Pennsylvania (BB 38) - Naval Cruise Book

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THE MARIANAS CAMPAIGNfContinued might open up on our' landing beaches on Saipan. Four times during the day enemy fire or other activity was observed on Tinian, and each time the PENNSYLVANIA promptly opened fire. That night the PENNSYLVANIA steamed southward for Guam, about l40 miles away, and the next morning she opened fire on Orote Peninsula. Her ,second main battery salvo put the Jap airfield on Orote Peninsula completely out of use, for the time being at least. The bombardment ,continued for an hour and a half, and then it and the entire Guam,Operation were interrupted by the ap- pearance of the Japanese Fleet in the Philip- pine Sea. The PENNSYLVANIA was recalled to Saipan to serve with other OBB's as a last line of defense for our troops and shipping at Saipan should the Jap Fleet break through. While the force was patrolling in an area north of Saipan there were numerous air con- tacts, and twice the PENNSYLVANIA took enemy planes under fire. ' 'On the afternoon of 22 June the force anchored in Garapan Anchorage, off the western coast of Saipan, to refuel destroyers. At dusk a Betty slipped around a large hill on Saipan and was over our force before it had been sighted or picked up by radar. It dropped its torpedo almost on top of the PENNSYLVANIA and was gone before any ship fired a shot. The torpedo landed in the water iust a few yards off the starboard bow of the PENNSYLVANIA, and a few seconds later the sound of an explosion came from the direction of the MARYLAND, anchored about 600 yards astern. The task group, with the exception of the IMARYLAND, promptly got underway. By 25 June the Japanese Fleet had been mauled and turned back by aircraft of our 5th Fleet, and the PENNSYLVANIA departed from the Saipan area. She remained at Eni- wetok from June 28th 'until July 9th, when she left to resume the Guam Operation. On the I2th, l3th, and l4th of July the PENN- SYLVANIA bombarded in preparation for the eventual assault and landing on Guam. Fire was delivered in coordination with the NEW MEXICO and was directed at predetermined targets and targets of opportunity, the obiect being destruction rather than neutralization. Upon the completion of firing on the evening of the l4th the PENNSYLVANIA returned to Saipan to take on more ammunition. The Pre-assault bombardment was again resumed on the morning of the l7th of July. In support of underwater demolition opera- tions, the PENNSYLVANIA executed close-in protective fire support, covering all points from which fire might be brought to bear on Officers of the PENNSYLVANIA at Efate, April, 1943. Captain Corn commanding.

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One of the most remarkable pictures of the war An aerial view of the PENNSYLVANIA as she blasts away with her twelve I4 Inch guns at the Jap airfield on Orote Peninsula Guam N June the tenth the PENNSYLVANIA as one of a force of battleshlps cruls ers escort carriers and destroyers put to sea bound for Saipan the first of our obgectlves in the Marianas That night a destroyer in the screen of the disposition reported a sound contact An emergency ships left 90 deg was ordered As a result of the maneuver the PENNSYLVANIA collided with the TALBOT, an APD. The PENNSYLVANIA sustained only very minor damage, but the TALBOT was forced to put into Eniwetok for emergency repairs. It was not until some time after the accident that those aboard the PENNSYL- VANIA Iearned that the TALBOT was carry- ing a large amount of TNT for underwater demolition work The PENNSYLVANIA bombarded Saipan for only one day I4 June the day prior to the assault landing The targets were Japa nese installations in the Nafutan Point Magicienne Bay area Some damage was effected although it was limited by the long ranges at which the bombardment had to be conducted. Enemy guns on Nafutan Point are known to have been knocked out. On Dog Day the PENNSYLVANIA cruised up and down off the northeastern shore of Tinian, which lies iust south of Saipan, ready to take under fire any enemy batteries which

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Q the demolition parties. At the same time she continued deliberate destructive fire on pre- determined targets. This type of fire was con- tinued on 18th, 19th, and 20th of July. Early on the morning of the 21 st the PENN- SYLVANIA assumed a position between Agat Beach, where one of the two landings on Guam was to be made,-and Orote Peninsula. At 0530 she commenced bombarding the beach areas in immediate preparation for the assault. This firing was continued throughout the period that troops and equipment were being loaded into landing craft and landing waves were being formed. The ship lay gen- erally between 2000 and 3000 yards and at times only 1500 yards from Orote Peninsula. At 0830, when the assault waves headed in for the beach, the main and secondary bat- teries went to rapid fire. A tremendous bar- rage was laid down on the beach areas to provide protection for the landing waves. When the first wave reached a line 1000 yards from the beach and any further fire on the beach itself would have endangered our own troops, the PENNYLVANIA lifted her fire back into the hills. Not until twenty min- utes after the first troops had landed did she cease firing. Upon the establishment of the beachhead, the PENNSYLVANIA stood by to execute whatever fire support missions might be called for by shore fire control parties. From July 21st through July 30th she delivered support- ing and harrassing fire and starshell illumi- nation. On the last day of July and 1 August the same types of missions were executed from positions off the northwest coast of the island and on the night ofthe 2nd from posi- tions off the northeast coast. At many times the ship fired at enemy troops while our own troops were close to the enemy positions, but in no case did a projectile from the ship fall dangerously close to our own troops. In the Guam Operations alone the PENN- SYLVANIA expended, not counting the false start on 16 June, almost 1800 rounds of 14 , 10,000 rounds of 5 , 14,000 rounds of 40mm., and 1600 rounds of 20mm. This is probably a greater amount of ammunition than any other ship has ever fired during a single operation. And it was done without any personnel or material casualties. Air spotters reported that the PENNSYL- VANIA put out of action fifteen planes, six large guns, eight medium guns, three 5 guns, twelve 3 guns, nineteen dual purpose guns, two coast defense guns, eight large A.A. guns, four twin mounts, nine heavy A.A. guns, Ps. -W1 1 site ZWR 1 l 1 1 l S 1 xxls Q31 'Ti' i :lx l f X 1 .1 , ' - iw I I , ,N gfh h ff , , Til Xxxxxxx Q Q X hk xllf ffi3C1,Li:'57'T . X X X -,. 1 K 1555:-jf l ' ,fi -5iiXwml4-fffXf?E?f2fff6? ge t it ,, ,X NX gg ., 1 7 Q : E ,-- ff Xa Q71 fa '1 E ?3g 5 Taft' in ' T 5.gnii?5T 22555 Q M ' Lg , . f Q f' , X . R N wf .fx iS.hi Sweep Down . Words by Lt. Cjgj Robert G. Haldeman 1. The enemy was all about, in waters clear and blue. The Captain asked the next in line just what We ought to do. 3 The next in line just thought a while and then he made reply: H My Captain, this is what I think we really ought to try: . CHORUS l Sweep down, sweep down, sweep down 1 all the day. Q The decks are clean as they can be, but sweep down anyway. p I 2. The enemy was closing fast, our guns 1 were all alert. 1 1 The Captain chanced to glance about, 1 and spied a speck of dirt. P, Secure your guns and man your brooms, ' the Captain then did shout. The Navigator grabbed the wheel, and turned the ship about. 1 l CHORUS 1 1 3. 3 i When once again the sweeping crew had made the decks aglow, We turned about and started in It 1 to massacre the foe. 13 We sank the foe in record time, we didn't f r Waste a shell. We never heard a word of praise, but just the BOs'n yell: 2 CHORUS 5 l 1 23