Pennsylvania (BB 38) - Naval Cruise Book

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THE PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN Continued gao Stralt, the southern entrance to Leyte Gulf That afternoon carrler searches revealed stlll another Jap force, this composed ot car rlers, battleshlps cruisers and destroyers to the northeast of Luzon, standing down toward Leyte Gulf The Japanese Navy was salllng against us In full force Throughout the afternoon PT boats, carry :ng tull loads of torpedos, streaked past the PENNSYLVANIA headed southward through Leyte Gulf for Surlgao Strait At T826 the slx battleshlps, three heavy cruisers three llght crulsers and destroyers In Admiral Olden dorfs force formed battle dlsposltuon and UPPER LEFT Sky control alerted for bogeys UPPER RIGHT Captam's inspection on the star board quarter. LOWER LEFT: The last of the destroyer ABNER READ. The new destroyer burns and sinks after being hit by a suicide plane at Leyte Gulf, November I, 1944, as seen from the deck of the PENNSYLVANIA. LOWER RIGHT: PENNSYLVANIA entering ABSD 2 in Seeadler Harbor, Manus, Admiralty Islands. .. , ., - .1 . ,MA 1,117 71, ... f I 11-ff? ' 'ffisr -v. ff 'f f 1-A-ff-3-.,:?..f A15-,-:gr-gup1.f3vs,:,--.g+-3s-55545:fy--5-335511131 -gg.:-5.7 g, 3 V gjwegga' 75.31 as .g9f.4,,s.,g.,.,Ge3.-cbZgetqyfx-2-41.55.:,.T-is-3.1-gwy-A'g,,, -g - g--- el,-A ev , - -M - ..-- - ,, , , . , O i . Q 4 o Q n o u u U ' ' I I ' Q Q 0 I n Q 0 I I . - a 0 g u 1 . . . . . 0 0 0 0 q , n

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special column, consisting of three cruisers and one battleship, the PENNSYLVANIA, was formed, and this column fell in astern of a mine sweeping group and proceeded into and across Leyte Gulf. At I407 the PENNSYL- VANIA reached her assigned fire support station off the eastern coast of Leyte and commenced bombarding. As usual, fire was directed at predetermined targets and targets of opportunity, the obiect being destruction whenever possible. Chief emphasis, however, was placed on covering beach reconnaissance and underwater demolition teams and mine sweeping units operating in Leyte Gulf and San Pedro Harbor. This action was continued until l7I4, when the ship took its retiring position within Leyte Gulf. From 0830 until I555 the following day the PENNSYLVANIA continued the bombard- ment of Leyte. On the morning of Able Day, two days later, she delivered fire in sup- port ofthe landing. Negligible enemy gunfire was observed coming from the beaches. Of the PENNSYLVANIA'S bombardment on this morning, CBS's overseas correspondent, Web- Iey Edwards, had this to say in a radio broad- cast: LEFT: Alert in the engineroom. At the throttle: MMlfcf talker to the bridge: J. R. Snyder,,F2fc. The boys call the PENNSY 'Old Falling Apart' because she turns out such a volume of gunfire you'd think she was falling to pieces. Actually she is solid and sound al- though one of the oldest U. S. battlewagons. Recently in a Pacific bombardment action somebody yelled to me, 'Come here and look. The old PENNSY'S hit, and she's on fire.' It turned out the old gal shoots so fast and so much that at times she really does look like she's afire. Throughout the nights of the 20th and the 2Ist the PENNSYLVANIA delivered harassing and night illuminating fire. Twice during the day of the 2lst the ship took position and executed call fire missions with her main battery. On the morning of the 24th it became ap- parent that a maior naval engagement was developing. Our carrier search planes had located two Japanese forces, each composed of battleships, cruisers, and destroyers. One, the Central Force, was in the Sibuyan Sea headed for San Bernadino Strait, from which it could strike southward for the eastern en- trance to Leyte Gulf. The other, the Southern Force, was in the Sulu Sea, headed for Suri- C. E. Morris, MM3fcf in charge: H. E. Heyer, RIGHT: Lt. J. Philip Bromley helps Radioman Gordon E. Nelson with his studies in the Library. ,

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