Curtiss (AV 4) - Naval Cruise Book

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THE FATEFUL SUNDAY-7 DECEMBER 1941 Map showing the disposition o( the fleet at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1 941 .

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puns numbers 3, 9, and 1 1 and main guns 2 and 3. At 0840 the submarine broke surface in a dam- aeed condition and was immediately bit by fire from the ship ' s 5 and 50 caliber machine ijuns. At 0842 the CURTISS ceased fire on the submar- ine when the USS MONAHAN steamed along- side the sub dropping two depth charges. The submarine while sinking fired a torpedo up the center of Pearl Citv Channel. At 08.53. Cl ' RTISS ' s anti-aircraft guns opened fire on a number of enemy planes. At 0905. a Jap dive bomber was hit while making a diving pass at the ship ' s starboard beam. The aircraft burst into names, and crashed into number I crane where it burned completely. The blast and heat etlect put the ship ' s number 3 gun out of action temporarily. It also set fire to the boats on the starboard side aft. .Another enemy plane came in low over the bow of the CURTISS at 0908. passmg from star- board to port. This plane was hit by the 50 caliber machine guns forward and by number ! (5 ) gun. It crashed immediately. At 0912. an enemy plane made a steep diving attack on the ship ' s starboard beam, letting go a bomb. The bomb hit in the vicinity of number 1 crane and expkuied below decks. The attacking plane was hit and crashed about 1.000 yards on the port beam. The bomb hit: set the hanger, main deck aft, and number 4 handling room on fire. This fire put number 4 gun out of action. At this time all preparations were made for abandoning ship or fi r running aground. At 0925, three planes attacked from ahead. They dropped one bomb close aboard to star- board and two under the stern. None of these bombs caused any apparent damage. The after engine room was reported out of action at 0927 due to smoke and a ruptured steam line. All fires were r eported under control by the First Lieutenant at 0936. However, all fires were not extinguished until 1430. At 1900, half the gun crews and lookouts were on watch with the remainder sleeping on their stations. One hour later, six aircraft from the USS F.NTr.RPRlSF were reported approaching Pearl Harbor from the south. As the planes were sighted at 2108. anti-aircraft batteries commenced firing on them until 2112. at which time they were identified as friendly. That cveninu. after the holocaust of 7 Decem- ber. 1941. the CL ' RTISS counted forty (40) dead blue jackets in her ship ' s company. .After making emergency repairs, the CURTISS sailed for San Dieuo. California where she arrived on 4 January 1942. Here the immediate need for added anti-air- craft batteries made it necessary to replace the damaged number 1 crane with 20 MM batteries. After ' this was done the Cl ' RTISS departed San Diciio on 8 Januarv l ' ) 42. for Pearl Harbor. She arrived there on 1 3 January with the scars of December 7th still showine. Upon arrival at Pearl Harbor the USS CUR- TISS was assigned the task of ferrying men and supplies to forward bases in the Central Pacific. Her first voyage with this duty took her southward to the Christmas Islands and Pago Pago. Samoa, arriving at the latter on 1 2 February. She then steamed for Suva in the Fiji Islands, arrivinc there 18 February 1942. The CURTISS then set s ail for Noumea. New Caledonia on the 19th. She re- mained at Noumea until 7 March, after which she sailed for Pearl Harbor, arrivinc there the 1 9th of March 1942. On 26 April 1942. CDR M. E. BROWDER, USN, relieved CDR H S. KENDALL, USN, as Commandine Ofiicer. The CURTISS departed Pearl Harbor enroute to Noumea. New Caledonia on 2 June 1942. She made stops at Paeo Pa eo on 9 June, at Nukualofa Harbor. Tonga Islands on 12-13 June, and ar- rived at Noumea on 16 June 1942. She remained in Noumea until 4 .August 1942. During her stav there. Commander Naval .Air. South Pacific, had his flat; aboard. On 4 August 1942. CURTISS steamed to Fspiritu Santo in the New Hebrides, arriving there the same day In the months that followed. CL ' R- TISS not only served as a seaplane tender and fiauship, but also served as a repair and supply ship for destroyers and small craft engaged in the battle of Guadalcanal during the Solomon Islands Campaign. Diirinsz her stav at Espiritu Santo. CAPT W. P. COGSWELL. USN, relieved CAPT M. E. MROWDER. USN. as Commandinc Oflicer. On 4 July 1943. the U ' SS CUIRTISS weighed anchor and sailed for San Francisco for overhaul and repairs. She stopped at Nanda. Fiji Islands and Funafuti in th e Fllice Islands while enroute. On 15 October 1943. CAPT S. F. PECK, USN. relieved CAPT W. P. COGSWELL, USN. as Commanding Officer. The CURTISS sailed for Pearl Harbor on 17 October 1943 In November of that vear. V.ADM J. H. HOOVER. USN. Commander ' Air. Central Pacific, chose the CURTISS as his flagship with Funafuti as the base of operations. The rapid advance of the .American f-drces in the Central Pacific in 1944. kept the CIRTISS continually shifting bases. She shifted to Tarawaw, Kwajalein, and I-niwetok in that order. After the American Forces captured Saipan the CURTISS made that island her base of operations until December 1944. Then she moved to Guam. The invasion of the Ryukyu Islands found the CL ' RTISS enroute to Keramo Retlo Islands. .She arri ed there on 22 Mav 1945. On 21 June 1945. CAPT H. C. DOAN. USN, relieved CAPT S. E. PECK, USN. as Command- ine OtTicer.

