Shannon (DM 25) - Naval Cruise Book

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IWC UMA At dawn, Iwo Jima rose out of the mist, resembling the fuse- lage of a plane in silhouette. Mount Suribachi on the southern end, the rudder, rose 546 feet in height, while from the base of Suribachi the island had a gradual rise to Kitano Point at the northern end. For the previous seven months Iwo had been subjected to air and surface bombardment, which increased in frequency and intensity from December on. Chichi Jima and Haha Jima in the Bonins also had been the targets for occasional strikes to neutralize the air fields there and to keep the Japs guessing. During the three days immediately before the landings, efforts to soften the enemy were redoubled. The island was subjected to extremely intensive bombardment bv surface ships of the Fifth Fleet and bombing by Army and Navy planes. t The air of tenseness became more acute as H-Hour ap- proached. Just before 0900, the Shannon was ordered to a station on the same side as and nearer to the landing beaches There was a slight swell, but the seas ran smooth. lt was good day for the landings. As we glided into our new station in the inner screen, one of the lookouts shouted, There are the boats! Sure enough, the troops had started to move in, according to plan. Soon the waters were teaming with waves of landing craft, all moving slowly towards the beach and the enemy. The panorama could be likened to the mass and power of molten lava, unrelenting and unretarded, moving slowly forward to bring inevitable destruction to all that lay in its path. For a while the source seemed inexhaustible. Alongside the large transports we could make out the ant-like movements of the Marine-laden assault boats moving toward the beach as quickly as possible so that more boats could be lowered and loaded. All during the time the boats were being loaded and while they were moving in to the beaches, supporting Naval gunhre .1 X I .,,,, , W. . ,,,,z Q it Official I'..S'. .YcIt'.t' Pllofogrftpft unleashed its tremendous cargo of death with added fervor and speed. The crash and explosion of shells made a cOntlHll0l15 roar that reverberated throughout the area, Concussion was felt miles at sea. Simultaneously, planes dive-bombed, strafed, and rocketled the beach, adding their weight to the onslaught. The intensify of the bombardment reached its maximum just before the iirSt boats were beached on this island that was soon to become 3 virtual hell. Resistance to the ships and planes, at hrst1,Wa5 practically nil for, as we learned later, the Japs were S3Vmg eVCfYtl1l1lt5 UWB' had for the troops. A dense, black and for- boding pall of smoke shadowed the island when the MHYIUQS stormed ashore in the southeast corner. On the heels of the Marines, larger craft moved in with tl'lEi1' cargoes 1 t. V , t ' , . .g - ' s-v ' and o maxi upnpnicnt-Qtaults, artillery, mo1ta.fS, truckloads of ammunition and supplies. The coordination be' tweell SllllYS Hltfl troops was magnificent-everyone carried Qui his duties Perfectly, giving his all to the tasks at hand. Willie the troops lvcfl' lilllflilltl, several destroyers moved in EWU closer, on the flanks, to take enemy batteries under direct flfe- OUV lJ0Sition was north of the beachhead and about ten miles offshore. lt was impossible to discern any of the troOP move, ments so, in an attempt to allav our anxiety, we crowflet around all available radios, listening to every circuit on which we could tune in any report that might tell what pl'02 eS5 the Marines were making, t 'WC learned that the bombardment and bombillg' had Wade initial Ummsitlml litlllt, except for some mortar and artillery' hre at l.S'l s and the landing boats. At 1430. came the moment for which we had been W3-lung' 'iiilC Shannon received orders to report to Connnantlef Gun' imc Sul'l 'l Grfflllt for duty. XiVe were relieved of our svfeen' tug station and moved in to do a little shooting, Feldacing thc , . , tl 'VW il7l55l.i5 in the sector to which she had been HSSISM with a sho' - ' -X - - V, at ictnc ltJllllOl1hI'lj'. 36 - g

