Topeka (CL 67) - Naval Cruise Book

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Ready To Launch 13 -

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Je fl' 4. - 4 ' ff J NI J-Q..,,. :H it i719-fa .9 .1-: ' 1f. n -ii: - -, i -R ' ' P '..4f- f'f' 'f' - ' 'M -,f- 1 ' ' T 'F' f ' I -----1 - '- -4 ... -' ' 2 F231 .ill .- 1 , X A N A - 2 . 1 2 ff, ' 41 ' . . T 5 ' ' W! ff .f.. - - f- -2- F47iFf: - One hundred eighty miles east of Tokyo, once-proud cap- itol of the treacherous Japanese Empire, Task Force 38 of the vaunted United States Third Fleet had just completed launching another great air strike against the Japanese homeland, and was steaming leisurely through the choppy seas in defiance of possible enemy counter-attack. On station in Task Group 38.1 was a relative newcomer, the U.S.S. Topeka, CL67, very nearly the baby of the Fleet. It is with her we are concerned. Condition Two Able-Able -anti-aircraft readiness condition-had been set upon se- curing from General Quarters. Nearly half the men aboard her were on watch, manning the guns and directors, the radios and radars, the lookout stations and the repair sta- tions, the engines and boilers. The rest of the men were just finishing breakfast or trying to catch a few minutes sleep. Peace rumors and proposals had been flying back and forth for several days, but there was no cessation of the Navy's War against Japan. Another strike was to be launched within the hour. From squawk-boxes all over the ship came the momen- tary, suspenseful hum that always precedes an announce- ment. Then came the electrifying news: The Japanese had capitulated to the Allied surrender terms, the war was over! This -- participation in the final death-dealing blows against the hated enemy and in victory for the United States - was the Topeka's shining hour, the climax of her thus- far brief career. It was, in effect, the end of a story, a story that began with the laying of her keel, and continued through her launching and commissioning, the gathering to- gether of her crew from the four corners of the nation, the shakedown cruise, the trip through the Panama Canal to Pearl Harbor, the voyage westward through Ulithi to the juncture with the Third Fleet, the stay at Leyte, the final smashing offensive which brought the Japanese warlords to their knees and peace to the world. The story would go on, just as the Topeka would go on, but there would never be another moment in her history to compare with the morning of 15 August 1945. if if -IG EG E? It would be impossible to tell the whole story of the To- peka and her men in one volume. This account will of nec- essity cover only the high spots of that story, and will at- tempt to preserve, for its sentimental value only, the career of the U.S.S. Topeka. J The story properly begins with the laying of the keel on 21 April 1943 at the Quincy Yard of the Bethlehem Steel Company at Quincy, Mass. At that time most of the men who were later to form the Topeka's crew were still work- ing at civilian jobs or going to school. Others were aboard ships of the fleet and would be transferred to the Topeka. Some were to have their ships shot out from under them before they joined the Topeka. American troops were fight- ing in Italy and on the islands of the Pacific, and the rap- idly-expanding Navy was dueling with the enemy on two oceans. Sixteen months later, when the Topeka was launched on 19 August 1944, most of the Topekais crew had joined the Navy and were being prepared for the job ahead at Shoot camps and special schools. By this time, American soldiers were battling across France and the Navy had established its dominance over most of the Pacific Ocean. But there was still a lot of war to be fought. 1 During the early autumn of 1944 the first contingent of the Topeka pre-commissioning detail arrived at Newport NTS to begin the immense task of welding the ship and its personnel into a unit. Captain Thomas L. Wattles, U.S.N., was to be the commanding officer of the ship, and Com- mander O. H. Dodson, U.S.N., the executive officer. On 9 October, the pre-commissioning detail became official. From then until the ship was commissioned in December, life was a series of drills, happy hours, classes, watches and liberty in Newport. fNote on Newport weather: Rain to-day and tomorrowj Various groups of men took their specialized training at places other than Newport. One group was as- signed to the Cruiser Duluth during its shakedown cruise, another was aboard the battleship Wyoming for gunnery I2

