Tin Can Titans
Page 40
U-boats hunted by, 23
as vital to success, 108
Fletcher-class destroyers
arrival of new, 83, 85, 108
in battle, 90
as deadliest killer, 12–14
depth charges and, 13, 95
gunners on, 13
most decorated, 20
preparing for service, 15
tasks for, 93
Tokyo Express tangled with, 95
torpedoes on, 13
Formalhaut, 25–26
Foster, John L., 179–180, 196–197
Fox, Furman, 112
Frank, N. J., Jr., 193–195
Frank, Nicholas J., Sr., 187
Frese, Bernard W., 110–113
friendly planes, 128–129
Gabelman, Warren H., 126, 238–239
Gallery, Philip D., 177, 194, 222
Gambier Bay, USS (CVE-73), 187
Gebhardt, James F., 59
Ghormley, Robert L., 9–11, 19–20
Baldwin on, 30
desperation of, 30–31
on help arriving, 21
MacDonald on, 30
night fighting and, 27
Nimitz replacing with Halsey, 31
priority dispatch to, 28
Giffen, Robert C. (“Ike”), 103–104, 106
Gilbert Islands, 167
Glaize, Olen D., 226
Good Night Officially: The Pacific War Letters of a Destroyer Sailor (Raines, O.), 236
Gorsline, Burt, 141, 157
Gowen, George, 239
Grant, USS (DD-649), 186
Grayback, 86
Grayson, USS (DD-435), 13, 122
Gregory, P. A., 105
Gressard, Fred, 20, 60, 79
Grimes, Al, 241
Groshart, Gene, 167
Guadalcanal
Baldwin on, 23–24, 27
bombardments at, 27–28, 35, 92
enemy evacuating, 107
gathering for, 19
Halsey on re-taking of, 40
hazards at, 22
Hirohito on, 37
Hurd on, 27
naval balance at, 21
Nimitz on, 22, 39–40
Operation Watchtower, 23
press on, 23
Ugaki on struggle at, 28–29
See also Torpedo Junction
Guadalcanal, initiation at
crew not knowing hell at, 42–47
Halsey as fightingest admiral, 30–33
Hara, T., at, 37–39
hoping for relief at, 27–29
overview, 25–27
showdown at, 39–42
Whisler as country boy at, 34–37
Guadalcanal, naval slugfest at
confusion during, 49
Fletcher in battle, 57–61
Halsey on pride of ships and crews, 64–69
Juneau disappearing, 61–64
New York Times on, 69
O’Bannon in battle, 52–57
overview, 48–52
gunners
of Fletcher, 44
on Fletcher-class destroyers, 13
MacDonald on, 131
of O’Bannon, 44, 52, 97
of Radford, 101
Gwin, 144, 154
Hackett, Orivall M., 141–144
Hagy, Charles H., Jr., 43–44
Hailey, Foster
on bombardments, 100, 128
on Cactus Striking Force, 95–98
on De Haven, 113
on detachment, 112
on no time for mourning, 114
on red tracers, 111, 131
on ships boiling along, 99–100
on sizzling day, 123
on Slot struggle, 123–124
on tin-can navy, 102
Hall, Perry, 21
Hall, Richard J., 171
Halsey, William F.
