Topeka (CL 67) - Naval Cruise Book

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BAPTMN THUMAS I.. WATTLES, U.5.N. Commanding Ojficer fa ' s 5 if sf . ,N-xg' J' , kd e, yx ,. 'si , 'X ,. I. 54? ,.,.77Sy V , ,. we . 1,4 :Q F 145- . ZH 1 PFFZQM. , 5 .a,., -, Q , XX 5' I ' ee ,, ,s,w?!e:2Se:g'gs.f,', f z3'v'55'5, . X rf -1,,w'z,er5:, 11551-:. , gi' - A' 'f 21 . K- QS ' - 5 :y wffmqafaagf , 'isfi5SL'c2s:-T. . fs 1 - . . . fwfr . f, -as 2 ' , .1 ,wp - f- ,- ,f --I1 , . . ,,,,,'- , A ' ga 1 I gf .,c, ,, 5ss .36 if if-Q. 1 J '.- -f 1 Y.: gy fi, X1 ff V 'sf JI U-ir if .way . . .W ML ' Nsriff Q-'H 1 -W ft .... 4. 1,115 1 f. Arg: jx ,pax ,rffgtrf fax- 434. 5 gf. ,li if X my I s X, 5 , r B . 3 , K , f X X, .4 .,f ,viv- Y K f MF, f fwffff f..'fV1 r, wnifr 1 1 4 Msasyyvyg, gsm mesa, tw,--,, ,-rs-s,gf.sg ,wc Q X .pq f , wiht 7 f 33' Qi ' gyiwsvffv f sat x , :SKsf21si f -2 K nf y ew J, nj , 7 Q. F' 5 'fn JW 'N 'S X 1 ' f 'Q YR .SAL 7' VW' 29' f.i:4 ., vi rw- f- 44:51 , S as r QSM 554425 -Qs 'SY-' 1 fe- ' Q f X ,figs H ?'W if ix R71 fl ,vf 1 1' X ' i 'X lsfifffgz J' f jury, im '1 me -mu, APTAIN Thomas Lippitt Yvattles, the Topeka's skipper, was horn July 15, 1900 at Elmington, Clarke County, Virginia, the son of Charles William Wattles of Alexandria, and Mary Alexander Lippitt of 'LElmington . With War raging in Europe, and our own country taking up arms in the confiict, the Captain won an appointment to Annapolis, which he entered in June 1917. He served as Midshipman on the U.S.S. Wisconsin during the summer of 1918. In June, 1920 he was graduated from the Naval Academy in the class of 1921 and was commissioned an Ensign. His first ship was the' U.S.S. Oklahoma. Wihen detached from his duty he at- tended and graduated from the Destroyer Engineering School' Afloat, serving under instruction on various destroyers in the Atlantic Fleet. In October 1921 he reported aboard his first cruiser, the U.S.S. Denver, Special Service Squadron, which was operating in Central and South American waters. In contrast to the present, our skipperliserved on that cruiser as an Ensign. His promotion to Lieutenant came in June of 1923 while he was attached to the light cruiser Richmond. You will note on the Skipperis uniform gold Dolphins, proud insignia of the Navyis Sub- 1 K 1 i A 4 6 ,,.i

