Brooklyn (CL 40) - Naval Cruise Book

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i official message. Don't know if this had anything to do with it but for the first and only time he invite me to go aquaplaning while being pulled by h1S G18- That afternoon the USS Philadelphia came in. The three battleships took off and our coding room told me they wiere going to Newport, Rhode Island. After them, the Brook YE and three other cruisers went out of the harbor and heade north. The next day we joined the battleships and, With the destroyers escorting us, numbered 20 ships. Then.the message we are all going to Boston' and Im a little embarrassed at what I told the capta1n..Got even more confusing when our course was heading stralght for Norfolk, Virginia. I had just delivered the message to the captain that the USS Robin Moor was sunk when the cry of ' land ho WRS heard and there was the good ol' U.S.A. off in the distance. We left the USS Nashville at Charleston, the battleshlps at Norfolk, the destroyers at Philadelphia .and the remaining three cruisers continued north. It's getting cooler and we sleep below in our rooms now and go.to General Quarters every morning. Pm not sure how it officially started, but I am now officer of the deck at General Quarters. Handling the bridge and giving all the maneuvering orders to the helmsman at the wheel. A very heavy fog set in and we are wearing woolen underwear and bridge coats on watch. The cruisers are in position with towing spars strung out behind. Can't see each other, but keep position on the spars. Came out of the fog in the morning and anchored in Cape Cod Bay to await orders. In the afternoon, Brooklyn and Nashville got underway and moved up to graves to anchor in sight of Boston. Had a movie and went to bed to await liberty and mail tomorrow. Early in the morning we went alongside and docked next to the HMS Rodney which had just helped sink the Bismarck. Went ashore in Boston and, of all things, a date with Jean Buxton. Saw her in Auckland, Honolulu and now Boston. Small world! Returned to the ship to find all hands turned to load all of the many things being put on the ship. We had dinner on the HMS Rodney Sunday, June 22, and heard the whole story firsthand of the Bismarck show. While we were at dinner, word came that Germany had declared war on Russia. While the ship was being loaded, I went to the Navy Yard and went through the entire list of publications for operating in the Atlantic and made sure the Brooklyn's file was complete. Then back to the ship to find it so loaded with stores that some had to be set on deck and lashed down. The ship is filled to capacity with fuel and ammunition. There were a lot of pleasure boats out to wave at us as we went out the channel and headed south for rendezvous. We are in Condition 3, morning and night General Quarters and woolen underwear and face masks are being issued to the crew while they all speculate on our destination. Afternoon we pick up the start of the convoy, four transports, one supply ship, one tanker and four destroyers. Later the battleships, USS Arkansas and USS New York, and eight more destroyers. We are headed for St. Marys, Newfoundland, as our first stop. All personal radios on board were collected and locked up. The weather gets very cold and the windy gray Atlantic is a sharp contrast to the brighter Pacific we have been used to. We are all formed up in convoy formation steaming along practicing zig zagging with the trans orts for the longer trip ahead. As I stand on the bridge and, look around it's a little hard to realize that I'm actually looking at and a part of the first American convoy of the war. All the guns are set and orders are to open fire on any enemy aircraft or surface craft that comes within range. Everyone is kidding about the cold and how bad it would be to have ' . We were joined by 12 patrol bombers as add't' get-iJViI1llnThey are on their way to Newfoundland to esilaglsali a base and doubling as protection for the convoy, 'thout warning a very heavy fog set in, so thick dlii1ldn't see the bow of our ship from the bridge, We 1523 to crawl along and jl1Sll try tflkffep from bumping into one another. As I write this now, it IS hard to describe because radar takes care of all this in 1972. But just like trying to explain to a child of today what. life was like without television, it is just as hard to describe ships at sea Without radar. We did manage to stay together. The fog cleared Slightly and we found our way into Argencia, Newfound- land. So cold and had so many clothes on to stand my watch I couldn't move. And was still cold. In the next few days, while waiting for more ships to arrive, had a chance to go ashore and compare life in this rugged, rather backward part of the world, to what I had seen in Hawaii and New Zealand. The country is awesome and beautiful. Took a car ride to Platencia over very poor road. Was ferried across a lake by man in rowboat and had dinner in an old farm house. Back to the ship to stand 8-12 in port watch, but at 9:30 P.M. fTuesday, July D under cover of darkness and a light fog, all of the ships slipped out, formed up, and we headed north. Then the annolmcement we are going to ICELAND. Five transports loaded with marines, two supply ships with tanks, glms, etc., a tanker with oil, two battleships, two cruisers and thirteen destroyers. The night's so short now there is no need to go to General Quarters at sunu and sundown. We stayed in Condition 3. The ship's radlio got a press notice that Senator Wheeler says the U.S. is sending an expedition to take over Iceland and that we'll get there on the 24th. It's only July 3 now. Follows that