aggression of, 4
on Ainsworth, 129
armada of, 238
on bombing, 224
boosting morale, 84
on Cactus Striking Force, 101
call from, 51
on Chicago, 106
Cole replaced by, 81
correspondence of, 73
countermeasures of, 38
as darling of home front, 31–32
Desron 21 and, 4–5, 148, 162
destroyers used by, 34
as fightingest admiral, 30–33
as fond of destroyers, 12
four stars received by, 69
Ghormley replacement by, 31
on Guadalcanal naval slugfest, 64–69
high-risk game played by, 45
home front and, 224–225
on informal dress, 118
joint operations of, 138
on kamikaze attacks, 214
on lull, 73–74
on new organization, 94
on O’Bannon, 5–6
operations combined by, 102
opportunities for, 93
orders from, 114
on re-taking Guadalcanal, 40
on retreat, 108
on sailors, 33
Solomon Islands, focused on, 116
strikes ordered by, 98
on surrender, 232
tasks at Guadalcanal, 32–33
thorns in side of, 127
Time magazine on, 32, 68–69
Tokyo Bay entered by, 3, 230, 238
on war’s end, 226–227
Whisler on, 227
on Wright, 80–81
Hancock, John, 7
Hanson, Baldwin, 23
Hara, Moichiro, 38, 81
Hara, Tameichi
on being saved from catastrophe, 50
besting of, 241
command of, 120
on confusion, 49
creating arc, 49
destroyers loved by, 119
with family, 82
feeling no triumph, 67–68
grandfather influencing, 38
memoir of, 237
as son of samurai, 37–39
on Tanaka, 81
on Tokyo Express, 76
torpedoes launched by, 60–61, 156–157
visiting mentor, 48
withdrawal of, 51
Hatsuzakura, 228
Hayashi, Ichizo, 214
Hedrick, William C., Jr., 143
Silver Star awarded to, 148
Helena, 36, 41, 45, 62–63, 86, 99
batteries from, 140
salvos fired by, 100
sinking of, 145–146
survivors of, 146–147, 148–150, 169
Henderson, Harry H., 90, 106
Henderson, Olon, 239–240
Heroic Comics, 170
Hiei, 49–50, 52, 53–54, 57, 60
sinking of, 57
Higai, Joji, 102–104
Hill, Andrew, 94, 102, 109, 145
Navy Cross awarded to, 148
Hiraide, Hideo, 24, 232
Hirohito, 3, 83, 107, 119, 156
on Guadalcanal, 37
on kamikaze attacks, 213
Hiroshima bombing, 225
Hitler, Adolf, 10, 18–19, 33
Hollister, W. W., 159
Holmes, Donald, 41, 46–47, 59, 93
home front, 3, 31–32, 92–93, 96, 124, 224–225
Honolulu, 79, 88, 99, 140
Hoover, Gilbert C., 62, 63
Hope, 201–202
Hopewell, 189, 191, 234
rescue by, 197
Hornet, 23
Howell, J. E., 79
Howorth, USS (DD-592), 189, 191, 205
crew of, 215
damages to, 238
end of war for, 219
heading home, 234
at Iwo Jima, 210–212
kamikaze attacks encountered by, 208–209, 218
as new, 206
at Okinawa, 212, 215–218
Huggard, Douglas J., 59
Hughes, USS (DD-410), 190
Hulbert, USS, 8
Huntley, John P.,
108
Hurd, Charles, 23, 27
Hyakutake, Harukichi, 27–28
Identification, Friend or Foe (IFF), 188
Imperial Navy, 37, 119
Ironbottom Sound, 42, 51
Iwo Jima, 210–212
Izaki, Shunji, 154–155
Japanese, 39, 228
Cactus Striking Force against, 98–107
in Kula Gulf confrontations, 138–145
O’Bannon as scourge of, 168–172
Starr on assault of, 225
Japanese Destroyer Captain (Hara, T.), 60
Japanese Fleet, 5–6, 60
Java See, Battle of, 39
Jenkins, USS (DD-447), 90–91, 183
aircraft repelled by, 186
in column formation, 145
damages to, 222, 238
division of, 117
fire from, 194
at Gilbert Islands landing, 167
at home, 234
in Marshall Islands assault, 174
mines sunk by, 185
Jetton, Benjamin F., 145
Silver Star awarded to, 148
Jintsu, 154
Johnson, Frank L., 81, 87, 128–129, 236
Johnson, Martin, 166
Johnson, Vernice, 171
Juneau, 37, 41, 58, 61–64
Kalinin Bay, USS (CVE-68), 187
