Brooklyn (CL 40) - Naval Cruise Book

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i the port bow. We turned to port and the 130119959 Wakj went right along the starboard side as they m1SS6d- starboard turn would have been the end of the Brooklyn- We kept firing at the French ships and h1t three of them as we made them go back into Casablanca. They towed 0110 cruiser back and one of the destroyers was burning and beached. Again we went back to Fedala and took up our p0S1t10f1 patrolling the transport area and again secured and set condition watch. I went below to get something to eat, but fell asleep sitting up in the chair. I had the watch an h0l.1l' later and it took three messengers and the chaplfi1I1,l30.Wake me. I can't hear out of either ear but the rlght one 1S the worst. I went on watch until 6:30, ate a sandwich and fell asleep on top of the mattress with my clothes on fthe covers were off the bed to prevent burningl. At 4:00 A.M. I went on watch again which was: Monday, November 9, and D Day Plus 1 - So, D Day was over and we on the Brooklyn felt the Lord must have listened to the chaplain Saturday night when he said a prayer from the brid e over the loudspeaker and the whole ship stood with headi bowed and helmets off. It's hard to .believe we were straddled so many times with only the one hit and- that didn't explode. Dawn came for D Day plus One and it was a bright clear day. We had gone to General Quarters an hour before sunrise and were patroling as usual. I was alone on the bridge as far as officers were concerned when four planes were reported coming in on the starboard quarter low and I ordered open fire. The twenty milimeter, 5-inch and 1.1 went off immediately and I went to flank speed and full left rudder. Something dropped in the water about 2000 yards away and the light was too bad to see if they were aerial torpedoes or not. I was relieved and took over the communications watch on the bridge standing on the starboard wing when planes were reported high this time. We opened fire as did the transports. We turned right and there were four huge splashes right beside the bridge and only about thirty yards out from me and then explosions. The spray hit me and shrapnel from the bombs hit men below me on the machine gun platform. Then a larger formation of planes came over and our own carrier planes came in. We saw a dog fight. Several French planes crashed but it was hard to tell exactly what was going on. Land was so close and planes were dive-bombing and stliiaffing the beach beside us where the soldiers had gone as ore. Went below to get the news dispatches which says we have taken Fedala - our first objective. The Northern group have landed and are in a tank battle with French tanks. In Oran and Algiers we are also well installed. The British 8th Army have completely routed the Germans and Italians and Africa seems to be going our way. We have moved closer to Fedala and pushing the unloading of troops because we must take Casablanca to have docks go unload the very heavy equipment that will arrive in four ays. In the afternoon the Brookl n shot down a French fighter. I was below asleep and did,n't even pay much attention. Our firing had been so fast we were low on ammunition so we were sent out to take the Cleveland's place with the carriers and let her come in here with her full load of shells to shell Casablanca. We got to the Carrier Ranger in an hour just as excitement began. The big carrier was making 21 knots with three destroyers and the Cleveland near her. A submarine periscope broke the surface and fired four torpedos. Her whole conning tower came up and she went down in almost a 90-degree dive. The destroyers rushed over to the spot and depth charged. The four torpedoes t t rn of the Ranger and then a periscope W ' bvrslbulrlsssarboard bow. We turned away at full spggi 1561122 depth charges. We released the Cleveland and she went to Fedala. We steamed behind the Ranger with a destroyer in from of her and one on each side. All day planes take off and land on her deck. They are bombing Casablanca and aiding the troops where needed. At noon word that Algiers and Oran have surrendered and Admiral Darlan was captured. From north of us comes word the vital air field at Lyantey was resisting heavily, so the old U.S. destroyer, Dallas, with raiding troops on board rammed right through the anti-submarine net at the moutli of Lyantey River and, under the cover of our planes, went all the way up to the airport and drove ashore. The men ran out commando style and tonight had captured the administration building and are working on the rest of the field. This air field is the one we need to land the 60 P-40's the USS Chenango is still carrying on her flight deck. To the South we have taken Safi. They also rammed the anti-submarine net and drove the seatrain Lakehurst right up to the dock and unloaded her 100 tanks. But Casablanca is the main objective. The New York came up and, along with the Cleveland, Tuscaloosa and Augusta, bombarded the city today. Then word came that the battleship Jean Bart inside Casablanca had opened tire on the Augusta with her 15-inch guns. The Ranger immediately sent nine TBS bombers carrying 1000 lb. bombs and they roared over us on the way to