Pennsylvania (BB 38) - Naval Cruise Book

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THE GILBERTS AND MARSHALLS-Continued still in progress on the northern end of the island, where the .laps were slowly being driven, and the PENNSYLVANIA had a front row seat. During the day shell fire, dive bombing, and strafing were clearly visible from the ship, and at night 'there were con- tinuous streams of- tracers criss-crossing over the island, while fire support ships lay close inshore and maintained starshell illumination. All this was to become commonplace to the crew of the PENNSYLVANIA in later opera- tions, but now it was novel and exciting. With the success of the Kwaialein Opera- tion ensured, the PENNSYLVANIA proceed- ed to Maiuro Atoll, which had iust been occupied, to replenish ammunition. On the afternoon of 9 February an ammunition ship, the MAUNA LOA, was alongside to star- board, and I4 powder tanks were being received on the forecastle and then struck below. Suddenly one tank, which had just been received aboard and which was sitting with about twenty others on the starboard side of the forecastle, exploded and burned furiously. Within a few seconds hoses from the MAUNA LOA and the PENNSYLVANIA were brought into action, and after a short period the fire was extinguished. There were several men burned or other- wise injured by the accident, but there were no fatalities. That the heat of the fire failed to set off the surrounding powder tanks was amazing, and it undoubtedly saved the PENNSYLVANIA and MAUNA LOA from dis- aster. Shortly after midnight on the eleventh, 14 powder tanks were again being taken aboard, this time from a lighter alongside to port. One tank had been struck below to the handling room of Turret One and was being lifted across the coaming of a door into the right ready service magazine when it exploded. Flame swept over the powder cans stacked in the magazine. Again, by some sort of mir- acle, no other powder charge ignited. The magazine and others adiacent were promptly flooded. On this occasion there were numer- ous casualties, of whom four died. With the necessity after each of the pow- der explosions of condemning all of that lot of powder already received on board and of transferring it off the ship and then receiving another load, it looked very much as though the PENNSYLVANIA would not complete loading ammunition in time to take part in the next operation. But, by the afternoon of the l2th, after more than seventy-nine hours of almost continuous work, the job was fin- ished. Forty-five minutes later the ship got underway. The operation against Kwaialein,Atoll had proved so successful that the operation against Eniwetok Atoll, the westernmost in the Marshalls, was undertaken earlier than originally planned. At 0910 on the I7th of February the PENNSYLVANIA steamed boldly through Deep Entrance into Eniwetok Lagoon, her entire 4Omm. and 20mm. batteries blaz- ing away at the enemy-held islands of Jap- tan, to starboard, and Parry, to port, each about IOOO yards away. She proceeded up a swept channel in the lagoon to a position off Engebi Island and at Il25 commenced bombarding enemy installations. This action was continued throughout the day. The PENNSYLVANIA and TENNESSEE were assigned the duty of protecting the recon- naissance boat teams, and when they made their approach to the landing beaches at I700, the PENNSYLVANIA covered them with main and secondary battery fire. They com- pleted their mission without interference. On the morning of the I8th the PENNSYL- VANIA bombarded Engebi before and during the approach of the assault waves to the beach. During approximately eighty percent of the bombardment the beach areas were enveloped in heavy smoke and dust, and this cover drifted down on the ship, making it extremely difficult and at times impossible to pick out targets. When Engebi had been secured, 'the PENN- SYLVANIA moved southward through the IUQOOH to the vicinity of Parry Island. On the 20th and the 2lst she delivered preparation

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on Dog Day and thereafter until retirement from the area required the manning of all this equipment plus about 25 remote oper- ating positions. I27 radiomen were used, standing watch-and-watch. At no time during the entire operation was there a casualty which disrupted communications. j LISCOMBE BAY TORPEDOED Just before general quarters on the morn- ing of the 24th of November, as the PENN- SYLVANIA was returning to a screening sector off Makin after her usual night retirement, a tremendous explosion took place off her star- board bow. At almost the same instant a screening destroyer reported a sound contact. The disposition immediately executed an emergency course change. For several min- utes after the explosion a largefire lighted up the entire area. It was not at once appar- ent to those aboard the PENNSYLVANIA what had happened, but word soon came through that the LISCOMBE BAY, a CVE, had been torpedoed. She sank shortly with great loss of life. On the 25th and 26th the task force was taken under determined night air attack by torpedo planes. It was estimated that at times on the evening of the 25th there were as many as fifteen torpedo planes insidethe destroyer screen of the disposition. None of our ships, however, were damaged. On the 30th the PENNSYLVANIA left the Makin area for Pearl Harbor. During the first part of January, I944, she conducted various practice shoots and took part in another prac- tice assault on Maui. On January the 22nd she shoved off from Pearl Harbor for another major operation, this time against Kwajalein Atoll, in the Marshall Islands. Kwajalein is the largest atoll in the world, its lagoon meas- uring sixty miles in length. The assault force was divided into two parts, one to strike at Roi and Namur Islands at the northern end of the atoll and one at Kwajalein Island at the southern end. The PENNSYLVANIA was assigned to the southern group. At 06l8 on the last day of January the main battery of the PENNSYLVANIA opened fire on Kwajalein Island. It was still dark at the time, and as the first salvo thundered out, a sailor standing topside yelled in the direc- tion of the island, Reveille, you slant-eyed s--s of b--s. The secondary and 40mm. batteries joined in, and the bombardment continued through- out the day. During most of the firing, the ship, discovering that at short ranges enemy guns and fortifications could not only be neu- tralized but actually destroyed by using the individual guns and fortifications as points of aim, was held between 2000 and 4000 yards from the beach. By this method Jap guns, blockhouses, pillboxes and the blockading sea wall built along possible landing beaches were demolished. Ammunition dumps and fuel stowages were seen to blow up and burn. large numbers of enemy troops were killed. At one time the 14 high capacity projec- tiles being used seemed to be taking no effect on a blockhouse built into the seawall. The Gunnery Officer ordered a shift to armor piercing projectiles. The first one fired hit the blockhouse, penetrated the thick concrete wall, leaving a hole some three feet in diam- eter, and burst inside. It seemed reasonable to assume that everything and everyone inside the blockhouse had been destroyed, but just for good measure, one more A.P. was fired. That, too, burst inside the blockhouse, after passing through the hole left by the other projectile! ' LANDING AT KWAJALEIN At I000 and again at I600, high and low tides, four reconnaissance boat teams ap- proached to within I00 yards of the landing beaches, taking soundings, studying the reefs, currents, and landing facilities, and getting all other available data. The PENNSYLVANIA and MISSISSIPPI were assigned the task of covering these boat teams from close range, but the boats were not fired upon by enemy guns. The PENNSYLVANIA'S air spotters did out- standing work during the Kwajalein Cam- paign. They were invaluable not only in spot- ting fall of shot but in picking out targets that could not be seen from the ship. On the morning of the first of February, the PENNSYLVANIA carried out her scheduled bombardment before, during, and after the landing on the island by army troops. Al- though Kwajalein Island was heavily fortified, all troops made the landing unopposed. On the evening of the third, the PENNSYL- VANIA entered the Lagoon and anchored near Kwajalein Island. Heavy fighting was

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