California (BB 44) - Naval Cruise Book

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one Sunday nioming while playing bridge in the crew quarters by a sergeant who didn't like me very much and who l despised. Get your ntle. Yandiy ier you are going out in a motor whale boat to shoot and blow up an oil drum which may be a booby trap with explosives inside. he ordered. Why me. I asked. hold- ing the best card hand l had seen all morning and thinking grand slam. The conversation ended quickly and I got my rifle. The ocean swells were rolling and quite substantial. The boat rocked up and down as we approached the oil drum which I was to blast out of the water with my M-l rifle. We circled the barrel looking for smoother water as I tried to load the magazine into the rifle but. for reasons unknown, could not get it in. The Navy officer aboard looked at me curi- ously but I assured him, no problem, as I slipped a single bullet out ofthe magazine and slipped it into the chambers. By this time the boat was rocking up and down and had moved around to position the oil drum between us the USS Calnfornia. One shot. That's all I had in the rifle and didn't much want to reload. When I took aim at the oil drum the rocking of the boat had me sighting the admirals bridge one moment and 25 yards below the target a sec- ond or two later. 0.K., I decided. Illl fire on the downward swell just as I sight the top of the oil drum, it was a perfect shot. The bullet en- tered just below the water line and the barrel ta harmless oil drumj slithered to the bottom of the sea. Nice shot said the relieved en- sign. Thanks , I replied. Back aboard ship, expecting congratula- tions from all hands, I was greeted instead by a threatened court martial. It seems the admi- ral was on the bridge watching this display of marksmanship when he suddenly realized that the rifle was pointed right at him. He was not a happy admiral nor did he express even the slightest appreciation that we may have saved his damn ship. Such is War. LEYTE as .weft by LI. UG! R. Sutrler written by WD. Fuhriman On the 15th of October, 1944, the USS California shoved off from a censored island base in company with the largest task force ever assembled in the Southwest Pacific. Over one hundred major combatant vessels, aircraft car- riers, battleships, cruisers and destroyers, not only covered the entire visible ocean but many of them were hull down on the horizon. The potential might of this formation was probably as great as half the Japanese first-line Navy and yet it was barely on-fifth of the full Ameri- can Fleet. Little wonder the United States con- trol the Pacific Ocean from the gusty shoals of Tasmania to the misty peaks of Attu, and from the arched span of the Golden Gate Bridge al- most to the very spires of Japan. The mission of this force, the Seventh Fleet under the command of Vice Admiral Kinkaid, was to support General MacArthur's reoccupation of the Philippines. Leyte Island, where the initial landing was to be made, is midway along the archipelago between Mindanao in the south and Luzon in the north. Maps indicated it was 115 miles long and 40 miles wide, and characterized by numerous broad valleys and rugged mountain peaks. At least eight air fields were located on the island of which six were operational by the Japanese. As to the other Japanese installations which had to be destroyed before the invasion, intel- ligence was also good. As we steamed toward our objective, we realized this was not only the most gigantic operation yet attempted in the Pacific, but its successful execution would be the most deci- sive of the war. For the Philippines sit squarely astride the Japanese's sea lanes to her stolen southern empire of Java, Borneo, Sumatra and Singapore. Our recapture of our former pos- Chel Lana' and friends. l945. fC0urtc'.s'y IUfCl'1f'fLC1l1l'.j session would be like cutting the branch on which these rich territories are the fruitg inevi- tably they must wither and die. Furthermore, with our land-based planes in great force on these islands, the invasion of the China coast, should it come, would never be in doubt. Like- wise, we would be able to strike devastating blows at Formosa and the island chain up to Japan itself. Finally, the land mass of the Phil- ippines would be an ideal base for the tremen- dous quantities of military equipment we will fall heir to in the Pacific after Germany is de- feated and with which we can conclusively set the Rising Sun. Therefore, this seemed like the great ffBattle of the Pacificgl' the prelude of historyg a moment in history. Undoubtedly, the Japanese knew this. All indications pointed to heavy