Dashiell (DD 659) - Naval Cruise Book

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,fa 4 5 f I si! -K l T I 1, xii, E lf El S, I fr 5' 1 1 . 5. if' 1? 4 li I us P gs, F 1 it j J I if , thx W ship. This could be accomplished only by vigorous training under sim- ulated battle conditions. The ship was usually underway for four or five day stretches demarcated by respites in Pearl Harbor. It was dur- ing this period that the DASHIELL's squadron assembled and operated asaunit. On 22 August the 659 shoved off for what was ostensibly' a rou- tine training exercise with the light cruiser Nashville. Interest in the mission was considerably heightened upon receipt of orders to rendez- vous with Task Force 15 at 0800 on 23 August. This force, comprised of three carriers, a battleship, two cruisers, two ships of the train, and destroyer squadron Twenty-five, was to proceed to the vicinity of Mar- cus Island with the intent of destroying enemy forces and installations, training for future operations, and nudging Japanese complacency by causing a carrier task force to pop up unexpectedly 1000 miles from Tokyo. I Early on 31 August the force arrived at the appointed position 150 miles from the objective, and at 0420 the first planes of the striking group were launched with orders to bomb and strafe aircraft, shipping, base facilities, and air installations. The DASHIELL with other des- troyers formed the screening group, whose task it was to oppose any hostile air, surface, or underwater attack. For most of the ship's com- pany this was the first meeting with the enemy, and not one of them failed to appreciate the possibilities. Individual plans for withdrawal in the event of casualty included objectives from nearby Marcus all the way to the Aleutians and south to the Solomons. Several expressed ap- prehension over intelligence received that prevailing winds and cur- rents tended toward Tokyo Bay. The operation was accomplished as scheduled and without mis- hap, all hands performing efficiently. Retirement was made in the evening, and the return to Pearl, where the ship arrived 7 September, was without incident except for a submarine contact which produced no results. The Marcus raid was for the DASHIELL and for the Japanese merely a foretaste of events to come, and the next event came soon. On 11 September the 659,, steamed forth again as part of a slightly recon- stituted Task Force 15. The destination was Tarawa, an atoll in the Gilberts that was to achieve conspicuous fame before the year was out. The DASHIELL detoured to Palmyra enroute to deliver secret mail and rejoined the formation in time to go to general quarters at 1400 on the I 'N , N , N A sg' ij. V , , '35 - 1 it L if -f, 1 9-if! .' ' H:.xT'fY'3xi, ,' ' 'i9F'f7'?s.. Y is , - 11. -1 , ' Q . -if f.. ' 'Mt-z., ' 151,43 R as Q u ' , f' 1' ., ,, ,,,,,.,,,,, ,

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A ing 3 July, this being her final pause in a United States port for some time to come. On the evening of 5 July ComDesRon 25 shifted his pen- nant to the U. S. S. Stevens, another member of the squadron, who was to remain on the Atlantic coast for a little while longer, and the next morning the DASHIELL set her course for the Caribbean Sea on her way to the Panama Canal in company with the new large carrier U. S. S. Yorktown, and two other escorts. This time the long-expected was at hand,f-the entrance into Pacific waters to come to grips with the Japs. ffwmzeecdef- aeegasmd?mz: Ewa At 1355 on 10 July 1943 the ponderous Mirafiores Locks swung open and the stem of the U. S. S. DASHIELL first cut the waters of the Pacific Ocean. The enthusiasm with which the DASHIELL's officers and men welcomed their two days of liberty in Panama, however, was not wholly motivated by the feeling that they might be the last for some time. The city's unique facilities for entertainment were a considerable factor. On 12 July the ship cast off and took a northwest course for the Hawaiian naval bastion which not long before had received such unex- pected and dramatic publicity. As she steamed for Pearl Harbor the DASHIELL presented a trim outline to passing craft. A 2100 ton des- troyer of the then newest and most powerful class, she carried five dual purpose 5 guns, two quintuple ltorpedomounts, numerous anti-aircraft guns, and a small multitude of hefty depth charges, -- a reassuring ad- dition to the fast expanding Pacific Fleet. On the morning of 24 July the massive and soon familiar silhouette of Diamond Head greeted the newcomer to the erstwhile vacationland of Oahu. Even from out at sea landmarks could be plainly distinguish- ed: the Moana, the Navy-operated Royal Hawaiian, Waikiki, and Hon- olulu itself. The DASHIELL dropped anchor in Pearl Harbor and soon the crew was acquainted with Waildldis narrow beach and razor-sharp coral, the nightly wartime curfew, unativew souvenirs made in California, and the woefully lopsided ratio of male to female. But from a plane or a ship at sea Oahu looks enchanting. There was limited time for reconnoitering Hawaii s possibilities. A great deal of the month following arrival at Pearl Harbor was devoted to exercises underway with carriers. It would not be very long before the first operation against the enemy, and much remained to be done in the way of acclimatization to the demanding routine of an active war- 5 E , 3.3 2 5 win 1 s iff . N ,' ywii. . . ' Q 1 'T

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17th. The view of the tactical situation, customary equatorial ceremon- ies were postponed on crossing the Line. ' The purpose of crippling enemy facilities on Taraw'a was to ease the pressure then being applied to our Ellice Island bases, and, as at Marcus, to provide training for future large scale operations. In the early morning of 18 September air strikes were launched to destroy air- craft and installations, buildings, fuel and munition dumps, docks, and ships. All Japanese planes seeking to counterattack were shot down or turned away by combat air patrols. In accordance to plan the force retired the same night, at 0800 the next morning the ship secured from general quarters. On the afternoon of the 22nd, during the trip back, King Neptune and his retinue made their belated appearance. While the monarch's henchmen were in the very act of drubbing posteriors of, administer- ing vile fluids to, and creating stylish coiffures for bewildered and be- smeared pollywogs, all hands were awakened with suddenness to the real- ity of their environment. Without warning a TBF from the U. S. S. Princeton made a crash landing in the water close aboard. The DASH- IELL stood by immediately to recover survivors, her entire crew dis- playing a grim attention to duty that gave startling contrast to the care- free antics of a few moments before. The plane's pilot and gunner were saved, but the radioman lost his life. Next day the ship put into Pearl Harbor. Back at Pearl there were more training exercises, and then on 29 September the 659 sorticd with Task Force 14, the largest force she had yet worked with. The objective was Wake Island, then an integral part of the Japanese perimeter defense. This operation was designed to influence enemy strategic dispositions by the appearance of a car- rier task force in the area. Japanese forces and installations were to be the target not only of air strikes but of surface bombardment units. Once again the DASHIELL was assigned to screen the carriers. The force arrived off Wake on 5 October, the first strike taking off at 0420 to hit aircraft, shipping, base facilities, and air installations. At 0700 the northern and southern bombardment groups proceeded on their mission. Enemy planes made their appearance in the afternoon but were intercepted by fighters long before they reached the force. The attack lasted for two days On the mormng of 6 October a fig ter plane from the U S S Cowpens flew close aboard the DASH u S 5 1 l s . l A, V 1 . h i 3 f V 1 A if u if ll 0 . 'X A p gh . . . . ff gg. ' - :F ' Pei pf-L V, Ja. jr-5 - ' . 5 vm if! fef 'rits J ' -. E I lfgflifl 451-,.,hl:'. ,flf ,i1 i'AQll - 939' 'ri . .-1 ft fl' J ii ', ..- il TY ' 'fi If . f 0 A it P - -at ' ,-.3311 rsh., is -Q , --,ff f , :H '27, , .31 ' ,