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The YHQ55 hall and W3Ulf00ll1 WCl'e gay with small, decorated Christmas trees, mistletoe, and red and green streamers, producing a holiday atmosphere. tThe mistletoe was purely decorativel ' Merry and humorous messages of good wishes were sent brick and forth between the ships in company. During the afternoon movies were shown in the mess hall, and those who had not done so before broke out their packages from home. The day after Christmas the Shannon rounded Dianiond Head and made her Way into Pearl Harbor. She steamed through windinff bottle- neck channels and into the Mine Depot to discharge the load brit mines she had carried from Yorktown. The next day SllCl1llOVCtl to a buoy in Middle Loch in the DesPac area. ' For two da-ys, while the ship was being cleaned up and prepared for coming exercises, the crew had liberty on Oahu. Manv of the men were somewhat disappointed in the Crossroads of the Pacific when they found that crowded Honolulu reminded them of Norfolk on Saturday night, However, they found numerous places of interest in VVaikiki Beach, service centers where name bands from the States played dailv, Hawaiian shops, and local entertainment spots. There was enough to do and see to give everyone a good time, or at least the relaxation of getting off the ship. T On December 29 the Shannon left with several other DM's for Maui, where we conducted mining and shore bombardment exercises off the islands of Kahoolawe, Lanai, and Molokai. After laying our minefield, we operated in support of a group of minesweepers, recovering the dummy mines as they swept them. X' New Year's Eve, exercises completed, we returned to Pearl and moored again in Middle Loch. There is an old custom in the Navy which requires the first log of each year to be written in verse by whatever Qfficer of the Deck stands the miclwatch. All the information that would be entered in a normal log for that watch must be included, preferably in proper sequence and terminology, but with some necessary allowance for poetic license and meter. ?VeE9.?',!z Our log for the midwatch, January 1, 1945, was written by Ens. Noyes. ' U.S.S. SHANNON CDM-253 Monday, 1 January 1945 'Tis a night quite Hawaiian, the moon's shining clear, As We lie in Pearl Harbor, 'though not at a pier. No, our mooring is Middle Loch, off the west shore, Quite secure in a berth quaintly known as Dog Four. Fifteen fathoms on deck to the port anchor chain To the buoy that is forward, and this, I should deign Quite enough with the line of tive-eighths inch wire gauge To the buoy that is aft, forming said anchorage. All nestled quite snug in this nest in the west, Lies the Harry F. Bauer, to port she does rest. And outboard the Bauer, the Lindsey, whose name Will rise with the squadron of Dog Mikes to fame. Now the snipes for the black gangj, who number four score, Keep a watch on the boiler, to wit number four. For auxiliary purposes it is in use So that lights will be bright and the pumps not recluse. All the ships that are present in variegation Fly flags of the US or some Allied nation. Besides all those units you might find a raft 'Among numerous district and Navy Yard craft. The SOPA is Commander DesPac. CI presume he's at present secured in his sack Unless steeped in the usual New Year's Eve canonl For all the ships have set Baker, including the Shannon. Now the only thing left to go into this log Is a hope and a prayer that our drive will not bog, Indomitable cries, and a resolute cheer For a victorious, honor-steeped, HAPPY NEW YEAR! January 2, we moved to the Navy Yard for a nine day availability and overhaul period. During that time more new equipment was installed and the ship was made ready for action against the enemy. A training program was established during our stay in the Yard under which men were once again sent daily to various training activities-AA gunnery school, anti-submarine war- fare attack teacher, and schools teaching operation of new equipment. Various types of recreation were offered from time to time in addition to regular liberty. Several softball games were played with teams from other ships. fAt this writing the Shan- non Shillalah-wielders, are still undefeatedj There were also trips to several nearby recreation centers, such as Nimitz Beach, for steak and beer picnics, swimming, and other athletics. January 6 at 1300, CominDiv 7, Capt. VV. G. Beecher, USN, hauled down his pennant in the Robert H. Smith and hoisted it in the Shannon, making her the flagship of Mine Division 7. VVith him, the new Commodore brought his staff of one officer and four men. ..'h.... ., Wfhen our availability ended, the Shannon became a part of Task Force 51, with whom we conducted a dress rehearsal for the coming operations. These exercises, which took place off .Kahoolawe Island, were conducted under conditions as realistic as possible with the Marines landing on the beaches, support ships bombarding, and planes making air strikes with bombing, rocket, and strafing attacks. All that was missing was the enemy. And they weren't missed! ,Our final week of preparation at Pearl was broken only by operating as a gunnery school ship for parts of three days. 4 ON TO BATTLE Our training was over. XVe left Pearl Harbor January 27 with a large convoy of troop-laden transports, enroute to forward areas. At 2330 January 31, the Shannon crossed the International Date Line, longitude 180 degrees, at latitude 16 degrees 30 minutes north. All 'hands were initiated into the Oriental Mysteries nf I-Iozzorablc Ancestors of the Golden Dragon and became Trusty Dragon Backs. Upon crossing the 180th Meridian, time moved ahead twenty-four hours, making February 1 only one-half hour long on the Shannon. The first stop was February 5 at Eniwetok, a barren, bomb- gutted atoll in the Marshall Islands. Two days were spent provisioning and fueling before we got underway again on the next leg of our trip. Never before had such a vigilant watch been stood, for several Jap subs had been reported in the area. None was contacted, however, and the convoy arrived without incident at Saipan, February 10. The Shannon did not go. directly to Saipan, but left the convoy east of Guam and proceeded under orders to a radar picket station about 250 miles northwest of the island. This was a disappointment but it-did not hold the formidable signifi- cance that was later attached to picket duty. Four days we patrolled this station, with excitement provided only by false or friendly submarine ,Yi and air contacts. On the 15th, we were relieved to accomplish logis- tics at Saipan. Early the next day we left with MX a group of transports enroute to f Iwo Jima. Everyone was alert for enemy attacks from any quarter, X in any form. Much to our sur- prise the trip was completed with- out incident and we arrived off Iwo I ,lima in the pre-dawn darkness of 4 February 19. At 0500 we went to general gf, .15 X N quarters and covered the rear of the Marine-packed ships until they reached the transport wait- ing area. NVe then moved to an assigned station in the screen around the island. 35

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