opposition. We were told to expect every type of armament that could be launched against a naval force. From the many nearby air fields could come hordes of Japanese planesg Leyte Gulf, which we had to enter, would surely be mined, PT boats could swarm out of the innumerable coves and estuariesg submarines were always a threat, finally, the Imperial Fleet might at last make a belated but ferocious appearance. As every officer on the Calqfornia said to his men, after briefing them on the operation, Fellows, we can anticipate and probably will get, the Woiks! Yet we had not been out one day when it was apparent the ship was jittery. There was a prevailing premonition, a hunch as vivid and illusive as a drama, that this vessel would not get through the operation unscathed. One could see it in the way men gathered in groups and talked softly, one could feel it in the tautness of the watches, in the moments of silence at the dinner table, in the self-tortuous way scuttlebutt spread that the Japanese were wait- ing for us in great force. I think the weather had something to do with this uneasiness. The skies had been ashen and overcast for several days, fitful squalls and a creeping fray mist shrouded the ship. No one came topside for a breath of air or a look to the horizon. We were cooped up in our narrow compartments, the men piled one on each other like boxes in a warehouse and all of us were a prey for bad mmors and apprehension. I must confess I was scared too. This was my sixth invasion and never had I felt so inse- cure. I couldn't seem to get hold of myself. Usually I had an enthusiastic interest in these operations, for this one I felt a morbid curios- ity bordering on fatalism. Yet I would not have missed it for anythingg if I had had the oppor- tunity to turn back, I would not have accepted it tthough thank God no alternative existedj. For not only was this an historical expedition, but it had the personal significance for me that in the danger I might find myself. I wanted to conquer fear, I wanted to control my shivering instincts, I wanted to face the Great Death and discover that, after all, it was only the Great Deathg in short, I knew I was a coward and I wanted to prove to myself that I was not. On the 17th of October the sea tumed ex- tremely rough. A strong wind of fifty knots whipped the froth off the white caps into a

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val hospital at Pearl Harbor. I filled out another one of those postcards, dated Dec. 12, 1941. My mother got that one around Christmas time, but she had already been notified that I had been killed. They fixed me up and I was able to get out on the 19th. I put in for the first ship out to fight the Japanese. That ship was the Salt Lake Ciry. So ended my short but unfor- gettable experience on the USS Calyfornia 544. ABOARD THE CGN-36 by Murray Penhollow Early in 1993, I had the opportunity to go aboard the USS Calnfornia CGN-36, for an eight day trip. This included a few days in the operation area and then up the coast to their Home'Port, Bremerton, Washington. As we passed the San Diego entrance buoy Captain Ray A. Wallace got on the horn and announced they had passengers aboard includ- ing a crew member of the Battleship Calyfor- nia BB44. He gave the crew my name, retired rank and further stated I had been on the Battle- ship when it was sunk in Pearl Harbor. He ended by stating that he was sure I would be glad to talk to anyone about my duties and ex- perience. Believe me the only time I was alone on that trip was when I was in my stateroom and I enjoyed every minute of the attention. USS Calnfornia CGN-36 is a Nuclear Powered Guided Missile Cruiserg they allowed me to go anywhere except the power plant. They let me take the helm, fire some of the guns and join in the operations. Being an ex- signalman they encouraged me to send and receive semaphore and light. I was amazed at how much of that ability I had retained. I went aboard May 31, 1993, and our arrival in Bremerton June 8th came too soon. I will never forget Capt. Wallace, his officers and men. On December 6th the Executive Officer Cmdr. Hamilton called. They had learned the Morning Colors had been delayed Dec. 7, 1941, by the attack on Pearl Harbor and they planned to reenact that ceremony on their ship December 7, and asked me to participate. I was honored. A BRIEF ACCOUNT by Ervin O. Schmidt A brief account of what happened to me before, during and after the attack. The USS Calbfornia is tied up at Fox 3 Ford Island. It is 7:55 a.m. A shipmate, Herb Curtiss, and I are about ready to go to Hono- lulu on liberty, first to church service then to Waikiki beach for the