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J Late on the day of 21 June 1945, the CURTISS was struck by a Kamikaze and its 1,000 lb. bomb. The delayed-action bomb passed through the deck of the ship and exploded in the heart of the CURTISS above a bomb stowage magazine which miraculously failed to detonate. The suicide plane struck the ship on the starboard side amidships at an estimated speed of 400 mph. The engine, part of the tail assembly, and the heavy bomb ripped through the skin of the ship, opening two gaping holes and exploding on the number 3 deck. The terrific explosion wiped out the sick-bay spaces, together with the warrant officers ' messroom, sev- eral staterooms, officer ' s galley, pantry and library. In the inferno thirty-five (35) men died and twenty-one (21 ) were wounded. Choking smoke gushed from the damaged area and flames licked through four decks above the point of the explosion. Fire mains and sprinkler systems in the blasted area were ruptured and the fire-fighting crews had to bring emergency extin- guishing equipment into use. CURTISS ' executive officer took prompt ac- tion and organized and directed all fire-fighting and damage control parties. All fires were out of con- trol and there was imminent danger of flames reaching the bomb stowage magazine, the upper ammunition handling rooms and adjacent maga- zines. It soon became apparent that a great volume of water would be needed to bring the fires under control. Two salvage vessels and two ocean tugs came alongside to assist. They were the USS SHACKLE, USS CHICKASAW, USS ARA 73, and USS ATA 124. These small ships, under grave danger from threatened explosions in the CURTISS ' maga- zines, remained alongside for more than an hour pumping heavy streams of water into the burning compartments. USS SHACKLE sent a combat fire team aboard to cut their way with torches into a compartment in which an uncontrolled danger- ous fire was burning. When the fires were under control, the ship ' s force, with little rest, turned to in order to clear away the debris and pump out the flodded com- partments and magazines. A service force repair crew then came aboard and welded a boilerplate patch on the five by eight foot gash in the ship ' s hull. That same day the CURTISS was ready to sail. Four days later the ship departed for Saipan for additional repairs. From Saipan, she sailed to Guam and in mid-July continued on to Pearl Har- bor. The end of that month the CURTISS was enroute to San Francisco leaving the Second World War to history. Her last war wounds were repaired at Mare Island, Navy Yard. In November 1945, with the termination of World War II, the CURTISS rejoined the Fleet in the Western Pacific. For her role on the Asiatic- Pacific Theatre of this conflict, the USS CURTISS (A ' V-4) earned seven battle stars for participating in the following operations: Pearl Harbor and Midway — 7 December 1941 Guadalcanal and Tulagi Landings — 7 to 9 August 1942 Capture and Defense of Guadalcanal — 10 Aucust 1942 through 8 February 1943 Santa Cruz Islands — 2 6 October 1942 Consolidation of the Solomon Islands — 8 February 1943 through 9 June 1943 Gilbert Islands Operation — 1 3 November 1943 through 8 December 1943 Assault and Occupation of Okinawa — 22 May 1945 through 25 June 1945 From 20 December 1945 through 8 March 1947, the CURTISS served in the Western Pacific under the operational control of the Commander Seventh Fleet. During this period she engaged in a number of Fleet exercises, operated with patrol squadrons in the Formosa Strait, ferried men and supplies to outlying bases, and made several visits to Tsingtao on the China Mainland. Durins this tour of duty on the Western Pacific in July 1946, CDR T. CUNNINGHAM, USN, relieved CAPT H. C. DO AN, USN. as Command- ing Officer. He in turn was relieved in July 1947 by CAPT H. R. NIEMAN, Jr.. USN. In April 1947, the CURTISS returned to Sai Diego, its home port. During the subsequent two years she operated off the California Coast parti- cipating in a number of fleet and training exer- cises. October 1947, found the CURTISS in the ship- yard at San Francisco. While there, all single 20MM anti-aircraft guns and mounts were re- placed by six 20MM twin batteries. In addition, the ship underwent modifications and ship altera- tions specified by CJTF 7, as recommended by the Atomic Energy Commission. Many spaces, deck fixtures and fittings were configurated for stowage of scientific equipage. In July 1948, CAPT E. J. DREW, USN, re- lieved CAPT H. R. NIEMAN, Jr.. USN. as Com- manding Officer. The winter of 1949 found the CURTISS en route to Alaskan Water as a unit of the First Fleet, in company with the USS BOXER (CVA 21), USS DULUTH (CL 87) and a number of de- stroyers and amphibious craft. CURTISS was the flagship for Commander, First Fleet. Anchor was let go at Kodiak on 1 1 February 1949. After three weeks participation in amphibious cold weather operations, undertaken in order to evaluate cold weather equipment, the CURTISS returned to San Diego. During the summer of 1949, the CURTISS again became flagship for the Commander, First Fleet, during which time it maneuvered with an Amphibious Task Force in Exercise MICKEY. This exercise was a joint Army-Navy operation. The scope of the e.xercise included a firing demon-