West Virginia (BB 48) - Naval Cruise Book

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,. . . 15' 1 qi' F S K5 ,Q .M .if rf igaf' ix A' Lv, , ,, we f. ... , . 'I . -S 4 a ? y l l kept us at our guns until 3 o'clock before we could CM. That Old Scuttlebutt Rumors were running wild through the ship that the jap fleet was out, on its way from Borneo and Manila and Formosa and even from japan. Groups of battleships, large groups of heavy and light cruisers and masses of destroyers were escort- ing their largest carriers, and closing in from all directions. But these rumors were largely laughed at and classed as the usual scuttlebutt-bum dope that helped keep us amused and pass the time of day. But at quarters we got it straight. Four battle- ships, six cruisers, a couple of carriers and a large number of cans had been sighted, steaming through the Mindanao Sea on their way up to Surigao Strait, and we were going out to meet them! Now we were really going to do some business. The evening meal was a substantial one, and welcome, for we'd been on lean rations for several days. We were issued K rations to keep on our battle stations, for no one knew when we'd get fed again. As dusk approached there were many little preparations in evidence-jugs of water and blan- kets were lugged to battle stations, and once in a while a can of fruit that had been 'Lbig-dealed from Zac. the Commissary issuing room. Char- he didnlt draw much of an audience r ,nnn that night, as we had bigger game 'i in mind, and most of the crew was at battle stations long before Gen- eral Quarters. The Wee Vee in the Van The battle line steamed out of Leyte Gulf through a gorgeous red and pink sunset. Our small observa- tion planes were flown off the ship, i l67l as the expected gunfire would blast them to shreds on the fantail. They would be of little or no use in a night engagement. The West Virginia was in the van again, leading more of the victims of Pearl Harbor and once more flying the colors she'd carried to the bottom. From the hatch in my battle station, in the main battery director on top of the mainmast, l looked down the column of this scrap iron Navy, and out to the cruisers and destroyers escorting us. The night came up black. The sea was smooth, with moderate ground swells. There was intermit- tent AA fire at various points on the horizon, and occasionally unidentified lights flared up on vari- ous bearings. Small lightning flashes lit up isolated portions of the sky. I settled back inside the director and plugged in on the Captainls battle circuit to listen to the dope. My pointer and trainer and others of my crew lounged in the open doorway, laughing and chat- tering about some liberty back on the coast. l trained the director into the breeze to try to cool it oil, for it had been soaking up the hot sun all day. Watchful Waiting Back and forth we patrolled, east and west across the northern end of the Strait, waiting for the Main Battery Bombarding l.cytc

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THAT NIGHT AT SUBIGAO ON14 cinu'1,1m sl-ixsli 11 su1'g1'cofcxlxil111'n- tum um tlxmuglx tlxc ship ns thc xxcml 5- xxlrlx i1u c1'mirlc1u Sllllll' lumnlmlml- mcnrsrillgm1u:'vlx,1lw Xxcc Vcc xx as y L . WN Pqgged Owl. the px gwtcm hm l - 5 X ' lung utlwlunc :mul xx c xx cnc llSlHlllQ L. L.. A -' - 4 V' X H-L I, . 1. g, . - - ,J x, '. 1. .' ,. that afternoon, four duvs nltcl' tlu: 7 1 ' Xxxx llfml Ill lil'-lllullulx ln fm llffil- ' ' 'V - l V' Ld T. 'I l tl' -xx ll XX 1I'Cl' nfl cxxtc C 'ulf VW -1' attack on Exclolmn. llxc spcnlccls 3, H , N L - A , ' - 19- ? . bllu-ed: l 'UQ txmllx' lcuflqul l'Ul'XX1'll'Ll tu thc carlx' All lmnds fOqLl21l'l'CI'SfO1'11 special N lNUl'I1lI1Q' mul cxumilxg' xiwitw uf Xxaxlx- nuuouncguxguflll ing' Nlzulxiuc fllmrlic nw 21 fcxx planes The inxxxsiou attack had been exciting Cllilllgll, .xr 11 111110 xxmlld run rlxc gnulnrlcr of wlxipw in the as it xxzxs the first action for mzmxf of the crcxxx At iulf, QlI'1lxX'll1Q Qrcnt px'1'11muls of ,-XA iirc. Tlxex' least it had provided 11 xxelcome 5tllNL1l2'lI1K after tlxc grueling davs of drill and the mum' Lmcventful dnx's gmc us somcrlxing fu lmumlg l-Ul'Xx11I'LlfU,115 xx 0 xxuited 'll'ULlllLl xxmulcrilxg xx'lx1u'mu11' ncxr uumxc xxnu lil- Xxlhall N0 Mail? xct formpsulc11umx'ics. lu' sluuuxing' Qmxnul cm tlxc first ul' flux scnwn, Judging rlxc shuts ld be. .Nlnil cull xxns still tcm vague 11 date in 1110 l'utu1'c,111ul it xx ns 11 little Garlx llxc plumes rcmllulcd us of lone lllllKlllCll5 lxiglx-miling nuwuss n pub dnx llllllkll-QKl3 ut' QUINWCVS 1110 lxcsr tlxex' cmmlxl. ,Xlnum iuxcxltnlwlx' tlxcx' xxmuul up in 11 tlnming mass. amd Klux cwxx not mm xxxuclx tmuxlg stntloll of l'l'lm'l' Dccwlllcl' 7' '94' txx'u'c11 xlllx lm1SL'CIlu' pc1'fu1'11m1u'C of steaming to our olmjcctixfc. Auul it lxzul been an histo1'ic:1l dnx' for tlu: Wbst Virginia as slxc numvccl in to lead the attack, for she xxfus flying thc, smug colors 5110 flcxx' xxflxcn sho went to the lumrmm mx Dcccmlmcr 7th, But it lmcl laclcccl much of tlxc cxcircnufm nl' VlE1I'f1XX'2'l21l1Cl Kxxwljnlcingp1'c-inxfnsumlmmlmrclmcnls were alnumst clown trmscicluclax'1ulxx',U1x lyplm- one clay, with tlxclmcnclxlmczul llrmlx'Q5r11l,Ii5lx4-l11,,,, HUC llcls xx we lxlnu'cx,lns1u xx llL'l'llCl' tl1iQ ul' llxnu mu'xxm1lxllm1'sl nun tlqmuw IH mul-.ur 'mil lll5l'llfQ1'11lL', Hl'NII'k'.1lx mm lllkl sun lI1LlL'Ulll s. l wwlwwwnnull in llg1lllL'NlI1llK'lllllNlK'N'Ullll, I lmt u1xllu'mwl'1xin--ul li lxlux luur xlgxx xxx' 'S L . ' ' 4 1' p llL'L'll1lL'llLlllQL'lI'4m1y11lu'sL'll5jNlll.1II,ul N,Xl1ll ' . Ilxnm :mul nxmu- 4mxx'I' lm Ilu' xl.lXXl1 I'lll1,.lllK Qll'NH'l'N xx vu' lwpl .xt xxmlx lmug .llIL'l' lxlxwl y . l l'9 lllvll. IH'-l AlN1luxxx xx .1-N luluxl lm ilu mn luv- lguxcx l lull' lxllnsf 110011 ll'1ll,llu'x 1 mul 1-'mm llllx 411 xuxlx ul llulm .mul L lfxfl Q