Kamada, Shoichi, 68
kamikaze attacks, 3, 4
allowing little sleep, 209–212
Bramble on, 210
Chesnutt on, 187
Halsey on, 214
Hirohito on, 213
Howorth encountering, 208–209, 218
at Okinawa, 212–221
overview, 206–209
in Philippine landings, 187–188, 191–192, 194
pilot code and, 214
Raines, O., encountering, 208–209
Ransom on, 189
Thompson, W., on, 192
on La Vallette, 189
Whisler on, 189
Kato, Masuo, 232
Katz, Benjamin J., 90, 147
Keating, Betty, 171–172
Kenney, George, 95
King, Ernest J., 19
Kinkaid, Thomas C., 78
Kirishima, 49–50, 57, 64
Kitkun Bay, USS (CVE-71), 187, 194
Kitts, Willard A., 80
Knight, Lendall, 53
Knox, Frank, 29
Kondo, Nobutake, 64
Kopara, 35–36
Krom, D. E., 79
Kula Gulf confrontations
Battle of Vella Lavella as, 156–159
Chevalier in, 138
Desron 21 in, 159–162
flames and explosions in, 154–159
flares in, 101
Japanese stirred up in, 138–145
laying down of lives in, 145–148
MacDonald in, 127
Nicholas in, 138
O’Bannon in, 138–139
one-man army in, 148–153
overview, 136–138
prey in, 98
Strong in, 138–139
Kusaka, Jinichi, 104
Laffey, 45, 56
Langley, Willard G., 141
Lanham, Richard N., 56
Leander, 154
Lee, Walter A., 185, 190
Long Lance torpedoes, 131–132, 137, 145, 155
Louisville, 85–86, 103, 104
loyalty, 126
Luck, Goodwin R., 153
Lyndon, Dennis C., 229, 231
MacArthur, Douglas, 95
Desron 21 under, 175–176
New Guinea operations of, 172–177, 181–183
Philippine landings and, 184, 188
Ransom on, 175
retreat of, 195
at surrender, 232
MacDonald, Donald, 6, 33
as assistant naval attaché, 10
avoiding harm, 145
background and education, 7
on battle, 45, 52, 154
on bombardments, 99
cannonside chats by, 121
as catapult officer, 8
chats given by, 180
with Churchill, 10–11
command of, 94
on confidence, 134–135
crew and, 16, 47, 65, 73, 99, 127, 170, 239
on danger, 24
depending upon, 93
on Desron 21, 118
on dropping potatoes, 133
embarking for Pacific, 19
on enemy contact, 42–43
field reports of, 98
first ship assignment, 8
on Ghormley, 30
good luck charm of, 55
on gunners, 131
on hectic life, 127
on home front, 124
on humor, 125
in Kula Gulf confrontations, 127
on London citizens, 11
on loyalty, 126
on morale, 96
naval career of, 235
navigation skills, 21
Navy Cross awarded to, 148
on new ships, 91
on night fighting, 52
as O’Bannon commander, 94, 99–100
as O’Bannon executive officer, 12
on O’Bannon maneuverability, 14
as officer for coding arrangements, 9
in peril, 142
on planes, 43
preparing for service, 14–15
on reality of war, 18
on relief, 101–102
on rescues, 86, 146–147
on role of destroyers, 26
as Roosevelt aide, 9
on San Francisco, 61–62
on seeing action, 99
sensing change, 34
on ship in flames, 56
Silver Star awarded to, 66
skills of, 119–120
on Slot struggle, 120
on social schedule, 8–9
as stabilizer, 126–127
in Task Force 67, 38
TBS use by, 67, 140
Time magazine on, 172
on Tokyo Express, 35, 82
on training, 17
tributes to, 170–171
on war fighting, 15
as worthy man, 81
Mackert, Theodore F., 199
Mahan, Paul E., 222
Mai, Donald W., 201
Manley, USS (DD-74), 22
Mansfield, Jack E., 198
March of Time, 171
Marine Corps Hymn, 14
Marsh, H. M., 105
Marshall Islands assault, 173–174
Maruyama, Masao, 28
Maryland, 187
Masi, J. A., 105
Matsuo, Isao, 214
McBride, William M., 236
McCalla, USS (DD-488), 34
McCarthy, John C., 226, 228, 232, 238
McGee, William T., 105
McGinnis, Robert D., 126
McGoldbrick, J. A., 105
McGrath, Robert J., 15
McInerney, Francis X.