day. The band comes rushing in from the quarter deck, We are be- ing machine gunned, Battle Stationsf' This is no drill!! The klaxon is going, sailors rushing to their battle stations, a torpedo slams into us as the klaxon is still going, all the lights go out, we turn on some battle lamps. Oil starts coming into our compartment, another sailor and I start dogging down the covers to the oil tanks that were uncovered for admirals inspec- tion to be held on Monday. Everyone from our we r- It M ' V., ' . f C, V t . - . wif lf .. Rv ' L P 7 A' , .H 'I 'fn '1 Q B' . , , Z qfawlls 'V fl . saw I 'BEARS BL 2 I f V -P5495 4 X f if ' .var I Q , r VVVVV X ' f . , ,g if If - V, f Q fm 0 , V m,,,,,,,11-,'- .aw f L' , '- 'A wwf' V a ' I , ' 'WW df ' M' ,ai . raw The CalU'ornia 's 1939 baseball team in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. lCourresy of Earl Nelzl. ,I compartment is passing out from the oil fumes. Another torpedo explodes, the ship starts list- ing to port rapidly. I wake up on an upper deck hearing 4'Abandon Ship repeated over and over. Other sailors coming from other compartments car- ried 22 of us out. I can see all this oil on the water and fire sweeping down the channel from the Arizona. I stay aboard rather than swim to Ford Island. It is now about 9:00 a.m., I help pass fire extinguishers to the ships office that was hit by a 500 pound bomb. A new wave of planes is coming in. I get three sailors to go with me to the 37 magazine near the keel of the ship, we each pick a box of 4-37 shells weighing about 135 lbs and head for my secondary battle station above the bridge. Ilm the pointer on this 3l' anti-aircraft gun. We fire off ll rounds, no hits. These are the last Japanese planes we four sailors see over the base. I spend the rest of the day in- specting compartments and dogging shut all hatches. I spend the night in a hangar on Ford Island. I am wakened by a terrific barrage of anti-aircraft firing at planes coming in from one of our carriers. We are positive the Japa- nese have returned and are invading the is- land. CAt least four or five of our planes were shot down.j Later I leamed my parents had received a telegram of my death and it was two weeks later that they heard otherwise. Epilog: About five days later, 150 of us Calnfornia sailors were taken aboard the USS Chicago CA-293 a fast, heavy, 8 gun cruiser. We dashed out of Pearl Harbor about 1 200 a.m. I did not get back to Pearl until April of 1943. By then I had volunteered for submarine duty aboard the USS Saury SS 189. Cmdr. Drop was my skipper for the next five war patrols. our Exec. was W. Hazzard. After the 4th war pa- trol and a two week rest period at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, I was given leave and travel- ing orders for new construction to Portsmouth, NH, Navy Yard to commission the USS lin-slr SS423. Our 2nd patrol was in the Sea of Japan with a wolf pack of three other submarines. We sank four ships on this patrol run. I was on the S.J. radar in the conning tower when we sank two of Tojo's 780 ton submarine defense vessels the night of Aug. 14. 19-15. in the Sea of Japan, the 3rd sub Chaser decided to head for the far horizon. My ship. the Torsk. fired the last torpedoes of WWII. We had been sub- jected to some very heavy depth charging by these two vessels. I give credit to the Good Lord, our skipper Cmdr. B.E. Lewellen and our Exec. Roy Werthmuller who made some very decisive and timely evasive decisions in this last encounter with the enemy. SEA SToRY by James R. Wzndiver It was in early December 194-1. The USS Caljornia, since its return to the Pacific War Theater in June. had successfully engaged the Japanese at Saipan. Guam. Tinian. Leyte Gulf. and the naval battle at Surigao Strait. It had been a busy five months when the ship and crew were given a short respite to catch its breath and add a few coats of new paint. The anchorage chosen was in the Palau Island chain just off the island ofBabelthauap. The Marines were winding up a successful campaign and had secured air fields nearby. It had not been deemed necessary to wrest the .Japanese from all of the islands and atolls but simply to iso- late them and make their presence there redun- dant. Evidently there were several Japanese still on Babelthauap who did 1101 haye the full ap- preciation forthe American strategy. Seeing a sizable American fleet anchored nearby. they gathered some of their better swimmers with the intent to swim out with parcels of explo- sives forthe purpose of blowing holes in the hulls of as many ships as possible. They suc- ceeded in doing some minor damage but w ere viewed more as a nuisance than a major threat. It was in this setting that I was interrupted

