Brooklyn (CL 40) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 169 text:

ALL AMERICAN BLUEJACKET!!! If' -'V ' A ,- 7 , ' eff 'K AD ES ,-f1 T'55 - 'TH 57' r I' 1 ,- I 'T rom a n a an r A it ALL AMERICAN BLUEJACKET. , I . , 'iii I'm in love with a wonderful guy, W, J But what am I gonna do M A' 12 ,ff - li' I never get to see him 'W M g J But once every year or two. 2 ' AAA. ,' I I' A I-Ie's been drunk in half the bars A ' ' K r FT! here til SESBHO' Japan lunwx ' ,. i But es got t e in of lovin' I , Q 1- tg? A, It Like no other man! I 5-5 r He can fight and he can swear, ' g - And gamble away his mone N '49 ff a 1 y, - f. A 6 H:-451 But none of Itliese things matter when I ' gV?.E , A ' ' i ' ' --'f1i1a. , . 5 QL5jiV H ff 4' I've heard a lot of stories ' ' ' About Naval Operations', 3' . ' ,raf t And, doubtless, he's made love to gals ,gf-Af JAV fr' . - . A-,4:,5EEs 5?L+ we, A-inf From twenty-seven Nations. if .'.-a: 5: Q1 '- - fff-i' .A But, I love him, . .. what's the use AAIQ1- QL: 1a'.5 Af .,,:, 3 Of raising a big racket? : iff 7 He's just a normal, typical, I 1966 - by ACDC gCl?H5ewAM 'i Y- 1 r la- a IF YOU CAN'T guarantee to put me on 'che' cruiser Brook- lyn I'l'I go into the army. Sentiments of a lot of BROOKLYN -A Bob Curtin l to rg Bruce Stroley, Bob CURTIN w't ' ' ' 1 front. h a Native child in Bob CURTIN, Seaman lc, USN. after completing Boot Training at Great Lakes, Ill., was sent to New York, N.Y. to pier 92 for further assignment. Of the two lines for assignment, he picked the line for BROOKLYN. He was L VFW Elm- l npqr Q 9 Ja., 'V-. X, ., M M M-r U l-A gf A ny 5 1 1 J top left, Paul Geisel, right, Bruce Stroley kneeling left, Bob CURTIN, right. Tom Harding. assigned to the 5th Division, turret 115 and then to battery to complete his tour of duty there. He was discharged for home in October 1945. Sailors. the 5 165

Page 168 text:

