Louisville (CA 28) - Naval Cruise Book

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SALVO . . . SPLASH . . . UP 500, LEFT 60 125

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sheer cliffs, and narrow ravines honey- combed with caves, earned the name of Bloody Nose Ridge. It was also on Peleliu that the Japanese had established their principal air base of the Western Carolines. The base was modern in every phase-communications, service aprons and dispersal areas, hangars and' shops, fuel and storage facilities. Military strength of the Palau Islands was approximately 39,000, of whom 14,000 were construction personnel. Peleliu and nearby Ngesebus were said to have about 10,700 of the total strength. Unlike defenses of many islands pre- viouslyattacked, the Japanese at Peleliu had carefully evaluated the terrain, and employed it effectively for defense of the island. Tank obstacles, pill boxes, block houses, and other field fortifications were the normal types encountered, except that there were more of them, and so located as to give maximum co-ordinated support. Camouflage of these positions was uni- formly good. All this we learned of our objective as we steamed for the enemy islands. Then on Tuesday morning, September 12, the atmosphere changed. The GQ clang that rang through the darkness was not for practice. The Battle of Peleliu was about to begin. The motor of the plane on the catapult shattered the still darkness as it warmed for the initial flight over the enemy terri- tory. The silhouettes of the pilot and radioman could be seen in the fire-flashing exhaust as they climbed aboard. The grind of gears, the throb of strain- ing motors marked the swing of the huge catapult seaward. The green go-ahead sig- 1 Our bird takes to the air, up for morning spotting.

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nal, the downward whip of the catapult oflicer's arms, the pilot grasping the stick, his body rigidly braced, the sharp report of the explosive charge, and the plane was hurled into the air. Peleliu Seen by Louisville Airdale Up in the plane, designated 'cAce Free- lancef' I noticed dawn breaking rapidly over the horizon. Our anticipated expec- tations of the island were soon revealed. Peleliu looked as familiar as an old boy- hood haunt. There was the airfield, mod- ern with solid buildings, and planes in the revetments, on the aprons and along the runways. Approximately one hundred of them-all knocked out by recent car- X rier raids. . ff Q N L?- fix ' In Q 126 My brieing served me well. I quickly lined up the grid co-ordinates of the first target. Within twenty minutes after leav- ing the catapult, I noted the ship had maneuvered into position ready to fire. Flipping the contact on my radio I called the ship's Gunnery Control Officer, identifying myself for communication. Freelance,,' I said, uThis is Ace. On station. Let ,er goln Preparing me for the hit, the Control Officer answered, c'Ace--this is Freelance. Salvo . . . Splashlg' The 'gsplashi' came a second before the projectile crashed on the objective, enabling me to alert for the hit. r f 'f 4 fr -,L ff X f 1 The salvo missed the mark. I spotted, Freelance-this is Ace. Up 200, right 100. Over. Ace, he answered, c'This is Freelance. Up 200, right 100. Roger. Out. He then followed up with, Ace-this is Free- lance. Salvo . . . splash. Freelance, this is Ace. Bullseye! No change, no change, rapid firef, Upon that signal all hell tore loose. What seemed like minutes later, I said, c'Hello, Free- lance, this is Ace. Target destroyed, sug- gest we shift fire. Over. 'cAce, this is Freelance. Good. Next target will be-. On we went, sometimes demolishing, always giving the target a good blasting. Methodically, we moved from pillbox to blockhouse, to cave, using both the main and secondary batteries. One of our planes spotted the ship's fire, while the other searched for new targets. 4