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

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.. .. frsi Q 'Q .I g 'f, iii 'W Eggs.: V st, H ' 5 'w 'Q it ,af CSS California Band 316. IL to Rl: Bandlnaster L.B. Luckenback, R.K. Shelly, L.M. Conley, R.V Parker: I-1.15 Garbo. WG. Harding, PP Panyon, R.S. Sumpman, F Wanat, R.N. Caroll, M. Palchefsky, R.E. Theis, PTE. Leonard. J. Rutledge, D.E. Kennedy andA. De Stwolinska Knot pictured R.A. Marnettel lCourtesy of WG. Hardingl I saw no reason to break that calm...to create panic. I stared down at the slowly rising mix- ture of oil and water, already ankle deep. Fool- ishly I thought about my new tailor-made whites, which I donned only minutes before to join friends for brunch at their home in the Kaimuki district of Honolulu. I raised a foot and frowned at the oil soaked bell bottoms It all happened so very fast. lt was a cloud- less moming on that fatal day, the smells of island flowers, jasmine, gardenias, frangipani mingling with the salt air of fresh morning breezes. I stepped out on the deck and watched the Prep flag skitter rapidly to a tight position on a high yard arm. A throaty growl caught my at- tention. and I stared across the Harbor at a cir- cling PBY as it drifted in slowly to land on the glassy waters. Even from that distance I could hear the sizzle and rush of water as it swept over the nose of the plane. One of my fellow band members, Mike Palchefsky, stepped up beside me and I asked him about Frank Wanat, who was tojoin me for brunch with the Hiram Miles family in Honolulu. mls Frank ready, yet'?,' I said. At 0755 The Prep Flag, with its blue field and white center square, scooted rapidly to a tight position on the highest yard arm of the USS California. It was five minutes before colors at Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands. The date was December 7, 1941. The bugler on the flagship of the Pacific Fleet, Admiral Pye commanding, blew first call. The duty band stood at ease in preparation for playing colors: the Star Spangled Banner. I was not in the duty band that day. Frank Wanat and I planned a liberty in the Kairnuki district at the home of Hiram and Mrs. Miles. They were the brother and sister-in-law ofthe Starks family from my home town in Decatur County, Indiana. Bob Kramer, a lst class gunner's mate on the Arizona, another friend of mine from my own home town, intended to meet us at Fleet Landing. We could ride a bus into Honolulu from there, and catch a cab to the Miles home on 16th Street. The Miles family planned no big luau, but they did want to celebrate a special welcome for Harding and Kramer. Since Wanat and I were buddies, I invited him to join us. We ar- ranged all the details for the meeting by sema- phore relay between a USS Calyfornia signal- men, a USS West Wrginia signalman, and fi- nally to a signalman from the USS Arizona. Kramer lived on the Arizona near the 5 inch 38 caliber anti-aircraft gun for which he was responsible. We arranged everything by sema- phore. The day broke into a cloudless moming and promised to be a great day for visiting new friends in Hawaii. Frank was still in the shower when I finished dressing in my new suit of tai- lor-made whites. Folding my navy blue neck- erchief in typical regulation turns, l tied it in a two inch knot that hung loose in a casual may- or-may-not-stay-tied fashion popular with most of the members of the band. Frank wasted a lot of time that morning. He was dressing with one hand and drinking a cup of coffee with the other. It looked like we were going to be late for the 0730 liberty launch which followed a schedule, leaving every hour, and on the half hour. The Liberty Launch was scheduled for Fleet Landing at Pearl Harbor Navy Yard. I yelled at him to Come on. Get going g but he didn't care whether he was late, since he was going to meet strangers anyway The prospects of spending a whole day with some one I don't know is not exciting enough for me to hurry anything. Certainly one launch doesn't matter. He waved at me as I walked away, and said, Go ahead on. I'll be out in a minute. If we miss the 0730, we'll catch the 0800. That will get us to Fleet Landing in time to meet your friend from the Arizona. That was the last I heard Frank say until two days later. We ran into each other on Ford Island after the battle frenzy quieted down. I walked out to where the officer of the day was standing near the gangway. It was a cool tropical moming, and the smell of flow- ers in the air interrupted the smell of fresh salt water. A Harbor breeze carried the fragrance and shifted it from lee to windward, as though gently blown by some large hand-held fan. Now and again you could get a whiff of hot bread baking in the officer's galley below. That's where we nipped the hams a few weeks before. What a time to be alive, young and aboard ship waiting for the next experience to hap- pen. The 0730 Liberty launch pulled away from the gangway platform about two and a half decks below. I could see the circle of waves stirred by the tiller when I looked over the side. Watched the launch tum into the direction of Pearl Harbor Fleet Landing, then mumbled to myself, We missed it. Looking back in the direction of the pas- sageway to see why Frank was late, I noticed Mike, Bob Carroll, Garbo and Shelley as they stepped out on the Quarter-deck with their in- struments in readiness. I never saw Shelley again. He died in battle. Time for colors ceremony was 0800. I nodded to all of them, and asked, Did any of you see Frank on your way out Mike put his horn to his lips, blew a col- umn of whooshing air into it, pressed the spit valve, and shook the collected water toward the scuppers near the rail. Yeah, Frank said for me to tell you to re- lax, we can catch the 0800 launch. I'm going ashore, too, and I think I'll go into town with you guys. 'fWan'a go with us to the party? There's plenty of party for more. No. I'm meeting a friend from Honolulu, and we're going to spend some time with the Honolulu Symphony. Maybe I'll see you later at the Black Cat. Okay, but you're welcome. The Miles folks are just home folks, and they would like to meet you. I appreciate that but lim on duty for col- ors tonight. I'll need to get back before you and Frank. Maybe some other timef, The duty band began to assemble on the fantail of the CalU'0rnia. I leaned against the railing near the Quarter-deck and watched the slow flying PBY returning from a dawn pa- trol. It sat down on the water about 200 yards abeam. PBYs are graceful seaplanes whose low flying speeds were something close to 85 miles per hour. The Navy used them for observation and patrol. 979