Shea (DM 30) - Naval Cruise Book

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verdant shrubbery, the gorgeous flowers and the gay qtmos- phere. Do you still have that lottery ticket or remember the hundreds of peddlers? The posted Tips on how to behave on liberty and where to go posted on the 'midship's bulle- tin board. That was a masterpiece. It was a novelty-, for here it was almost Christmas and we were strolling around in whites perspiring quite freely, Our escort duties were renewed now with the safe- guarding of the RANDOLPH, another large carrier. Com- menced now one of the most lonesome and bluest weeks ever experienced. Many sad hearts and lonely men were sailing on the SHEA on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Understanding shipmates never question red eyes or damp- ened pillows at a time like this. However, everything was done to further the renewal of our spirits- a swell Christmas dinner, the group sing of the Christm-as Carols, gift cigarettes for all and a stalwart at- tempt by each individual to make everyone's A Merry C'hristmas . It was on December 26 that a man was lost overboard from the RANDOLPH and though a thorough search was made, we were una-ble to recover him. Every day was a busy one and time passed swiftly. Exhiler-ating news!! We were to arrive in San Fran- cisco in time to join in the celebration of New Year's Eve. We did. fPeriod.l Somehow l believe that it had some- thing to do with the end of the war. Why? Nearly every per- son in Frisco joined in a sincere bottoms-up toast which usually included these words: Here's to the end of the war this year. We knew this, definitely, side liberty for Lord knows how long and said our goodby to the good old U.S.A. that New Year's Eve on Market Street, the hospitality of the Pepsi-Cola center, the intriguing ulaissez faire of the International Settlement and the respect we developed for the people of this Frisco area because of their was our last State- open arms reception and the courteous welcome they gave to us, Here was a tingling recollection of our great country, exemplified by one of its great cities, which was to lend us courage and fortitude in troublesome days which came soon after. But our happy days on the beach in Frisco were short lived and on the 4th of january, 1945, at ll:45 a.m. we passed under the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge and steamed out into the great Pacific on our way to our great adventure. A short distance from the Calif-ornia coast we held rendez- vous with the USS, MARATHON and the U.S.S. MENARD and took over our duties as ocean escort to these vessels. We were on our way to Pearl Harbor. The voyage to Pearl was uneventful. However, we con- tinued our daily practice drills. A fighting ship must keep its lfighting edge and must be prepared for any and all unforeseen events, Most of us were awaiting anxiously our first glimpse of those beautiful pearls of the Pacific-the Hawaiian Islands, In our minds we held the fascinating picture created by songs, story and those multi-colored travel folders expounding the many wonderful features of these romantic isles. We were anxious also to see the scene of the lapanese perfidy. We arrived -on january l0th. Our first views of Diamond Head and the island of Oahu held much promise in the fulfillment of our fondest hopes. ln the har- bor of Pearl Harbor we could still see the remnants of ships that had been smashed on that fateful d-ay of December 7, l'9l4l. fl l We wondered what was in store for us now. How long would we stay in Pearl? How much chance would we have to enjoy the scenic beauties of the islands? We began to get an insight into the terrific might of Uncle Sam's mighty naval arm, There were hundreds of ships anchored here, ranging in size from small landing craft to huge dread- naughts. Here we saw the mightiest arsenal in the Pacific, which had been created in the few short months since the infamous Iapanese sneak attack. Never a group of sailors were more anxious for liberty than were the men aboard the SHEA. It materialized eventually fand we don't mean those 1600 to 1800 streamlined jobsj into a chance to see s-ome of the natural wonders of the islanfd of Oahu, Busses were provided for the men and we certainly enjoyed our first glimpses. None will soon forget the majestic grandeur of the Blow Hole, the mighty cliffs where the great battle for t'he possession of the island was fought, the awesome beauty and simplicity of design of the internationally famed Mormon temple which sat in among the foothills. Who can forget the first impressions created by the Hula dancers with their swaying rhythm and the langorous beat of the Hawaiian ukuleles. Waikiki Beach with its long stretches of glistening white sand, its fascinating surfboard riders, delightful swim- ming facilities, the n-ative fishermen who waded out into the water with seines and nets