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For two years until 1936 he served as DistrictfCommunication Officer in the 14th Naval District at Honolulu, Hawaii. During the neXt two years he was Navigator of the U.S.S. Idaho and Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. Ramapo. From 1938 to 1940 he was in the office of Chief of Naval Operations in charge of all radio shore activities in the Director of Naval Communications office. He was ordered to the U.S.S. Pennsylvania as Executive Officer in 1940. He was with the ship in Pearl Harbor on the eventful December 7th, 1941. Early in January 1942, he was detached from the Pennsylvania and ordered to the Staff of Admiral King as Communication Officer, U.S. Fleet in which capacity he served until 15 Sep- tember when he became Director of Naval Communications. On 15 April 1943, he was ordered as commanding officer of the new battleship U.S.S. New Jersey which was commissioned in May 1943 and which after the normal shakedown period and several months operation in the Atlantic proceeded to the Pacific combat area in January 1944. The New Jersey joined the famous Task Force 38, at its inception, and with Task Force 38, or Task Force 58, participated in the Marshall Islands campaign, the first and second raids on Truk, the first raid on the Palau Islands and in support of General MacArthur's New Guinea operation off Hollandia in the spring of 1944. During this time the New Jersey participated also in the bombardment of Mille and Ponape. After this she participated in the Marianas operation which resulted in the capture of Guam, Tinian and Saipan and in the first battle of the Philippines. In August 1944, the New Jersey became the flagship of Admiral VV. F. Halsey, Jr., U.S.N. and in this capacity participated in the capture of Peleleu in the Palau Islands, the operations against the Philippines in support of the recapture of the Philippines, the second battle of the Philippines and in the famous South China Sea operation of the Third Fleet in January 1945. During this time, Okinawa, Formosa and other Japanese islands to the northward of the Philippines were also raided by air assaults. He was detached from command of the U.S.S. New Jersey in late January 1945 following which he was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral and ordered as Commander, Cruiser Division 18, a new cruiser division of the Cleveland class. Cruiser Division 18 under his command participated in the final stages of the Okinawa campaign and in the final assault on the Japanese Empire from 10 July to 15 August 1945. During this time, the division made a mid-night anti-shipping sweep of the entrance to Tokyo Bay and conducted a bombardment of Nojima Saki at the entrance of Tokyo Bay. After this, the divi- sion participated in the initial stages of the occupation of Japan. During World War II, Rear Admiral Holden has been awarded the Legion of Merit and Bronze Star. He has the pre-Pearl Harbor ribbon with one star, the Ameri- can Theater ribbon and the Asiatic-Pacific ribbon on which he is entitled to wear ten engagement stars, commencing with one for Pearl Harbor and terminating with the one for participating in the final assault on the main islands of Japan. P Rear Admiral Holden is married. His wife and daughter reside in Washington, D. C. and a son, Lt. fjgj Carl F. Holden, Jr., a graduate of the U. S. Naval Academy, Class of 1944, is a naval aviator. 5

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marine Service. After intensive training at New London, he was graduated from Submarine School and in July 1926 the then Lieutenant Wattles reported to the U.S.S. R-3, in Pearl Harbor for underseas duty. From June 1928 to June 1929 he served as Commanding Officer of the R-3. Our Skipper then took up duties as the Detachment Gunnery and the Torpedo Overhaul Officer at the Sub Base in Pearl. Sent' to Newport, he was ordered to take the year long junior officers course at the Naval War College. Following June 1935, he served as personal Aide to Rear Admiral John Downes, Commandant of the Ninth Naval District. On July 1, 1936 he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander. The Captain commanded the destroyer Dahlgren operating in Pacific waters for over a year. Through 1938 and 1939 he was the navigator of the U.S.S. Texas. Ninteeen years after his graduation, the Skipper returned to Annapolis as a bat- talion officer in the Executive Department, and in the first few months of 1911-2 was the Executive Officer of Bancroft Hall. Again at sea, he served as Commander Destroyer Squadron Sixteen, having been appointed a Captain on September 11, 1942. From October 1943 to December 19441 he was the Pre-Commissioning Training Officer and subsequently acting Chief of Staff and Assistant Chief of Staff to Commander Fleet Operational Training Command, U. S. Atlantic Fleet. Captain Wattles participated in the invasion of Morocco in November 1942 and in the eventful invasion of Sicily in July 1943. He was awarded the Legion of Merit for his excellent work in the Sicilian campaign. The Captain married Annette McPherson Ashford of Washington, D. C., on No- vember 3, 1923. They have two daughters, Ann Wattles Strangman, the wife of Lieutenant Clive A. Strangman. U.S.N., and Mary Joan Wfattles. 7