Dashiell (DD 659) - Naval Cruise Book

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In the face of all these odds, personnel performance aboard the DASH- IELL was of the highest quality. Landings at Mindoro were successfully carried out on 15 December. The only further naval casualties suffered were 2 LST's that were crashed by Kamikazes. After six days during which the crew ate and spent much of their time at their stations the DASHIELL stood into San Pedro Bay the morning of the 18th. That afternoon the Admiral transferred his staff to a command ship after expressing his deep appreciation for the DASHlELL's services and performance of duty. Each time the u659 dropped anchor off Leyte, her fantail became a gathering point for native sailboats and dugout canoes of every size and type. Soon the strange sight of diminutive Filipinos in their ragged shorts and broad-brimmed straw hats padding around barefoot among the crew became a familiar one. The wares they offered were legion, al- most as much as tl1e articles which DASHIELL men produced for ex- change. Abacuses were traded for shirts, coolie hats for trousers, Jap- anese invasion currency for cigarettes, baskets for candy, souvenirs left by the recent impostors for mattresses, and so it went. Finally an order had to be issued to keep any more clothing from going over the side. Pre- vention of flashhurn, to say nothing of the demands of decency, made such a ruling mandatory. I Many of the natives were educated and intelligent and told in fluent English of the Japanese atrocities. Such stories were far more precious than souvenirs and were rewarded by countless gifts and favors for which no further recompense was asked. They also detracted significance from reports about other Filipinos who reputedly stole through the lines and delivered the fruits of their dayls barter into enemy hands. The most eager reception was reserved for the attractive Filipino girls who flashed their white teeth in smiles from boats alongside and regaled their enchanted audience with tuneful melodies. But there was a grimmer aspect to these Leyte sojourns. Even at anchor the ship kept an underway watch on stations, and usually the crew was sent to general quarters several times a day for the enemy planes that tried to sneak in unobserved, singly or in two's and three's, over the hills of Leyte and Samar. At dusk on 20 December the DASHIELL received its only casual- ties of the Philippines campaign. A Japanese bomber came in low over the anchorage and appeared to make a strafing attack on the DASHIELL Q22 0 i

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-4 '5 ships to Manus Island. This mission completed, the 3659 proceeded singly to Humbolt Bay, arriving on 24 November. The ship remained in Humbolt undergoing routine repairs for 9' days except for one sortie she made to investigate, without results, a sound contact outside the harbor. At noon on 3 December the ship stood out with another task unit bound for Leyte. The night of 4-5 December was spent anchored of Biak Island, Dutch New Guinea, following which the convoy proceeded to San Pedro Bay, arriving the morning of the 9th. . For 3 days the ship remained at Leyte. Then on the afternoon of the 12th she sortied with an amphibious attack group for the most strenuous operation she had yet been assigned to. This group, in company with a close covering group of cruisers and supported by aircraft from CVE's and land bases, was to consolidate further our hold on the Central Phil- ippines in preparation for subsequent invasions of Luzon and other Islands. In order to provide new bases for uninterrupted naval and air operations the forces were to seize the San Jose and adjacent areas of Min- doro Island. The primary difficulty to be met by the task group was the fact that the route, which was through the Mindanao and Sulu Seas, was at all points within a short distance of mountainous land areas and exposed the naval units to the continual danger of sudden attack by enemy aircraft. The first morning out general quarters was sounded for Japanese aircraft in the vicinity, and at 1500 a single engine plane, materializing it seems from nowhere, crashed suicidally into the port side of the flag- ship U. S. S. NASHVILLE. Almost simultaneously the DASHIELL op- ened fire on the enemy plane coming in from starboard and obtained a direct hit on the tail, causing it to retire northward. On the Nashville communications were disrupted and casualties were heavy. A new Hag- ship was required, and for this important task the U. S. S. DASHIELL was chosen. At 1645 she went alongside the crippled ship to effect the transfer of Rear Admiral A. W. Struble, the task group commander, Brig. Gen. W. E. Dunkel, commander of the landing force, and their staffs. The difficulties that faced the ship's company in accomodating fifty ex- tra oiiicers and war correspondents under battle conditions, at the same time providing facilities for direction and coordination of the invasion, were manifold. Throughout the operation until the return to Leyte the formation was under constant threat of air attack. It was only because of accurate U. S. air strikes that the attacks were broken and sporadic.

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and nearby vessels. As a result of direct hits from the main and second- ary batteries of the 4'659 , the plane crashed in the water. During the action six of the ship's company received shrapnel wounds, in recogni- tion for which they were later awarded Purple Hearts, and one of the searchlights was damaged. Two of the injured men were transferred next day for further hospitalization. It is believed that the casualties resulted from the firing of other ships in the harbor rather than from the plane's strafing attack. ' The ship's length of time in the combat areas was by now showing itself in numerous minor material casualties. On Christmas Eve the DASHIELL got underway again for Humbolt Bay, where she was to receive tender availability for routine repair and maintenance work. She had three days at Hollandia, and on the morning of,31 December was underway for another important operation. The second morning out, leaders of the ship's war bond drive were given prizes for their re- markable record in achieving 96.178 participation and an average in- vestment per man of over 353900. On the morning of 2 January 1945 rendezvous was effected with Task Group 78.5. Ships of this group were to land troops in the San Fabian area of Lingaycn Gulf on Luzon. This attack force, together with the Lingayen attack force and the reinforcement group, made up the Luzon Attack Force under the command of Vice Admiral Kinkaid. The operation was to be the initial and largest of a series which would re- sult in the seizure of the Central Luzon area, denial to the enemy of the northern entrances to the South China Sea, and provision of bases for support of further operations. This immediate goal was to establish bases by which a line of seaborne communications through the central Philippines could be maintained and from which the overland drive to Manila could be initiated. The route taken by the DASHIELUS task group was the now famil- iar one through the Mindanao Sea and up past Mindoro. Forewarned by past experience, the ship's company was ever on the alert for enemy attack. On the night of 7 January, when the ships were oif Manila Bay, starshells were seen to starboard in the vicinity of friendly picket des- troyers. As the DASHIELL stood by to proceed to the scene of action, 2 heavy explosions were observed, and word was received that a Japan- ese destroyer had been sunk. During this period there were numerous alerts for hostile planes in the area, and on the morning of the 8th, despite all precautions, a