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-.nk-,-.-.-,....... f f N ' et f-fvw1 f-I sz... ..,- . . , enemy to arrive. Then, about 2 3oo, one of our PT boats in the south entrance to the Strait reported a large black shape had entered and turned north, and we went to General Quarters. Then another report-a 'very large ship had passed through, but still out of range. Some time later the PT's were ordered to attack, and we wondered if they'd finish them off before we got a crack at the targets ourselves. The reports weren't clear-not all the Word came over the cir- cuit. But it seemed as if the PT7s hadn't done too much damage, and soon We were tracking out three of our destroyers which were sent to in- vestigate. We trained the director out on the Strait, and I promised my operator the biggest gedunk I could wangle out of the soda fountain if he picked up the targets before anyone else found them. Repel Air Attack! We were facing right down the Strait now, a strip of Water about fifteen mrles Wide and fifty miles long, and we strained our eyes to be sure not to mrss the faintest sign of the enemy s approach Several very large vessels were now reported moving up through the murky blackness, and oe casionally I'd look through my powerful spotting glass or raise up through the hatch to scan the hori- zon through my binoculars. But all was solid black- ness, and the faint glimmer of occasional lightning flashes still only lit up minor areas in the sky. Our destroyers were still moving out. , Suddenly-there they were! f'On target! Cn target! Commence tracking, plot! We were trained on a large enemy ship, sneaking up on us through the black of night, hop- ing to catch us unawares-and here We had him right in the notch! Soon other targets appeared, some of them large and others obviously the destroyer screen. Still out of range of our guns, they were coming straight at us at high speed. Their T was crossed! And by a lady who'd been rudely mussed up almost three years before, who was now out here for some satisfaction. We picked up the largest closest target, trained out our guns, and waited for the order to commence Hring. Destroyers Go In First We watched our three destroy- ers move in on the enemy's port beam, and checked and rechecked to be sure our range was not fouled by friendly ships. VVe got a little anxious about who was going to fire on whom first, our target was well within range now, brrt strll no or der L imc from the bridge Then things happened rn 1 hurry Vie sfm the destroyers open rrp, md the tnemx frnsu er back bfrlls of fir e loprng atross our lrne of srglrt rppal' Then our erursers torrrrrrcnttd hrrng, and their first salvo was lrrgh rn the sltx md vs tll on its vi ay when at oggg xr e got the xx or d ' ' ' .. , e ' 7 , P . ' . 7 ' ' - 4 1 rv. - 7 . '- Here They Come! I ently at short range because of the Hat trajectory. - V ic - 7 ' ' ,Z ' . !63l