California (BB 44) - Naval Cruise Book

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pitchers had their chance. With this went op- tional taps, reveille at seven o'clock and three of the good cook's husky squares a day- what an edge that keen air did put on the appetites! But everything was not play, the camp had to be policed, and every ship's camp leaves its mark of permanent improvement on the site. The USS California QBB-44Ys contribution was the dragging of the beach, the building of a waterfront and pier and the removal of many stumps until finally the USS Caljornia CBB- 44J's camp was conceded to be the best ever. Nor was the United States Navy forgotten there. Admiral Chips,' Kogel in his flagship the Ark,,' an old whaleboat donated by the Navy Yard, regularly held fleet maneuvers of the camp's small boats. The fleetis nightly schedule called for grand maneuvers after sup- per and a sortie of the fleet into Community Beach across the lake for smokes and eats be- ffore returning to the camp fire and a great nightls rest, filled with pleasant dreams. UTHE AIR WARRIORS f'One of the ship's most reliable publicity agents is the Aviation Gang piloted by that prince among thrillers- that dare-devil in his own birthright, Lieutenant Dixie Kiefer. Mur- ders pales to insignificance as producers of spi- nal tingling alongside of those early catapult shots of Lieutenant Barner. Due to the bravery of these men the USS Calyfornia CBB-445 can claim the credit for the world's first night catapult shot. If you've ever driven a car off a cliff at night going fifty miles per hour with no headlights you have and idea of what it is like. f'Furthermore they have found time to in- terest some dozen other Junior Officers enough to cause them to go into Aviation. To say noth- ing of curing Montell of his failure to make after dinner speeches. 'LA year of day and night flying in all weathers speaks well for the future of heavier than air flying on the Battle Fleet flagship. The time is not far distant when we will rely wholly on our aircraft for gunnery spotting at these increased ranges. Proud we are of our Avia- tors. KKMEMORIES OF 1924 f'San Pedro- The mad dash for the P.E. train, steel locker clubs, rented Fords, the mid- night hot dog on the dock, oil tankers, a fish- laden atmosphere, shore boats, blissful home of married sailors. f'Culebra- Buming heat, luscious bananas, soda pop, Flamingo Beach, and cooling surf, golden sunsets and purple seas, swarthy na- tives living in squalid huts with thatched roofs, rain and mud, smokers and ball games, taran- tulas and sea urchins. New York- The American Girl Glori fied, wintry blasts whistling up the North Rive, the Great White Way, the Statue of Liberty, sky- grazing buildings, Czech-Slovak newspapers, the subway mob, nTsay, Kid, gimme da coin, yuh can't ride dis wagon fer nuttenf' palatial hotels, Riverside Drive, painted lips. V A KW' ,yww O ff yyff X After engine rOOm. fCOurreSy OfFrederick KOh!.j f'Seattle- Dress whites, Kelleys, bananas, have graced the decks of the grand old ship- Haig, Y.M.C.A., ceegarets, four dollars silver the USS Calnfornia tBB-449. but two dollars gold, Muchchas de cantinas, Gatun Lake, chattering monkeys, devout wor- shippers at Catholic shrines. San Francisco- The Ferry Building Market Street, the Golden Gate, jitney busses, Coffee Dan's, cable cars, the Orpheum, Golden Gate Park, girls, girls, the Oakland ferry, Ber- keley, prohibition. HLos Angeles- The P.E. station, Solomons, Hollywood, Jack's Baths, The Biltmore, Westlake Park, rustic Fords, lowans, Pershing Square, flaming neckties, real estate agents, auto parking lots, extra girls, you-drive-em cars, city slickers, movies, silk hose, mamas. Bremer'ton- that boiler shop din, navy workmen emphatically throwing down tools when whistle blows, scraping the bottom, hard boiled Marine sentries, the ferry boat to Se- attle, ship's dances at the Elk's Club. f'Camp Kitsap- healthy appetites, long hikes, pitching horse shoes, toasted marshmal- lows, the plunge in the lake, fleet maneuvers at night, the fish that got away. f'Long Beach- roller coasters, hot dogs, dime dances, lady barber shops, the old joke about Iowa, coy bungalows, beautiful streets and Cadillacs, Fords, too. 'fHollywood- Bareheaded sheiks, racy roadsters, brilliant shops, over-advertised town, not so wicked, beauty- real and artificial, girl- ish boys, and boyish girls, types growing beards, Beverly Hills, cosmetics, studios, hum, Pola Negril Real estate kiosks. tea rooms, pros- perity, and hardened eyes. 