Louisville (CA 28) - Naval Cruise Book

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JAP PLANES BOMBING AND STRAFINC OVER PEARL HARBOR. THIS, THEN, WAS THE CHALLENGE! some encouraging detail in the havoc be- fore us. At first We failed. Hickam Field, shattered and torn, was but a prelude to the Nevada at the turn in the channel and Ford Island and c'Battleship Rowv beyond. But then gradually we became more and more impressed. Here were countless men on every ship, no matter what her condition, still stand- ing to their guns and ready for anything. Their spirit could not be doubted nor denied. Here was the heartening detail for which We Were looking. The spirit mani- fest Was, in fact, the element upon which the Sons of Heaven had miscalculated so badly, and was the burning light of guidance which was to lead us to equality in arms and fighting men, and finally to overpowering superiority. Here then, deep in the debris of Pearl Harbor, We found the inspiration for the spirit Which was to carry us through all obstacles to victory. if i ' ,.., , Ht' VAV. , KW! ZFYID ,HQTN2 .-- ,.L'V' -AZN ,QV Aff . U 4522- ' faaqrq XIHV I p Ol 44 f1:'-,- .fi '.i' ' - S. ,f 5 ,-gg '1-H'-A.. V fx- -'tv fl!! , -2 v iff-u rf iari Fifzw fl Hl mv i l s i A ,if Q f, if - AL All lfwllll ggi!! 4 ' . rf If ,j .lgfj Z 'J it T ,X f r M J 2 4 at . . , x l

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Q Q free channel. Three planes of the Royal Dutch Air Force welcomed us with smartly executed capers. One mess cook still claims they flew under the aviation crane. Meeting these same fliers later, we found them to be capable and sincere beyond all expectation. Why couldn't there have been many more like them? Fueling was completed late that night. The engineers fueled to their usual 1103, the shipis store, tailor shop and mess hall holding the extra ten per cent. War After leaving Borneo, we joined up with our same two charges the next day, and directed our course for Pearl Harbor via the southern route. Down through Makas- sar Straits, across the Banda Sea, through the Araforea Sea, passing hundreds of islands, we approached Australia and Torres Straits. With the pilot aboard from Goode Island, it was a day-long pas- sage through the straits separating Aus- tralia and New Guinea. Out in the clear again, the final leg of the journey was at hand. But the rumbling and grumbling between nations persisted, although the trip of the special Japanese peace envoy to Washington had seemed to ease a little t'he strained international nerves. Then two days out of Torres Straits it happened. Shortly after morning quarters, Decem- ber 8, the first flashes of plain language messages reached us. We were over- whelmed with the tragedy. Try 35 WC might to convince ourselves that we were mentally prepared for this most extreme eventuality, quite plainly and simply, we weren't. We were overwhelmed. Confus- ing reports continued to pour in, and our human imagination was quick to paint the picture even darker than it actually was. For a short time we were even ready to believe the false rumor that the landing of enemy troops had been effected on Barbers Point. Gradually we brought order out of chaos within ourselves, and the unfolding of what happened at Pearl Har- bor seemed to pace this progressive step. ln a short time the true facts were radioed to all the fleet units, and while the picture was most appalling, it wasn't as hopeless as we were all too quick to fear. A general firmness of purpose and awareness of the long road ahead settled over us, as we set to the task of painting over all our decking and bright-work. Initially we were rerouted to Pago Pago in the Samoan Group, but upon the night of our arrival there, with the lights of the island in sight, our orders were again changed to send us directly north to Pearl. Every wave potentially contained a subma- rine, and every cloud a plane. lt was easy to imagine the worst, and frequently a lot of us did. The Scott, about whose peren- nial smoking we had joked all during the cruise, now- became a sore spot indeed. Leaving a trail of smoke from her funnel to the horizon, she was the object of our serious cursing all the way home.. Fre- quently we experienced menacing scares. Once the Coolidge spotted what she thought to be a submarine periscope. We went flying to general quarters, but noth- ing materialized. Pulling safely into Pearl Harbor on the morning of the 16th, just nine days after '6The Day,', our heavy-hearted gaze sought

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