Casablanca. One hour later they came back in a proud V formation with bombbays open and claimed seven direct hits on the battleship and two near misses. I was on watch when D Plus 3 Day dawned. Casablanca was still holding out and during the 'night their guns from the harbor were shelling our troops. So we are .sending all the planes from the Ranger, Santee and Suwanee to bomb the city and harbor while the New York, Cleveland, Augusta and Tuscaloosa shell it from outside. If the city surrendered, the word was to be radioed cease firing. At dawn the Ranger launched her bombers and fighters in front of us and they went off to the south. At 7:15 A.M. the message came cease fire. This was from the Army who were attacking from the rear of the city. Since then there has been no word. During the afternoon, the Chenango launched the P-40's and one crashed near us, going down so fast no one could reach it. The plane and pilot were lost. Right after that, Suwanee planes caught a German sub on the surface behind us and hit her with 12 depth bombs as she dove. Forty-five minutes later there were still big water spouts and oil shooting up. I had the 12 - 4 watch on the bridge at night and it is cold because all the windows were blown out by the firing Of the Brooklyn's 6-inch guns. The. Chenango and Suwanee fthey are converted aircraft CHf1'1e1'Sl Jo1ned.up with us and we steam in a square Wlth the destroyers in a semi-circle around the front. A German sub apparently got through our screen and t01'Pedoed and sunk the U.S. transport, Hewes, and U.S. destroyer, Hambleton, in the transport area. News from Europe tells us that Hitler today ordered the OCC'-lpatlon of all unoccupied France in order to get his arm1es.down to the Mediterranean to stop us. He alS0 moved into Corsica. The next morning found the destroyer Hambleton pretty low in the water but not sunk, and WHS towed 1nto Casablanca. It is skippered by a friend of mine,

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hill- The boats continued to pour the soldiers on the beach and plus minesweepers and minelayers head straight for Fedala 15 miles above Casablanca, the main objective. The Massachusetts, Tuscaloosa and Wichita went a bit South and stayed outside and to the southwest of Casablanca. At 8:00 o'clock Saturday night I took the watch as officer of the deck in Condition 2 and stayed there as officer of the deck until 3:00 o'clock the next afternoon. At 10:00 P.M. went to General Quarters within 20 miles of Fedala and could see the light on the point. We are in a long line heading south with the Brooklyn on the inside with transports behind and Augusta on the outside with transports behind. Brooklyn slightly in lead and closest to the French shore battery at Chergui the bi gest danger point of the whole operation because it coulcf really mess up the troops. We stopped at midnight. It was a pitch black night, slightly cloudy and even a little rain. The transports started to put boats in the water and unload troops into them. Still Chergui didn't open up, so the Brooklyn couldn't do anything without giving away the surprise element we had. We went out behind the transports and patrolled near them just in case the French warships came out of Casablanca. At 4:00 A.M., right on schedule, the first wave was on its way to the beach when a French Corvette and an American destroyer came close together in the dark. The French Corvette was told to surrender and it opened fire with machine guns and tried to ram the destroyer. The destroyer stopped him with its 5-inch guns and the show was on. Just at this time we got word President Roosevelt had broadcasted to the French people and told them we were coming, to be friendly or suffer the consequences. With the gunfire, the search lights on shore went on and illuminated the landing boats coming in. The boats poured machine gun shells back at them and put out the lights. The Brooklyn got into position with our main battery and plotted Chergui's position and our own on the chart and got the range and bearing to fire control. We were just launching our two spotting tplanes when Chergui opened up and a destroyer calle over TBS Chergui has my range. It was the DD Murphy with a hit in the fireroom about 3,000 yards off our port bow. The command, Open fire, went out from the bridge and those 6-inch guns that fascinated me so much in gunnery practice went to work like huge machine guns. Shell casings piled up on the deck as they were ejected from the turrets, three at a time from each turret at about 12 shots per minute out of each gun. Chergui swung all her guns at us and splashes went up all around the Brooklyn. It was no contest. Our plane spot kept calling, No change - No change. The duel lasted about 45 minutes with the Brooklyn slowing down the fire as the splashes around us got less or we would have used up all our 6-inch ammunition. The planes called, No more firing from Chergui, and our first job was done. CThere were many congratulations for that gunnery work later on.J the Brooklyn fired some more at targets pointed out. by our planes. Two planes started diving at our starboard side and Oil? 5-inch and machine guns opened up and drove them o . It was about 8:00 o'clock when the word came that the French ships