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classes, others went to Philadelphia, Little Creek, Norfolk and New London. By 20 December they were all back in Newport, however, ready to leave for the commissioning on the morning of the 23rd. Meanwhile, in Quincy, another group of engineers, tech- nicians and hull department men had been working aboard, the ship for several months. They were the first of the crew lo see the Topeka. What they saw was a Cleveland class cruiser, carrying 12 6 f41-7 cal. guns in four turrets, 12 5738 cal. guns in six mounts, 10 40MM mounts and 10 ZOMM mounts, with an overall length of 610 feet, and a beam of 61 feet, displacement of 10,000 tons and a top speed of 32 knots. Although work on the ship was far from completed, she was ready to be commissioned on 23 December 19441. For this ceremony the entire crew was to be brought together aboard the ship, and was to live aboard her thereafter. The pre-commissioning training was over, and those who thought that training had been rugged, obviously did not know what the future held. On the afternoon of Saturday, 23 December 1944, the Topeka became a part of the vast United States Fleet when she was put in commission at the South Boston Navy Yard with traditional pomp and ceremony. During the morning, the pre-commissioning detail ar- rived from Newport and was embarked along with a draft of men from the Fargo Barracks in Boston. For the ma- jority of the men, this was the first time they had ever been on board a U.S. Navy warship, and for a good many of them, it was the first timethey had ever been aboard any- thing more imposing than a flat-bottomed skiff. Due to a rigid time schedule, it was necessary for the men to be- come acquainted in very short order with the location of their living compartments, bunks, lockers, and the mess halls, and for a short time, a mild chaos was more or less the order of the day. Shortly after noon, the stage was set for the commission- ing. Under dull leaden skies, with a hint of snow in the air, the ofhcers and crew assembled by divisions on the main deck aft of turret four, where the long, graceful barrels of the after six-inch guns formed an ominous backdrop for the ceremony. The crack ,Marine color guard and the Navy band from the Boston Receiving Station completed the picture. Promptly at 1400, Bear Admiral Felix X. Gygax, U'.S.N., Commandant First Naval District, read the order of the Navy Department to commission the ship. Upon comple- tion, the band struck up the national anthem, and the Na- tional Ensign, the lack, and the Commission Pennant were hoisted, followed by the hoisting of the Commandant's per- sonal flag. Captain Wattles accepted command of the ship from Rear Admiral Gygax, and ordered the watch set. The Topeka was ofiicially in commission. Brief speeches by the Honorable Leverett Saltonstall, Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the Honorable Frank J. W'arren, Mayor of the City of Topeka. Kansas, followed. ln behalf of the people of Topeka, Mr. Warren presented the ship with a loud speaker system and an album of records. The final ceremony was the presenta- tion to the Captain by Rear Admiral Gygax of the Bronze Star Medal for an uimportant contribution to the war effort made when Captain Wattles was pre-commissioning officer for all types of vessels on the staff of the Commander, Operational Training Command, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. By 1600 all guests had left the ship and 15 minutes later the first of what was to be a long succession of general drills was held. The commissioning ceremonies had been impressive to the utmost, and the minds of officers and men had been opened to the full significance of what lay ahead. But it was the beginning of the Christmas weekend, and no one knew where the next Christmas would be spent. When lib- erty call sounded at 1700, the commissioning became a thing of the past, the most important matter of the moment was-HWhat kind of a liberty town is Boston?'l if- GC- -76 -P? W Life aboard the new ship began in earnest after the Christmas weekend. There was still a great deal of work to be done before the Topeka could be taken out to sea, and every day three shifts of workmen came aboard. It was vir- tually impossible to hold a real field day, but cleaning de- tails were busy every day trying to keep some semblance of order and cleanliness on the ship. Long days were spent loading equipment, stores, and ammunition. General drills were held nearly every day. And underscoring every activ- ity was thefcacophony of riveting, welding, drilling, and chipping, punctuated by the bells from the giant cranes and the hoarse whistles of ships in the harbor. lt wasn't all work, however. Liberty was on a two-out- of-three basis, and deaf as they might be to other calls, there was not a S2fc on the ship who couldn,t recognize liberty call when it was sounded at 1630. Boston was a good liberty town, and in some quarters Topeka men will not soon be forgotten. e The big event of the pre-shakedown period in Boston was the Topeka dance at the Hotel Statler on 8 January. ln the ballroom which was banked with huge floral decorations instead of the customary flags, more than 600 Topeka offi- cers and men danced until the small hours of the morning. Highlight of the affair was the Grand March led by Captain Wattles, at the conclusion of which Captain Wattles danced with Mrs. Mumford, pretty wife of the Topeka,s junior sea- man, William Mumford, and Commander Dodson danced with Mrs. Barba, the charming wife of Alex Barba, second junior man aboard. Presentation of the Battle Flag, purchased with the pen- nies of the school children of Topeka and presented to the ship by the City of Topeka, was another high spot of the evening. This flag will be returned to the city to be pre- served in its memorial library. ln the middle of the evening, the lights were dimmed, the music stopped, and a huge cake, adorned with a model of the ship was wheeled to the center of the floor. The three Y I I I l I 4 1 1 1 1 l r l I 1 - l r v i 4 l V l l l l lr ri 1 is 14 ls' ...al