Ludlow (DD 438) - Naval Cruise Book

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i ' three years before lt was a wildly' h3PPY CRW thu tain had come aboard as a boot CIlSlgTl 'N . ' Y , lt l returned to New York--proud of their battered shlP and islfld I0 be awe SUBMARINE , ' d. U d W. R. Barnes reported aboard and took comnian p- Oing mirittiziifcggxazsfd availability, the LUDl..OW proceeded to Casco Bay, M 'ne for iirainin exercises then back to New York again for further check-ups. She thi I-atm-ned to Caico Bay where on 20 April 1944, in company with 9 other destroyers, she took departure and set sail for Gibraltar.. Tl1e.n1'st.xC:f,lVlay saw thell Ctslfffftlng the U.s.s. YUKON. They went to Alglers, Bweffs 131111110 Mil ll? U C Off C ff' turn to Oran for another intensive training period for the next invasion. However, the Normandy D-day came and went with the LUDLOVV still in training exercises, German Submarines were engaged in their final desperate and deadly work in the Mediterranean. I On 17 May the LUDLOW, NIBLACK, MADISON and BENSON started searching for a reported enemy sub, At 1935 on 18 May, the group was split by LUlTlDCSDlV 25. WOOLSEY, MADISON and BENSON were assigned search ahead of the reported sub position, LUDLOW and N II?-LACK astern. At 2319 the same day, the LU D.I,OW .and NIBLACK changed course to investigate a radar contact reported by a searching British plane. Early next a.m. f0320j on 19 May, the LUDLOVV sound operator, G. SOW- ERS, picked up contact with a sub. 10 depth charge attacks by the NIBLACK and LUD- LOW together in the next 4 hours forced the sub to surface at 0710. 'The LUDLOW's first salvo blasted the conning tower-distant 1000 yards, killing all Germans attempting to get out to their deck guns. The second salvo blew all enemy dead into the water and three of these shells blasted the sub hull blowing debris high into the air. Within 4 minutes, that German sub--still with way on, took her last dive leaving only four struggling survivors visible in the water. Thirteen members of the submarine's crew were picked up by the LUDLOW and four by the NIBLACK, including the sub- marine's Commanding Officer. SOUTHERN FRANCE JUNE passed quickly and uneventfully with only convoy operations and a few days liberty in Naples. The end of June found the LUDLOVV back in Oran engaging in Final prac- tices for what everyone could see was in the air now that Normandy had taken place. Dur- ing the lirst week in August, the LUDLOW engaged in final assault training with units of the United States, British, French and Italian Fleets. Then, on to Palermo to await the hnal orders for invasion. Q D-day was August 15th. As had been the pattern for the previous four invasions, except Salerno, the first landingshere were not strongly opposed. Except for the LUD- LOW's fifty minute pre-H-hour bombardment at about 0700 in which she laid three hundred 5 shells on the beach, and the bombardment of Frejus town that night, there was not much for the little can to do. For three days she patrolled that area ready to lob shells into any spot or building designated by the shore fire control party. A call from the beach over the voice circuits at any time would instantly bring salvos of our 5 shells into any troublesome target. In fact, such precision shore bombardment had been the LUDLOW's specialty, for its proven accuracy of fire had been LUD men's greatest pride. Finally we were assigned to escort the cruiser, AUGUSTA, to the Marseilles area. The usual shelling and counter battery Fire was delivered by the LUDLOW as she picked a path for herself and escort through the mine helds, leaving the city of Marseilles well D softened up for our invasion forces. ,beaugm IQEQIIOW and AUGUSTA moved on up to .St Maxime, the beginning of that . a area known the world over as the Riviera. Here the LUDLOW was as- signed to Task Force 86-a tire support gi-ppp on the right flank of the assault forces