were coming out of Casablanca and headlng for the transport area at top speed and for the Brooklyn to intercept them. We were ordered because .we just happened to be the only one in their way at this time with a chance of getting to them before they got to the transports. The French ships making 30 knots were using a smoke screen as they came out of Casablanca Harbor and along the shore. The Massachusetts, Wichita and Tuscaloosa 21150 making 30 knots could not catch them in time in the 15 gf 'K' ' '- mile distance to the transports so the Brooklyn was all alone until the Augusta could come down from behind us. Splashes' started coming up immediately around the Brooklyn. There were ten ships shooting at us led by the Cruiser Primauguet. We were straddled four times right at the start without taking a hit. One splash hit thirty feet from the ship alongside the bridge and we got the spray from the splash. Each ship was using a different color dye 1n their shells so they could spot the salvos by the color of the splashes. So when the hit came just below me and the Marines were tossed around in a red mess, it wasn't blood but the dye from the Primauguet's shell. The shell slammed off the armor plate below me and fell out in the water without exploding. j-.DE57PaYA-2: 7'm-asfffff .MJ s , t E gi f ,f , S - r ' 1 ' W ig- Y I H llysi if 1 2 'im 5 . ,. 2 116297 'fuscozefm 4 if ,f . .ytuca-X' qfwyvvk I 5 1 l.- ' ,' ,C xgXi,.l - Q V 4, 13,3 I -- , X Jewgm' 1 l ' , .5 E533-gd X j N f '- 4, . asa 0 Landing beaches in the Casablanca, North Africa, area. The Brooklyn opened up with the 6-inch guns also going 30 knots and firing that rapid machine gun like pace. Even through the smoke screenand haze, the poor Frenchmen found out what those 6-inch guns could do. First our spotting planes reported one cruiser damaged so bad she ran herself up on the beach burning. One of the big destroyer leaders and a destroyer sunk right there blown out of the water. Another destroyer leader and destroyer burning, the rest turned and ran back into Casablanca as the We our our other ships came up behind us and were firing also. stopped firing as we approached Casablanca because orders were to save the docks as much as possible for own use after we occupied the city. We steamed back up to the transport area and at 1:00 P.M. were still at General Quarters. We secured and set a condition watch because we hadn't eaten since we went to General Quarters the night before. I had nolsooner gone below and took off my helmet when the general alarm sounded again and the word was 'passed we are going to Casablanca again to intercept a cruiser and destroyers headed for the transport area. It was a repeat of the first time. We got there first and opened fire first so the French ships picked us for the target and splashes popped up all around us. Our other ships were right behind us and firing too. We found this might be a submarine trap because the Brooklyn had the scare of our lives when in clear View we saw a periscope and fire torpedo tracks showed up right- after. Brooklyn was going 32 knots with the torpedos fired off

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Commander Close. But the U.S. tanker Winooski also took a torpedo during the night. Didn't sink though There are about 98 German subs operating in the Atlantic area and a lot of them sure are right around here. We spent the day dodging torpedos and sighting periscopes. We go as fast as we can but are about out of fuel. At noon they decided it was too hot for these valuable ships and there were no more air attacks needed so they sent the three carriers and five destroyers with the Cleveland and us out to sea about 250 miles. We are to fuel from a tanker out here tomorrow They found we had sunk the Jean Bart a cruiser and several destroyers plus many merchant ships in the bombardment of Casablanca Harbor We passed a very big convoy from the States headed for Casablanca. The Arkansas was the head of it Friday, the 13th of November - We are still heading west with these carriers and tanker, but the weather is very rough and can't fuel. We can only keep this speed for another two days without re-fueling We roll, pitch and zig-zag and stand Condition 2 watch at night so not much sleep. But we are heading West and that's the U.S.A. Morning broke with 30-foot waves, falling barometer 35-knot wind and a cloudburst rain. One destroyer in desparation tried to fuel from the tanker and got her bridge bashed in. So there was nothing left to do The three carriers were too valuable to go slow through these sub waters. The Cleveland had just enough fuel as did four cans to make Bermuda. So the Brooklyn and three cans were left with the two tankers to go at slow speed save fuel and try to ride out the storm. We go to ten knots and can last five days at this speed. The ship, empty of fuel, jumps, twists, and bounces rather than the pitch and roll of a full ship. We can't sit down to eat, hard to sleep and heading east instead of west so everyone downcast tonight. Pray for a good day tomorrow. Morning came with no change. Big waves and high winds. Nothing else to do but leave the tankers in the area they had to stay in and take all three nearly empty of fuel destroyers and head for Casablanca at 20 