Heywood Edwards (DD 663) - Naval Cruise Book

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active part in what was i l vi( iisly develii|)iiif: into one of the great surface liattles (if this war. Hut even M this srutticliul ;is inakiiij; llic rmiiiil . tlic (.(iiiiniaiuler pirked up hi traiisiuittinfi micro- phone and said (|uietl : Thi- is uhal ue i ' Keen wailinji for. and the ship ua mi lici ua . The Heyuood L. Kdn arils ni(i ed out in front to devehjp an attack on the enenn s left flank. The speeii mounted and so did the tight brealhlessness through- out the ship. Just like in the movies, an operator croaked — and he had to clear his throat twice before the words came out. But the most obvious and et unusual factor of the attack was the dead silence in all parts of the ship. E en the intercom circuits were silent and the roar of the water along the hull and the increasing howl of the wind all but drowned out quiet orders to the helm and the engine room tele- graph. Speed was increased: the ship quivered as she led the other destroyers slightly to the right into the firing course. The range came in — closer and closer. Overhead there suddenly rumbled the first salvos from huge, sixteen-inch guns behind the Edwards as the obsolete battleships — veterans of Pearl Har- bor — began their murderous revenge. The Japanese were prompt to rep! and sent answering salvos over- head searching for the L ' nited States ships but falling short. And till. on the Ednards the range dwindled, and now the only sounds were curt maneuvering orders as the torpedoes swung their blunt snouts out into the darkness. The nmzzles of the gun barrels rose and fell silently as the pointed the wa to the leading enemy ships. And then it uas time. A destroyer with the Eduards softiv asked permission to tire. She received it. An- other destroyer astern of the Edwards made a similar request. Back afl a destro er reported tor|)edoes away — and sixty seconds later another destroyer an- noniK ed her fish were in the water. TwenlN-two minutes from the time the original attack order was given, the Heywood I.. Edwards lired and thcv didn t go. A split second later, how- ever, sweating lorpedonien kicked out the rec alci- Uaril li h. and the -hip i heered. Now there was lime lo think and the lir t and onlv thought was imanimou lv to t;et the hell out of here. s her torpedoe leaped into the ea. the f.iliiarils began to turn toward the North, toward anetuarv. Already salvos from the Japanese were coming close. As she leaned into her sharp right-hand turn a heavy shell lit directly in her wake. Moments later another near miss sma hed into the sea off her bow — and they felt the spray from that one topside. There was no mistaking it. the Japanese were on. and the Ed- irards seemed to feel that she had spent enough time tov ing with battleships, guns. Japanese gun wound- ed and angry. As she raced Northward the E lirards checked her linv llo( k. just astern a destroyer reported all se- cure— no casualties. Still further in our wake an- other came in. all fine and happv : all we had to do was follow, and that was easy with ou leading. Not one of the ships had sustained so much as a scratch. Scot free, they bore on northward, and now the speed began to drop. As the knots came off. the tension of the last half-hour eased all over the shi|j. oiecs became natural again: the double take set in. Lighting a cigarette was a serious problem — be- cause your hand shook. o man aboard denied that he had been frightened. Hut now in the darkness on the Inidge. back on the spray dampened fantail. in the gun mounts, and down in the simmering engineering spaces, men grimied and wiped the per |iiration from their faces. In one forward handling room a mess bo suddenly discovered he ' d been holding a live-inch projectile in lii ariii tluoughoiit liie entire run. He didn ' t know it nnti! the atta( k was ovir. and it suddenly felt heavier than anv shell lie ' d ever handled. The inter- om circuits became alive again— and erackle() with jubilant information.

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and ' uinin sliiui ' ;. ilr |)itf lapiri- tli[ii«t li Aiiii-ri- laii I ' T l ..al . I | ahca.l ..f uIk-k- iIh- IIi- iiih,iI I.. Kiliiiiiils la til in liiM -latiipii, ulln-i cIi-Iiiimts n-- |ii ili ' l ninUKl with iniiiliritiliril (xiv,-.. anil i-aiU nil till ' niinniiifj nf tin- 2. )tli. uini- di-ti nM ' i •• win- niili ' ii ' il [ • inciM- in anil I.uiihIi a tni{ii ' ilii all.n k. ( )n the h.dititiiis tiMi liin inoiintcil as lir nmriitincil lailin ir|)uit- fi ihr-i- allai kin-; (irslriiMTs. ' I ' lii- tii-l tun -lii|i in a-zainsl tin- rnnnv i i-|ioi li-il mtain anil |i..s il)lr- |ni|ir(li. Iiit- anil tulil i.f at ii-asl t »i. M-i larf;r I ' lii-niy ar-lii|i« in lumpanv with lesser iiafl. Thin tin- lli- itii,i,l L. Kihiiirils ileleitril ieudin ' I iii-iii iniil . 1{ lhi tinir tin- hi|) ' liHikntil- were ie| iirtin;: hiif;i- uranfii- llan- mi the hiiri nn. where riiii ii an |iir|ie liies were ilrisen hnriie intii Ja|ianese liiili-. il iie an In liink as ihniiL ' h the Eiliunits anil liii i tii- wmilil iiii- mil mi the ii|i|i n liinil In lake 55 60 so 65 ■ Umnd. I ' ' •. ' % •-•■ '

