Tennessee (BB 43) - Naval Cruise Book

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okinawa OuieT, palm-sTudded islands oT UliThi AToll looked mighTy good To men oT The TENNESSEE Tollowing The long days aT lwo Jima. Tiny Mog-Mog Island, EleeT RecreaTion CenTer, had enough beer To saTisTy everyone and The shade oT The palms TelT good aTTer a Tew minuTes in The blisTering sun. There were baseball games Tor The more energeTic, buT mosT were conTenT To sip aT Their beer and baT The breeze abouT The lasT operaTion and whaT mighT be nexT. lT was apparenT To even a casual observer ThaT The husTle and busTle oT supply ships, The loading oT ammuni- Tion, and The way small boaTs were dashing abouT loaded wiTh gold braid, conference bound, The nexT show was going To be sTaged on a grand scale. Never beTore had such a massive TleeT been concenTraTed3 warships, supply, hospiTal, Tankers, and hundreds oT oTher Types swung aT The hook waiTing Tor The word ThaT would sTarT Them on Their way To Okinawa. Before The TleeT moved ouT oT The lagoon, mosT men knew The desTinaTion. They did noT know whaT mighT be encounTered buT one peek aT a map was convincing evi- dence ThaT anyThing could happen. As one man puT iT, You don'T walk inTo The Jap's backyard wiThouT him doing someThing abouT iT. Any way iT was measured, Okinawa was only 350 miles Trom The Japanese home island oT Kyushu. While reporTers in The Torward areas knew The sTory, censorship resTricTions had prevenTed any menTion oT The suicidal TacTics ThaT The Japanese had adopTed. Kami- kaze piloTs had appeared in The Philippines and since Then They had developed Their Technique and enThusiasm. Every man aboard The TENNESSEE realized ThaT The Okinawa operaTion was TraughT wiTh hazards greaTer Than had been encounTered in any previous invasion. Vice Admiral Jesse B. OldendorT, masTer sTraTegisT oT The vicTory aT Surigao STraiT, raised his Tlag on The TENNESSEE on March IO, l945. ThaT same day he was iniured when his barge sTruck a buoy, iniuring him and his chieT oT sTaTT To an exTenT requiring hospiTaliza+iOn, The admiral was Tlown To Guam buT his sTaTT sTayed aboard This ship. Replacing OldendorT was Rear Admiral M. L. Deyo who assumed Temporary command oT BaTTleship Squadron One and Task Force 54. l-le raised his Tlag on This ship March I5 and wiThin a Tew days The mighTy Torces were underway Tor The Ryukus, Okinawa in parTicular. The Ten old baTTleships, nine cruisers, and numerous desTroyers oT The Task Torce were loaded wiTh cargos oT sTeel To be served red hoT To The Japanese. Though The Torce was impressive, iT was only a small uniT oT The i200 ships ThaT were converging on The TargeT. lvlinesweeps had gone ahead OT The Task group and had opened a narrow channel leading pasT Kerama ReTTo. The TENNESSEE sTeamed ahead slowly, Zebra seT, and all men aT baTTle sTaTions. Kerama was quieT, no Tires burn- ing, Though iT had received a heavy bombardmenT The day beTore. VisibiliTy was poor, wiTh a general overcasT. The weaTher was cool and all hands shivered aTTer The heaT oT UliThi. EirsT mission oT The TENNESSEE was To proTecT The minesweepers ThaT were prowling up and down The Oki- nawa coasT, opening up The mine inTesTed areas so The heavy ships could move near The island Tor iniTial bom- bardmenT. Enemy submarines were presenT and ships oT The TormaTion reporTed Torpedo wakes and The desTroyers danced around dropping depTh charges. Now and Then There was a TerriTic explosion and guns of The sweeps exploded mines. Every sTaTion was on The alerT Tor air and submarine aTTacks, radar reporTs oT bogeys and snoopers TilTering in. ShorTly aTTer noon, March 26, The area was suTTi- cienTly cleared Tor The TENNESSEE To move inTo Tiring posiTion. Opening up aT a range oT I7,875 yards wiTh The main baTTery, The shells blasTed inTo an anTi-aircraTT baTTery ThaT had been heckling The spoTTing planes. No more was heard or seen oT The emplacemenT. All Through The aTTernoon The main baTTery Tired deliberaTely, making each proiecTile counT in blasTing ouT gun emplacemenTs nesTled back oT The beaches. Four guns were observed as deTiniTely desTroyed and Three oThers were neuTralized To The exTenT ThaT They were never Tired again. Ships on each side oT The TENNESSEE pounded Their assigned areas, heavy smoke covering The beaches when all ships rendezvoused Tor nighT cruising. TVOOPS had Swarmed ashore aT nearby Kerama ReTTO earlY in The morning, meeTing lighT opposiTion ThaT WGS qUlClflY driven back inTo The hills. By evening The area WGS reporTed secured, excepT Tor a Tew Japs around, noT showing any inclinaTion To TighT. GreaT 'BUST have been made by The Japs cenTering Kefame. More Than 300 suicide boaTs were and fepiured on small beaches and in pockeTs along precipiTous cliTTs. Though oTher suicide boaT were discovered on Okinawa, This was The

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