'fVenice- The woiking girls' Paradise. one-piece bathing suits, bow legs Cracker Jack, chute-the-chutes, laughing galleries, your pic- 9 ture in Tiaiuanaf' necking, fat women splash- ing about, reckless side-walk trains, corduroy pants, tennis visors, more darned fun. Many logs from the years of service and many memories can be reflected by many who CKHISTORIC PR UNE BAROE LA UNCHING FrO1n the Vallejo Tinze-Herald. laliejo. Calyfornia, Sunday, Nmenzber 20. 1960: f'Today marks the Forty First Anniversaaw of the launching of Mare Islands historic battleship the USS Calnfornia CBB--1-ll. ffOnly twenty of the shipyards present employees witnessed the launching and only six were employed when the keel was laid. lt was November 20. 1919. when the then sleek, super warship slid down the ways and suffered a most embarrassing moment when she drifted clear across the channel and stuck in the mud at the foot of Georgia Street. before the ten-odd tugs assigned to catch her. could get lines aboard. LARGEST MI-Btitr The ship. totaling more than 32.000 tons. is the largest of nearly 500 craft which have been built at the l06-year-old shipyard. The USS California LBB--1-U began her career with almost twenty years of peaceful service as flagship for the Pacific Fleet. But. on the fateful morning of December 7. lf?-l l. just as the mists were lifting from the head- lands behind Pearl Harbor. squadrons of .lapa- nese aircraft rained havoc on most of the nation's Pacific Fleet. The might USS Ctzlifiwini tBB--L-li was hit by two torpedoes and one bomb. Heroic measures were taken to keep the ship atloat. but three days later she sank into the mud of Pearl Harbor. She was floated in Nlarch of I0-12 and after emergency repairs, was towed to Bremerton Naval Shipyard where she w as completely modernized. .,.-.. A .1.

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'PN .fit rhmfa. :IEW . 'fm wig! its we ZW . as wif . Q amiga We 'Nam him .M N rm, N A 8 F1567 3525.752- . , .Ir ll in .mf ,,. mi-'fer 'R 3.. ' Nflsrvr , WH: ' iff .sux K-EE: 'A 4-'fvfcirr f e.'gr,. 1'-i fl: T323 fr: -ia: K ' ,wr . Sw - .rr .5 . -:i - ..... 'Y-aka .i 4' 'Kwai .lr- .ri if-lf' . ,,. L .RH KET, -Q-.r ia ' rar wil: l EPILOGUE THE Loo OF THE USS CALIFORNIA IBB-442 Anchored in berth A-l, San Pedro har- bor, in seven and one-half fathoms of water with thirty fathoms of chain out on the star- board anchor, Boiler Number four in use for auxiliary purposes. So reads the log of the USS Calyfornia QBB-443 for the first watch of the first day of 1924. Most ofthe crew were over on the beach, busy in extending a glad welcome to the in- fant year. The great ship rode lightly to her anchor, a floating fortress, solemn in the moon- light. But the anchor was not down for long. As the second day of the year dawned, the ship was busy as a hive. Everything was in readi- ness for a southern cruise and all hands were set for it. Amid the tooting of whistles and the wailing of sirens, not to mention the bevy of beautiful maidens who thronged the breakwa- ter to wave a last tearful good-bye, siren-like, but to no avail, up came the anchor encrusted with fishy mud. The Fleet was off and Pedro was behind us. We were headed south. And somewhere in the Atlantic the Scouting Fleet was also steer- ing for Panama. For this was a gigantic war problem and all hands were in readiness for a fleet action. During the day there wee maneu- vers and drills. The fierce rays of the southern sun dispelled the navy blue and we dressed in snowy white. At night the Fleet steamed stealthily in the dark. The phosphorescent sea was traced by a multitude of ships leaving paths of molten silver on the jet water. Grim battle- ships, darting destroyers, furtive submarines ever ready for a dive, peaceful vessels of the train silently administering to the needs of this fleet of fighters, all cruising in the dark. The only light was from the stars. f'We arrived on January sixteenth at Balboa, on the Pacific side of the Panama Ca- nal, without ever meeting our enemy, the Scouting Fleet. Panama was safe and they were still in the Caribbean. There was no time to lose. Panama City, filled with alluring shops, Haig and Haig, Kelleyis, and what not, called but we could not respond- the enemy was in the Caribbean racing for the Panama Canal, bent on its destruction. So, through the vast locks of Miraflores and San Pedro Miguel we went while little black boys threw bananas and coconuts as gifts of welcome. Occasionally one threw vile language. Once past the locks, we steamed stately through the Panama Canal flanked on either side by rocky hills or low- lands covered by the riotous tropical vegeta- tion. As the USS Caljornia KBB-441 neared Gatun locks an ominous speck appeared in the opaque blue sky. Nearer and nearer it came and soon the whir of a motor. An enemy plane! And another! A flock of them! The first shots of the war were fired- constructively in a con- structive war. Gatun locks were passed and we dropped anchor in the