Dashiell (DD 659) - Naval Cruise Book

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1? fm. Q1 iv. n 1 VS . X... .. Q ii:.1-f .I vs .. -. .- -ape -vs., H. . M 5554 ' M1 193 ,-+1 M fs: ' At 0840 on 14 August the DASHIELL was underway again with two other destroyers and six transports, bound north for the Solomons. 48 hours later the escorts were detached oH Guadalcanal and proceeded to Purvis Bay. On the morning of 17 August the DASHIELL stood out of Purvis, headed this time for Humboldt Bay, Dutch New Guinea, in company with the U. S. S. Stevens. Hollandia, in whose occupation the 659 had participated only four months before, was now firmly estab- lished as an American supply base, and already other New Guinea bases to the westward had been wrested from the Japanese. The two destroyers reached Humboldt at 0730 on the 21st, the DASHIELL reporting for duty to the Commander Seventh Amphibious Force. Hollandia had been transformed since April. Men who went ashore saw scenes comparable to pioneer days in America. Everywhere the un- tiring C. B.'s and Army Engineers were working miracles in the midst of a primeval forest. A rough pathway leading inland through hills and wilderness to the airstrip had taken the Japanese many hours to travel. This was now a two-lane thoroughfare, as busy as any highway at home, over which the trip could be made in less than an hour. DASHIELL men who traveled it were amazed at the buildings and camps sprung up from' nowhere that housed tens of thousands of troops. Stories of the occupation were legion: - - of the starved enemy who sneaked out of the woods into our chow lines, of the American troops who subsisted on K rations and Japanese cigarettes, of the Japanese who waited to see the end of an American movie from his place of concealment before giving himself up. Souvenir hunting reached its zenith. The DASHIELL's crew had to comb already well searched areas or buy at substantial prices from C. B.'s and soldiers. However they managed to bring back to the ship Japanese cigarettes, uniforms, flags, post cards, airplane parts, pay records, candy, and invasion currency as well as native spears and boat models. The DASHIELL was at anchor till noon of the 27th, when she pro- ceeded to Alexishafen, British New Guinea, to pick up an LST that she escorted to Manus Island. At Manus she took on fuel and supplies and was underway at 1630 on 30 August. Enroute back to Humbolt she suc- cessfully conducted a full power run and arrived on the 31st. During the next two weeks the ship made three sorties from Humbolt Bay for training purposes. At 1630 on 13 September the DASHIELL got underway for her r'- 6 f ig? . 1 ' g ' F954 ii-Y stew' V 1 ug. 1 111't.f. . f , -:if ,

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At 0955 she ceased fire and our troops started their push five minutes lat- er, eventually taking possession of the whole peninsula and its valuable airstrip. The ship fired on pillboxes and other targets throughout the day, joining the transport screen at sunset. The crew did not have a long respite from general quarters, for at 0345 on 25 July a sound contact was made that was soon evaluated as a submarine. At 0420 a full pattern attack was made, followed by three reattacks. After the last charges went off an underwater explosion was heard, with traces of oil and debris appearing on the surface. Contact was not regained, and the area was turned over to another ship of the screen when at 0730 the DASHIELL was ordered back to her fire support area. Owing to the successful advance of our troops call fire was not required that day, and at sunset the ship resumed her patrol duties. After fueling next morning she rendezvoused with a task unit of transports and escorts bound for Eniwetok. On 30 July the unit entered Eniwetok lagoon. S 77czcd,4dc0 cmd -4 1 The DASHIELL remained only a day at Eniwetok, getting underway the 31st to leave the Marshalls and the Central Pacific in company with trans- ports and other escorts. On 3 August Neptunus Rex put in his third ap- pearance aboard the DASHIELL to initiate another consignment of polly- wogs to the mysteries of his aquatic realm. The unit put into port at Esp- iritu Santo on the afternoon of 6 August, the 6659,, receiving tender availability. Espiritu was more commodious than most of the bases encountered. The pre-war sight of a large plantation, its ordered rows of palms were pleasing to the eye. There were adequate recreation facilities for naval personnel in addition to the Red Cross units established for servicemen. Overlooking Segond Channel was a small, neatly kept French missionary settlement whose peaceful environs afforded momentary escape from the turnult of military life. On two nights during the DASHIELUS stay there was the added attraction of a Bob Hope show. Oblivious to the ele- ments, thousands of sailors, soldiers, and marines stood in the rain and deep mud to hear the comedian and gape at the appealingly dressed girls who accompanied him. For DASHIELL men it was welcome reassurance that somewhere female beauty still thrived. 4, :A Y. 5 4 5' -I 4' 1, ii 'V diff ,. , sa, ,- , g, ...Hits- 4, 5,1 if V v , Hifi its ,gt f ..:.e 'fQ:, 1.f , a fiuf' X ff V ,gif ,,,.v,. V - . T11 7 -2 42 11:5-'mfs g ' M' iw: '

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first operation against the enemy since returning to the Seventh Fleet. On the 15th ships of task force 77, which she operated with in April and to which she was now reassigned, were to land troops at two points on Morotai Island, just to the northeast of the strong apanese base at Hal- mahera. Seizure of the island, planned to occur simultaneously with land- ings at Palau, was for the purpose of establishing air and minor naval facilities to support further operations to the northward. The Morotai and Palau forces were to be supported by fast carrier groups of the Third Fleet. The Morotai attack force included two escort carrier units, two cruis- er units fone of them Australianfy , and two transport units, all with their escorting destroyers. The initial landings were to be followed by four reinforcement groups, of which the DASHIELL was assigned to the sec- ond. Enroute to Morotai the '659 was detached to pick up five LST's at Maffin Bay, Dutch New Guinea. The night before arrival the DASH- IELL went to general quarters for an unidentified aircraft that later left the afea without causing trouble. At 0600 on the 18th, with Morotai in sight, a Japanese dive bomber attacked the formation, dropping a bomb harmlessly 200 yards from an LST. It then escaped into the clouds, the DASHIELL witholding fire to avoid placing bursts over the formation. At 0715 the ships reached Pitoe Bay and the DASHIELL commenced patrolling while the LST's proceeded into the beach. At 1130 she took over picket duty off Halmahera, relinquishing it at sunset to patrol east,- ward of Morotai. Next morning she reassumed the picket station and re- turned to Pitoe in the afternoon. At 1815 the ship stood out with five other escorts and nine LST's, headed for Hollandia. Three unidentified planes flew over the formation at 1930 and were taken under fire by shore batteries on Morotai. The ships reached Humbolt the morning of 24 September. The 659,' replenished her provisions, stores, and ammunition, and was un- derway again for Morotai on the 26th. Enroute the DASHIELL was de- tached twice, once at Maifin Bay to pick up some liberty ships and later at Biak Island to bring two more LST's into the formation. In the early morning of 1 October the echelon reached Morotai. Throughout the day the DASHIELL screened the LST,s unloading on the beach and formed with the returning echelon at 1300. On the way back she stayed with a submarine contact the night of 3-4 October. No