Brooklyn (CL 40) - Naval Cruise Book

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The waves were about ten feet hi h, which is fairly high, and before I knew what happenefl about 40 men and six officers were violently seasick. We weren't even out of the sight of land. The only thing I could do was drop the anchor. It didn't take me long to find out what I hatln't bothered to check in the service records. There was only one other man, the Quartermaster, who had ever beenoutside the I2 mile limit. In fact, for most of them this was the first ship they had ever really been close to. ' In the morning it was not too bad, and we managed to get underway and go through the Cape Cod Canal where the wind kicked up to 50 knots. These waters are known to have some enemy mines in them and you are supposed to stay in the swept channels. But the wind kept blowing this empty ship off course and the only way we could get back on was to make a circle and try again. Five times we did this and then Dave Jones, the lst Lieutenant, fell and hurt his back badly. I saw on the chart we were off Newport, Rhode Island, and I headed for the harbor. It wasn't nice what I did to that dock and only hit one other ship doing it. An empty ship in a 30 knot wind with a seasick crew is no way to practice your first docking. They told us we were the largest ship to come into New ort in years and when they found out what we wanted? rushed for the ambulance and got Dave to the hospital. So it wouldn't be a total loss, we went to a movie. The wind had definitely died down as we started out the channel the next morning when the steering gear stuck and I had to back full to keep off the rocks. We anchored and luckily fixed it. Had the first calm sail with the ship and, not to pressour luck when it started to get dark, I went in near Stamford, Connecticut, and anchored. I had an idea and put one of our two small boats in the water and had the coxswain take me ashore after dark. We couldn't figure out why it was so pitch black and we kept running into things and then found the shore when searchlights were turned on us and shouts went up. Seems I had picked the time to come ashore just when Stamford was having a trial blackout and Civilian Defense drill. They thought we were part of the exercise of a small landing party trying to sneak in and they were so proud to capture us. When I explained what I was doing, they drove me to the train station. I called Regina and we stayed at the Savoy Plaza that night and I left at 3:30 A.M. to get the train back to Stamford. The boat picked me up in spite of the ice that had formed overnight and we got the LST underway for Hell Gate. Took a pilot and let him off after we had gone by Manhattan and we proceeded out the New York Harbor when, the thrill of my life, I see the Brooklyn coming towards us. In the Navy when two ships of the line pass each other they render honors. This consists of a blast on the bugle as the ships come bow to bow and all hands come to attention and salute. You hold this position until the ships are stern to stern and then the bugle sounds secure. - I had enough trouble finding men let alone bugle. Most of this crew is still feeling their lack of seaworthiness and are sacked out below. I run around like crazy yelling, Everyone on deck. and trying to find something to blow. The outfit that was standing on deck half undressed when I blew a whistle, the only thin I could find, and yelled at them to salute was a real laugh. But the Brooklyn went along with it and my men's eyes popped out as that cruiser slid by close aboard so you could see every face of the officers, marines and men at stiff attention and saluting. As we moved away from each other, we exchanged many messages until we were out of sight. And then out on the ocean for the first time and heading for Norfolk. We steamed darkened all night and almost hit another ship off her course and darkene . It started to snow, then rain and was very cold. I was up all night on the conning tower LST 376 renders Honors to BROOKLYN and thank goodness for the windshield. We went through the mine fields off Norfolk with another 40-50 knot wind blowing and a snowstorm. The Exec and I went ashore in a wet small boat ride and there found we are badly needed in North Africa. We are to go back to New York and get fitted with four more boat davits and boats to become an Assault LST which means in a landing on hostile beach we goin first and land troops with small boats and then beach to land the trucks and tan s. All the next day we awaited word to get underway for New York when a boat came alongside and summoned me to a conference. Here I was told that 13 LST's would get under way at 6:30 tonight and go up the Chesapeake for a week's maneuvers together. I had a hospital case on board to take care of and didn't et away until 8:00 and in the dark first tried to find the Chesapeake and then the other LST's. Almost hit an LCI and, of all things, almost hit an aircraft carrier. I anchored and said the hell with it. The next morning got underway and found the rest of the group. For five hours we steamed in circles calibrating a R.D.F. frequency we already had and when we got to the one we could use they quit. Held .another conference and were told to get underway at midnight and hold daybreak beaching exercises. We steamed all around after midnight in a heavy rain and when morning came the column leader was lost so we drifted around, for awhile. I got mad and anchored because you couldn t see in this weather and didn't want to hit anything. I fell fisllffep after being up all night and when I woke up was a .little afraid since I hadn't asked anyone f0l' permission to anchor. But when I went up and looked, all the other LST's were anchored around us and it was still falnlng Very hard. So I went to sleep again and got up after noon- It WHS Pea SOUP weather and raining cats and dogs. So we just stayed anchored there. all Sunday morning another conference and picked SIX S IPS to 80 to New York. We were one of them. In the afternoon sailed all the way up the bay to calibrate R.D-F- OH 450 KCs and came back near a beach. Then at sunset, a .a One, W9 ran that ship up on the beach and it was really quite 8 thrill to run this big thing way up on dry sand for I I i 6 l l l u l ...J gm