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drenching spray. Powerful thirty foot waves slugged at the ship, crashing over the forecastle and streaming out the hawse-pipes in cascad- ing rivulets. The steady whine of the gale shrieked like a tormented soul as this huge vessel crushed against its imponderable body. Yet for all the violence of the storm, the tem- perature was mild and to me, from the north, that seemed strange. The battleships weathered the seas rather effortlessly but the destroyers plunged in and out of the waves like drowning dogs, one mo- ment perched on the peak of a swell, the next skidding into the trough. After taking a beat- ing all moming, their division commander had to radio, For God's sake slow downg our men aren't getting paid for submarine duty. During the aftemoon of the 17th a num- ber of Japanese planes hovered fifty or sixty miles from our formation, sometimes closing to about fifteen. These were Hsnoopersi' shad- owing us like vultures across the sea. We had been discoveredg now any kind of surprise at- tack was possible for snooping, is the Japanese's overture to action. The next day we were to enter Leyte Gulf and commence the invasion bombardment. On the morrow we realized an operation would start that nobody could foretell its outcome. It seemed amazing to me that evening as I sat in the quiet of my stateroom writing what I hoped would not be a last letter home that in twelve hours this ship could be a rubbles and I could be dead. I knew then that nobody can project his life two minutes into the future, that during our existence on this earth nothing is absolutely predictable before it happens, that events are only inevitable after they happen. However, as often occurs to hypochon- driacal people, despite the apprehension with which I awoke on the moming of the 18th, there was not the fearful Armageddon I expected. Instead it was an exhausting futile day. We were at our battle stations fifteen hours through a blistering hot sun and a dark treacherous night. Enemy planes and surface crafts were reported every ten minutes at all bearing and rangesg we would alert our gun crews and stand-by, but nothing happened. Most of the contacts turned out friendlyg a few were absurd like this one: Unidentified plane approaching forma- tion. No, it's a ship. Wait it's showing recogni- tion signals. Hold on, it's not a plane, it's not a ship, it is landf, We laid off Leyte Gulf most of the day because of a saturation of mines in the chan- nel between Dinagat and Homonhom. CThese islands, incidentally, had been captured by the Anny Rangers the day before in a brilliant sur- prise landing.J In the morning a twenty per- cent sweep had revealed thirty-seven of them. Nevertheless, at dusk we started through Surigao Strait. It was a tense, ticklish trip like tight-rope walking over a pit full of cobras. We encountered several minesg one of them, cut by our paravanes, exploded less than a hun- dred yards from the ship. After three long, sus- penseful hours all the ships at last arrived safely inside the gulf. That evening we heard the report of Task Force 38's battle with the Japanese Fleet off Formosa. The results seemed fantastic but were undoubtedly true: 30 Japanese ships were sunk, over 300 planes shot down at an insignificant loss to us. Previously, Tokyo Rose, the famous female commentator who made the Baron Munchausen sound like a disciple of Diogenes, had claimed the Japanese had destroyed 10 of our carriers, 5 battleships and l,l00 planes. Admiral Halsey's communique in reply to the Japanese assertion was, Our sunken ships and downed planes have been salvaged and are re- tiring toward the enemyf, This brings to mind his famous dispatch last September after hit- ting the first tremendous blows at the Philip- pines, f'We socked them so hard the Japanese just stood around and hissedg when we get through with them, they won't even have a place to hiss onf, On A minus One Day COctober 193 the war ships of the Seventh Fleet commenced the bombardment of Leyte. All morning, aftemoon and evening the great guns pounded in the most sustained firing I had ever seen. Selected Japa- nese installations were the targets, but by dark the whole island seemed wreathed in smoke. That morning a strange-shaped out-rigger canoe paddled alongside one of our patrol crafts. In it were some American and Filipino guerrillas who had been on the island for years. They said the Japanese, of which there were 25,000 on Leyte, had fled to the mountains, that there were no aircraft on the island, and that the guerrillas were well organized and waiting for the