Louisville (CA 28) - Naval Cruise Book

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144 When the light was just right for them, one of the airmen rolled his plane over on the wing tip and pushed his throttle against the stops. N Our gunners sent up a challenge of steel to meet his steep angle dive, but nothing seemed to divert his aim. He drove through the mists of darkness like a projectile. Every man felt the plane was directed at him as he froze 4 in position waiting for the crash. Then suddenly it was over. The lap had missed the ship by inches. As he plunged into the water on the starboard side of the boat deck shrapnel flew back aboard ship, killing one of our men. That was our first kami- kaze. It had caused our first action death aboard the Louisville. t W 1 ' U. S. S. Honolulu, damaged and grounded by a .lap aerial torpedo off Leyte, receives first aid from auxiliary craft. The other plane made his do-and-die plunge before we had fully recovered from the first. However, he had waited an instant too long to start his run and nar- rowly missed the bridge. He crashed into the water a few feet beyond us, in a funeral pyre of smoke and spray. With these continuous enemy air attacks to contend with, it was little wonder that we were edgey about taking on ammuni- tion in Leyte Gulf. Risks had to be dis- regarded, however, for our only protection was our ability to fire, and we were dan- gerously low on ammunition. We eased alongside an ammunition ship on the afternoon of October 24, and pre- pared to repeat a process that had grown familiar through the many months of i

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Marines, tanks and trucks, bearing all the implements of war, pour from the gaping mouths of the LSTS. The shoreline area is soon overrun and taken by our superior forces. Here the men consolidate their lines and catch their breath before the push inland. 143

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heavy bombardment. Safety, and yet safety through speed, was the thought uppermost in our minds as the gunner sprang across the rail with our ammuni- tion order in his hand. Soon the booms were going at top speed, whipping up box after box of projectiles, and net after net of powder charges to deposit them on our decks. Long lines of Louisville hands quickly shouldered the containers and hustled them to stowage places. Normally each division handled its own type of ammunition, but in the interest of speed all strong shoulders were put to the wheel of progressg' on any lagging type. Walkiiig each container to the low- ering hatch was only the first step. Next the ammo was struck below by whip or hoist and then manhandled to its final spot in the magazines. Meanwhile other eager hands were pass- ing empty containers from previous bom- bardments in bucket-brigade fashion to the ammunition ship. Workiiig until we felt our muscles could stand no more, then working on, we com- pleted the job in double time. We had received several 'cred alerts while han- dling the explosives, but luckily nothing materialized from them. Although all our eight-inch armor-piercing projectile needs were not filled, we felt reassured as we pulled from the side of the ammunition ship late in the afternoon. We were not, however, fully aware of how important that ammunition was soon to become in the night engagement at Surigao Straits. This skyscape of a flaming Jap raider, highlighted against L 145 o . . r .. .