Dashiell (DD 659) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 38 text:

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

Page 37 text:

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

Page 39 text:

the starboard. Withering AA fire caused him to disintegrate like an aspirin in water. Passing low over number two stack, the third Kami- kaze crashed into the sea twenty yards on the port beam. The 7th was another picket day, but thanks again to the CAP the DASHIELL'S gunners had no business. During the morning a friendly fighter was seen to hit the water, but when the ship reached the oil slick only a life raft kit was found. Such incidents were particularly disheart- ening for DASHIELL men, for they knew better than any that they owed their lives to American pilots. 14 April was one of those days that should happen only in movies. The DASHIELL was on picket northeast of the task force with her own and another division. At 1312 all stations were alerted for a large scale attack. At 1348 the DASHIELL took under fire an enemy dive bomber but had to break off due to the proximity of friendly ships and planes. The enemy dropped a bomb near the U. S. S. McKee and crossed the formation to crash fwithout badly damagingj the U. S. S. Hunt. At 1355 a Zeke closed from the north, banked sharply, and crashed into the stern of the U. S. S. Sigsbee, the flagship of DesDiv 50. The result- ing explosion sent a column of smoke and debris 150 feet into the air. At 1400 the DASHIELL fired on an enemy plane to port, causing him to retire. Two minutes later a Zeke came in strafing the ship from starboard. After bridge gave full right rudder and emergency ahead, the plane crossed the forecastle at director level and the port guns took a crack at him. Just before crashing in the water ten yards to port the Zeke released a 500-lb bomb. The near miss caused the ship various material casualties. A minute later a dive bomber came in from starboard. The intense fire that he met caused him to bank and present an even better target. The fatal damage he received prevented his get-away, and he crashed six miles from the formation. At 1406 fire was resumed on another Japanese plane, which broke off its attack only to be splashed by fighters. Meanwhile two more were coming in from starboard. Both were duly disposed of, one off the bow and one off the quarter, and showered the ship liberally with oil and pieces of engine, fuselage, and pilot. Even before the smoke of battle had lifted all hands were busy collecting souvenirs which had material- ized in such abundance. With the attack over, attention was focused on the crippled Sigsbee. The DASHIELL took her in tow, but was relieved by the light cruiser PN 6 f