After a few days leave at home from Boston Navy Yard, in September of 1943 they headed south
through the Panama Canal, and from there, on to San Francisco and then Pearl
Harbor, HI. There, Mr. Watson saw some of the bombed out ships from the attack
that occurred almost a year before. They later went to the Aleutian Islands in
the North Pacific and joined the North Pacific Fleet. He reports that there was
almost always cold and nasty weather there. The crew made shore bombardment
raids, wrecking warehouses, hangars and airstrips on the Kurile Islands, just
north of Japan. The Japanese couldn't find them because of the luck they had
with the horrible that descended upon them. They all had routine duties, mostly
anti-sub patrol around the Aleutians from Dutch Harbor in the East to Attu in
the West.
In August of 1944, after nine months, they went back to San Francisco for a few days leave
and sailed to Hawaii to pick up a convoy of cargo ships. They proceeded at six
knots to Manus Island anchorage near Australia. One day, as they were leaving
the harbor to go on anti-sub patrol, they witnessed the USS Mt. Hood – a large
ammunition ship – explode. It continued to erupt for over an hour. Sadly,
everyone aboard and nearby were killed.
After a few weeks of patrolling around the South Pacific Islands, New Guinea, New Britain,
and the Solomons, they joined a large fleet headed for Leyte Gulf in the
Philippines in October. This also happened to be General MacArthur's famous
return to the Philippines. Their duties at this point included anti-sub patrol,
anti-aircraft patrol, and shore bombardment. It was there that they encountered
their first Japanese suicide planes and watched, dumbfounded, at least a dozen
of them crash into ships. Here, they also shot down their first plane with Mr.
Watson taking his battle station as “hot shell-man” on one of the 5” guns. A
week later, they were assigned to convoy a group of crippled ships back to Manus
Island. On the way, a Japanese torpedoed one of their ships so they chased
after it. A few hours after dark, they caught it on the surface, shot it with
their 5” guns, then dropped depth charges after it submerged. Oil and debris
floated to the surface, confirming that they destroyed the sub.
through the Panama Canal, and from there, on to San Francisco and then Pearl
Harbor, HI. There, Mr. Watson saw some of the bombed out ships from the attack
that occurred almost a year before. They later went to the Aleutian Islands in
the North Pacific and joined the North Pacific Fleet. He reports that there was
almost always cold and nasty weather there. The crew made shore bombardment
raids, wrecking warehouses, hangars and airstrips on the Kurile Islands, just
north of Japan. The Japanese couldn't find them because of the luck they had
with the horrible that descended upon them. They all had routine duties, mostly
anti-sub patrol around the Aleutians from Dutch Harbor in the East to Attu in
the West.
In August of 1944, after nine months, they went back to San Francisco for a few days leave
and sailed to Hawaii to pick up a convoy of cargo ships. They proceeded at six
knots to Manus Island anchorage near Australia. One day, as they were leaving
the harbor to go on anti-sub patrol, they witnessed the USS Mt. Hood – a large
ammunition ship – explode. It continued to erupt for over an hour. Sadly,
everyone aboard and nearby were killed.
After a few weeks of patrolling around the South Pacific Islands, New Guinea, New Britain,
and the Solomons, they joined a large fleet headed for Leyte Gulf in the
Philippines in October. This also happened to be General MacArthur's famous
return to the Philippines. Their duties at this point included anti-sub patrol,
anti-aircraft patrol, and shore bombardment. It was there that they encountered
their first Japanese suicide planes and watched, dumbfounded, at least a dozen
of them crash into ships. Here, they also shot down their first plane with Mr.
Watson taking his battle station as “hot shell-man” on one of the 5” guns. A
week later, they were assigned to convoy a group of crippled ships back to Manus
Island. On the way, a Japanese torpedoed one of their ships so they chased
after it. A few hours after dark, they caught it on the surface, shot it with
their 5” guns, then dropped depth charges after it submerged. Oil and debris
floated to the surface, confirming that they destroyed the sub.