Shannon (DM 25) - Naval Cruise Book

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The future looked unpleasantly exciting whgn We made rendezvous with Task Group 32.3 nprthwest of the Keramu island of Yakabl Shima. Area Zebra, ' wlnch our group was to Sweep, was 2000 square miles in area, extending northeast of lap-held Miyako xblnma, the northernmost island in the Sakishima group, The southwestern end ot Zebra lay less than 20 miles from this island, on which there were several airlields, making air attack extremely probable. Capt, Townsend, CominRon 3, in the Gwin QDM 333 was in command of the Task Group wlnchiconsisted of the Breeze KQDM 183, Shannon, Smith, and Gwin in support of the AM's and other small craft. At dawn on the 1-lth, the sweeps streamed their gear and fell into sweeping formation, as the DM's took station astern for Supporting duties. As soon as all ships were on station, the sweeps began their hrst pass in a northwesterly direction. Two passes were made the first day,.cutting no mines. That night we retired to the east, returning to the area in the morning in time for the sweeps to stream gear, preparatory to sweeping. The second day was also uneventful, no mines being cut on either the northwesterly or southeasterly pass. Buoys were laid by the DM's to mark the limits of each pass and to fix the starting point of each successive day's sweep. The afternoon of the third day, June 16th, provided the first excitement. Enemy aircraft approached the area apparently on reconnaissance, but did not come close enough for our guns or the CAP to engage them. The following day the first Jap moored mines were cut and destroyed. This necessitated changing from an exploratory to a clearance operation. June 18th, our progress took us into the heart of the mine- field, for, on the second pass, numerous mines were swept. These were all sunk or destroyed by the PGM's. During the afternoon another Jap snooper plane was picked up. Our CAP gave chase, keeping him away from the ships. Although he was not even given a chance to attack, the sighting of this plane and knowing that he had seen us made us uneasy, VVe couldn't understand why the Japs did not attack in force. We were certain they knew of our pre- sence. But none ever did. On completion of sweeping operations the next day, during which numerous mines were swept and destroyed, the Task Group formed a cruising disposition to return to Kerama Retto for logistics. While the maneuvers of forming up were in progress, several enemy planes were picked up. The fighter director in the Smith sent our CAP out to intercept before the Japs could get too close. This strategy worked, for upon Slghting our planes the Japs turned and ran for their base, which we assumed to be Miyako Shima. TG 32.3 anchored in Kerama Retto on the morning of June 20, and spent the next two and a half days fueling and taking on stores for the last phase of the Zebra sweep. SURPRISE ATTACK The clear, bright evening quiet of our second day in port was suddenly violated by the rude chatter of guns 22 and 26. Taken completely unawares, no one knew what was happen- ing, but the fact remained that whatever it was it was happen- lflg foo close. No one ever before had moved so fast in man- ning his battle station. Many arrived topside just in time to See two Jap fighters crash into the seaplane tenders Curtiss CAV 43 and Kenneth Wliiting CAV 1-lj, only 3000 yards off our port bow. Although we stayed at general quarters for the next three hours, no more enemy planes approached the area. During this time, information was grad- ually pieced together to form the story of the attack. The two Jap planes had somehow gotten into the until Wilson, GM sc, and Disipio, s ic, gunners on ff . number two and number six ready 20 mm machine f , , SUHS, sighted them coming in low over the hills f ,4 'x of Hokaji Shima. As the first of these planes attacked and then crashed into the Curtiss, the other circled the harbor. Our guns opened up as the plane -- 7 if 'fag f Al f If . I . area undetectedg their presence was not known - iff ,ff MIYAKO SI-IIMA approached, and each very accurately poured 60 rounds into UIC Ulfilet. The Jap was either turned by our fire or had already picked out his target, for he continued