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outboard column, had a fire on board. Denebrink must plan these things out in his mind to be ready for any situation, because while all else were standing there with mouths open watching the fire, he had that Brooklyn out of our lead spot in the center column, around the entire convoy at flank speed and on our way along the port side of the burning ship. It was a very bad fire. Spread rapidly and left the ship a hulk sitting in the water. But not before Denebrink had our cruiser alongside right under the flames and cargo nets from the transport down to our deck. Men would hold the cargo net on the top of the transport's deck and Brooklyn do the same at the bottom. Then one at a time a passenger or crew member would wait for the right roll of the ships and he would roll down the cargo net to safety. Took off everyone of the hundreds on board without a casualty and it had to be done fast. I was with him and learning my whole time on the Brooklyn when he was Commander, Executive Officer and Captain, the Skipper. Many times I hated him for the moment but it was always his way of making a point that he knew would make a better Naval officer out of me or any of the other officers he was dealing with. He has a round face and when he was Executive Officer, I once took an ink mechanical drawing compass and did a portrait of his face all in circles. It turned out pretty good or I wouldn't have given it to him. I autographed it for the times we went round and round together on the Brooklyn. After all my care in doing the art work, I spelled Brooklyn wrong and he got a big laugh out of that. He framed it and hung it in his Exec's cabin and then the Captain's cabin. This was the first time since being on a ship that I had been without his protection. I felt kind of alone. I reported to the Landing Force at Naval Operating Base - Norfolk, and almost at once went before a board of high ranking officers for interview. The only thing I really remember was the first question, How old are you? and I replied, 22. About three questions later I realized what I said and blurted out, 'Tm 24, it's my wife that's 22. Making a big impression while being interviewed for possible command of a ship of the Navy and don't remember how old you are. Denebrink had done a good job. If he had written the questions, he couldn't have prepared me better for this interview. I was given command of LST 376 being built in Quincy, Massachusetts. The first thing I did upon leaving the interview was to find out what an LST was. A ship, longer than a football field. Three hundred twenty seven feet of ship that can be run up on a hostile beach and put off 50 tanks or trucks over the big front ramp that goes down after the big bow doors are opened. Crew of 120 men and six officers besides the captain with space to carry up to 500 troops. I was to report at once to Paradise Creek in Portsmouth to pick up my crew. After all the rushing: I had to wait three days for the officers and men to get t ere, but I spent that time finding out everything I could about a landing ship tank. I met the six officers: Stan Bowman, the Exec, Jones, the 1st Lieutenant, Hochman, Communications, Burns, Supply, Bankert, Gunnery, and Bower, Engineering Officer. The Exec had the service records of the crew. It was hard to believe as I looked through them. Seems like when they put out the call for officers to the cruisers, they did get volunteers. But at all bases they would take their troublemakers and threaten If you don't shape up, we're going to send you to the Amphibious Force. They d1dn't shape up and here they were in our crew. Their service records looked like the winners in a contest of who could get the most deck and general court martials. Some of those names I can't forget even from the first time I read their records, Virgillo, Pompillo. First order of business was to get us all to Boston. In a rainstorm we loaded everything in trucks to get to the Cape Charles ferry. Dave Jones fof all namesl, the lst Lieutenant, held things up a bit by getting married in the morning and Bankert's wife wanted to come along on the train. Burns almost missed the ferry but finally we were all on board. Got on the train at Cape Charles and found it was not a pullman sleeper the way it was supposed to be. Sat up all night. Had breakfast in Philadelphia and on to Boston. Got the men to Fargo barracks and ourselves to the BOQ. I called Regina, she said she would be up on Saturday and I had to find a place to live in this crowded city. Found a room and a big bath. In fact, the bathroom was three times the size of the room. It was in an old house on Commonwealth Avenue. We went to the Bethlehem Steel Company at Fore River, Quincy, Mass. to look over our ship. It was snowing and our first sight as we came up the