Louisville (CA 28) - Naval Cruise Book

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Receiving our permission, two amphibious craft put out from the beach and brought thirty-four wounded marines alongside. We took them aboard and gave them thorough care. Some were badly wounded, others were suffering from battle fatigue. Their greatest desires were satisfied with showers, haircuts, Coca-Cola, ice cream and fruit juice. They were transferred to other units of the fleet that day. On June 13, we were ordered to Pearl Harbor for repairs. We were thrown open to Hcannibalizationn and consequently suf- Upper: Once a .Tap 90-mm h 't ' L : B i . owl zer, now a museum PICCC. Upper: An ancient Okinawa crypt. Lower: A grave yard ower aka or suicide bomb f d H d Dun camou age on beach' for the many hundreds of Jap planes destroyed at Okinawa. 188

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:FEC 210a01'kisbdiscol:fered high up on the Here is a riddled bulkhead of Radio III Om CEC v uf t 6 Plane has vanlshed. where all the occupants lost their lives. The rakish angle of the mutilated stack Then in sharp perspective presents a weird pattern against the sky. takes on immense proportions. In a few hours this mass of twisted steel and Sans Stafka the Louisgillel lifould Soon broken leeds was disposed of by the crew be headm, back to ear or repairs. 187

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fered through interminable boarding par- tiesi' from other ships in the area, bring- ing urgent requests for everything, includ- ing the hull. Departing for Pearl on June 14, minus one stack, we were fittingly escorted by the destroyer Stack. So it was the Louisville won a battle star at 0kinawa. We had swelled by one the startling list of over 200 ships dam- aged and sunk in this costly campaign. We had added names of our men to the role of more than 5000 Naval dead, wounded, and missing. But in retaliation we had thrown tons of steel on the mauled and mutilated Jap forces ashore, and we had helped and speeded the campaign's victorious conclusion, which was announced 011 .lune 30. 0kinawa will never be forgotten by the U. S. Forces who fought there, and it will never be forgotten by the Japanese. To us it represented one of the greatest trials of courage in a long war of tough chal- lenges, and to the ,laps it meant the destruction of over 4,000 planes, the core of their weakened air force, the loss of their last outpost of defense, and conse- quent proof that the home islands them- selves could be successfully invaded. Significantly, the first peace feelers from the Emperor came in June 1945, after the capture of Okinawa was first admitted by the Japanese High Command. u. s. s. LOUISVILLE U. S. NAVAL COMMUNICATION SERVICE HEADHNT RESTRICTED 271430 PRIORITY THE OPERATION WHICH WE HAVE BEEN CONDUCTING FOR THE CAPTURE OF OKINANA HAS BEEN THE LARGEST AND LONGEST ONE SO FAR UNDERTAKEN BY THE 5TH FLEET x THE FIGHTING BY SHIPS OF THE FLEET HAS BEEN MARKED BY GREAT COURAGE AND DETERMINATION AND HAS CAUSED US THE HIGHEST NAVAL CASUALTIES OF ANY OPERATION UP T0 THIS TIME x IN PARTICULAR, THE DESTROYER AND SMALL TYPE VESSELS WHICH HAVE SO SUCCESSFULLY SCREENED THE TRANSPORT AND UNLOADING AREAS AROUND OKINANA FROM ENEMY - AIR AND SUBMARINE ATTACK HAVE SET US EXAMPLES OF GREAT HEROISM IN ACTIONS TOO NUMEROUS TO BE CITED INDIVIDUALLY x OUR AIM HAS ONCE MORE EXHIBITED ITS MARKED SUPERIORITY OVER WHAT THE ENEMY HAS HAD T0 OFFER IT AS TARGETS x I AM PROUD TO HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED ONCE MORE WITH SO FINE A BODY OF FIGHTING MEN AND I REGRET HAVING TO LEAVE YOU BEFORE OUR UOB IS COMPLETED x WELL DONE TO ALL HANDS SPRUANCE BU ZfBUZ 271435 TOR Q247 METHOD NPM NR H S557 DATE 28 MAY 1945 FROM X Priority I Routine 1 Nite 'Originator Release COM FIFTH FLEET fiction! F I FTH FLEET 'ffnfop C I NCPAC ADV , ic-ps. lam. Im Lex Gun. H Nav. N Eng. xsupplyl Med. tc.mm.1 num I isps. ' oon i Am. I ggi I 533 lsagliflbggifl I I I 9123-M.I.N.Y. 5-20-42-500M 189