's foot on the ground, to drink a couple of cans of tepid beer, to throw baseballs or beer cans f provided they could be kept on the islandj, and to smooth out taut and kinked nerves. This last was perhaps the greatest boon of all. The sun was always hot, the humidity quite stifling, yet all Mog Mog visitors were ever eager to return again to its meager facilities. May 9 was set as departure date for the task group. Operations against Kyuf shu, the southernmost island of the Jap' anese mainland group, were being planf ned. Furthermore, there still remained a stubborn enemy on Okinawa to be blast' ed out by the bombers and fighters of the Fifth Fleet. - Quincy Gets First Kill While on this mission operating off Southern Kyushu on May 14, the Quincy shot down her first Japanese Kamakazi. At 0130 of that memorable day planes appeared in the area. The terrible tocsin, warning of impending night attack, roused the AA gunners from sleep. As they struggled to their stations, the situaf tion became more critical, No sooner had the complete battery been manned than the crack of five inch guns informed everyone that the enemy was closing in. Finally word came that a conf certed air attack was expected momentarily. The general alarm then rang and all hands doubleftimed to their battle stations. Zebra was set as the men stood tensely by their guns, awaiting the word to commence firing. By 0414 nerves were stretched taut as the guns, blasting into the night, began to search out the raiders. Soon word spread throughout the ship with magical speed that the attacker had been shot down. It had been definitely seen burning and falling into the black sea. Thus the Quincy was credited The U. S. S. Nevada in formation. Iowa class battleship steams with Essex class carrier 49 fl 1

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The trip to Eniwetok proved to be uneventful, but busy. The men on gun watches were kept alert by surprise burst firing. There was practice against drones to make eyes sharper and wits keener. The constant steaming broken only by routine dawn and dusk alerts tended to dull the senses. On April 7 the .Quincy sighted the high tower of Eniwetok and maneuvered to enter the lagoon, Here the ship refilled her hungry bunkers, and on the next day, early Sunday morning, she got underway for the Ulithi Islands. Typhoon Damage. In three more days the low silhouette of the Caroline chain group appeared in the distance. Cne of its links, Ulithi, was equipped as another gas station for the fleet. Later the crew was to come back to patronize the memorf able drinking pavilions of Mog Mog. Shortly after anchor' ing at Ulithi a new task group of the Pacific's vast supply train formed up to rendezvous with a depleted unit of the famed Fifth Fleet. The Quincy sailed out in company with these tankers and supply ships-for in that Fifth Fleet her job was waiting. Fleet Operations Begin By April 18 the task group which the .Quincy had ref cently joined was operating off Okinawa. Continuous raids were flown off the carriers' flight decks as the pilots bombed and strafed the ,laps who were still fighting dog' gedly for this last bastion of the East Asia CofProsperity Sphere. The Sluincys job was to supply antifaircraft prof tection for the carriers. She steamed for days, just maneuvf ering to follow the carriers as they turned into the wind. Watching the fliers take off and land on the flight decks was the most exciting thing that happened during these days. Nights were different. Frequently the urgent clamor of AirfDefense or 'gGeneral Quarters catapulted the weary men out of sleep. The night interlopers which the Japanse air force sent out, however, were invariably shot down by the protecting night fighters. The sequence of events went like this. First the task group would intercept an unidentified plane on the radar screen. All ships would go to general quarters to repel the expected air attack. Soon after all hands had rushed to their battle stations, word would be received that a night fighter had a plane on its screen and was pursuing it. The next word would be that the Jap plane had been shot down in flaming wreckage. When the ship's screen proved to be clear of enemy aircraft, the Captain would order, Secure from general quarters . By this time utter weariness would have exhausted the men completely, and they would fall into their sacks for a dreamless sleep until dawn would come with its customary alert. I Everyone had become thoroughly wearied by this rouf tine of task force operations when the unit was ordered Change of Command: Captain Waters'relieves Captain Senn at Leyte. -:L

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