Miami (CL 89) - Naval Cruise Book

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This now was the moment the ship had been waiting and training for. True, the Miami had missed the tough preliminary battles on the road to Tokyo, but in joining Task Force 58 and having our initiation under fire in the Marianas Campaign, every officer and man felt that the day had at last arrived when we were mounting to battle the enemy in his own backyard, and that when this Campaign was completed we would be one step nearer our destination-TOKYO. On June 6, Task Force 58 sortied from Majuro Atoll for the Marianas area. Many men aboard the Miami had never heard of Saipan, Tinian, Pagan, Rota, or Iwo Chima in the Bonins, but these places soon became the daily topic of conversation as our planes ranged over the islands, practically at will. The Miami was not offered the opportunity to unlimber her guns' on any aircraft during this Campaign, although the 19th of June will go down in history as the day of the Marianas Turkey Shoot , when the Japs sent their carrier planes out on a one-way attack, only to lose about 400 planes to our planes and guns without in- iiicting any damage to our ships. Eight days later, as a part of a small detachment, the Miami conducted an anti-shipping sweep and a bombardment on the islands of Guam and Rota. The highlight of the bombard- ment of these two islands was a direct hit on a fuel tank, which sent the top of the tank sailing through the air like a tin can on the 4th of July. During this month, the Miami had supported air strikes against Saipan, Tinian, Rota, Guam, Pagan, and the Bonin Islands. By August 11 Task Force 58 was back at anchorage, this time at Eniwetok Atoll. The Marianas Campaign had moved along so successfully that time was re- quired to get the amphibious force and th-e train readied for the next thrust. Most of August, therefore, was spent in training, upkeep, overhaul, and provision- ing. On August 30, the forces sortied as Task Force 34 and headed for the Western Caroline Islands, where the fast carrier task forces were supporting the landings on the Palau Islands of Peleliu, Ngesebus, and Anguar. On September 7, the Miami bombarded these islands as a part of a bombardment group. The taking of the Palau group pro-ved to be only a minor part of Task Force 34's objective on this sortie, for the fast carrier task forces changed their courses for the Philippines, and on September 9 the first attacks were launched against Mindanao. It was a significant day, b-ecause to all men in Task Force 34 it gave the feeling that the blows we were giving the Japs in the Philippines now were payment for the suffering and humiliation of Bataan and Corregidor. The attacks in the Philippines spread out to include the central Philippines, Manila Bay Area, and Luzon. Our planes ranged over the islands against almost passive resistance. These air strikes continued practically on a daily basis until September 24, when Task Force 34 was forced to retire for lack of sufficient bombs to continue the attack. Our rendezvous with the train this time was at Ulirhi, but we retired via Saipan, where we picked up ammu- nition. This proved to be a very unlucky move at the time, because no sooner had Task Force 34 anchored i1lUlithi than all ships were ordered to sea to ride out a typhoon in the making. Our time for provisioning was thus consumed, and upon our return to Ulithi, we had only time to fuel and put to sea with Task Force 38. Time was important because the first landings in the Philippines were scheduled for October. Task Force 38's Hrst strikes were at the gateway to Japan: Okinawa in the Ryukyu Islands, and Formosa. It was at dusk of the first night during the attacks on Formosa that the Miami unlimbered her AA battery, for the Japs sent o-ut many planes to attack our ships. It was an all-out attack wih flares, torpedoes, and bombs. Our group was credited with eight enemy planes shot down, one of which was credited to the Miami. Despite these interruptions, the air strikes continued in uninterrupted sequence against Formosa, Okinawa, and the Philippines. During the latter part of October, the Japs assembled their Navy for the now famous S-ecofnd Battle of the Philippine Sea, or Q'Battle for Leyte Gulf, which ended the active operation of the Japanese Fleet. It was during this battle that the Japs introduced the Kamikaze plane attack against our sur- face units. In this particular battle the, Miami was part of the fast carrier Task Force which went north to engage and turn back the Northern Japanese force. This mission was successfully accomplished. The Force then turned around and dashed back to intercept the Japanese Center Force before it had a chance to reach San Bernadino Straits. The Task Force missed the main Japanese force, but a part of our force encoun- tered a crippled Japanese cruiser limping back. The Miami, with other ships present, Sank Same . The attacks on the Philippines continued on a daily basis through the first week of November, and then Task Force 38 finally retired to Ulithi for a quick replen- ishm-ent period to provision and take on ammunition. At the end of this time we were underway again to resume the attacks on the Philippines, only to return