background of, 116–117
bombardments staged by, 118
as commander, 120
on friendly planes, 129
Navy Cross awarded to, 148
orders of, 116
ships juggled by, 118
McLean, Ephraim R., Jr., 90–91, 104, 141–143
Merrill, Aaron S. (“Tip”), 94
Midway, Battle of, 24, 39, 83
Miller, Harry F., 90
Miller, Hugh B., 136–137, 139, 143–144
on Arundel Island, 149–153
Navy Cross awarded to, 153
on rubber raft, 148–149
mines
Chesnutt on, 203–204
Jenkins sinking, 185
minelaying missions, 130
minesweepers, 197, 198
minesweeping, 203–204
Taylor sinking, 185
Thompson, W., evading, 194
Minneapolis, 78–79
Missouri, USS (“Mighty Mo”), 232
crew, 4
as flagship, 3
at war’s end, 228–229
Moir, Robert Lee, 112
Monssen, 45, 56
Montgomery, Robert, 113
Montpelier, USS, 103, 179, 198, 200
Moosbrugger, Frederick, 155–156
Mrs. Miniver (movie), 215
Mullany, USS (DD-528), 216
Murray, Glenn, 207
Myers, M. P., III, 199
Nagara, 48–50
Nagumo, Chuichi, 39, 48
Nashville, 86, 99, 177, 193
O’Bannon crashing into, 191
salvos fired by, 100
Navajo, 106
Navy Cross, 148, 153
Nelson, Horatio, 40, 42
New Guinea operations
of MacArthur, 172–177, 181–183
overview, 165–167
Ransom on, 181
as sedate, 183
ship as world in, 177–181
New Orleans, 79
New York Times, 23, 27, 69, 92, 170, 213
Nicholas, USS (DD-449), 4, 5, 29, 114, 239
building of, 15
in Cactus Striking Force, 94
in column formation, 145
commissioning ceremony, 15–16
desperate situation for, 24
dive bombers charging, 131
drills on, 21–22
embarking for Pacific, 18–19
as escort, 34–37, 74, 76, 83, 86, 89–91, 99
as flagship, 117
food supply, 224
at Gilbert Islands landing, 167
heading home, 234
in Kula Gulf confrontations, 138
on liberty, 204
as lucky ship, 238–239
in Marshall Islands assault, 174
new skipper for, 94
at Okinawa, 212
on patrol, 98
preparing for service, 15
Presidential Unit Citation awarded to, 148, 160, 172
rescue by, 226
retreating, 26
suicide witnessed by, 221
at surrender, 231–233
as target, 203
in Tokyo Bay, 230–231
tossed into action, 25
total miles traveled by, 238
as vital to success, 108
at war’s end, 223, 229
night fighting
bombardments, 87–89, 98, 155
Ghormley and, 27
MacDonald on, 52
with radar, 87–89
Nimitz, Chester W., 19
asking for performance review, 30
on bombing, 224
correspondence to, 73
on Desron 21, 148, 160
on destroyers, 147–148
on flag officers, 81
on gallantry, 64
on Giffen, 106
on Guadalcanal, 22, 39–40
Halsey replacing Ghormley and, 31
headquarters, 93
keeping at bay, 28
on need for improvements, 83
out to win war against Tokyo Express, 77–82
priority dispatch to, 28
Normandy beaches, 10
Norris, John G., 85
North African landing, 19–20
Northampton, 79–80, 239
Norton-Taylor, Duncan, 142
on enemy guns, 133
on tin-can navy, 138
on torpedoes, 132, 145
O’Bannon, Presley, 14
O’Bannon, USS (DD-450), 3–4, 29
aircraft shadowing, 101
attacks by, 224