Tennessee (BB 43) - Naval Cruise Book

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-K'f1w I okinowo smoke 5 APRIL l945 From: OBOE-833. To: TENNESSEE. Your Tire is very eTTecTive and righT where we wanT iT. Fire aT IeasT Ten rounds in There. 5 APRIL l945 From: Naval Liaison OTTicer-833. To: TENNESSEE. You covered The area beauTiTuIIy. The baT- Talion commander and our naval liaison oTTi- cers say ThaT was excellenT work, and Tor you To Thank Ace Tor us. I4 APRIL l945 From: OBOE-820. I To: TENNESSEE. We wish To Thank you Tor your coopera- Tion. Your 5-inch A.A.C. Tiring did a good iob. ConTinue normal schedule ThroughouT The nighT in The same Tour areas. I6 APRIL l945 From: Charlie-292. To: TENNESSEE. Your mission c:ompIeTed. Cease Tire. IT was exceIlenT Tiring. I6 APRIL I945 From: I'I.Q. 24+h Army. To: TENNESSEE. I 'Q' K Q-M,.,1,,,f M., V ,M ,W fan-ww ., :gym W , N , s J V You have compIeTed adiusTmenT on Two TargeTs aT The same Time, requiring only Tour spoTs. We apprec:iaTe your exceIlenT shooTing and cooperaTion. I8 APRIL I945 From: CTG. 5I.l2 lR.Adm. ReiTsniderI. To: TENNESSEE. OBOE-290. I-LQ. 6Th Marine Division. InTo: C.T.F. 52 lV.Adrn. Turnerl. Today our Troops Took The high ground prepared by The TENNESSEE yesTerday. 7 enemy were killed on The slope and 30 on The Top. In huge craTers, Caused by The I4-inch shells Trom The TENNESSEE, OBOE-295 counTed IZO enemy dead and numerous de- molished anTi-aircraTT weapons and insTalla- Tions. C.O. I-leadquarTers 6Th Marine Division himselT saw The TENNESSEE Tire yesTerday. and wishes To express his appreciaTion Tor The TENNESSEE's cooperaTion and delivery oT ouTsTanding supporT. The main and secondary baTTeries oT The TENNESSEE broke and drove The enemy back. I-Ter naval gunTire on The almosT impossible did The iob. CongraTulaTions To all The men oT The TENNESSEE. Comman- der Task Force 53 also sends his congraTula- Tions. Well Donel .W ffqarw . A . ,. A.

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TENNESSEE confinued To blasT aT blockhouses, pillboxes, and o+her sTrong poinTs, fire being direcTed by fire con- Trol Teams iusT back of The TronT lines. Refurning from nighT cruising The morning of April IZ, all ships of The fire supporT uniT were ordered To sTay in formaTion, heavy air aHacks being anTicipaTed. Throughouf The morning The Task group sTeamed along aT I0 knofs, on The alerT for aTTacking planes. Carrier-based forces had good hunTing and drove off numerous aTTacks. By noon The raids had increased in sTrengTh and aT l400 many enemy planes were reporTed in The area, six sep- eraTe raids being Tracked. When The aTTacking planes were Ten miles from The TENNESSEE, The combaT air paTrol made conTacT and several enemy planes were shoT down. OuTnumbered, The paTrol was bypassed by Ten planes ThaT aTTacked The formafion. Seven of The planes selecTed The Big T as Their Targef. The enTire porT baTTery opened up and four of The aTTackers splashed in The waTer nearby The ship. Smoke from The porT guns was sweeping across The ship and made deTecTion impossible of The fifth plane ThaT made a pass aT a cruiser and Then came over The TENNESSEE's bow on The sfarboard side. The plane was firsT deTecTed aT 2,500 yards, dead ahead, wiTh several five-inch bursTs near The plane, fired from anofher ship. The forTies opened up wiTh The Twenfies, Throwing a hail of sfeel inTo The suicide plane. ln a few seconds, 84 rounds of 40 mm. and 4l0 rounds of 20 mm. mef The plane. A wheel was shoT off and smoke was observed Trailing from The engine. AT The beginning of his dive The plane was heading for The foremasf, buf appeared To swerve away To The lefT because of The conTinual hiTTing of The plane by The auTomaTic weapons fire. CuTTing Through The awning sup- porT on The bridge, The plane smashed Through