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-:wigs Miami, December 8, 1942. fighting unit of our Navy. phia, Pennsylvania. ? f ,Y Zi' we , x 354 ' ' 'KWe can feel that the American light cruis-er has final touches added by the Navy Yard workmen, and proved herself in battle and that this ship here today the trial runs in the protective reaches of the lower is built to match the achievements of her older sisters. Delaware River run. February and March saw the -I-Ion. RalphiA. Bard at the launching of th-e U. S. S. ship's magazines filled with ammunition, and we set Y out to master the ship and train the crew as man-o-war's On August 2, 1941, the keel of the U. S. S. Miami men. For five weeks in Chesapeake Bay and the Gulf was laid at Cramp. Shipbuilding Company, Philadel- of Paria fTrinidad, BWIJ, the crew drilled day and phia, and she was launched December 8, 1942. Thus night-gunnery drills, radar practices, fueling at sea, during the trying years of 1941 and 1942, through the full power runs-every effort bent on perfection. In battles of java Sea, Coral Sea, Midway, Guadalcanal, the middle of March came the semi-final examination Komandorskis, and Kula Gulf, the U. S. S. Miami in the form of a Military Inspection and Damage Con- f was just a mass of steel, over-run by electrical leads trol Practice, which the ship passed succ-essfully. Upon and swarmed over by men who were bending every completion of the inspection we returned to the Navy effort to put her out on th-e fighting lines. In May and Yard, Philadelphia, for minor repairs and adjustments June of 1943, the first officers and men were ordered to and topped off in fuel, stores, and provisions, where- 1 th-e nucleus crew, to start the gigantic task of trans- upon we reported ready for sea and action. The r forming that mass of steel into a trim and efiicient U. S. S. Miami was ready to prove herself in battle. E On April 2, 1944, the Miami sailed from Navy Those men Who' viewed the Miami tot the htst time Yard, Philadelphia, for Boston, Massachusetts, where and saw her as yet unfinished-her sides unpainted, the Shir, Was to jom the U, S, S, Houston fCI-,815 and ' lines, air hoses, welding leads tangled on her decks, her U, S, S. Vinrenner fCL64J, me 0,ther Ships of the , t9mPattmentS uninished, her masts tm5htPPed: with Division to which w-e were assigned, and the Division ll workmen swarming over her-knew that she was dead Commander, Rear Admiral W, D, Baker, U, S, N, then, hut that Undef then' watchful eYe5 She would The Houston and Vincennes, like the Miami, were new draw breath, thtobv and live' ' and untried in battle. Admiral Baker believed that FFOITI June t0 Dewnibef 1943, the Pf0gf0SS Off C0n1- there was no substitute for drilling to perfect trained 13165011 Seemed' S10-W, and n10Sf of the CF'3W,S time WHS crews, so the ships individually and collectively drilled spent in supervising tests, attending training sch00lS, continuously enroute to our next destination, Pearl Standing Setnnty' WatCnCS, and aSSC1nl?ling ine equip- Harbor. On April 22, 1944, we transited the Panama ment and suppli-es necessary to operate the ship. Finally Canal, and upon reaching the Paciic Side, Cruiser the day of commissioning was set, and the night before, Division Fourteen reported for duty to the Commander the plank owner crew moved aboard with sea bags and in Chief, Paciic Fleet, hammoeks' The mass of Steel Was new our heme? She CinCPac ordered the Division to Pearl I-Iarbor via r Wes alive and We would make her live. San Diego, where each ship embarked about 500 pas- The U- S- S- Miami WHS C0n1n1iSSi0nCCl 011 DCCCIHBBI' sengers. Upon arriving in Pearl Harbor the passengers t 28, 1943, under the command of Captain John G. Craw- were disembarked, and the Division was ordered out for r ford, U, S, Navy, at the U, S, Navy Yard, Philaclel- more training and the final examination for duty in 1 the forward area, all under the watchful ey-e of CinC- f The tempo or the righting in the Pacirlc was quick- Pacts observers. The Miami passed with Hymg colors, ming, and the demand for Ships was great, AS a and again, Ere hwere on our ,way westward, this time to , , r Join up w1t t e Hghting ships of the now famous Task result, the time devoted to Outettmg and testing the Force 58 at Majuro Atoll in the Marshall Islands. The Ship, ttammg the eteW: and m5Peetm8 t-he 5htP Was date of our departure from Pearl Harbor was May 24, K cut to the minimum. The days flew by and January 1944, saw the outfitting of the ship completed, the 1944, the date of our arrival at Majuro Ato-ll, May 30, 1944. 3 ,l

