Daly (DD 519) - Naval Cruise Book

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Her Adventures fcontinuedl , The next day,ithe DALY was sent to aid two ships-victims of kamikaze planes-near Ie Shima. She hadn't been there but a couple of hours before another ship was hit by two more of the suiciders. So, she proceeded to the stricken ship's aid immediately. In the late afternoon, we returned to the an- chorage area to transfer the wounded personnel from the stricken ship to an- other for further medical treatment. On the 26th, we pulled patrol duty on an anti-submarine station off Nakagusuku Wan, later renamed Buckner Bay. Enemy aircraft approached often, but none closed the DALY until the morning of the next day. Two Jap Vals approached from the east. They split, one maneuvered to crash the DALY but was shot down by her blazing guns 1,500 yards out on the starboard beam. The other plane disappeared into the cloud cover and then dived at another ship, crashing into her on the starboard side, causing serious damage and fire. The DALY escorted her into Nakagusuku Wan and then returned to patrol the station. D The 3rd of June, the 5l9 joined the small task unit which supported the assault and occupation of Iheya Shima, another of the small islands in the Ryuku group. After the initial bombardment, the troops landed successfully and took over control of the island. After securing the objective, the small force returned to the anchorage area in the late evening of the Sth, to await further orders. The next assignment for the DALY was the assault and occupation of Aguni Shima, of the Ryuku group. This was accomplished according to plan on the 9th of J une, and the DALY was returned to port for the next assignment. Night Firing Okinawa

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Her Adventures fcontinuedj n A , kills and 12 more probables. During the late afternoon, a large group of enemy planes dropped from the clouds in a suicidal attack on the formation. Our portside. guns and main battery splashed two. A minute later, the starboard bat- tery splashed another. The fourth, attacking from starboard, burst into flames, lost its wing and crashed with a large bomb which exploded 25 yards off the port side. This plane hada heavy bomb, and, when the J ap hit thewater, death and destruction hit the 665197 The shrapnel tore and ripped the ship and wounded many of her crew., Immediately following this, the fifth plane came in from astern, but .was asplashedn by the fantail gun at some distance. Five minutes of furious action-one plane a minutetshot down-and three men killed and many wounded. The DALY was injured and forced to retire after she was relieved, by another destroyer. The other ship, in. company with the DALY during the ,quick and costly attack, scored one splash and took a suicider into her bow. fThis ship was later sunk by suicide planes, near the end Mo-f the Okinawa campaignlf The two destroyers made their way back to the 'base under their own power. During the entire trip the sky was lit by tracers, but the Nips left the 519 alone. . .. After transferring her dead for burial, and her seriously wounded for further treatment, the 519 proceeded to the, repair base. A The repairs to the DALY were done efficiently and quickly by members of her crew and of the crew from the repair ship. The two units worked as one, against time, making sure the job was done right, for there was more fight- ing to be done. Many times during those nine days enemy planes approached the area, and work was halted only long enough to man the battle-stations until the fall clear was sounded. . On the 12th of May, the 519 cast off .her mooring lines and reported for duty, again ready for whatever might come. First to hit the DALY was an ava- lanche of mail. Sixty-four bags of mail means plenty for all and enough to keep everyone busy. The second day, the mailmen was still sorting the mail. Where morale had been good before, it now rose to a new high. This was what the crew had been looking for - from those at home. V On the 16th of May, we got under way from our anchorage to proceed to an anti-sub patrol station southeast of Okinawa. Q . , Steaming Out to Radar Picket Duty Fifty seven

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. Her Adventures fcontznuedl 1 Uur next duty found us as a unit in the screen of an escort-carrier force which was sending aerial strikes against Sakashima. These two weeks were a form of rest for all hands from the grueling schedule of the previous 71 days, although there were many times when 'GG-Q was sounded. Captain Bradley made it known to the crew on the 25th that we were headed back to Leyte Gulf. There was a feeling of loss and of sorrow in leaving behind our honored dead, to rest forever in the area of their heroic struggle. They were gone, but they would never be forgotten. The days between 27 ,I une and 12 July were spent at anchor in San Pedro Bay, Leyte Gulf, Philippine Islands. There was recreation for all. Each day, a small group would go to the beach, where they could have a beer or so, stretch their legs a bit, play ball or just sit around and trade a few souvenirs with the natives. Movies each night topside-rain or no rain. It was a rest that untangled the high-strung nerves of all. . In the early morning of 13 July, the DALY steamed out of Leyte Gulf en route to Buckner Bay, Okinawa, as a part of Task Force 95, under Rear Admiral F. S. Low, in company with cruisers and other destroyers. After fueling in Buckner Bay on the 16th, the force set the course for the East China Sea, for an anti-shipping sweep of the China coastal area. To avoid an approaching typhoon, the force changed course on the 17th and rc- tired fro-m the East China Sea. On the 20th, with the typhoon reported as hav- ing passed to the northward, the course was again ,set for our anti-shipping sweep of the East China Sea. Several small craft were encountered, but inves- tigation showed them to be Chinese. By the evening of the 24th, the force had returned and was anchored in Buckner Bay. Fifty nzne