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l.iKikoiils repoitcd u luif;i ' Diiin i ' llasli ju l iiiiniitcs iiflcr the ilfsliiiM ' rV l.ir| c(li)c went into ihc wati-r. Iluii the ii-w i ' ;liliMl a Ja|) lii|) and It-nlatiM-lx iik-nlitu-tl it a a Kiim) la- lialll.-liif). Thai i.l.ri lilicalioii. iiii ' idi-iilally. wa- latii Miiln-d. I In- «lii|i ' il f iIh ' llt ii ui,l I.. F.itit(iiil ' iiirri a si lil llii- will llfMT fiii fl llii- toui-iiiii; sii|ii-| ll llrlun- id a ' T ' lisii illidin ' tlrd ill a liiiid uiaiiiic- halo nf d - lnii • linn. And llicii silt- wa hai k. and Iiit |iri ' d diuppfd In fi ' o. and she la In and li-lcncd In llic halllc nil liri radius a ain. On IIk- llnri nll lln- EiIhUkIs ' |nnknllt fu a v inan liics four, (i f. six. and af;ain the hi aiii- niillinc id a ■■Kusn -t pt- liattlfship. And with ih. ' dauii a Iru iiiiiiiili ' s lali ' r. six nr iiinrc inltinins nf sninkf rose (|uiilK into tin- n fnasl and tlu-rc was n(ithin : inort-. The Hf uooil I.. Edntiiils l -d dotrnMTs into ihr fnrward scu-.-n and -Inml -.niith aiiain a- tin- lii;lil ini rrascd. SilciitK ihi- |inwi-iful aira nf wai-hi|i- sti-aim-d diiwri ihr Strait their iiiin liaim-d and Sfanhinf; fnr the lirsi si n nf imiin aiii i| . lln columns cd sninkc disappeared, sniilfed niil li the lifiht hhie waters nf the ■zulf. Then the Innknuts re- ported a slii|). deliniteK ei ein . di ' ad in the water a lifiht eruiser. nr perhaps just a an. down h thi ' stern, hnw -hnl nil. niie sta( k tinni ' . nr did she ever lia e Iwn . ' (!lnser and ( Inser. slill in silenee. the Anierieari units inn ed. The water wa- pi.irid and nnl llie ripples nf the ships wake di liiiheil the -iirface. Then at a enininaiid the leading ships npeiied lire on the iiallered Japani ' se eripple. The ■ « ( .. EdiKinls aw her shell- -li.iddle .ind thin ilri e hnin.-. Smoke and (lame leaped from the eiienu iraft and then suddeni) she was f. ' orie. The Eiliiiirils swunj; out and alieail of tin- fni malinn and -I I mer Inward the nil-en ered walei when- the eiieniN had fioiie down. Survivor- appiMii ' d. lifts .1 hundred — sev- eral hundred floatin ! in a • rolesque posture of death, or swimmin;i without purpose or direrljou aiound two Imliliiii ' irmtni laum lies. I h -ie wa- little deliii- a -wamped whalelmat Ijnali ' d with it- ;:unwliale- awa-li. and -ileiit siir- i ni- ( liiiif; In its siile-. - the Eillidlils pnked lii-r Ih,w iiiln ihi ' I lii-tei of Japan. -e the turned ill tlie water and stared hai k at her. I lure was no sound on the ship or in the water. Mu le- nf -mall f;im- iiinved gently as the shiji rolled in the sli iht -well, their •;unner- -(piinliii under helmet isors at the Idaiidfaeed |apaiii-se. Thill on the port side. Iifti-en ards from her hridiie. a lar ;e moon-faced Jap hei;an to slrufifrle with annlher survivor - a M un r Japanese who was one of the few slll i nl- eipiippeil with a life lieil. l lii-l ihi- wall hers on the llf nouil L. Edutinls llinui;lil liiev were fi hliiig for pos.sessioii of the life jaikel. Mniiplh ihe hue realization of what tlii- saw dawned mi the -hoiked .American oHicers and men. The lai;;er Jap was quickU hut elTeeli el killing his felli.w in .11111-. Hi- ii;;ht hand enclosed a small dnuhle ed,::ed knife, whii il he -iashe.l hark and forth acrnss the oth.-r - thrnat. nd the iiicre lihle part of il wa- that ihe Jap -eiincd eaf;er for the duhious iiniinr. The jnh dniie. the larficr man shnxed ihe nther roufihh awa and hrandished his stained knife at the lliyunod L. Kditards ' steel sides. His v.dce -rie.iiiied Words not understood. The ll, II 1X1,1 L. Ediinrds sIo.mI hy to taki- ahoaril an Japanese willini; to come. She was prepared to rescue and f;i e medical aid to wounded enein sur- vivors, hut the eiiemv showed no iiii lination to he hauled ahoard and niaile prisoner: he seemed to pri-fer possihie laplure and prohahle slarvulion on one of the nearliv islands. So. in response lo u radio rninni.ind. the Ediiiirds slowlv hacked clear, swuii); ■ III her fanlail. and stood hack North !■ rejoin the l Hllle force.