to make their catch, set in a background of clear cloudless skies is a memory we will long cherish, Many of us swore we would return some day as civilians to reside in luxury at the Royal Hawaiian hotel. Most of us were amazed at modern features of the transportation ser- vice and it was here we really found out that Uncle Sam takes care of his boys overseas. All our liberties were afternoon sessions because of the dimout. We did manage though to become acquainted with quite a few place to go. You will recall the Alexander Young Hotel, Trader Vic's, the Pearl City Cafe, and the many other little interesting spots we managed to discover. We did do pretty well on those abbreviated liberties, In retrospect, we would like to pay our tribute to one of the best org-anized Naval Supply Depots in existence, for they really gave us service in Pearl. The Ship's Service facilities there were very interesting places to visit inasmuch as they offered a fine variety of souvenirs and merchandise-the best we've seen yet, Our stay here was a fairly long one, but the days passed swiftly for we were busy making all final altera- tions and adjustments in preparation for our moving into the forward area . Most of the crew were sent to various schools on Oahu for a last minute brush-up to bring them to peak efficiency in their particular ratings. lt was here we depermed the ship for the long voyage ahead. It was here also we underwent our final session in night illumina- tion and night spotting, tracking drills, radar jamming exer- cises, shore bombardment by day and by night, and went through innumerable hours of night battle practice which was to stand us in good measure later on. We expended th-ousands of rounds of ammunition and the deadliness of our fire was becoming a source of great satisfaction to our Captain. Someiof us growled and griped at the pressure we were put under in the constant repetition of drills, firing and practice sessions but that satisfied knowing twinkle was in the eyes of Captain Kirkpatrick when he told us we were shaped up at last for the task ahead. Here we did our last practice minelaying in the Pacific. Here we had the pleasure of coming in contact with the other ships of our mine division and getting to know the men aboard our slister ships and a fighting group they Were! Many- of the fC012timzed on page 131 ll-

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fContinued from page 111 friendships thus formed will live far beyond our naval career. We loaded up with supplies, filling our magazines to the 'brim with powder and projectiles, made a final check-up of all equipment, sent frantic messengers for those almost forgotten items at NSD, gorged our fuel tanks to capacity, and were ready to set sail late in February for those distant waters where the unknown strength of the enemy lay await- ing our offensive action. We felt we had burned our bridges behind, We were all keyed up and ready for anything that might come our way. All our preparations and all our training had been for the forthcoming events. We were anxious to get the job done. Already it seemed to most of us that years had passed since we had last seen our homes and families. Putting an end to the scuttlebutt which had us going to every port from Delhi to Kiska Cone mess cook was giving odds we were going to Chile and Domke, the ship's cook was offering even money we were going direct to Tokyo Bay and drop anchorl the Skipper announced that our destination was Eniwetok, in the Marshall Islands. At the time we were in company with the U.S.S. SPRINGFIELD, one of the newest light cruisers afloat. Again our job was to protect her from any unexpected attack from submarine or enemy aircraft. Few know and appreciate the protection an security which the destroyer's presence in its complement lends to the larger ship. The SHEA is proud of its many messages received from the larger ships telling us how grateful they were for our protection and our atti- tude h-as always been-OK, fellows, we may be small but we're mighty. In company with the SPRINGFIELD we zig- zagged, and I do mean zig-zagged into Eniwetok. It was our first sight of one of the atolls of the Pacific. One glimpse through our binoculars at the men stationed there made us say a silent prayer of thankfulness that we had joined the Navy instead of the Army. What a dreary, God-forsaken, sand-bar in the mid-dle of nowhere and incidentally a very important place to Uncle Sam's Navy, For here emergency repairs could be performed and here was one of the most important of Uncle Sam's company owned fuel stations in the Central Pacific. Eniwetok was a welcome oasis for here ships of the fleet dropped in for a much needed drink . Garrisons stationed here should, in our opinion, receive a medal for each and every month they endured protecting this outpost. From Eniwetok we went to Ulithi, in the Western Caro- lines, where