California (BB 44) - Naval Cruise Book

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NIGHTTIME OCCURRENCE by Marvin B. Graham I remember very clearly being told one afternoon that we were going to engage the Japanese Fleet before daylight the next morn- ing. We were told to shower and put on clean clothes in case of injury and try to sleep a few hours. We were awakened around midnight and sent to battle stations. My battle station for some reason for this battle was changed to a catwalk up on the side of the smoke stack over the big guns. 1 I sat up there hearing the range finder in my earphone calling off the yardage to the en- emy. I remember at about 20,000 yards see- ing a huge burst of fire at the Japanese Fleet and a few seconds later a huge splash just off port bow, then a couple more off starboard. The first salvo had been sent our way. The range finder was still calmly calling off the yardage. Our big guns were still training on the enemy. I was getting a little upset that we didn't fire when about that time our big guns fired and nearly knocked me off the catwalk CI haven't been able to hear well sincej. A few seconds later I saw a large ex- plosion and then a huge fire over where our enemy was. I was told we scored on a Japa- nese battle ship. Let me tell you, it was ex- citing to have a ring side seat to a great na- val battle. I have not forgotten one second of that night. KAMIKAZE STRIKE by Elmer Hitchcock I was a gunner's mate when we were hit by a Japanese kamikaze plane at Luzon in the Philippines on Jan. 6, 1945, while providing shore bombardment at Lingayen Gulf. Casu- alties: 44 killed and 155 wounded. I was a lookout from the top hatch on the gun mount, which was my battle station. Just before the kamikaze hit, I came down and locked the hatch, but as I was closing the hatch someone in the gun mount asked me what was wrong - before I could say anything the kamikaze hit in the after super structure. The gun crew said I was as white as my uniform, I said if you had seen that plane com- ing at you as I did, you too would have been as white as my uniform. Later, after everything settled down, I was outside the gun mount, and picked up a piece of the plane. Also as a souvenir, I have the piece of shrapnel that hit me in the left legjust above the knee when I was on the USS Colorado in the Marshall Islands at Eniwetok. We never knew where the shell hit came from, the beach or one of our ships. That was in February 1944. I was on a 40 MM Gun Crew at that time it happened. I guess the Good Lord was looking after meg I guess you can say I was lucky. BAND or SECRECY by Mirror: G. Harding Minutes after the first torpedo crashed through the hull with a tremendous explosion, another crashed through the ruptured plates to rip out our guts. The USS Callfornla lurched forward in its moorings, then listed heavily, straining on the hawsers that held her from capsizing. The huge battleship began to settle into the soft mud of Pearl Harbor, with me in ll. Another explosion, probably a bomb, cmnched down on the decks above with a solid carumph! A mixture of diesel oil and sea wa- ter sprayed through seals on our watertight doors. I braced myself against a bulkhead and tightly cupped the headphones to my ears with both hands, making an effort to hear Central's instructions from four decks above. Bedlam was unreal...the message chilling. . U. S 3 s. I I as I sg P Q SX. I V. . :fr ' N i f-. X s sssswsw ma. 'All hands abandon 'f,h:p'i' A ww V1 If led over the intercom HAbandon ship? Repair lour port rcrriarri Repeat, remain. Do riotwrepeat. do not break watertight integrity. Well he hack when we can reboard the shipfil I stared in disbelief at my Chief, the mes- 7 sage froze in my mouth when he said, 'We re hit, and hit hard..,Somebody help Manley Ti' l spun around to look at the 2565 pound bass horn player who was on his knees. Wher. we escaped to this location he inhaled a tai: dose ofthick smoke which enveloped the corn- ii partment. It smelled like kerosene and burri- ing gunpowder. Several in our party of four- teen struggled to lift the heavy musician upori a conveyor belt nearby. I sagged against the bulkhead, feet slip- ping against the I5 degree list of the deck. lr would do no good to tell my companions of the orders to abandon ship. They were remark- ably calm, considering our circumstances. and in Wilbur If Moline 111 No. .Y lizrrwr. fCoi11'rr'.x',x' of lllllvzir I-f l'lol1'm'. I M .,-4