Rodman (DD 456) - Naval Cruise Book

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OKINAWA-April 1. 1945 The Ship had a short minesweeping shakedown, and in March she jdhd tk ffl i to stage for the invasion of Okinawa. The sweeping force sortled from Uhthi March l9th S0 88 to UTIVH ID UU days before D-Day. The actual sweeping operations turned out to be rttbd' Ellvii after the RODMAN had been in the area thirteen days she shot down .tio i, rescued two Japanese pilots from the water to be turned over to naval lllf8l The events of the afternoon of April 6th, the RODMAN'S. fourteenth dl! B th ill Okinawa, make this day the most eventful one in her history. She was conducting routine minesweeping operations oil' the northwest cull J MII suddenly, about 1530, two Japanese dive . bombers dived from A cloud only I fl! i ahead. In a matter of seconds her main battery and A. A. machine guna spud ll C 1 coming suiciders. One plane was driven off but not before he dropped two near-miss holbl. Ti 5 through the forecastle into the forward living spaces where a s lit second kill' KI iv! 5 ploded, burstlng open the forecastle deck and both sides of the shi to the 'iff 1 compartments were completely demolished. Sixteen men were killei Another Jap simultaneously crashed into the t th RODM EIIH- i 2 b0U1b exploded, tearing open that side above andwlameleonvsnthe :yaterlineAl!i?8oaMQ Bhd 1 forward part of the ship. Survivors from the EMMONS. which vu :think ik RODMAN was completely enveloped by a wall of flame after the Hn! klmili i ' Personnel topside were saved from severe burns only by a wall of nel taht UQ

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Pre-Imzasiofn Sweep 1 3 5 T- '-,.jv E.: . .,.. U. .1 Q., u' 1 M. 7, 1 gi . Y.. - 'J-, F- r -'ww

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the ship as high as the top of her mast immediately after, extinguishing the flames topside. The cover of a hatch on her bow was torn off and thrown into the water astern of the ship. . One frag- ment of a plane was found dangling from the sign al halyards. Fires had broken out in the forward part of the ship. Attempts to save her seemed futileg but the crew pitched in to perform the dangerous tasks of fire fighting, control of flooding and removal of ammunition forward. One five- inch shell exploded in a handling room while the work of ammunition removal proceeded but for- tunately no one was in the space at the time. The U. S. S. EMMONS shot down the plane that had been diverted by the RODMAN'S gunfire and she came to the assistance of her sister vessel. A call had been made by radio for aerial fighter protection, but before the EMMONS could come alongside the attack was renewed. Friendly fighters arrived -about the same time and the battle was on again. The J aps were coming low over the water apparently finding the high-diving methods too hazard- ous and costly. Hellcats and later Corsairs of the combat air patrol plunged at the risk of their lives straight into the cross fire of the two minesweepers in order to down the oncoming sons of nippon. For two long hours the fight continued with most of the RODMAN'S main battery inoperative as a result of the first hit. The ship then suffered another kamikaze hit in the superstructure. Meanwhile the EMMONS had received' several direct hits, her magazines exploded, fires got out of control and she had to be abandoned. When last seen, she was a veritable holocaust. ' The plane which struck the superstructure was one of thirteen that approached simultaneously from behind an island and opened attack. It penetrated the bulkhead of the captain's stateroom, where the entire fuselage, engine and pilot remained until the RODMAN was brought alongside a repair ship. Devasting fires were started which almost completely gutted the superstructure :from Within. Almost all hands Whose battle stations were on the superstructure were forced over the side by the flames. A 15 ' fx. p . Y ...rear 3 f - ilk , wg, L J ,,. fur ', 1 ,x