signal halyards, radar equipmenT, and released a 250-pound bomb +ha+ sTruck The quarTer-deck, quickly followed by The burning plane, smashing Through To The armor deck. xTwenTy-Two men were killed insTanTly, or morTally wounded so ThaT deafh resulTed very shorTly ThereafTer. PharmacisTs' maTes wenT inTo acTion To give firsT aid To The l07 men ThaT were injured. STreTcher bearers removed The more seriously and crifically wounded To The collecT- ing sTaTion on The main deck. The less severely wounded were TreaTed by members of The crew. Burial services were held iusT as The sun was sinking on This sad day for The TENNESSEE. The ship's forces wenT To work on emergency repairs, however, and performing iobs which once could have been done only in maior navy yards, The TENNESSEE was firing again. Some of The TinesT work done by The ship was in The period beTween The aTTack of April Twelffh and The Third of May when she leT+ for Ulifhi and permanenf repairs. Vice Admiral Oldendorf relieved Rear Admiral Deyo as commander Baffleship Squadron I. AT ll0O The BIR- MINGHAM was broughT alongside The TENNESSEE and Rear Admiral Deyo shifTed his flag To her. On May 3 all hands were glad To see Ckinawa fade inTo The haze asTern. The men were Tired, dog Tired, nerves had been sTreTched To The limiT, yeT They had ToughT Their ship To The limiT in a manner ThaT reflecTed nofhing buf crediT To The enTire crew. The TENNESSEE wenT alongside The repair ship AJAX and a swarm of Technicians sTarTed work. Cuffing Torches flared and sparks flew as benT and Twisfed sfeel plaTes were cuT away, new guns insfalled, and new gun buckeTs consTrucTed. By June 3 The fighTing Rebel was on her way back To Okinawa, arriving June 9. The TenTh Army was massing for iTs final drive and gunfire from This ship helped open The way for The fresh Troops ThaT had been broughf in To relieve The baTTle- weary men. lT was comTorTing To see our own planes operaTing from The fields ThaT noT Too long ago had been The base for The suicide planes +ha+ smashed aT The fleeT. l-leavy paTrols of Army fighTers covered The area and The Jap- anese dominaTion of The air was definifely ended. Vice Admiral Oldendorf was soon made commander of all naval forces in The Ryukus, and as his flagship The TENNESSEE played an imporTanT parT in operaTions in The EasT China Sea. During July a Task group under his command covered minesweeping operaTions in The EasT China Sea, and hunTed enemy shipping beTween Shanghai and The home islands of Japan. The rouTe was eTfecTively blockaded, and several enemy planes were de- sfroyed by fighTers operaTing from The carriers of The formaTion. UnTil The end of The war The TENNESSEE prowled The EasT China Sea, long weeks of keeping a careful lookouT for snoopers and shipping aTTempTs To run The sea and air blockade. STrikes were made from escorf carriers aT enemy insTallaTions near The China coasT. Enemy mines infesfed The area and many of Them were exploded by desTroyers screening The Tormafion. AT war's end The TENNESSEE was operaTing from Buckner Bay, named for The gallanT General who losT his life in The closing days of The campaign. PreparaTions for furTher operaTions were being made when The T'irsT news of The Japanese offer To surrender arrived. ln a few days IT was deTiniTe ThaT The war was won, ln The Norfh, Cenfral, and SouTh Pacific, firing from Pearl Harbor To The final vicTory of Okinawa, The TENNESSEE had foughT her way To a brillianT record. To one of iTs men-of-war a naTion could say well done!