ladder was a workman with a paint sprayer painting the deck with snow on it. We go every day to the ship mainly because the paper work to put a ship in commission is staggering. Regina arrived and my first taste of married life and commuting. Would get up in the morning and have breakfast. Put on my big fur-lined coat and boots and wade in the snow to the train. Work until about 4:00 and come home. The big day was the launching of LST 376 with ceremonies, champagne bottle breaking christening and the big party with wives, admirals, etc. Pictures, food, drink. Then the commissioning with more impressive ceremonies. Admiral Smith was on board and conducted the commissioning. Then the last paper had to be signed. I signed it and it said in fact, I hereby sign and receipt for 33,000,000 worth of ship. And a few days later we all sailed it up from Quincy inland waters to the Charleston Navy Yard in Boston with a pilot. Workmen are funny. If they like you they will do anything and have the time and material to do it. They liked us and help fit the ship up with many extra comforts. A radio and loudspeaker with record player in the crew's quarters and wardroom. A plexiglass windshield that I dreamed up because of my experience coming back from Casablanca without windows. Our conning tower Cbridgej is open and I could just visualize standing there at sea with head and shoulders above the sides of the bridge and freezing. They built a beauty with a solid metal frame that extended around three sides and was three feet high. We ran our trials. I sent Regina home to New York and were ready to try the ocean. The last thing we did was gunnery trials. Big deal after the Brooklyn, but the 3-inch gun on the fantail, 20 MM mounts on the bow and machine guns around the bridge were our armor. We also ran the degaussing range, calibrated the R.D.F. on 365 KC's and in 15 degree below weather with ice solid on the water we adjusted the magnetic compass and set the coils. I reported to the Commander of the First Naval District for orders and was told to proceed the next morning all along through New York and then out to sea and around to Norfolk without stopping at New York. When I heard the no stopping at New York, I called Regina and asked her to fly up for one night. There were no planes so she came by train and then all the hotels were full. We stayed in a house on Marlborough Street and the next morning the ice was so thick we couldn't get the ship out. Then the bow doors wouldn't work and we yelled and got moved to South Boston Navy Yard for one week to fix the doors. We had to move out of the rented room after one night but they let us stay in the ballroom at the Hotel Statler. The week was up and this time it looked like we were going. Bought Regina a railroad ticket. Re-confirmed our orders and were set to go. On the morning of Saturday, February 27, we got underway and I took the ship by myself for the first time. Backed it away from the dock without a pilot and out to sea. I wish I could say it ended up a proud first day but it did not.

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the first time. By using our ballast tanks and stern anchor, we came off in good shape. The next day we had tactical maneuvers with the 376, the leader of the second division. The next day we hit the beach all together at sunrise and all got on and got off four times in a row. It wasn't planned this way but that was the extent of our training. Whether we know it or not, we are ready for the Germans. Ship was fueled to capacity and supplies were loaded aboard. Had a conference of Commanding Officers, loaded the deck full of boats to transport to New York, filled all our fresh water tanks and took on a draft of 60 men for passage. Eight LST's pulled out and formed up. Again I am in charge of the second division. The calendar tells me another year has gone by. It is March 9, my 25th birthday. Same kind of thing, through the mine fields in the dark and then rain and wind. I stay up all night to keep my ships in column. The whole next day rain then fog, a supposed sub sighting, the leader got lost in the fog and we couldn't find him so I got his remaining ships to follow us and we found New York Harbor, got pilot to lead us to Staten Island and anchored. The ship went into the yard at Bayonne, New Jersey, where a lot of changes were made. The four additional boat davits to give us six landing boats and the loading of a 105 foot, 120 ton LCT fLanding Craft Tankl on deck with two other LCMS inside it. The huge tank deck below is completely loaded with cargo including carefully measured plates to repair a cargo ship, Thomas Stone, that has a torpedo hole in it waiting at Oran. Moved to New York and loaded Army and Navy passen ers to give a total of 250 men on board. Regina and I livecl at the St. Regis Hotel as a gift from the family fit was the only room we could get in crowded New Yorkl. Then on the 5th of April we left the United States to be gone for a long time - 25 LST's including 5 British with a tanker and 10 escort vessels including 5 destroyers. We were put in lead of the 8th column. The day was rough again and most of the passengers and crew seasick. I live in the chart house on a transom to sleep and on the conning tower to direct the ship. Sleep when I can but am up on the conning tower at least once an hour during the night as things happen. Aside from rough weather, one very dark night where we went for hours without seeing another ship, 13 depth charges dropped by destroyers on sub contacts, the trip was uneventful. We sighted