George Elliott (AP 105) - Naval Cruise Book

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Those drills, so important at the time, were destined to pay off in the form of Well Danes from Commodores on flagships that the Elliott travelled with later. On 3I January, I9-44, the Fighting Fox arrived in San Francisco for routine repairs. That was the last time the ship was to see her home port for I4 months. After leaving Port t-lueneme on 22 February, the last troop came aboard in a driving rain storm. There was a torrential dawn- pour during the three days the ship was at Hueneme, but native Californians assured us it was an unusual season . On I March the ship crossed the equator and the men who on the preceding trips were on the receiving end of Shellbock initiations promptly assumed new rolls on the giving end and initiated several new members who were enter- ing the realm of Neptunus Rex for the first time On that trip the Elliott visited such ports as I-lavonnah Harbor, Efate Island, Espiritu Santos, Guadalcanal, Russel Islands, Milne Bay, Buna, and Langemak, the three latter all in New Guinea. On I-I April the Elliott made a land fall at Seeadler Harbor, Manus Island, in the freshly invaded Admiralty group. An air alert on the I6th of April lasted six minutes, but no enemy planes were sighted. From Manus the ports of call were Green Island and Espiritu Santos, where, with the arrival of I4 Navy nurses for passage to Pearl l-larbor, everyone became a little more conscious of his language and choice expletives and common slanguage was discontinued. After stopping at Funafuti in the Ellice group, the Fighting Fox pulled into Pearl l-larbor for voyage repairs and was transferred to the Fifth Amphibious force. Everyone felt that something big was in the offing-and bull sessions found groups speculating as to where the Fighting Fox would turn up next. In due time that question was answered when D-Day at Saipan found the George F. Elliott in company with l.ll'.'l'7'. l'U.Illl1t'. H. L. HATCH l',.i'i r'nlii'r U,fji1'1'l' Attack Group One ITG 5'ZI 5l of Task Force 52. The route to Saipan was via Eniwetok. Air alerts and air attacks were common during the six-day stay at Saipan. Most members of ship's company were treated to their first view of dog fights at Saipan. lnvariably American pilots had the upper hand and the Nips came out second best. Until hospital ships arrived, the Fighting Fox proved her versatility when the adequate sick bay was used for emergency operations. 'Lieu- tenant l-loughton IMCI, U.S.N.R., and Lieuten- ant ljgl Lee IMCI, U.S.N., ably assisted by troop doctors and ship's company corpsmen, worked day and night in the Herculean task of administering aid to the wounded. After leaving Saipan the Fighting Fox Qrrived at Makin Atoll on 30 June and on the same date departed with the U.S.S. Middleton and escorts for Tarawa. On the first of July the ships left

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The Captain, of course, was displeased and, after a few choice expletives, is reported to have asked, lsn't there any one here who can do this properly? An eager officer, at that time a junior grade Lieutenant, stepped up to prove to the Captain that, in matters concerning military bearing, he was not lacking. l-lis order to the division was, Put your hats- Onl Since l wasn't aboard at the time l pass it on so that those who, like myself, have come aboard later might have an insight as to what those early days on the George Fi might or might not have been like. After conversion to a troopship the 49l-foot Fighting Fox could carry l lO cabin passengers and l,788 troop class passengers. , The name Fighting Fox was originally the nom-defplume of the first ill-fated George F. Elliott, sunk at Guadalcanal in August of l942. The Fox part of the name came from the Navy phonetical alphabet for the letter F , The first two trips found the Fighting Fox hauling troops from San Francisco, Port Hu- eneme and San Diego to Nouemea, New Cale- donia, Espiritu Santos and Guadalcanal. ln those days drills and more drills played a very important part in the ship's daily routine. Drills were conducted for telephone talkers, lookouts, damage control parties, fire and rescue parties. Firing practice, spotting drills and pointer and trainer drills were stressed. ln fact, seldom a day passed without at least one or more drills and men were wont to call the ship the Sea- going Annapolis and Captain Couble's College of Nautical Knowledge .

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for Apamama and after deborking and embark- ing passengers arrived at a rendezvous point off Makin with the U.S.S. Clay. After arriving in Pearl Harbor on 9 July, the Fighting Fox departed for San Diego in com- pany with ships of Transport Division lO. Two quick trips to San Diego found the ship's crew becoming ac- quainted with members of the 5th Marines for the first time. After deborking the Marines the Elliott proceeded to Honolulu where troops of the 96th Division lArmyl were embarked for training at Maui. After training at Maui the ship re- turned to Honolulu where, on the 8th of September, Commander A. J. Couble, U.S.N., was promoted to Captain to rank from June, I943. The next day Captain Couble was relieved as Commanding Officer by ex-submariner, Commander W. F. Weidner, U.S.N. With a new skipper on the bridge, the Fighting Fox steamed west with troops .of the 96th Division for the invasion of Yap. That invasion never materi- alized, however, as Admiral Halsey pronounced the Philippines ripe for assault. Consequently, the course was altered to Manus via Eniwetok. The 2Oth day of October-D-Day-found the Elliott anchored in Transport area two off Leyte. For the next four days air raids and general quarters throughout the day and night were destined to be a part of every man's life in that area. After leaving Leyte 24 October, l944, the course was laid to Hollandia, New Guinea. Departing Hollandia on 3 November, the ship sortied with the Capricornus and proceeded to Wadke Island After 'returning to Hollandia with Army troops, the ship left Hollandia 9 November and Sortied with Task Unit 79.l5.6 en route to Leyte. The Army troops we had aboard begun to think that November l3th was an unlucky day for them to be at sea. At IS46 enemy planes were reported in the vicinity. At l7OO a lone Jap torpedo plane attacked the last ship in forma- tion and was shot down and crashed in flames. The previous year, November l3, l943, found BT'?l7'l.fj?l7'LQ H or Alonyszlin the same troops we now had aboard clinging to life rafts off Espiritu Santos when the merchant ship they were aboard was torpedoed. From the Philippines the Fighting Fox proceeded to Manus Island, thence to Cape Gloucester, New Britain. After the usual training period, this time off Huen Gulf, the ship returned to Manus Island. Here Christmas was celebrated in the equatorial heat. Next came Luzon. On 8 January the crew went to general quarters twice. In the morning a bomber was overhead, missing his target, a car- rier, That evening a kamikaze pilot attacked the U.S.S. Kitkum Bay, crashing into the after port quarter in a suicide dive. Other Jap planes in the area were shot down or retired.