harbor of Colon while the en- emy aircraft from the Langley continued the attack. Our anti-aircraft guns and our own planes from the Battle Fleet and the United States Army Base at Panama fought with the zeal of real action. We lay at anchor in the harbor for some twenty hours awaiting the inevitable attack of the Scouting Fleet. It came and they attained their objective. The war was over. Both Battle and Scouting Fleets joined hands, broke out the liberty whites, and sauntered up the main drag of Colon. f'After a week in Colon the combined Battle and Scouting Fleets weighed anchor and commenced a second tactical problem. This time the glassy Caribbean was the scene of ac- tion. When the problem was completed the two Fleets, led by the USS Seattle, Flagship of Admiral Coontz, steamed into Viequez Sound which lies between the islands of Culebra and Viequez. Culebra itself, despite its port of Dewey, is a small island sparsely populated with blacks and Puerto Ricans. It is difficult to classify some of the people. The visit of the Fleet brought forth a town of squalid huts where swarthy Puerto Ricans sold biscuits, fruit, and tobacco. The glory of Culebra is Fla- mingo Beach, a golden strand besieged by sportive breakers from the purple sea. Then, after a month at Culebra, the Battleships and the USS Seattle , got under way for New York making the port on March third. Ten days of concentrated recreation, filled with parties, dances, theatres, bright lights, and sub- ways. Sun-bumed sailors, fresh from the trop- ics, laughed at Broadway's icy blasts. But pleasure cannot last forever. Up came the anchors. The resolute battleships steamed slowly down the North River and past the guiding light of the Statue of Liberty. Next stop, Culebra. Then a week at Balboa on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal. With Panama City close at hand the week was not unenjoyable. 'fOn April twenty-fifth the Fleet got under way for San Pedro. Behind us lay the south- em cruise, the pleasures of New York, and the subtle influence of the Tropics. Ahead lay our home port and a strenuous program of gun- nery exercises. At San Pedro we lost Commander R.T. Menner who was detached to take command of the USS Prometheus. A big cheer, Auld Lang Syne by the band and he was gone to take his command. Thirty minutes later the Captain the USS Prometheus returned to the USS Calyfornia CBB-445 to pay his official call. By the twenty-seventh of June we were in San Francisco for a two weeks, visit. Dur- ing this time the British Special Service Squad- ron composed His Majesty's Ships Hood, Re- pulse, Delhi, Adelaide, Dauntless, and Danae lay at anchor in the bay. San Francisco was profusely decorated with the Union Jack and the Stars and Stripes, British tars and Ameri- can sailors walked arm in arm down Market Street in San Francisco having a jolly good time. But ships, like men, must rest occasion- ally. So the latter half ofluly and the month of August found the USS California CBB-445 at the Bremerton Navy Yard. All hands and a swarm of civilian workmen tumed to, installed bunks for the crew, and made a multitude of alterations and repairs. The bamacles were scraped off the bottom and the ship was painted from topmast to keel. At Bremerton Captain Hasbrouck came aboard to relieve Captain H.H. Christy who had been the USS Calhfornia CBB-44J's Command- ing Officer for the preceding year. Secretary of the Navy, Curtis D. Wilbur came aboard in Seattle, Washington, and made the trip to San Francisco, California with us. His blue flag with its white anchor and four stars flew at the main while the flag of Admi- ral Robison was hoisted at the fore. After a brief but enjoyable month of Sep- tember at San Francisco, two weeks of which were spent in Fleet maneuvers at sea, the USS Calyfornia CBB-445 in company with the battle- ship divisions andthe destroyer squadrons got under way for San Pedro, the old home town. Except for a ten-day visit to San Diego, Cali- fornia, in November, there we spent the remain- der of the year. Gunnery exercises, battle prac- tices, Fleet maneuvers, and an occasional fling at Hollywood came along with Christmas close behind. Nineteen hundred and twenty four has entered the realm of the past. The experiences we encountered during its every day have passed away. But the memories of things which concern this ship's company as a whole will linger in the mind of every man aboard. A new year with its thousand opportunities lies ahead. May the USS Calyfornia CBB--4-45 steam through its uncharted waters at full speed and with little smoke. LAKE KITSAP Out in the great open spaces where men are men, and - appetites are large, lies a clear cool mountain lake with the Indian name of Kitsap. It is a good four mile hike from