UCIGAR! YOU FR IN THE ALLIGATORU A LEARNING EXPERIENCE IN NAVIGATION BY RADAR. You will remember Commander F.C. Layne's tall, lean, clean, highl professional and proficient presence which frequently dsbminated the' bridge and chart house in 19113. He was our Navigator. BROOKLYN was 1n onthe Sicily invasion and provided gunfire support for General Patton s Seventh Army, around Licara, on Sicily's south coast during the landings in the early hours of 10 July 0 1943. Bombardment firing day and night, fast maneuvering- to avoid air attacks, and a lack of on-shore aids to Navigation had made Commander Layne's job a difficult one to say tihe least. He'd been awake and on his feet at least four ays. The German air force, failing to disable the .fire support ships during daylight, tried night attacks, using flares to help silhouette us for their low-flying bombers. In the Radar Room for CIC as it was later calledl, located one level below the Navigation bridge and chart house, we struggled to make effective use of new technology, new organization, and new tactics. The proximity of land and other vessels made the detection of aircraft almost impossible. The Surface Radar did a fair job of locating ships and coastal contour, and was of some asslstance to Captain Ziroli and Commander Layne in maneuverlng at night. It was pretty good for gunfire control of bombardment 2 miles from shore. fThirty years later most TV watchers would understand and take for granted the use of Radar as an aide to coastal Navigation, but such was not the situation in 19433. After several near-misses, and during a lull in night fire support, Cigar CBROOKLYN'S voice radio callj was sent to seaward to escape the hazardous position of the ship-congested area close to Licata on the north, and a freshly laid U.S. anti-submarine minefield fdesignated Alligator J to the south and eastward, and the flare-dropping Luftwaff overhead. It was the first uneventful night in a week. Tensions dropped. But Commander Layne and his crew in the chart house worried about getting the ship back to its dawn fire support position in the dark. They worried because in waters near the enemy, the ship was kept ,moving to avoid submarine attack and the ever-present Luftwaffe. The constant course-changing during darkness made accurate Navigation extremely difficult. Furthermore, whatever aide may have been forthcoming by Radar was lost once 15 miles from land. It was hoped that the Radar could be used once again on the return to position before dawn. General Quarters sounded in darkness after midnight. It was pitch black. The ship was easing northward again toward the action. The squawk-box in the Radar Room came alive with Commander Layne's voice from the chart house, Woody, you should have Licata bearing about three-five-oh, range about 30,000 yards. Tell me what you've got . Radarman Gross and Hobgood, Lt Cj J Tucker and I were anxiously watching the screen. We hac? reported various ships and land contact to the Officer of the Deck. The Radar began to depict a somewhat familiar scene, a long quadrant of land beginning due north and extending on a 15 mile radius eastward over a gulf filled with transports, cruisers, destroyers, and dozens of landing craft. At this distance we were not sure we could precisely identify what we were seeing. For the shoreline to come into good focus and be completely familiar we'd need to move another 5 miles' north. We knew the radar would display the high ground first, but we had approached from this distance only once before, .that was during the dark dawn hours of 10 July. One high point- near the shore was Monte Sole, situated .about 2 miles west of Licata. but 300 feet higher in elevation. Mount Gallodoro was the same elevation about 5 miles east of Llcata. We expected to see these two points before seeing L1cata, but Licata would be somewhere in between. Then there was Lungo Point the same elevation as Licata but located 9 miles eastward. The trouble was, nothing on the Radar actually showed up as a point in those days. The sweeping beam was too wide. At 12 miles, Monte Sole. and .Mount Gallodoro tended to be a merging one-inch-wide arc. But Licata should split the arc. So we made estimates. . Commander Layne had said, Licata 350 degrees. It was too early to be accurate. I said, I've got it about degrees, Commander, but I'm not sure. Another Query, What about Scoglitti or Bracetto? Can you S66.tl16I?1?,, These points, about 90 degrees east of the direction of Licata, if discernable would be a valuable verification. I gave .him a range and bearing on what I could best determine as Scoglitti, but that was all lowland . over there, and at extreme range it was not accurately dlscernable. Some tension was now beginning to be felt. Twenty minutes went by with questions and answers. Are you sure you've got Licata? Yes sir . Does it bear degrees? Well almost, I've got degrees yards . The tension in the Radar Room rose a bit but not to the point of alarm. The screen now showed good contours but was not exactly familiar. ' Tucker and I felt uneasy. For several minutes the TBS fship to ship voice radiol had been silent. Were we giving Commander Layne what he wanted to hear? We stopped the antenna rotating and -made slow oscillating sweeps around what we thought was Licata. That had to be Licata! But something made us doubt. Did we have it? Maybe we'd made a mistake earlier and deluded ourselves by making an early judgement from too great a distance. Check again, Check again. A left course change began and the ship leaned a bit to starboard. From the chart house, Give me a range and bearing every minute . But the TBS come to life, CIGAR! CIGAR! YOUER IN THE ALLIGATORY Loud and clear again, C'IGAR! CIGAR! YOUFR IN THE ALLIGATOR7 Another ship had been tracking us. It took a finite time for this significance to reach my consciousness. The Alligator? That's the minefield. Oh hell, we've done it now. We've given Commander Layne the wrong point I'm responsible . . . God help us. Mines can be worse than torpedoes. A whole mine field of them and we Were moving pretty fast. Can't stop now. How many'll be killed? How many hurt? My friends in the firerooms and enginerooms. The magazines. HMS Hood had gone down in seconds. Ido thoughts occupy time?J When it did come it seemed worse than it was. WHOOOMU Those not sitting in the Radar Room were knocked down. Lights out. Power off. Another 10 seconds, WHOOOMU Same as the first. The Radar Room was in complete darkness. Will the magazines be next? how big is the hole? Can we stay afloat? Silence everywhere and darkness a looong time. No more explosions . . . Thank God. Dead in the water but not listing. We're going to make it. The mines were too deep to destroy us. An hour went by. In daylight I went up to the chart house warily. Fatigue, disappointment, resolution, courage, compassion, all were mirrored in the intelligent, classically lean, but ashen features of the man settin smoking a cigarette on the leather couch. I said, Will it Ire the Green Table for us? . He shook his head, I don't know Woody . We had other times and opportunities, and we learned. Commander, Captain, Rear Admiral F.C. Layne, U.S.N.: My good fortune' to know him. as told by Robert J. WOODALL, Jr. The first Radar Officer in g BROOKLYN. Editors note: After many days of charting every move, speed changes, the consideration of currents, wind effect, and all the elements that might have gone into determining the actual position of BROOKLYN on that morning. Making copies for everybody except Davy Jones , Cwe d1dn't go to his lockerl the Navigator and Radar Officer were only held accountable by just doing an even better Job, the next time. All the reports, track charts, dead reckoning tracer, quartermasters log Creconstructedl were called for an reviewed by the Flag Officer embarked, Commander Cruiser Division Thirteen, Rear Admiral L.T. DuBo1se, USN. His remark, after the review, and the sudden appearance of the Captains Night Order Book in his hand, as remembered by this Editor, Shall we o to the Navy Yard to have damage inspected and repaired due to near-miss by bombs, or shall we go to the Navy Yard to have damage lnspected and repaired due to this mine f1eld incident, followed by the possibility of some Courts Martlals .. The answer by someone in authority was, Bomb damage it w1ll be then . The Admiral then took all the reports and paperwork, even the original and I guess he still has them. W fi-M