the next day is July 4. The first time in years I haven't spent it in the Feather River Camp in California. On my first Christmas away from home, I swam in the warm Hawaiian waters and now, on July 4, it is snowing a little. Funny life. Our concentration is now on German submarines which are assumed to be all over this area. We drill each day on what to do if a torpedo hit us. Everyone had subs on their mind and the lookout concentrated. During this day, a destroyer sighted something and went racing toward it. We saw it and to us everything in the water looks like periscopes. It was a small boat with people, including four women, from a torpedoed ship who had been adrift four days. Then that night, with the sky in its semi-light, the general alarm went off with word, Man your general quarters - no foohngf' The crew went in underwear and plenty fast. It was a mistake. In the poor light, m jumpy si alman had read Turn Z1 to mean Emerg Syl, the suinsignal. We sight more floating life rafts and boats now and a destroyer drops back to explode a floating mine. I had a midwatch and the sun was only gone for three hours and the sky didn't even start to get dark. 'Ilhe.morning of July 7 started with a destroyer near US picking up a sub contact and dropping eight depth charges on the contact. Sure shook our ship. Then with pat1'0l P19-HSS, and our own Brooklyn planes spotting for US, we went through the mine fields and anchored in the harbor of the Clty of Reykjavik, Iceland. After one-half l10t11' we UP anchored and were led up a fjord to a beautiful hidden P1806 Where British battleships, cruisers, destroyerS, and subs were hidden. The cliff goes 2,000 feet straight UP b0th sides and the tops have snow on them. Heard the news that Our President had announced our arrival and with the SUI1 Shmmg brlght in my port at midnight, I went to bed- The next morning three of us put on some suitable c1otheS for hlkmg and climbed through some thick mud and rocks up. the 2,000 foot side of the cliffs of Hualfjarda. It Was qulte 3, Slghtl We rolled boulders down and watched them splash In the fJ0rd way below. Went by a British arm! camp and watched the men play soccer in what seeme to be

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the Bounty in that one night, and he did a pretty good '0b, He lined up a car anddriver and explained exactly what Le wanted. There were five of us involved and he wanted the girls that took part in the movie Mutiny on the Bounty, Also, the equivalent of a Tahitian motel on a beautiful beach for the night. The driver took us to.the other side of the island. Got us set up in what were individual huts with a bed in each. There was no glass- in the window openings or anything like that - just a little grass shack hut for each of us on a beautiful beach. The driver took off and returned with five girls, three of which, believe it or not, had been in the movie when it was made on Tahiti. I didn't want to spoil Wilson's dream of a perfect setup and it wasn't really necessary to point out that a few years had gone by since the movie was filmed here. These matrons seemed to have a good time that evening watching what we did as we paid more attention to younger, real beauties that seemed to be everywhere that night. We had seen Hawaii. You know what the mind pictures of Hawaii - grass skirts in the moonlight dancing on a native beach. Well Hawaii looked like downtown Los Angeles compared to what we saw on that moonlit tropical beach that night. There was native music and the native girls dancing on the beach for the love of dancing. The food on the island was pretty bad. They hadn't had many ships of any kind stop at Tahiti because of commitments elsewhere and they were making do with what they had. But in the atmosphere created by all the native people that wanted to get into the act that night, the meal seemed like a native banquet. It lasted pretty late, one thing led to another and we were pulled into an early mornin swim. I'll never forget the five of us nicely suntanned and looking pretty manly after our long trip at sea in the tropic sun, running like scared kids as a shark fin appeared in the shallow water. The giggling girls ran out and threw rocks at it and it went away. We got back to the ship at 9:00 A.M. to get ready to sail at 11:00 A.M. just as the money exchange with the banker was taking place. Since we had been on the other side of the island doing what we were, we weren't a part of what had taken place. Seems that each time a sailor went into a shop or bar or restaurant, they would take them in the back and start making deals for his dollars, 80, 100, 150 francs for a dollar. Most of them took it up and then bought all they could, but still had francs left that the banker was buying back at 50 for a dollar. The Brooklyn left with most of their saleable goods, etc. and most of the money. Back up across the Equator and an uneventful trip to Pearl Harbor to end a dream cruise that I call lend lease for lack of a better reason. Whatever the reason, I'm glad fate put lt on my calendar of events. CHAPTER 4 HAWAII TO ICELAND We settled into a pleasant routine of going out. on maneuvers and then in Pearl Harbor for days at a time. Heathcliff was running fine and Joe and I had lots of passengers from the Navy families living there. We formed H basketball team and played other ship's teams. Also a softball team with games against other ships. 