we joined one of the greatest armadas ever assembled. Here again we met many of the ships of our mine division. Ulithi is actually just another atoll in the Pacific which, contrary to the many romantic tales of his- torians, offers few, if any, attractions. We caught sight of the natives occasionally through the binoculars but we were barred from any contact with them. We had heard of and seen pictures in LIFE magazine of the beach parties on these far flung beaches, but here at Ulithi we celebrated our first holiday for thirsts , We went to Mog-Mog with cold beer, we arrived at Mog-Mog with warm beer and we celebrated our arrival with hot beer. Really, it wasn't much of a party but it seemed good to have our feet on solid ground again. It was relaxing to search for cat's eyes among the shells on the beach and many of the more robust tried, in vain, to ascend the numerous cocoanut trees as Darwin claims their predecessors did. It was here that we had our first taste of lapanese at- tack methods. While witnessing a movie on the foc's'le two -I 13 Iap suicide planes broke through our vanguard and made a successful suicide on the U.S.S, RANDOLPH. The flash of the explosion seared into our minds the seriousness of being prepared and on the lookout every minute of every hour. Shortly afterwards the scuttlebutt had it that something big was in the offing. The Iwo lima campaign had just been successfully terminated, and the other islands in the Vol- canos and also the Bonins were getting a real pounding from the bombers. The Ryukyus were likewise being brought under pressure from the long range bombers, so the big question' now was here, for the ship was reconciled to the fact that it was to be in the next operation. Some thought the operation might be in the-Volcanos, more felt that the Bonins would be next invasion objective. Few predicted the first operation would be in the Ryukyus, and when the Skipper let the boys in on the secret that the SHEA was headed for Okinawa, it was something of a surprise because few if any of the fellows had ever heard ofthe island. Having viewed at first hand the tremendous floating might of the U. S. Navy there at Ulithi, where not only Task Force 58 was anchored, but the entire Fifth Fleet, with ships dotting the horizon as far as the eye could carry, it was with a feeling of great security that any operation was con- templated, for could any opposition anywhere be found which could cope with the gargantuan display of naval might just witnessed? But the boys were a bit d-isillusioned, be- cause on the morning of March 19, when shoving off time came and the force began to form up, there was the SHEA in the midst of all the smaller ships, Being a part of the Pacific Mine Fleet, this advance armada, or Peanut Task Force , as it came to be regarded, was to go into the Okinawa waters and clear the way of enemy mines for the tremendous landing force which was to follow, the greatest landing yet attempted in the Pacific. If the crew lost some heart with the realization that the ship was not to operate with the big fellows, as everyone had hoped, the foreboding weather did nothing to hearten any waning spirits. Even the elements seemed to portend that no good was in store for these little fellows. The day dawned accompanied by a minor tropical storm and the fellows who only the preceding day sweltered in the equatorial heat of Ulithi were chilled as the wind increased in intensity and beat the rain which was now falling in torrents into a thick salty spray drench- ing and blinding any whose stations were topside. It seemed that even the heavens were in tears in anticipation of the venture and the wind in sympathy was whipping the sea into a wall of invisibility. The little ships were tossed about as rafts as they sought to emerge from the anchorage onto the swelling sea and looking back on the ships as they filed singly through the entrance that morning for what fate none knew, it seemed that listening closely could be heard the doleful dirge sung by the wind as it whipped the spray from ship to ship. But the exit was accomplished without mishap and forming up began. So limited was the visibility that most of the forming had to be done by Radar. Trying to find the guide that morning was almost impossible with the sea a continuous mass of ships and too, the gang with very little experience in this sort of CIC work had great difficulty. The Skipper was calling for a range and bearing to the guide every 30 seconds it seemed, and the boys could not tell the guide from any of the hundreds of ships or one of the atolls. But one lesson was learned-when the Skipper called for an R and B to the G, he meant to have it, or Woe unto him who failed. Finally the group the SHEA was to be part of got underway-a formidable group of ships, the TERROR as guide, two oilers, six DM's, twelve DMS's and about a dozen each of AM's and PC's. ' 1-