Page 170 text:

1 to r Ashore in Palermo, Sicily in dungarees yet off a cruiser. 1 to r: Tom Mc Mahlll Raymond Howard fone of the injured when BROOKLYN was hit off Casablancal and Snyder from the Saillocker in BROOKLYN. f1944J 1. to r. Boatswain George F. Champagne, his wife, Rose, Tom Mc MAHILL, and Fred A. Rock. Having a ball on liberty just after Champaign made Warrant Boatswain. H9431 i, Thomas A. McMahill, Jr., CWO, USN just prior to retirement at the Naval Station, Long Beach, Cal. As Duty Officer, getting ready to sample the Crews, noon meal. 119461 Your Editor and His Assistant Thomas A. MCMAHILL, Jr. H9791 Gladys V. MCMAHILL A. McMAHILL, Jr., CWO, USN fretl was born glldggglaln the country, close to Winston, Mo. He enlisted in the Navy on 8!26!41 and received his Boot.Tra1n1ng at the Naval Training Station, Great Lakes, Ill., with company 1138-41. He was assigned to duty at Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, Fl. with VN 14, a training squadron, as a beach crew member. 2f11f42 he reported to BROOKLYN for duty, and after a few days, Acting Executive .Off1cer, CDR F.C. Layne assigned him to the N D1v1s1on for duy. He advanced through the rates to Quartermaster lc on 5 16f44. He was then detached for duty in the USS Pittsburgh CCA 7 21 to be onboard, when commissioned 10f10f44 as Leading Quartermaster. He was advanced to Chief Quartermaster 1f1f46. H ' d ' the Navy to complete a career and retired one Sleilflllzilfieaslrthe Ships Boatswain in USS Hornet. QCVS 125, where he had just completed training the Pick up Crews for the first Pacific splash down of a space capsule. Since retirement he has been in business with the SMO Corp., as Liquor Dealers and Wholesalers. Handy Man, and is now employed by the S and S O11 and Propane Co., Inc., a Phillips jobber in Emporia, Kansas. He married Gladys V. Shepherd, born C5f23f25J and they had 2 children. Michael Frederick born 4f6f45, and Pamela Celest, born 4f5!53. Neither made a Military entry. Michael is a Fireman and Paramedic with the Denver, Colo. Fire Department, and had 4 boys: Gregory, Matthew, Kevin, and Jason. One daughter, Megan. NAVY MAN Most of us, when we were young, embraced a favorite dream. You were no exception, when you were seventeen. You proudly donned the uniform, to serve the Blue and Gold. And off you went, to sail the sea, like sailing men of old. Like other lads, made men too soon, you sailed the ships of War. And when the smoke of battle cleared, returned to homeland's shore. Your heart is with the Navy, now, the same as it was then. In peace, you've sailed the sea, around the World, and back again. You've braved the icy northern winds, and felt the Tropic sun. As you walked the decks of mighty ships, with Pride in every one. Never a job was too mighty, Never a service too small. True to the code of the Navy, Answering duty's call. Steadfast is each performance, devotion, too, in each one, Knowing, each day that ended was the end of a job, well done. A tribute to the flag you serve, with gallant loyalty And fortitude and courage, of the men who guard the sea . 1954 - by ACDC Returning from an Operation in the Mediterranean during the war, BROOKLYN was one of the last to enter the protected area of the Harbor. The escorts and submarine protection were in as much of a hurry to get in as everyone else. It was their job to patrol the entrance and close it up astern to be good protection from any submarines. One such escort was a British Destroyer who had worked very hard not to be the last in. He closed, close astern of BROOKLYN, in fact, close enough to g1Ve the Skipper a little worry. Slacking off just a little, the signal light flashed this signal to BROOKLYN, If I lgfilifgl ji?glb?l16I'6 l'll marry you . AR. Told by Johnson,