'Swam and r0fle surf boards at Waikiki Beach, played tennis and golf. Qllllift a life. Even had a three-day visit from .lean Buxton, the girl I met in Auckland, New Zealand. She IS on her way to Boston via San Francisco. On a routine maneuver Tuesday, May 20, we had an eventful morning as a destroyer requested to transfer an 0fflCf-br with a very bad a pendix to the Brooklyn for Eosslble operation by our dbctor. The transfer was mgide Y D8SSlng lines between the two ships and the sick officer Pulled .across strapped in a stretcher-type sling. The appendlx operation was still going on when I pointed out th? f1agS1j11p battleship, USS Idaho, was running up a flag hoist designating Brooklyn follow me. Weexecuted the Slgnal and followed, all the way through the Panama Canal to Cuba. This was my first indication of what surprises Navy life can pull on people connected with it. The young officer on the operation table was to end up in Boston with only the pajamas and robe he came across that sling with. Families that were back in Hawaii had to somehow find out their Pappys had gone to Panama. fEven that was a secret from them.l Clothes were at cleaners ashore, girls were awaiting dates and Heathcliff is still sitting in that parking lot. The admiral on the Idaho made it a simple trip with few maneuvering exerclses. He had to conserve fuel. The trip to Panama was 4,689 miles. Deck tennis, grommets in hot sun and poker at night was the routine along with easy watches. The admiral didn't put up many flags on the whole trip and my job was easy. One signal flew on Saturday, May 24, that I had a lot of difficulty trying to figure out until I showed it to the commander and he knew the message immediately. The flag hoist meant Ship designated has been sunk hood. The reason I couldn't get it was I didn't know what the hood was. The commander explained to me it was the HMS Hood, British battleship. I know today, after the fascinating rerun late, late show movie many times on TV, that the Bismarck had done it and this was the start of the drama, Sink the Bismarck. On Tuesday, May 27, I delivered the message to the captain that the German battleship had been sunk. That same ni 'ht the whole ship listened to the radio broadcast of President Roosevelt declaring an unlimited national emergency. Since the Brooklyn was heading east at all possible speed, after a hurried departure from Hawaii, there wasn't much doubt in anyone's mind that we were going to do something. The spirit throughout the ship as all kidded and speculated on it was something to be a part of. One day the Captain scheduled a Captain's Inspection on the entire ship. As he and the commander were getting ready to start, they also wanted the officer of the deck. They looked at me and told the officer of the deck to turn the duty over to me and I had my first time at being in charge on the bridge for the period of the long inspection. The same night, to keep my ego in line, I got caught very late by the lst Lieutenant as I sneaked some sandwiches out of the wardroom and he really bawled me out. ' The heat got intense. Water temperature 89 degrees and the temperature well over 100 with heavy humidity. We take cots up on deck and sleep at night. Birds began to appear and turtles and porpoise are around the ship as we approach Panama. Early in the morning on June 4 we sighted land for the first time in 16 days. We have all the names on the ship and boats covered. This is all very secret. We don't go close enough to shore to be seen. Then at 8:30 P.M. we approach and start through the locks. It was dark but with enough moonlight so we could sit on deck and watch the locks and lakes as we went through. We were through Just before daylight and went to General Quarters right away. Word was passed we were on our way to Guantanamo, Cuba. A short run compared to the long Pacifictrip and we found the USS Savannah and battleship, Mississippi, also in the harbor at Guantanamo when we arrived. The USS N ashville and battleship, New Mexico, arrived the next day..I went to the Naval Station to draw the-necessary publications from the issuing officer to operate in these. waters and, by kee ing my ears open, found out we were icing to Bermuda. Had, the pleasure of telling the captain efore he got any

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about foot-deep mud. There is not a tree on th Iceland. When we got back to the ship, two of tllaevzllxglioi-E that fly the Brooklyn's catapulted spotting planes were making a report on how they were shot at by a British ship. After a brief investigation, the senior flyer was put under hack. Guess he was flying where he shouldn't have been. We learned that the convoy had sunk two and possibly three subs on the way over and four women were nurses and had been adrift 12 days with 12 men from a Norweigan ship torpedoed by a German sub. Five of us from the Brooklyn were invited to dinner at the King's Harbor Master's Wartime Residence with ten British officers that commanded the anti-aircraft batteries here on Iceland. The next morning six of us rode a destroyer down the fjord to Reykjavik. Seemed to me to be a nice old-fashion city with good looking, bashful people. Joe and I shopped a bit, swam in an indoor pool and then sun-bathed nude on the roof over the pool. We are just three degrees below the artic circle. We have frequent air-raid warnings, but no planes ever got near our ships. That night we entertained the British friends we had made on the Brooklyn and they were very happy with their presents of cigarettes, magazines and oranges. In the morning set the special sea detail, got underway down the fjord and out to join the formation. All ships except the tanker are going back with us and we are heading for Hampton Rhodes, Virginia. The battleship Idaho and three destroyers joined us and then the Orizaba had engine trouble and dropped way back. The Nashville and two destroyers came from