Arkansas (BB 33) - Naval Cruise Book

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around the can, but still she fought on. At last, upon orders from the group commander, the can was obliged to move out and let the larger ships take care of the target. This the destroyer did most reluctantly, it seemed, and even then she continued to spot for the big guns, pointing out the target with tracer fire. During D-day, the antiaircraft gun crews were spectators, little more. However, the first night they well-earned their pay shooting at repre- sentatives of the Luftwaffe. just at evening twi- light, our alert was high-lighted by aJU-88 drop- ping out of the sky, across our port bow. A few seconds later, the ship was shaken by a near miss just off the starboard beam, estimated to have been a thousand-pound bomb. Gur guns and those of ships around us were blazing and few of the planes lived to return to tell any tales. It was this night that we downed the two planes gener- ally accredited to us. One of the most awesome sights I believe I witnessed during the operation was that of the underwater mine fields near the beach being ex- ploded. It looked like solid areas hundreds of yards square were being cast up from the sea amid a pall of smoke and flame, accompanied by hun- dreds of sharp, staccato explosions. After the mine fields had been set off, and the beachhead area heavily bombarded by naval gunfire and aerial bombing, a dense, heavy pall of dirty gray smoke clung to the shoreline. It was under and through this dirty-gray cloud that our first troops hit the beaches. From then on, the multi-varied assortment of landing craft moved past in a steady stream. Off to seaward, the big transports and supply ships, with their many barrage balloons, or Hrubber cowsf' hovering above them, con- 'gfNJSlN-J'Jxvvvvvvgvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv-vw'vvvvv3yv1xv1nv1nv1y'g5y tinued to move toward the beach, until by the sf fe IQ.-'f?31fi '5'i3lQ'l-if f,,,,.1Q:' f-L-. 31 3 -'Q ,g V 52713 3133623 11 1 .i -' i f-aff.'EiifffY't - s -- .aff if is e ' J f i fre , , , ., ,i , 1 . J' 'K -7. ,L V 'Vs' . t '. - 'I .. V t 12513 .5-ga' gn . fourth day they had by-passed us and were fast becoming emptied and sent back for more. Invariably troops passing close aboard would wave friendily and shout remarks like 'fGive 'em helllw, ffSee you in Berlinln and Save a few for us! They are great fighters and gallant heroes, and deserve the well-earned ovations paid them. It was dusk of the ninth day that we experi- enced one of the most harrowing experiences of the entire operation, and here the officers and crew unanimously averred, 'fThere are no atheists in foxholes - or on battleships, either! just as the sky was growing dim, a spine-chilling sound, difiicult to adequately describe, filled the air all around us, terminating in a large splash just off the starboard beam. It sounded like an ear-filling whistle, sans the shrill whistle sound, or like a gigantic rush of air. Unconsciously, we all hit the deck and hugged it, bracing ourselves for the ex- plosion. At last, a thousand years later, when it did not come, we cautiously looked up and saw thousands of tons of water settling back down. Needless to say, the crew were painfully alert the remainder of the night, and not at all in vain, for, I 'k ----J-.1-.------v.A.1i Xvlvvvsvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

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W fqlgil ----q ,.,-F . - ' I I . , 4. ' .-,. .,-x-..-i-and ,Y f ' ' gps,-,,,,.,, . . F555-tif .53 , 7'Y T 'I'-JK.--------v-v-X:X:-- E ---v-----.1r.'i' no more than an hour later, we were dive bombed. What an uncomfortable, uncertain feel- ing that is! Hearing a diving plane come closer by the second until its engine reaches an ear-splitting intensity, and still not be able to see it, is not recommended for relaxation. Such was the case of Hour dive bomber. He dropped his bomb, missing us by just a scant few yards just off our starboard fantail. Each night we were regaled by displays of tracer fire and AA bursts described best, I sup- pose, as being like a Fourth of July celebration. Almost every night Jerry came over and dropped flares all around us, many uncomfortably close. We witnessed -Ierry's Hpathiindern tactics, and could see the tracer fire of our destroyers in the outer screen firing at Jerry's UE-boatsf, with the tracers describing slow, lazy arcs across the water. And there were submarines, for we could some- times feel the ship shudder as she sensed occasional depth charges dropped by the destroyers. Une impressive sight was a very large Tri- color flying from a shell-blasted building in the little coastal village whose name I may not yet reveal. I wonder if I fully appreciate how those Frenchmen, so long denied the right to fly their beloved standard, feel upon once again seeing it fly over their homeland. It was a very fitting picture and a nice one to remember as we left the scene of the invasion coast for other parts where we could again strike at the enemy. Qur wait for another opportunity was not 3 long one, for, soon after we left the Baie de la Seine, we were called upon to assist in the bom- bardment of the port of Cherbourg and thereby assist in the capture of that city. The task was a brief one, but not without excitement. Many near misses struck quite near us, and we were re- galed by demonstrations of smoke-laying by plucky destroyers that moved uncomfortably near the coastline. Two ships of our company were hit and suffered personnel casualties. When we with- drew, the harbor batteries had been silenced, and we received a heartfelt message of congratulations from the doughboys for another job well done, Yes, the f'Arkien made all those predictions come true, and she will continue to do so until the final battle is won. New, Hner predictions arg being made for her. We, of her crew, feel in- finitely closer to her, and endeared to her for hav- ing gotten us through safely. t 5 ,N ,g.fx:g,yx,A,1vg'.. v Y -. v v v v v1'v1'v'Xv' X -----..--v:sJX:v---,x,c,c,u ,x,