Dashiell (DD 659) - Naval Cruise Book

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procedure by virtue of their participation in the Iwo Jima campaign. This was a double advantage which the DASHIELL could overcome only by hard work. The scope of the forthcoming operation was impressive. Com- mencing with the invasion of Okinawa on 1 April, numerous enemy-held islands in the Nansei Shoto were to be seized during the summer. From these new bases not only would Japan's communication with the vast body of her empire be severed, but attacks upon the enemy homeland it- self could be initiated. The DASHIELL was assigned to a group of Vice Admiral Mitscher's renowned Task Force 58. Prior to D-Day this force was to launch fast carrier strikes on Japan proper and then on Okinawa. Subsequently it was to remain in a covering position east of the island chain to furnish further strikes and air support as needed. The enemy seemed to get wind of what was in store, for on 11 March a Japanese aircraft hit one of the carriers in the anchorage. It was a solitary incident, however, and on the morning of 14 March the DASH- IELL sortied with her task group as scheduled. The first three days were mildly bewildering. It was hard enough getting used to the new formations and task organization. But in addi- tion there were gunncry practices all day and tactical exercises all night. On top of that came the discovery that in carrier groups a destroyer is frequently regarded as a glorified bcllhop which rather than be allowed to stay on station more than Hve minutes at a time, should he summoned to pass mail, freight, or passengers among the big ships. It was an out- fit, though, with which one was proud to be. On the 16th the first rendezvous with the fueling group was held. These were the efficient tankers and provisions ships through whose efforts it was possible for striking forces to remain at sea for weeks and even months at a time. The run in to Japan proper commenced on 17 March. The DASH- IELL was assigned to a scouting line stationed thirty-five miles ahead of the force. During that night the enemy planes began to look the situa- tion over. Apparently they came to the justifiable conclusion that these were not Japanese fishing boats, for at 0537 next morning a torpedo plane swooped out of a cloud a mile on the DASHIELJIS port quarter. As the ship maneuvered radically, lookouts reported something dropped from the plane. A minute later a loud explosion in the wake a hundred yards astern indicated that the visitor had not been scattering leaflets. f N 9 'lf and

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'N company, the ship got underway with the battleships and other destroy- ers for San Pedro Bay. When she left, the DASHIELL was the only ship that had stayed in the Gulf since the invasion. The crew was fatigued from the long hours spent at battle stations and weary of the diet of canned meat and rice to which the dwindling food supply limited them. The return trip was uneventful. Then on arrival at Leyte the DASH- IELL received orders to proceed with the U. S. S. Pennsylvania and the U. S. S. Stevens to Manus Island. The task unit left Leyte the day it arrived, 13 February, and reached Manus the 18th. Throughout the journey rumors had been rife about a possible return to the States. At Manus they were proved to he without foundation, but the ample rec- reation facilities which the hig naval base furnished gave all hands a chance to relax and calm their war nerves. The ship, too, profited hy her overhaul availability. r But there was little rest for the weary. On the afternoon of the 24th the DASHIELL got underway with at convoy of two merchantmen and a tug, bound for a port hitherto unvisitcd hy her: Ulithi in the Caroline Islands. Landfall was made the morning of 28 F ehruary, and on arrival in the anchorage the ship reported for duty to Commander Fifth Fleet. 744: Quake Smead During the first two weeks in March the DASHIELL remained an- chored at Ulithi. The repairs necessitated by her arduous months in the Southwest Pacific were completed, and all hands got the chance to con- sume ample quantities of beer and swim in the waters of the lagoon. It was a period, however, not merely of relaxation and overhaul but of intense preparation for things to come. The u659 was no longer to operate with the slow moving amphibious units and small escort craft which were dwarfed by a 2100 ton destroyer She was now assigned to a fast car r1er group comprised of elegant cruisers, hattleships, and carriers Any one of these groups was two or three times as powerful as the whole force which the DASHIELL had accompanied on her first Pacific raids The array of plans and operation orders that descended upon the ship con tained much that had to be reviewed and much to be learned F, Because of her trip to Bremerton the DASHIELL had remained ln the forward area 157111.16 the rest of her squadron had returned to the States durmg the winter She now reyoined them at Ul1th1 Fresh from their ov erhauls her sister vessels were already familiar with F zfth Fleet bu LI

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Before gunfire could bring him down, the plane passed low over the ship and disappeared into another cloud. It is believed that another picket later accounted for him. Throughout the day other planes were in the vicinity, but thanks to the combat air patrol none closed the ship. On the 19th the picket line commander felt particularly neighborly, and DASHIELL men were somewhat astonished to discover that their ship had nosed up so far that the peaks of Shikoku were clearly visible in the morning mists only twenty miles distant. Sighs of relief on rejoining the task group next day were cut short, however, for throughout the afternoon and much of the night ships of the formation were firing on enemy planes. One aircraft damaged a destroyer, but many others were shot down, one of them claimed jointly by the DASHIELL and two ships of her squadron. On 24 March the DASHIELL was one of the accompanying des- troyers with Battlcship Squadron Two during the bombardment runs conducted off the southern tip of Okinawa. This was an exception to the usual run of her assignments, which for the most part included night picket, patrol line, screening duty, gunnery practices, refueling and re- provisioning ship, and messenger service for the big ships. Though each day was a full and busy one, only the outstanding occurrences need here be mentioned. i At noon on 3 April a fighter pilot was forced to land his plane in the water just ahead of the task group. He successfully climbed out be- fore it sank and the DASHIELL proceeded to his rescue, her swimmers bringing him aboard. The Hier had swallowed more than his share of the Pacific but was otherwise safe and sound. Only four hours later an- other pilot was forced to hail out five miles ahead of the ship. This one was far less fortunate, for when the DASHIELL and another destroyer arrived on the scene no trace of him could be found. On 6 April the DASHIELL was on picket north of the task force with two ships of her squadron. Throughout the morning the combat air patrol had been shooting down planes like so many ducks. But in the early afternoon three Zekes Hnally got through with the intent of go- ing to Heaven via Destroyer Division 50. DesDiv 50 sent them elsewhere. The first headed for the U. S. S. Harrison. Gunfire from the DASH- IELL and Harrison brought him close aboard the latter's stern. The second followed similar tactics and suffered a similar fate. The third seemed to like the number '4659 and came barrelling in on the ship from