knots zig-zagging. The submarines are having old home-week down here. There must be about seventy of them around. We found out the transports Bliss, Scott and Rutledge had been sunk by subs in the Fedala area since we left with a loss of many lives. The cargo ship Electra was hit, but afloat. As we approached the Casablanca area, there are so many subs around they sent out nine destroyers to protect us 1I1tO Casablanca. About 8:00 in the morning we saw the outline of the beautiful modern city that is Casablanca, brown-yellow buildings, looking like the Miami shorellne As we got closer we could see the large man-made harbor behind the breakwater, the big cranes and docks. Then we came around the breakwater and could see our handiwork. First was the mast of a French destroyer - sunk. On the shore a large 4000 ton destroyer leader - badly. shot up, beached and burned out. At anchor the cruiser Prrmauguet, her superstructure shot away and mast leaning - whole mam deck and sides burned. There was our cargo ship, Electra, with torpedo hole in her, very low in the water. Came ln further to the anti-submarine net and in front of us just the mast of a sunken merchant ship. Inside the harbor were the results of our shells and bombs: two French tankers overturned, a passenger ship on the bottom and another on her side, down at the end two destroyer leaders and a destroyer riddled with shell holes, in the corner two French subs sunk with the mooring lines still hanging. Right in the center the massive superstructure, stack and turrets of the mighty battleship, Jean Bart. Down by the bow, 191113.11013 too badly banged up. A beautiful ship. In all we had killed over 2000 French Naval personnel They hate our guts now but those weren t peanuts they were shooting at us The USS W1n0OSk1 and destroyer Hambleton were also there with big 15 foot torpedo holes clearly visible We put our stern to the breakwater between the Chenango and Maintlmoma The USS Terror was out laying a mlne f1eld Twice durlng the afternoon reat explosions were seen and heard with nothing aroun That could be subs hlttlng mines One of the destroyers further out the USS Woolsey got a sub with depth charges that evening We started fueling at once from the Chenango because It s crowded and th1s harbor IS hard to move around the sunken and damaged ships so we have to get out and make room for the convoy coming in to unload There are already cargo ships and transports putt1ng troops and supplies ashore at all avallable dock space Couldn t o ashore because there 1S too much work to do and besi es the natives weren t exactly friendly Some sniping and killing going on yet The Brooklyn s bombardment of Chergui was widely talked about We sent a photographer over to get some plctures of Chergul Some stories he brought back We fueled and took on aviation gas The skies around us have plenty of P 40 s flying to protect this harbor which full of ships is a perfect target for an Axis air attack Had a good night s sleep wlthout fear of subs and no rolling During the night the Br1t1sh Hospital Ship HMS Newfoundland got confused and went across the newly laid mine field It worked I mean the mine field worked She had to be helped into the harbor with a hole in her bottom Put her right next to us and we awoke to have nurses to talk to about 30 feet away across the water One of the crew, a radioman 2fC, died. He was buried at sea. The whole crew stood in ranks as the chaplain talked. We got a message to go to Norfolk first' then ten days in Brooklyn Navy Yard, New York. I was hoping it would be longer, but ten days is ten days. It was too rough to go topside so for the first time in weeks we didn't see the dawn as General Quarters was canceled. Storm still on and we have our old problem that the destroyers are short of fuel and can't go alongside the tankers. One of the carriers had the waves push in the bieams holding up the forward flight deck and can't operate p anes. The waves also pushed in the jack staff and bow of the Brooklyn, but nothing serious. On the minelayer Monadnock though, it buckled the plates and flooded the forward part of the ship. On Wednesday, November 24, the waves and wind are still high and the destroyers, three of them, are down to their last bit of o1l. So we set up the tanker with the wind coming across her port bow. The Brooklyn then steamed up on her port bow forming a lee and the big transport Brazil went up on the Brooklyn's port bow for another lee. The wind had to come across both the big ships and then the tanker to get to the destroyer that was to come up on her starboard quarter to get the fuel hoses. Each ship put over storm o1l to help calm the waves and we fueled the three destroyers after many unsuccessful attempts. At lunchtime a particularly big wave put the Brooklyn what seemed to be straight up and everyone fell all over the wardroom and any plates, etc., that were left were flnished off The wardroom was a mess from the food and broken stuff all over. 9 9 , . . , , , . . , . . . ' ' .in - U .. . . . . . . I C Q I ' 1, ' . i 9 9 ,. . . . . . 5 ., . ,V 1 ' , , . O 17 l . . , . . ., ' . . . I 2 V - .5 . , . . .. .. . . . , . . . . ' . . . - . - .. . . , . . . , D 1 I U , , . . . , . . . . . .. . . 1 . . . . . . . . , . . . . . , .