the United States Navy Yard at Bremerton, Wash- ington, but worth it. Old logging trails lead down through towering pine and spruce to the lake, and at the base of one of these trials lies Kamp McKean, a twenty-acre plot of ground bought and owned by the personnel of the United States Navy. During the month of Au- gust, while the Big Flag was in the Navy Yard, the USS Calyfornia CBB-445 established camp for her crew. A permanent detail was ap- pointed, clearings were made, tents pitched and the camp was ready for occupation in short order. Sign boards on the streets contained such familiar names as Sand Street, Riverside Drive, Sally's Alley, Broadway, and Washington Bou- levard. Various squads were sent to this camp, each for a week's vacation as a reward for hard workg each week anywhere from a hundred to a hundred and fifty of the crew forsook Se- attle, Washington, to spend the week-end in this outdoor Mecca. Men even forsook the Post Office steps for Mother Nature. Life in the open proved a welcome nov- elty for Jack, with boating, fishing, tramping, swimming in an ideal swimming hole, and baseballg while even the pestiferous horseshoe

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.-lwixiii A it S iimixif The 'Prunc Bai'ge.' as she xx as affection- ately knoxxn throughout the lleel because ol her home states first industry, rejoined the frax .ind participated in the capture and occupation ofSaipt1n. ln this action the ship xx as struck by and enemy bomb and one crexvman xvas killed and eight xx ere xxounded. Then folloxx ed action in the Philippines and the historic battle at Surigao Straits, where one entire arm of the Japanese Fleet was an- nihilated by fire from United States ships. The LJSS CT.Illfl7l'lIlt1 tBB--1-ll was officially cred- ited xx ith sinking one Japanese battleship. '1-X less glorious day is written in her log. A .Japanese Kamikaze pilot smashed his plane into the aft control tower and traded his life for the lives of 52 ofthe Prune Bargesl crew and the injury of 153 others. FotfR YEARS LATER Pour years to the day of the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. the USS California CBB-445 sailed into Philadelphia Naval Base with her flags flying and her crew of 2,375 home at last. Behind her was the wreckage of one Japanese battleship sent to the bottom, seven Japanese planes shot down and seven islands still reeling from the thunder of her mighty fourteen inch guns which relentlessly and ac- curately hit their targets until a merciful cease- fire was called. Today, the once proud flagship of the Pacific Fleet lies in a Baltimore, Maryland, shipyard. being slowly cut to pieces to feed hungry steel furnaces. Her huge bell was pre- sented to the people ofthe state on Navy Day, 1949 and currently stands in Capitol Park, Sac- ramento. California. The only other memento of the historic battlewagon, her onyx and gold punch bowl service is on display at the California Histori- cal Society, 2090 Jackson Street, San Fran- cisco. California. PA USE B Y CREW HMore than one former crewman will pause today to remember the exploits of the mighty warship and recall the tribute, given to her upon her decommissioning. of 'Ewell done. 'Time passes. but the nation and the United States Navy will not soon forget the USS California lBB-4149's glorious record of service or the tremendous comeback from the bottom of Pearl Harbor to decisive victory at Surigao Straits. To those who walked her decks. munmid her guns. sailed with her into battle and served our Qountry' aboard the USS California CBB- Mi, you deserve the thanks and gratitude ofa nation that is free because ofyour bravery. You share in the legacy ol the great HPrune Barge. 'Vlay she and ber crew be remembered for marry generations 1ti!,fJI'1'lC, PAW! . ' ,xqfl ,fa ,fx ... ..u A ,132 ...-4 .4 S an L it M ,tfzz-d,,.-.-1f1f.2.t.4...- ....-..... . gk M WW.iQg.-Q5..?-. .2JT'.L1'.4.9AU.Ldf f - .. Q.Q.,,iialY- fe' s af. -i vir- n4 'x-w- '1u.nv ww- 'f...wu. WNW ...Numa fM 'f1 'Nw r --,.--.w --.w.-f- ..,,,-L .,,,,,,,.,.-.M ,, -.A-0... mv-w-gpg IN N' A 1' T. mn' at Q44 10 4-r'wu ,,...-nndlwrvf' ,,. ov- ' '4'w. ll 5. RN: WP W 'V l T 7 new vo-nu Hmm nn Count!! may 'lt L H V ixfxrixtivixv at tw' H-...M I swam At :ova H An unusual example of V-inail. lCourresy ofRol9err D. Lairfll USS CALIFORNIA CBB-441 BIBLIOGRAPHY Crossing the Line with the U.S.S. California, 1925. Pearl Harbor Survivors. Paducah, KY: Turner Publishing Company. 1992. Smith. Myron J. Golden Stare Barrlewagon U.S.S. California KBB-441. Missoula, MT: Pictorial Histories Publishing Company. 1983. The Cnh, U.S.S. Calihirnia, 1936. The Grizzly Bear: U.S.S. California. Volume I, Number 1. 1921. The New Grolier Mnlriinea'ia Encyclopedia, Grolier Electronic Publishing, Inc., 1993