Daly (DD 519) - Naval Cruise Book

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I , I I I I4 u I I III Ig! .......4......A.........-... ---. ..... ..-...., II P. II II I Il! I? In I I E :I ,C I I I is I! 5 I I I I I I II z xr I ,gp II I I It E I Iii II 'I lx I I, is iv I: I. ., II II III 51, I I I MII -. -. -,.,... f ,-. ..- .... JT a n L-. 1. ....-L. I I Forty From New York, course was set for Cape Cod Canal and Massachusetts Bay. At Massachusetts Bay a rendezvous took place with other destroyers and the new Lexington, the aircraft carrier that was built to replace the older fight- ing Lex. i After a few exercises with the Lex, the ship pulled into Commonwealth Pier, Boston, and again liberty! e The ship left Boston, and course was set for Norfolk, Va. Here the Lex- ington had to go into dry dock for a number of days, and that suited the boys very well, the more liberty, the merrier. On 22 July 1943, the Lex was ready for sea, the DALY and accom- panying destroyers escorted her to the Panama Canal. Here the little force wasbroken up. The Lexington and the other destroyers went one way, the DALY the other, but not without giving the boys a taste of liberty in Colon and Balboa. There were many big heads the morning the ship departed from Balboa into the Pacific. By this time, scuttlebutt had been getting around concerning the tour of duty the ship was to serve in the Aleutian Islands. It all remained scuttle- butt until our departure from San Diego, the Captain broadcast over all cir- cuitsg uOur next port of call will be Adak, Aleutian Islands. This seemed to smell of action, fo-r only about one hour's flying time from Adak was the .I ap-held air base of Kiska. The anxious crew brought their destroyer into Kuluk Bay, Adak Island, Aleutian Islands, early in August 1943. The presence of large naval forces gathered there made it very obvious that the Japanese strong point of sKiska they had heard so much about was soon to be scratched from the list of .I ap held island bases. THE ASSAULT AND OCCUPATION OF KISKA As a unit of the United States Pacific Fleet fFirst Fleet and North Pacific Forcej the DALY was assigned to a reserve force of transports whose job was to reinforce our troops on Kiska after the initial landings. Everything ran smoothly and quietly until, just after midnight of 17 August, the general alarm was sounded and all hands leaped from their bunks and manned their battle stations. Everyone remained on his toes for an an- ticipated torpedo attack by enemy submarines. One of our destroyers suffer- ed from a violent underwater explosion. This event brought the first battle fear to the crew as they waited for information on the explosion. It was soon learned that it wasn't 'a torpedo that caused the explo-sion, but a mine. One of our ships had been seriously damaged. When the estimated number of casualties of this ship was announced there were many scared faces on board. Fighting .laps was one thing, but mines, underwater obstacles, was another. When the occupation of Kiska was completed, the ship started back to Adak for fuel, provisions, etc., for the remainder of the time in the Aleutians, the battle was against weather and mountainous seas. The ship experienced many rugged days and nights while on patrols from Adak as far as Attu. Storms in the Aleutians seemed to come from nowhere and at any time. Theswur of duty in the Aleutians lasted from August until November 1943. During this period, there were enjoyable trips as well as the unpleasant ones. The ship made a modified tour of the Aleutian Islands. lVIost of the crew had the opportunity to go ashore on Kiska. Then down to Dutch I-Iarbor, where liberty was granted, giving the'-boys the opportunity of visiting small Unalaska. For days everyone talked about the way they were robbed at a little souvenir shop at Unalaska and the brawl they had with members of the crew of one of the other ships in the squadron. From the latter part of September until our time of departure from the Aleutians, the DALY operated with a cruiser-destroyer task force of the Ninth Fleet. Nothing of importance happened during the long, tireso-me patrols. One night, while on patrol around,Attu Island, word was received that ten Jap- III ' If :I II I F - II . ' I ' 5 51, - . - I-I I I i' Yip-Hwnnrv An f . , Y

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