to turn and dove on the Whiting, crashing close aboard her, 'The Shannon was the first, and practically the only ship in lxerama Retto to hre on the planes. The action was so un- expected and so rapid that no one knew what was happening until the harbor was rocked by explosions and fire on the unfortunate victims. Wilson and Disipio are to be highly commended for their rapid, cool-headed, and effective action in the situation. At 1850, June 22, the Task Group again sortied on the south- west .entrance to Kerama Retto to return to the Zebra area. Arriving early the next morning, the AM's streamed their gear and made one last northeasterly pass before starting the check sweep. Only a few mines were cut during the day, and, on completion of the day's sweeping, the area was con- sidered cleared and the operation completed. We returned to lxerama Retto and anchored, early the next morning, June 24th. During the Zebra operation, approximately 120 mines were swept and destroyed. June 25th the Shannon was granted a five day availability alongside the destroyer tender Hamul CAD 201. OKINAWA CAMPAIGN ENDS Organized resistance on Okinawa was declared to have ended on June 21, after eighty-two days of bitter fighting. Mop- ping up of two small enemy pockets still remained to be done, but the worst was over-for the ground troops, at least. The campaign had been a bloody and trying one. PfOgfCSS in the north had been rapid, against scattered opposition, and organized resistance in the northern two-thirds of the island had ceased by April 22. Advance in the south, however, had been stubbornly contested. From April 4 to May 26, our lines advanced only four miles, and it took from May 26 to June 21 to cover the remaining ten miles to the southern tip of the island. On June 18, while observing an attack of the Marine 8th Regimental Combat Team, Lieut. General S. B. Buckner, Commanding General of the Tenth Army and the Ryukyus Forces, was instantly killed by a shell burst. Command of the ground forces was then assumed by Major General R. S. Geiger, USMC, until after the capture of the island. June 23, General J. W, Stilwell, USA, relieved General Geiger, and assumed command of the occupation and garrison forces. About 548,000 men of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps had taken part in the operation as a whole, with 318 com- batant vessels and 1139 auxiliary vessels, exclusive of personnel landing craft. The Navy had suffered heavy losses at Okinawa through no fault of its owng that was one of the prices that had to be paid. The time element was closely connected with the extent of our ship casualties. By its very nature an amphibious in- vasion implies advancing a huge number of vessels, both combatant and noncombatant, from a zone dominated by one's own landbased air forces into one hitherto dominated by the enemy's. Our vessels are localized by the landing so that the enemy had not the problem of finding them, 'but only of hitting them. The longer the Navy must remain in support ot assault troop operations, the more vulnerable it is to attack, and the higher is the proportion of personnel and slnp casual- ties. Slow progress on the ground is directly reflected, there- fore, in naval losses. Between March 26, when the first damage was done, and June 21, when organized resistance had ceased, over 250 vessels of all classes, from battleships and carriers down to ' destroyers and landing ships, had been hit by air attack, by far the greatest proportion of them in suicide crashes. Some 34 destroyers or smaller 5 craft were sunk. Early warning of impending P- attacks proved to be the best countermeasure, and for this purpose destroyers and destroyer types were stationed as pickets at appropriate distances from the concentrations of heavier shipping. These pickets took the heaviest losses themselves, but in so doing they undoubtedly saved many bigger and more valuable vessels, during a critical three months. 55