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LUDI.-UW HS S116 did her deadly work. Most of the time she was too busy to pay much attention to shore batteries. . QU? morning during One Of fhC 1'21idS, One magazine crew had gotten hold of a case of fruit juice and was sending some f I g cans or the men in the handling room via the ammuni- tion hoist. It would h X' ' - .appen that just at the time of one action, all that came out of the hoist was canned fruit Juice. The handlin . , g room crew hollered down, Send ammunition. We aint ready forubreakfastu. Men ran topside to deliver shells to the gun. Tenbdays later it was a different story. This time, on 8 February 1944, the LUDLOW moved inshore to press up the Tiber River for a fi ' ' ' . Sh . ring mission e had done the same Ehmg a few days earlier. We were just about to our target area when we got a message .rom a British destroyer lying off further out warning us that the Germans were getting more accurate. Just then 4 shells landed-3 just astern, and one a direct hit. The second hit. A 155 h ll ' ' mm s e fcomparable to a 6 'J, from a German shore battery believed to have been encased at Torre Paterno, Italy, ripped deep into the innards of the LUDLOW The shells that hit the water close aboard to starboard exploded, swept the main deck aft of No. Z stack with salt spray and metal fragments. The shell that hit crashed through the torpedo director deck atop the bridge-plow- ed through the pilot house, ripping the Captain's leg open enroute-on through the fore- ward pilot house bulkhead to demolish the 20 mm ready boxes for the forward 2O's, on through the wardroom, to the crew's forward mess hall three decks below where it came to rest spinning dizzily on deck of the scullery. Luck was still aboard. That shell had not exploded. At this point, Chief Gunner's Mate James Drexel JOHNSON of 15-19 119th Street, College Point, L.I., New York, and Carpente'r's Mate Second Class Joseph Matthew VVITTICH of Staten Island, New York, who had been on the main deck with their repair party, ran for the trouble spot. JOHNSON picked up the 100 pound unexploded shell and, with WITTICH clearing the route, ran topside and threw the shell over the side. Then I felt better, said JOHNSON. His only comment later, when receiving a well earned compliment from the Commodore, ' s, I was oin to side an 'wa . , wa Enroute ighroiigh 5 decks gf tlife scrappy little LUD , though, that shell had done some damage. It first singed the hair and one eyebrow of Radioman Third Class Law- rence P. Halloran of Waltham, Massachusetts, then standing lookout atop the bridge. On the bridge, it seriously wounded our skipper, Commander L. W. Creighton, U. S. Navy, in the left leg so that the Executive Officer, Lieutenant Philip Cutler of Point Road, Marion, Massachusetts, took command to get the ship immediately away from the danger area. Lieutenant fjgj Charles D Davis, Jr., of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, had been stand- ing with his foot on the 20mm ready box that was demolished by the shell yet,-he was unharmed. 20 mm ammunition was set off by the shock of the shell and popped like firecrackers for a few seconds at this forward 20mm gun station. Gunner's Mate Third Class A.A. Sak, USN R, was the only casualty at this station and luckily he was not hurt senotgriifoute the shell made a mess of the Captain's cabin destroying his bunk, clothes and uheadv. Engign Paul Yager, USNR, and Ensign Robert P. Javins, USN., were drinking coffee in the wardroom as the shell ripped through there destroying the confidential safe and ' ' ' ' aterials. Its plghldgcilrs fciJr1:n1i1ai11i1dCiilJTOI1Sie1E1tenant Cutler, the LUDLOW departed in one hell of a hurry to nm-Se its Wounds and await orders in the anchorage area. That afternoon she steamed on up to Naples with her damage, Clronically, she would have been urelievvi-d in twoldaiysg under her own power, where the Captafn Was tfansfeffed to the 11105933 ' bl tllvafj tYP1C3O0 Captain Creighton, that he left the ship on'a. stretcher smoking adtjg ali. 1 ng would never have guessed he was seriouslyunjured aS he waved gli! Yi tg lil al' U and admiring crew., After temporary 1'CPa11'S in Naples, the LUDL L, Sal C tug if comnland of Lieutenant Cutler to New York for overhaul. . As skipper, ieutenan dir errrileceive a wire from his old superior, From boot tolposs in three years, Pfetty 800 - 15 CaP' e i6?794er 4 want-M. ,mae -A -sw- iii E. if I l 4 l. I, l 1 l ll l ll il