the States with 200 bags of mail for the Brooklyn and passed them over to us via lines between the ships. My mail from home and friends was about what we would do when I came home this summer. They didn't know it would be awhile before I got there. The trip back was slowed by fog and for five days we couldn't see ships 600-1000 yards around us. Most of the time had trouble seeing the bow of the Brooklyn from the bridge. The mornin the fog went away we kicked up to 25 knots and headed for Norfolk. On Tuesday, July 22, we went into Norfolk passing the USS Wyoming, our apprentice seaman cruise ship, and the British HMS Illustrious which had been reported sunk, and alongside the dock ending successfully the first American convoy of World War II. CHAPTER 5 ATLANTIC-CARIBBEAN PATROL The Brooklyn was assigned to a task force made up of the aircraft carrier Yorktown and three destroyers to patrol the Atlantic from Bermuda to the Azores. Bermuda was our main base. This was a period of time when officers and men were coming and going in a steady stream of assignments to new jobs, ships and stations. In this short space of time, I had moved from the foot of the third table in the wardroom up to the second table with at least one third of the officers on board junior to me. I was assigned one junior officer' as Assistant Signal Officer and one to assist me in the coding room. We revised the communication staff to seven officers to handle the work three of us had done. The days are constantly hot as we go back and forth with the ship in Condition 3 and Baker with all hatches closed. General Quarters one hour before sunrise and sunset. The Yorktown makes constant launching and recovery of aircraft as they sweep the ocean in large areas around us. For each launching and recovery there is a course to head into the wind. The Brooklyn and destroyers are right with her with the necessary flag signals. Sometimes the Yorktown provides low bombing plane, towing targets for our 5-inch guns to have target practice. One day there was a simulated dive bombing and torpedo plane attack by the Yorktown on the Brooklyn. Frightening to say the least. You had to put out of your mind how you thought you could stand up to the real thing if it happened to us. The sunrises and sunsets are spectacular and we saw them all at .General Quarters. The sun, stars, and moon were all beautiful and we didn't have much to do but look at them. We would go into Bermuda and anchor off Hamilton. Liberty overnight except when we had watch. There were no tourists in Bermuda, just the local families and the ships of our task force when we came in. Got to know many of the families quite well, particularly those with daughters. Many nights would doze on a couch in someone's living room ready to make the 8:00 A.M. boat back to the ship in the morning. There were no automobiles and we had bicycles and sometimes rode the horse and buggy to our main gathering point, Elbow Beach. When out on maneuvers, we moved fast so the danger of submarines tracking and stalking us like a slow convoy is minimized. We had submarine sightings during these patrols either by the planes or destroyer screen and things really went into action - plane launching and flank speed, diepth charges by the destroyers, and bombs by diving p anes. On August 24 the number two shaft on the Brooklyn burned out and we were running on the other three. We had orders to go to New York for repair and the Yorktown was to drop off at Norfolk. There was a report of a German cruiser not 250 miles from us, so the Brooklyn put into Bermuda to fix the shaft. We were just starting on the shaft and getting ready to see a movie when we were ordered out again and started for Norfolk. At 11:00 P.M. we turned back for Bermuda. We sat in the Outer Harbor and the engineers worked on the shaft. The German cruiser was still around and it looked like we weren't going to New York where I had a five-day leave planned. At 5:30 A.M. the next morning we sat the special sea detail and sailed out headed towards Brazil in chase of the German cruiser. There are several other ships closing in on her also. We have orders to shoot on sight and our catapult planes go up with 500 lb. bombs when they patrol. I don't really like to put it this way because it's the taxpayers' money, but on September 1 when we were almost to South America, the chief of Naval operations decided the thin we had been hunting was the I-IIMIS Rodney so we turned around and headed for New or . I had my five-day leave and a visit with Louise, the girl that went with me to midshipman graduation in Pennsylvania. At dinner the first evening there, I had my first experience in trying to describe a war situation in the peaceful setting of a family dining room. See, as we approached New York that morning and went to General Quarters an hour before sunup, I was on the bridge and one of the lookouts yelled, Periscope. I looked up and there was a sub with a good part of its conning tower out of the water. We went to flank speed to dodge torpedos. Launched our two planes. They dropped bombs on something they saw. We picked up the planes and went on into New York. I took the train to Pennsylvania that afternoon and was sitting at dinner that evening. I started to tell what had happened that very morning just outside New York CRemember, we aren't at war yet.J and the people at the table looked at me like I was making things up - so I shut up. Two different worlds. Went back out on the Bermuda, West Africa Patrol with the Yorktown as soon as our repairs were complete, but on the return run, turned and ended up in Argentia, Newfoundland. Hot to cold and into blue uniforms. Found