Louisville (CA 28) - Naval Cruise Book

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On the fire support line automatic weapons are often kept busy blazing at suspicious surface objects while the larger caliber guns continue bombardment of the island mobile enemy units were joining for the attack. The Louisiiille, along with other major ships, trained her heavy batteries on the troop concentration. Then, as directions came from Charlie-Oboe, we opened up with all turrets. Reeling from the concus- sion of each explosion, we repeated, and repeated again the thundering salvos. During the bombardment, planes rushed in to bomb and strafe the enemy troops. When the laps had planned their attack from a point outside artillery range, they had not adequately calculated upon the heavy batteries floating off shore, and their deadly, disastrous accuracy. ln less than fifteen minutes uCharlie-Oboeu gave the order to cease fire. The enemy was either destroyed or dispersed. During the morning, we were pleased to see the Missouri, with Admiral Halsey and his staff aboard, standing into the anchorage. The Admiral had come to dis- cuss the general situation with Admiral Spruance, Commander of the Fifth Fleet, aboard the battle-damaged New MexiC0. When the conversations were completed, Admiral Halsey relieved Admiral Spruance, who returned to Guam in the New Mexico, and we automatically became a member of the Third Fleet. In parting, Admiral Spruance sent us the simple, stirring fare- well printed on these pages. lt was quiet from the air that first day. Then came the second night at Okinawa. Enemy observation planes appeared, and then were gone again, the usual sign for a coming attack. However, throughout the early-evening, c'Delegate maintained an ominous silence-a silence which worried rather than reassured. A We were still lobbing star shells over the beach at 2200 when 'cDelegate,' broke silence to announce several bogies coming in from the northwest, fifty miles from Bolo. The raid was soon 'ctalleyhoedfg and 'csplashedw by the C. A. P. However, immediately following that raid, HDelegate announced another from a northeasterly sector. This was followed by a third and fourth raid. ln a half hour, more than twenty raids were reported. '6Delegate', was having difficulty keeping up with them-some moving in closer and closer I77

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176 New Y ork for the scene of the night's operation. Arriving on station at dusk, we commenced Hring according to instructions of Charlie Oboe, the radio voice of the Naval Gunfire Liaison Oflicer on the beach. Two air attacks were announced during the night by 'cDelegate, voice call for the Commander of the task force. By color code, he warned' all ships of approaching planes, A 6'Bogies,'7 giving position and course. This was followed up with, 6'Raid ten, two planes, 50 miles, bearing zero two' zero from cBolo9, Bolo being a geo- graphical reference point for the operation. Each separate raid was thus catalogued, numbered and followed in. The Combat Air Patrol, made up of Army, Marine and Carrier fighters, was our protector and 'cdear friend. During raids, the planes were directed by destroy- ers, destroyer escorts, and even smaller craft assigned to the picket line, stationed 20 to 50 miles in a broken perimeter sur- rounding the island. This protective ring of ships was the first to contact approach- ing bogies, and consequently exposed them- selves to extreme danger. Every night and every day since early April, these little ships had been inter- cepting the suiciders, knowing the odds were that one in every three of them would be hit. Orders to picket duty were com- monly received by destroyer sailors with, 'cHere comes the death notice again. So our first night of operations passed, punctuated by intermittent explosions of five-inch guns and the tireless voice of '6Delegate,', announcing each raid, follow- ing it in, and signing with, uThis is Dele- gate-outf' Charlie-Oboe came through the next day with excited talk of targets. He was soon joined on the circuit by our own aviator and a flyer from the New York, both flying low over Jap emplacements. Troops were massing at a certain point, Landing craft unload supplies at Hagushi, near Yontan, Okinawa.

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i 1 1 MI .N .N .. N. M if , iV' Iii H4 WE li .. il H 11.5 ti Vi 'i:, ,li fi ,J ,Ll up 1. 3 :ii ,Wi V N! w N i 1' 131 4.7: x 1 .yt U Ll li ,lg .V , ,,. il ill, Q. M if WS W? I Z Wit MH it yn. ti .'3 .pg as W. . i . ni 4 I 178 uw . V T i it . Nearly every day we observe a new fleet of landing craft take away from hopelessly besieged laps, spinning another strand while others 'copenedn and maneuvered to come in again. A large number of the planes were being splashed, but we knew some were bound to get through. Then came a radio announcement which caused a shudder on the Louisville. The Stormes, our escort from Pearl Harbor, had been hit as she stood her first nightis duty on the picket line. The kamikazes were getting through. There were too many to hold. Already, estimates indicated over 100 planes in the area. Every gun was ready, every radar another section of the beach in the web of encirclement. searching. A bright full moon made fine targets of the ships on the water. uDelegate's,' voice had become almost incessant as one transmission followed immediately after another. He was flush- ing up bogie after bogie, raid after raid. On a second reporting circuit came the calls for help from the crippled and dying ships on the picket line. And the reports of ships being hit continued to mount. Expectant moments ticked by as We waited for the inevitable. A lookout reported a fire to the north-