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to Ulirhi to complete the provisioning, upkeep, and overhaul, and have our Thanksgiving dinner. By December 8, Task Force 38 was ready to return to the Philippine area to continue the reduction of Japanese resistance, which lasted for several days. Fighting ceased momentarily because of a typhoon which hit us on the 16th and which reached the Heet in all it fury on December 18th. . As a result of the storm damage to all ships, the Task Force was ordered back to Ulithi. Along with the other ships damaged, the Miami returned with her bow bent to port about six inches, due to the force of the storm. Temporary repairs and reinforcing kept the Miami on the fighting line. During this stay in Ulirhi, which lasted over Christmas Day, the Task Force hagl its Christmas dinner, including turkey and all of the trimmings. Ulirhi, besid-es being the principle base of the Fleet, also provided the officers and men with what little recreation was afforded them. Mog Mog Island was set aside fo-r recreation and at infrequent intervals everybody could get ashore to relax, get his feet on dry land, and consume the ration of beer-three cans per man. 3 New Year' s Day found Task Force 38 again under- way and making ready for continued strikes on the Japanese. Formosa and Luzon were so repeatedly hit that the aviators claimed that they were ,failing to find targets of opportunity. Since the amphibious force was -working through the Philippines to make a final land- ing in Lingayen Gulf, it was d-ecided to take Task Force 38 into the China Sea and cover targets of opportunity along the China Coast from Hongkong to Saigon. On the night of January 9, the air was tense as we transited Bashi Channel into the China Sea. The sea was heavy all of the time the Task Force was roaming the China Sea, but the aviators managed to get in three full days of attack. The Task Force with- drew through Balingtang Channel on the 20th and continued pounding Formosa and Okinawa on the return trip to Ulirhi. ,Upon anchoring in Ulithi on January 27, 1945, Task Force 38, under Admiral Bull Halsey, was dis- solved, only to- become Task Force 58 under Admiral Spruance. On January 28, the U. S. S. Miami changed command, with Captain Thomas H. Binford relieving 'Captain John G. Crawford. When Task Force 58 got underway on February 10, our objective was Tokyo and Kyushu. The day had at last arrived when the full force of the war was to fall on the capital of Japan-the date: February 16, 1946. February also saw the landing of amphibious forces on the island of Iwo Shima, and Task Force 58 con- ducted attacks on Chichi Jima, Tokyo, Kyushu, and Okinawa. While retiring to Ulichi, Cruiser Division 14 with supporting destroyers, was ordered to bombard the island of Okina Daito Jima, an important source of phosphates for the home islands of Japan. The bom- bardment was conducted at night, using starshells. Targets of opportunity were hir, and when we retired, many large fires were burning. . The pace of the Campaign- was increasing as the war approached Japan, and on March 14, 1945, after nine days of upkeep, overhaul, and provisioning, Task Force 58 was again roaming the Japanese coast, this time in preparation for and to cover landings on Okinawa Jima. The air strikes were directed against Kyushu, Okinawa and Nansei Shoto, while much of the time was spent providing a Combat Air Patrol over the landing operatic-ns on Okinawa, a new technique developed to keep interruptions to the landing opera- tions at a minimum. After 45 days at sea, Task Force 58 returned on April 30 to Ulithi Atoll for replenish- ment and upkeep. The Miami, along with the other ships, made all preparations for returning to the Okinawa-Japan area, little dreaming that our orders for return to the States for overhaul were in the process of delivery. The ship was in all respects ready to sail on May 8 when the orders arrived. On May 10 we headed east for Pearl Harbor and San Pedro. It was indeed a day of re- joicing, for it meant leave, liberty, and home after more than a year in the forward area. The ship arrived in San Pedro on May 24 and spent June and July in the Naval Shipyard on Terminal Island. Although most of August was spent in post repair trials, refresher training, and shakedown under COTCPAC fCommander Operational Training Com- mand, Pacificj the Miami was ready for sea and de- parted for Pearl Harbor on August 19.1 From Pearl Harbor the ship was ordered to Guam to help effect the surrender of the Japanese in the Marianas and Caroline Islands. Upon arrival in Guam, the ship was informed that her services were not requir-ed. From Guam We Were ordered to Okinawa to support the neu- tralizing of the Nansei Shoto by the 10th Army. This duty consisted cf patrolling offshore while the army went ashore and blew up ammunition dumps and gun em- placements. With this duty completed, the Miami departed for Yokosuka, Japan, on October 29 to re- port to Commander, Fifth Fleet, for further assign- ment. The ship r-emained in Yokosuka for five days, during which time everybody had an opportunity to visit the city of Tokyo and observe the results of the destruction of this once great metropolis. On Novem- ber 4, the Miami was ordered to Truk as flagship of Rear Admiral C. T. Durgin, who headed the Strategic Bombing Survey Group assigned the task of surveying the bomb damage of Truk. Upon completion of this task, the ship returned to Guam, thence to Pearl Harbor, and San Pedro, arriving on December 10, 1945. The ship has been in the States since that date. Q 1