Bermuda very early but it was afternoon before we got pilots down the long channel to Great Sound and anchored at King's Point. For the three days we were here I enjoyed showing the officers the places and introducing them to families I had met while being here with the Brooklyn. We had invitations for all of us for dinner at homes each night. The Smith family who have the department store in Hamilton were particularly gracious. We were to have a convoy meeting before we sailed and another skipper got me aside and pointed out that the leader of each column should be the most experienced skipper and he thought we should speak to the convoy commander and tell him of our experience and how we felt. I listened because I knew he was no dope and had seen the same thing I did on the way down from New York to Bermuda. With the LCT on the deck, you can't see over it from the conning tower. However, if you were one of the column leaders, all you had to do was to look sideways at the tanker that was to be the guide at the head of the center column and that way you had a clear, unobstructed view. It was a tremendous advantage Earticularly on a long trip and cparticularly at night or in ad weather. So I figured I ha nothing to lose and went with him. He did most of the talking and was sitting next to me at the convoy conference when they unveiled the big master board of ship positions and there was the 376 the leader of the column just to port of the tanker and his LST way back about sixth in an outside column. On Tuesday, April 13, we moved out the channel early. Ninety two ships in all, the tanker, LST's, LCI's fLanding Craft Infantryl and escort vessels. As always, very rough and seasick boys. The crossing is to be 30 days and first few were uneventful except for the occasional depth charges, and even clear sunny weather. On the third day our port shaft was slipping out of the flange and we had to stop the engines and dropped out of column and way back to figure it out. We finally decided that by driving it ahead in forward position it would go in and not out and we would drive it ahead and never slow or stop it. So we started and went with all our speed to get back to the lead of that column. I hadn't thanked my lucky stars all the times for that break in convoy position to lose it now. We got back to the lead after a loncg run and kept that port shaft going ahead at the same spee no matter what. Any station maneuvering was done with the starboard engine and shaft. We figure in the building of theship one crew must have started to tighten the flange in :place and the next crew didn't finish it. Anyway, we know if we try to stop or back the port engine, the shaft would probably go right out in the ocean. That's what the Engineering Officer said anyway. I go above deck. Not so knowledgeable about those things down there that make the ship go. The days melt together in their sameness. Weather warm and calm sea. I sleep with my clothes on in the chart room at night and get called every couple of hours as officer of the deck has a problem. In the morning after General Quarters, I go to my very comfortable cabin on main deck consisting of an outer office with desk, couch and chairs and inner bedroom with two big innerspring mattresses on the bed, a washroom and head. I wash and eat breakfast in the nice wardroom with tablecloths on the tables, good silver, plates and glasses and three stewardmates to prepare and serve the meals. Then I lie in the sun by the conning tower. Take a salt water shower washed off by a towel soaked in fresh water and have lunch. More of the same and then dinner. Read a little and have General Quarters before sundown and usually an evasive course change at 9:00 and again at midnight. Sleep in my clothes and have General Quarters an hour before sunrise. Cover about 200 miles a day except the days when we slow so the tanker can 'fuel the smaller escort ships. These LST's carry enough fuel in their many tanks to go around the world - a couple times. I have a good tan and have read everything there is to read on the ship. Big events are like the Army doctor, who is a passenger, operates on another passenger's ear. We are getting close to the Azores, Madeira and Cape Verde that had all the subs during the Casablanca bit. Wonder if they are still around. Saturday, April 24, the big event was we saw a bird, and then on Easter Sunday, at the request of the crew, I said a sermon and conducted a church service for over 225 men on the stern of the ship. Right after this things started to happen and we had to drop back to fix a fuel pump. Then, just got back our precious spot in the lead, when our steering stuck and we went over and collided with the ship next to us carrying a cargo of gasoline and put a couple of holes in her above the waterline. We lost our anchor in the collision and some small holes in the bow. Did emergency steering and got the regular steering fixed. Maintaining our place in column and then at 7:00 P.M. the fuel pump went again, dropped way back and had to come up in the dark. A Large patrol bombers are comin out from Africa now and stay with us all day. As we get closer to Africa the weather gets rougher. We had been taking shots all the way across for Cholera, Typhus, Tetnus, etc. Today the Army doctor' gave us all the last Cholera, a big dose, and the lot must ave been bad because it knocked the whole ship out. Fever, swelling arms, backaches, headaches and all but ten had to go to bed and stay there. Officers of the deck were passing out on watch. I was just as sick as anyone and it