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about to Occupynthe coast near Monte Carlo. With the LUDLOW in this force were all gl:I3fXE3gi'PII?H'Xl0f1a25, Several cans of Squadron 7, the cruisers, BROOKLYN and an eig tFrench h f 11 . - DUGUAY TROUIN, GEORGE aGLLOlJllIE. Eve light Cruisers, MONTCALM worked ai a t f S , and theiold battleship, LORRAINE. This force s eam rom eptember 1 to ZZ supplyin all t f fi ed d by the Army throughout this part of the invasiongof Sidgiliis S Fr re Support as ne C All b d I , ern rance wh at Oar 0Ill,tlC mornmgof September 5, remember our encounter with so called uman torpedoes . Thismorning broke particularly clear as We Steamed eff the beach at Menton, an Italian town just across the French-Italian border A sli ht di t b e . . g s ur ance was sighted on the glassy smooth surface of the water. One of the French ships spotted it First and gave the alarm. Three German manned human torpedoes were destruction bent and at least one fancied the LUDLOW. The action was fast-no sooner had one been blown up by the fire of our trigger happy 20 and 40mm crews and lethal ashcans, when the second, driving in toward our stern as the LUDLOW heeled around, was demolished by ad- ditional depth charges dropped from our fantail. Meanwhile, the French can took care of the third culprit and in twenty minutes all the excitement was over except for the usual questioning and souvenir hunting on the survivors. The LUDLOW had taken aboard two survivors and the LeMALlN picked up the third. This was the first of a series of human torpedo and explosive boat attacks on our forces in this area, but none were ever successful. September Z2 saw the LUDLOW detached from Task Force 86, and she steamed back to Palermo for fuel, supplies and two days recreation. In the previous 12 days from September 10th the LUDLOW had pumped no less than 1,635 5 shells into enemy positions in response to specific requests from our shore . fire control parties. All of her' missions and assignments had been reported successful. Three days later the LUDLOVV was back home at Mers el Kebir in Algeria. Here she had ten days tender time, and much needed recreation. The Arab and French sentries got to know the LUDLOW jeep well and many fine beer-ball parties were held in nearby fields. The spirit of good natured rivalry between the crews and officers of the sister destroyers paid off in good fun on the beach as well as deadly action at sea. The Arab na- tive crowds that used to congregate to watch these games included barefeet, beards, tur- bans, beggars and even the wealthy with their own jackasses. Empty beer and coca cola bottles were much prized by the natives for they sold them to restaurants that cut them in half and this made two of the best available type wine glasses. . Next came five weeks of convoy runs, hrst to Marseilles, then to Naples, and back again to Marseilles. K stray-ers, DTERRIBLE and LeMAL11xi ' ' and- EMILE BERTINS two de' E-BOAT HE LUDLOW was reassigned to FlanFor in November for shore bombardment, she was. T back in her element. During a month of this duty she fired many shore bombardment ' ' bout 40 driftin mines. mlsslgii ligrdlalisiiiigiliidof this duty, IO lgecember 1944, the LUDLONV was at anchorafter' severaldays of bombardment, in Golfe juan, France, just east of Cannes on the Riviera, Coast. The LeFORTUNE, French destroyer, lay at anchor near us. .There.was a movie' in the mess hall. About 9 :3O p.m. the messenger came down to the movie and informed the' Captain that there was A.A. fire observed low on the water outside the anchorage. Simul- taneously the Visual message was received E-boats in Golfe Juan ', The Captain rushed to' the bridge on the double. Special sea detail, and General- Quarters were sounded. We were d .3 in fifteen minutes from the time the Captain went tothe bridge. U lm efllwheyladder was still over the side. They had some time trying to take it in when we ere doing about twentv-live knots and it was some job for the engineers to light off all W J tv , , .. four boilers in such a short time- XV 1-Oeeeded to the area where the enemy was reported and then slowed down.. 1 e p F l3 -