landing with every confidence of success. However, the under-water demoli- tion teams, that brave group of men who remove obstructions from the invasion boat lanes, had no easy time of it: one killed and sixteen wounded by machine gun fire from the beach. In the afternoon four Japanese dive bomb- ers attacked a U.S. mine-sweep. Our air patrol shot down one and also sank a number of Japa- nese PT boats in the estuaries of the gulf. Thus though A minus One Day had been rather uneventful, we tumbled into our bunks completely beat out. The pounding concussion of the big guns for twelve hours made our heads feel like the targets of a H3-throws-for-a-dime side-show. A-Day: October 20, 1944: We went to General Quarters at 0400. It was a beautiful starlit morning and for the first time I identi- fied Canopus, the second brightest star in the heavens. As the rising sun spread its striped pink rays across the sky, reports came in of Japanese planes in the vicinity. The first we saw of them was on our port beamg we tracked them across our bow and just as two of them released their bombs on a cruiser Cand missedj, we opened fire with our 5',. The shooting was erratic even though the planes were on a steady course and they got away. As the dawn's light sifted through the mist of Leyte Gulf, we could see the tremendous fleet of transports and amphibious crafts of all descriptions forming for the invasion. The larger ships were loading men and material into the ducks, buffaloes and alligators, and all of these curiously practical boats, when filled, commenced circling around and around their mother ship in a fantastic war dance. At 0630 the bombardment of the landing beaches began. Every war ship in the gulf belched its flaming steel onto the sullen shores of Leyte lsland. Booming, authoritative 14 , walloping cruiser 6 and 8 , the sharper crack- ing 5 blended into a deafening Marsation symphony. As How-Hour approached the tempo quickened, louder and faster. By 0930 it had intensified to a world-shaking holocaust, flooding the gulf with canyons of sound. The ships looked ablaze as they spat their fiery venom at the beach which now rolled and rumbled under this tremendous barrage. We topside were mauled by the typhoon of con- cussion. Over-head an air strike of more than 500 planes added their bombs of destruction. Un- der this terrific detonation, their wakes like rip- pling silver bands beneath the heavy clouds of gun smoke, the landing crafts formed their line of departure and streamed toward the beach. The invasion was on! This was the most cru- cial, exciting moment. The boats were 500 yards off-shore, loaded to the gunwales with scared, dry-mouthed men, perfect targets for hidden Japanese batteries. Would they get through? The line advanced through the breakwa- ter. The bombarding, which had reached a cre- scendo, suddenly ceased. The leading boat scraped the bottomg the troops dashed down the ramp, raced across the beach into the first available cover. More and more men piled ashore, shooting their Mark One's at any sus- picious foliage. Am-tracks wallowed onto land like awkward rhinoceroses and rumbled for- ward. Unloaded boats wiggled off the beach and churned back to the LST,s for more men. An organization was set up, a beachmaster started directing traffic and the flow of sup- pliesg the shore fire control party made radio contact with the ships and began designating targets. In less than ten minutes hundreds of Yanks had swarrned ashore to regain their cap- tured possession. Only slight resistance op- posed the landing. I saw a few mortar shells fall among the LCI's but the batteries were quickly silenced. Twenty minutes after the first boat touched the sands of the Philippine Islands an American flag was flying from a coconut tree. It gave us all a thrill. Shortly afterward. we learned from a radio report that a Filipino girl had met the soldiers on the beaches and told them the Japanese had fled to the moun- tains. All day long men and supplies landed as the Army widened its beach-head but seemed in no hurry to push forward. Leyte was too large to be conquered by the usual slashing Marine attacks. The soldiers would first get all their equipment and troops ashore and then start methodically occupying the island in ac- cordance with normal infantry tactics. Late in the afternoon of A-Day enemy planes were reported approaching the area. As dusk settled over the gulf. the reports increased: Unidentified planes bearing 090. 30 miles: planes at 095, 25 miles: aircraft at ll0. l5 miles, closing. Enemy formations splitting up. keep a sharp look-out in all sectors. Suddenly anti-aircraft fire opened up on the starboard