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1 IUNEAU Juneau was the largest single mine-sweeping operation ever undertaken. The area, roughly 150 miles long .by 60 miles wide, lay 110 miles west-northwest of Okinawa. The uncomfort- able proximity to Jap-held territory made enemy arr attacks a constant threat. Logistics having been completed, the Shannon clellflflcfl Kerama Retto early on the morning of July 4th. The 21dV2mCC buoy unit, TU 39.11.8, of which we were a part, included the W'iley and Fraser, CCTU 39.118 was Captain H. J. Armstrong, USN, CominDiv 8, in the Vtlileyl. Upon arrival we commenced laying a line of buoys marking the northeastern bounda.ry.Of the area preparatory to the start of operations the following day. Wlhen the line had been laid and checked, we 1'Ct111'l'lCd to the eastward and joined the sweep group, which had left Kerama Retto during the evening. NVhen sweeping operations began, the morning of the Sth, the Shannon took station astern of the last sweep and lard buoys to mark the inboard limit of the cleared area. ln addition, we served, along with the other DM's and DD's, as support ship, to protect the smaller units against air or surface attack. During the first two days' operations, only one mrne was cut, and five floaters destroyed. On night retirements, the Shannon was generally stationed ten miles ahead or astern of the formation of AM's, as a radar picket ship. The third day, business became good. Twenty mines were cut, four floaters destroyed. At the end of the fourth day, the Shannon rendezvoused with the Wiley, Breese CODM 185, and Hambleton CDMS 205 to return to Kerama Retto for fuel. When logistics had been completed, the same ships, plus the Gwin CDM 33J, returned to the area, arriving in time for the beginning of operations, on the morning of the 10th. The operations continued to be uneventful for the next four days, with the exception of cutting from twenty to thirty mines a day. At the completion of sweeping, on July 14th, with half of the entire area covered, over two hundred mines, most of which had been cut, had been destroyed. With the entire task group in need of logistics and a rest all ships headed for Buckner Bay, arriving on the following morning. TYPHOON Buoys, fuel, water, and provisions had been taken aboard by the 17th, and the Shannon, along with the rest of the ships, was ready to resume operations, All operations, howe , l , ver, were postponed by warnings of an approaching typhoon. Ar 1530, with the typhoon close- at hand, we were ordered to sortie with the rest of the ships from Buckner Bay to execute the prearranged typhoon retirement plan. Retirement began none too soon. liy steaming as fast aslweather and the slower ships in company would pernrrt until beyond Okino Daito Shima, wc just nranaged to skirt the storm, missing the worst part, but encountered plenty of rough weather on the edges, After three days, the center had passed enough to allow Your return to port. VVe arrived on the morning of Jrrly 21st. Necessary fueling having been completed, we left Buckner Bay later the same day with the Wiley and Rooks CDD 804J, as 'gm advance unit to locate the marker buoys. The next day was spent checking the lines of buoys, preparatory to the ar- rival of the sweeps on the morning of the 23rd. The operation continued to be uneventful, except for the mines which were cut in about the same numbers as before. At the completion of the day's sweeping July 26th, we steamed in to Buckner Bay with the Smith, to accomplish logistics, and returned to the area on the morning of the 28th. That day the normal passes were completed. During the night retire- ment on the 28th and 29th, we passed very close to the Jap islands of Kobi Sho, Sento Shosho, and Uotsuri Shima, and within about 75 miles of Formosa. The 29th and 30th were spent checksweeping along the mine barrier, which had been established by our plot, to ensure that the entire area had been covered and cleared. At the end of the operation, the 9000 square miles which had .been swept was declared free of mines. Eighteen days of sweeping had yielded 343 mines, swept and destroyed, and 61 Hoaters destroyed. We steamed into Buckner Bay at noon July 31, tired from the operation, but satisfied that we had done a good Job, and happy that we had encountered no particular dffrcultres. VVe had just anchored when another typhoon warning was received and we were ordered to shift to a more protected berth to ride it out, Typhoon season had begun in earnest. Fortunately, the center of the storm passed more than a