Daly (DD 519) - Naval Cruise Book

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Y WWAH , , ....':f.,.........,.....-z.s.1,::..--.......2 ... .. , r. ,,, -1 .fsvevr-sau Her Adventures fcontmuedl I 9 Just before the DALY launched a half salvo of torpedoes at their mam body, two enemy torpedoes whlzzed by not more than 50 yards ahead The attack continued The ship was then 1n the most dangerous P081 tion It had ever before steamed mto our hearts were in throats but all were ready to carry through The torpedoes were fired on an enemy battleship, and many of the boys fortunate enough to have topslde battle stations saw three large exploslons as three of the five torpedoes the shlp had fired struck the enemy battleship This was just the beginning for the 519 ,A second attack was made with just the five lnch caliber guns hurling salvo after salvo into enemy ships First an enemy destroyer absorbed' our shells then the ship s blazing guns hurled salvo after salvo 1nto a Japanese heavy cruiser completely catching her by surprise Every salvo ripped up the steel decks exploded her magazines and caused her to burn furiously leaving her powerless in the water Then the 519 salled away from the crippled enemy ships that were burning and explod mg and sinking Our guns crippled an enemy heavy cruiser another large enemy warsh1p and an enemy destroyer Our torpedoes struck an enemy battleship leaving lt in such a condition that its escape was lmposslble and lt served as a sitting duck for our heavy umts ' It was later discovered that the battleship which the DALY had so sever ly damage with torpedoes was the Japanese battleship Yamasharo Little was made known to the public of the action of the 519 1n the Battle of Surigao Stra1t, although 1n Naval C1I'C.lCS the history of the ships performance of duty in the battle was known to be highly commendable. Most important of all, the Battle of Surigao Strait and our part in it shall always remain engraved in our memories. o 1 u Q C o Q s , . Q n n o o 9 9 n o p u u a . 1 Q I c o a u 0 a o . n a s u u 9 . s . 7 ' 9 o 0 n 9 Q o Q ' 9 n o 4 9 o Q Q Q o , u 4 , o Q 4 Q 9 9 1 0 ' 9 . . as . . Q . 54. Q 9 99 ' o Q o e Y n n Q . a Q . . a . Q 0 0 a 9 CAPTAIN R. G. VISSER RELIEVED On 29 October 1944, the Captain announced to the crew that they DALY was going to return to the United States .for an overhaul period on the West Coast. Cheers could be heard throughout the ship. Before setting sail for the States, Captain Visser relinquished his com- mand to Commander Richard Rumel Bradley, Jr., U. S. Navy. With a new skipper at the conn the DALY set her course for home. Back to the Golden Gate F zfty three

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F zfty two Her Adventures fcontinuedj D p A Change of Command, Enemy planes seemed to appear' in the area on schedule, just before sun set and sunrlse. We were always at our battle statlons, wa1t1ng to g1ve them a hot receptlon, and d1d so on many occaslons Our cool manner and expert marksmansh1p turned away many a plane that had our stacks 1n 1ts bombsight approachlng us for the k1ll. 1 - Durlng the period from 21 to 24 October, the 519 performed a number of fire support dutles, depart1ng from fire support areas to- Joln the covermg force at nlght in preparatlon for mterceptlon of ant1c1pated enemy surface at tacks ' On the nlght of 22 October the DALY encountered a small salling vessel and proceeded to lnvestlgate lt Wlth all guns tralned the shlp pulled alongslde and took aboard three of 1tS occupants Two of the occupants were F1l1p1no members of the U S Army, and the th1rd an Amerlcan naval officer, Enslgn I D Rlchardson fMaJor, U S underground forces ln the Ph1l1pp1nes s1nce the J ap attacked Cavlte 1n December 19415 He was orlglnally attached to a U S Navy motor torpedo boat squadron after sunset, on 24 October, the DALY relleved from her fire to ICJOIII the naval forces 1n Leyte Gulf Thls group proceeded entrance of Sur1gao Stralt to mtercept a strong Japanese surface approachlng the southern entrance to the stralt The enemy was estlmated to have three battleshlps, four heavy crulsers, four llght crulsers, and ten destroyers Motor torpedo boats kept the force 1n whlch the DALY was a un1t 1n formed as to the pos1t1on of the enemy steamlng onward to threaten the entlre operatlon at Leyte Shortly support dutles to the western force reported At 0248 the DALYS surface radar contacted the enemy force, and at 0321 the 519 1n company wlth two other destroyers of Desllon 24 commenced a hlgh speed torpedo attack on the heavy unlts of the enemy force The crew was eager to see what thelr destroyer could do agalnst the tremendous odds the sh1p was headmg 1nto The enemy attempted to lllumlnate the torpedo attack Undoubtely thelr b1 guns were tralned on the U S destroyers, the1r furlous attempts to destroy the feared destroyers proved poor I 7 ' 9 - n n o a ' s . . ' ' ' s o , . o

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V I N 1 1 1 . 1 1 1 1 s f S Z 3 s 1 Iwo Jima Smolders on Horizon V 4 After the Battle of .Surigao Strait, this certainly served as the best re- ward that could have been given. ' It was a long trip back to the States, and the crew put in long hours to get the ship ready for the overhaul period. The DALY steamed through the Golden Gate into San Francisco Bay on 29 November 1944 and, after having unloaded ammunition and having made the necessary preparations for entering the shipyard, proceeded to moor at the United Engineering Company, Alameda, Calif. The time from 30 November until the completion of the overhaul was a well-earned period of liberty and leave for the crew that for just short of 17 months fought an almost continuous battle against the Japanese. In the morning of 12 January 1945, the DALY once again threw off her moorings to get under way. She was a different ship--a new paint job, engines, guns and equipment overhauled, and with over half the crew new, green and inexperienced in the ways of the sea. After taking on ammunition and doing the many tasks necessary to make her ready for action again, she bid Frisco adieu on 17 January and arrived in San Diego the next afternoon. The next four days were spent in and -out of San Diego Harbor, in drills, practices, and exercises, all with a dual purpose, to test the ship and her equip- ment and to teach the newer men some of the ship's routines. ln the evenings, there was liberty, recreation and relaxation for the crew. Shortly after noon of 23 January 1945, the DALY sailed from San Diego, headed for her second phase of the war in the Pacific. En route to Pearl Har- bor, much of the time was taken up by exercises and battle practices with the other ships accompanying the DALY. This was a new experience for many of those aboard. It was their first time away from the friendly shores of the United States, their first uocean cruise , and, for many of them, it was a little too choppy. Letters were writ- ten to those left behind of the vast expanse, of the sunrise and of the sunset, and, finally, of how good the first landfall looked. A new land was before their eyes-the Hawaiian Islands. For others, the old salts from the firstcruise, it was a return to action after-a few days of restful playing and working in the States. They had seen V F ifty-four gi , 1 il A a