Tennessee (BB 43) - Naval Cruise Book

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Al lhis lime Admiral William F. lBulll Halsey look command of lhe naval forces in lhe area and lhe slage was sel for a show down engagemenl. On November I3, I4 and l5 lhe decisive ballle, known as lhe ballle of Guadal- canal, look place. ll was lhe grealesl surface aclion, al lhal lime, since lhe ballle of Julland in lhe Eirsl World War. The Japanese senl lhree forces of warships and lransporls, wilh a spear- head of al leasl lwo ballleships and I6 cruisers and deslroyers in one column. This vanguard was almosl deslroyed al nighl by a cruiser lask force led by Rear Admiral Daniel J. Callaghan. Callaghan, malching his cruiser San Francisco againsl one of lhe ballleships, boldly lhrusl his lillle column in lhe midsl of lhe Japanese. Callaghan losl his life bul lhe Japanese were rouled in lhe confusion. Eilher unaware of lhe disasler lhal had overlaken lheir vanguard or unable lo arresl lheir ballle plans, lhe olher lwo Japanese forces came on lhe nexl day and ran inlo a similar massacre. The final counl was al leasl 28 Japanese ships sunk, including one ballle- ship and I2 lransporls loaded wilh lroops. Two American cruisers and six deslroyers were sunk: lhal made a serious sublraclion from lhe meager naval power we had al lhal lime. Refilling of lhe TENNESSEE wenl forward al a furious pace as growing American mighl was unleashed on slill anolher fronl. Moving wilh lhe grealesl secrecy Gen. Dwighl D. Eisenhower's greal expedilion sailed from England and America and slormed lhe Norlh African shore November 7. For lhe firsl lime lhe Axis parlners were informed lhal America's induslrial power had slarled lo roll as lhey saw increasing forces appearing in lhe Pacific and lhe greal armada lhal supplied lhe Norlh African forces. The workmen of lhe Pugel Sound Navy Yard ballled againsl lime in rebuilding lhis old ballleship. ll was nol long unlil lhe new design of lhe superslruclure was apparenl. There was a modern foremasl, a new mainmasl. and a new slack. When finally compleled, only a lrained eye could dis- linguish lhe superslruclure from lhal of lhe newesl of ballleships. A ballleship's reason for being is lo deslroy lhe enemy wilh her big guns. The finesl in eguipmenl was inslalled lo conlrol and aim lhose guns. Technicians inslalled rangekeepers lo follow enemy movemenls unerringly and make compensalions for everylhing from lhe speed of lhe wind lo lhe wear of lhe guns. There were new inslrumenls lo permil accurale fire no maller how badly lhe ship rolled and pilched. Olher experls came aboard lhe TENNESSEE lo inslall Eyes and Ears -- lhe grealesl secrel of lhe war al lhal lime-Radar. Wilh lhis equipmenl gunners of lhe TENNESSEE would know al all limes, whelher nighl or day. visibilily zero or clear, lhe exacl localion of lhe enemy in lhe clouds, on or under lhe sea. As lhe modernizalion neared lhe final slage, guns began lo slick oul from every vanlage poinl. There were sixleen five-inch guns wilh lhe finesl of modern conlrolling equipmenl and forly and lwenly millimeler guns on lhe lopside decks in every available spol. Meanwhile lhe officers and men lo fighl lhe ship were coming in. Old hands lhal had been senl away lo schools lo learn all aboul lhe new equipmenl relurned lo find a ship lhal was huslling and buslling and nearly ready lo carry lhe lighl lo lhe enemy. Old hands and new hands plunged inlo lhe work, learning lhe characlerislics of lhe new equipmenl, evolving lhe proper procedures. They were ready as lhe ship was ready when lhe TENNESSEE pul lo sea again in May of i943 lo cul a swalh lhrough lhe far norlh and lhe Pacific lhal ended in Tokyo. i' 'A' i'

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HH! first v cruise T oleution operation klsko torowo h d a roud crew ThaT IT was a proud s ip an p sTeamed down The sTraiTs oT Juan de Fucca Trom The - PugeT Sound Navy Yard aTTer The exTensive modernizaTion period ThaT had lasTed Trom AugusT 27, l942, unTil May 7, I'-743. The ship was garbed in a new blue baTTle dress and even The crew was decked in colors, you mighT say. because They were as green as The grass ThaT covered The hills along The sTraiTs. There Tollowed Two weeks oT Trial runs in The PugeT Sound area wiTh every man spending long hours Tamiliar- izing himself wiTh all oT The new equipmenT ThaT had been insTalled. Guns were TesTed, loading drills every day, hour aTl'er hour, and radar Technicians perTecTed new Tech- niques in The use of This poTenT weapon. The green crew Took To The ways oT The sea, Their language became a liTTle salTier and They soon learned ThaT They had a ship ThaT would Take Them anywhere, anyTime, under any condiTions. Over Two monThs oT Tog, sleeT, and biTTer cold was ahead Tor The TENNESSEE when she sTeamed along The norThern rouTe To Adak in The AleuTians, a Torsaken chain of barren islands sTreTching beTween Siberia and Alaska. Many in The crew Today admiT ThaT Though They spenT Two monThs peering Through The misTs ThaT There were only one or Two occasions in which They sighTed land. When The TENNESSEE enTered Adak June 9, I943, Rear Admiral Howard F. Kingman, USN, husTled his sTaTT and gear from The USS lDAl-lO and broke his Tlag aboard This ship as Commander oT BaTTleship Division Two. Once again The TENNESSEE was The Tlagship. One look around The harbor was enough To suppress any illusions oT a grand American armada being assem-