hundred miles away, but the fringes were rough enough to give us a few trying hours, in spite of our shelter. The danger was short-lived, however, permitting us to commence a nine-day availability and logistics period at anchor in the vicinity of the Hamul CAD ZOJ. During those days, air alerts were frequent, causing considerable interruption, but few enemy planes actually came within range and fewer made attacks, SKAGWAY Another formidable sweeping operation was assigned to us when the plans had been completed-this time right in back yard of the enemy homeland. f'Skagway was an area slightly smaller than Juneau-120 by 45 miles--but promised a considerably larger number of mines and greater probability of 'rir attack The areas north ern boundary was only 120 miles from Kyushu anel the southern lrmrt 100 miles from Amamr O Shrma with numerous Jap held islands rn between It was an important and necessary operation because rt contained several mrne lines which pre sented an effective barrier against Allied submarine and sur face operations rn the East China Sea especially those of future invasion fleets which would be directing their efforts against Kyushu The days of preparation were fraught with anxiety and r patience for the Empire was wrtlrerrng under the Allied attacks Everyone hoped fervently that Japan would say Uncle Sam, and prevent the hell th rt wts imminent rf we should be forced to land on the shores of the Home Islands Scuttlebrrtt flenl 1 very brt of gh news sounded better than the Q Q as Lf During the evening of Xuf ust 10 the most exciting news of all was received A radio report stated that Japan had informed the Swedish and Svtrss governments that she trou fl rccept the surrender terms lard down by the Allies Wflfvyu at Potsdam, providing she could retain the Emperor assovereigll ruler. This news touched off a powder keg of celebration. AlIl105t immediately the sky was filled with gunfire. lighting the wl1OlC harbor and island Very signal shells flares and star shCllS burst everywhere tracers streaked the nroht The display VHS beautiful rernrnrscent of a peacetime Fourth of July celebra tron but extremely dtnoerous ln attempt to c0ntrol tl1IS rndrscrrmrnent frrrng lrlash Red was ordered bx all r6SP0U srble comm rnders rn the rrea After 'r few rnrnutes 111051 Of the hrrng stopped althouvlr spor rtrc reports could be heard from the beach md occrsronallx from 1 small Nlllp llhlch radnt got the nord rlhe rox fermented br the occasion was somewhat d'rmpened by reports th rt 'r number of men 11105111 soldiers on the beach lrtd betn lrlled by the spontaneouS demonstr rtron A later nexxs broadtrst reported that PICS1ClCHf Tluman c crllcd r nrectrng., of the L rbrnet rnd that r meetrntl Of al four of the letdrnt, Allred Nrtrons nrrrst be held before Pm answer eorrld l grxen o the ptrce olier recepted e xcrtement lr rung tlred dorxn temporrrrlx and 1021511 ICS t t Xs rn the prexrous SYNC Q or 1 s e the other 1111115 twlrsh and nrrrl t re nrrtlr rorned ns rt 1800 August 12 rs we steamed OU r kner may le rx rx LonrrnD 7 was rrnrlnd of x rngr rrrl rnrl liter of the southern QW rrnrt , .1 . 1' - - - fi - 5- - 1 fi Y H 'g . ': , Y . . . Y , . , 1 .l , ' 2 g A .' ' .- - ' ' - I 'B - ' C 'h C ' 8 . .B ,. . ' . -'y H1 r- ,, ,ci l , I -, - E . . . X - -. - - i I 2 .f . 2 ac . i . c 1 sv 'A - . . ' . r ' ' Q , g .. '2 ' f , . . . . i. - . , - 2 2 , . 23' 2 if, ' 2 . I Q ' . ' lc l L' - I I J 2 i D' ' - -' . I Y ' ' ' ' ' ,' ' in - - ' r A ., 2 , 2 . -2 Q' t . fr I ,, I C r c . . . L ' ' ' ,ry - K sz N - r 1 A K ' Q. 1 ' , A' Q X hal 2 2 A 2' rr' 2 ' ,-,2 2'2 ic' 1 ' 1 7 3 , -Q - .2 ' lr A '1 ' 2 ' 5 fl , V . Y 1 . ' Je H r iz - . A' ' 1 ' ' - I ' , . . . C , . ,' v K. 5 ' I - ' l' qt. Tlr ex r 2 1' -A ' 1 1 . '2 j Q 5 CS Q' ly ' A f' 1, A , . I A having been completed, including loading buoys, WC were . 3' H 'i , .Q 'J X ,. , 'W I-CZ if for thc. UllCr'21t'ior1 to st: 1' . r .' i ' ' ' 'i .Y 'epi' + mf I, - Q V Y , -g 5 the bln if rrn t wa: to leave ahead rf ' to . . 2' J 5 2 f estzl . 2 2 it the lirnits of the area. : 'X . Q ' 'f 2 2 A ff ' ' - .f 'f '. 2 Tl S ' f ' r .' :V , , 3' 3 ', If , gf ,t ' A kj' . 1 2 . of l'rrc X' l'2j, enrorr r to Skag iz J i 'll' ' m f l, 2. 1 ' A . -A' cor' 2 this 'z T rz ' , 2 2 T r eep 56