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I9 APRIL I945 From: C.T.F. 54 lR.Adm. Deyol. To: CTG. 5l.2l lR.Adm. Reifsniderl. Many Thanks Tor your message. The place is Tull oT caves and pillboxes buf exTerminaTion is progressing. Your Tlagship did a beauTiTul iob and l would like To see iT in prinT. BesT oT luck! lR.Adm. ReiTsnider.l 23 APRIL I945 From: OBOE-I60. To: TENNESSEE. ln connecTion wiTh your harassing Tire lasT nighT our InTeIIigence reporTs ThaT your Tire was very eTfecTive in SecTor Two. 25 APRIL I945 From: Charlie-l6'Z. To: TENNESSEE. Cease Tiring. You have done good work and good shooTing. TENNESSEE is besT ship we ever worked wiTh yeT. You scored 9 direcT hiTs on pillboxes. lT would be a pleasure To work wiTh you again. Thank you Tor your splen- did work. '26 APRIL I945 From: CTG. 5l.22 lR.Adm. I-Ialll. To: C.T.F. 54 lR.Adm. Deyol. lnfo: C.T.F. 52 lV.Adm. Turnerl. Following from I-LQ. 27Th lnTanTry Divi- sion passed To you wiTh my congraTulaTions and graTiTude. PerTormance oT all Tirinq SPIPS of all I-LQ. 27+h lnTanTry Division naval liaison officers excellenT. We would like To see Them have Their iusT compensaTion and reward, especially The TENNESSEE. 29 APRIL I945 From: C.T.F. 5I lV.Adm. Turnerl. To: T.F. 54. COM5Tl-IFLT. lAdmiral Spruancel. COMGENTEN, lLT. Gen. Bucknerl. COMC5EN24Tl-I CORP. lLT. Gen. l-lodgesl. T.F. 51. CINCPAC, CINCPOA, PEARL, AND ADVANCE, lAdmiral NimiTZl. Commander General 24Th Corp. reporTs lnTo: prisoner oT war Taken, sTaTes naval gunTire mosT Teared and demoralizing oT our weapons. ReguesT all Tire supporT ships be noTiTied oT our appreciaTion. Well done To T.F. 54 and ships oT TG. 5I.5 and TG. 52.2 Temporarily aTTached To T.F. 54. 30 APRIL I945 From: C.T.F. SI lV.Adm. Turnerl. To: COMGENIOTI-l ARMY lLT. Gen. Bucknerl. COMGENIIRD Pl-llBS.CORP. lCien- eral Guygerl. c.T.e. si.22 lmam. I-Ialll. lnTo: CTG. 5I.I9 lR.Adm, T.F. 54. CINCPAC ADVANCE NimiTzl. ' i'ReCenT commenTs by Troops gn effediv ness oT naval gunTire and how unpopulmnis wiTh The Nips are greaTly appreciahgd, H mighT be possible To make iT sTill more Un. popular wiTh The enemy. These ships are ready and anxious To shooT Twice as much as prev, ously in order To help you along wiTh Thigiob.. 3 MAY I945 From: C.T.F. 54 lR.Adm. Deyol, To: TENNESSEE. You may well be proud oT your Tine record during The Okinawa assaulT. Well done! 7 MAY I945 From: CINCPAC Advance. To: FiTTh FleeT. The oTTicers and men oT The 5Th FleeTby Their courage, TorTiTude and general Hqhhnq abiliTies are making proud pages in The his- Tory oT our Navy and our naTion. The man- ner in which They are inTlicTing damage on The enemy, keeping aT sea Tor prolonged periods and conTrolling damage is cause IO! greaT pride and saTisTacTion. CongraTulaTions To as superb a body oT seamen and Tighfing men as ever engaged in baTTle. f , . fx ,2 f'- 5' .Z 'C 0' T , C 1-vi www g gi g I , . lg. --Q . A , - -A i f - ii ff - 'Q' R if' XQ J-FT' D' V - f T 2 Y ' iv 1 I, '- '-N, -' ' - T ,rf ' - .T ,. , Q, Li L L - ' ' E - all 'F'-ff irq' , -i, 'Z-if git: A- ' ST TFf - 4 'us' fa ' T 7 g u- 5- Q 'A 'U yt VI 1 I ' f - f as 1 'Twill' 'li-'ii I 1' 2+-A - 3 . ,f 't ' ' ees-JH 1 T. il f I l Z f.: - I 5'- f 25' f' , , 5322642 3.4.5 WMTTITI 'iw fl i F I' A xx ILYMZ' M93 ' ::i..':'..r'QvQjv , J Y I T T sl. I l!ri.iZ?W5 ys 3 igg' -fejq ,N 'f' I .ix -T lliiiwf fl .. .E , ' f . . 'gg ' ,, ,453 I T F ' Tv gif: ' 5 1 2 TTTTFZQ YJ-lf 7 'ZZ - H f i. - . S . -si. v ,i Leia. - A .- ' f'i ' 'x: ,. '.Z'-f . J 1 Sr. Wwfilfi Q: jf f li . ,hi ' I -f - I, 07- H, I p- N ..-,Z-.- - ex. il: 5 'Q 7' 42'llill- -:-T'- 7 f4 75 'ff' A A Xb 2- lf if .1 ' . Q75 -W , ips- s-- X.. F f s. 52 ' ' 5' 1, f 'T-'T - 'E 5 1 ' ' - ' 2- I-, '1 2L2f:11?,:s2 12 I ' f .fgfiyya f THQ Taj 1?-Q fQ ?T ifi Q T-effe 'fn-' :+ - X, A' h' I' . I' - 1 llf ff- 'ff -3 ,, ,1 ,!..-- : J Ek .5 I X....,, J Zi- -1-L? J i 7 - at - 7:1 TQ' QQ-gif K' e-25 -as , T T- ff ' A s Xa Ti A I ef - 1575? fi' - Q -fff zi-Eaesfaaaoiizfs - 1f Take My Advice an' Don I' Shand in One Place Very Long. I V T S I Undersiood I Wuz I-o Drive Your Jeep? Sir.