The Incident
As I recall, it was a night much darker than usual. It was almost as if the stars and moon had fled, knowing what was to come.
The Grayson sailed on the starboard flank of a task force composed of at least one large carrier, perhaps two, surrounded by three or four cruisers close in and a handful of destroyers, maybe eight, as an outer screen.
I can still taste the spam sandwiches
and coffee brought early to the crew asit waited at general quarters at dusk. These were circumstances encountered numbers of times before and every man on board the "G" knew something was expected to happen. Sometime a programmed or expectable action was relayed to the crew, but many times we were not informed.
With heavy black phones plastered to my ears, I stood, walked around or sat at my station, secondary con located forward of the #3 gun.
Secondary con is a rather open and uncluttered space with an aluminum shield waist high and quite useless against bullets, let alone shells of any size. It holds a steering wheel, engine room telegraph and compass. The instruments are meant to be used if anything disasterous happens to the ship's bridge. Luckily for all, I was never required to put my hand on any of it. About an hour after eating what was called supper, the ship was brought to a primary alert status
, known as Condition Red. The "happening", whatever it might be, was coming closer.
Half an hour later, when darkness was upon us, guns began to fire from a destroyer ahead of us. I stood waiting. Then the "G"'s 5"ers started blasting. Looking around, I must say I saw nothing. I had no idea what was going on. Then another glance showed me every ship in the task force was firing.
Sound eminating from #3 gun was crushing. 5"ers make a lud, cracking noise, much like
close lightning or a rifle, rather than a big goom. Repeated firing quickly throttles the thought processes of any man standing nearby, like me. The concussion bangs at your body with every shot. It seems trite to say it, but seconds seemed like minutes as time passed. Then our twin-mounted 40mm guns began spewing shells. As tracers left the guns and arched into the distance, I found out what we were shooting at. As I faced starboard I could see, by some soft, unknown light, the outlined shiny image of a Japanese
Betty bomber coming straight at us just above water level. Clattering 20mm's opened up and I watched tracers fly into the body of the plane, apparenty without effect.
It is odd how one can look at an enemy aircraft headed for the ship and know perfectly well his guns are trained right in your face. As I watched the Betty, a torpedo dropped from the plane's belly and hit the water. Instantly I knew my time had come. One begins at once to prepare for what is "inevitable". It is peaceful, matter of fact, orderly process
in the mind, while the body virtually stands paralyzed. I waited and after a time realized the torpedo had gone directly under the "G". I recall a cruiser (was it the second Houston?) was struck, but I am not certain.
I can remember the firing of all those guns at other times against other enemies in other places. But those days and nights were not the same. On that dark occasion when we screened a task force, I shall forever remember it was the first time I realized fear.
--John MacLeod S1/c 6/43-7/45
The Incident Continued
The time I was scared the most was when we were dead in the water picking up USS Houston survivors. We were along side of the Houston, which was also dead in the water. We all learned later of how close we were to getting hit from one of Houston's survivors. He had seen a torpedo go under our bow. As our bow went up the torpedo went under. "Whew!!".
--Macario Gil S1/c 6/43-11/46
The Incident Continued
I have many pleasant memories of my service aboard the Grayson. One thing that made me realize we were at war was the time a projectile exploded as it left the 5" gun and killed one shipmate and injured several others.
Another incident was the time the new Houston was torpedoed and ordered to abandon ship. What an ordeal to rescue the survivors in high sea and in the dark.
--Al Svien ETM 3/c 12/43-1/46
Grayson Birthday Party
In February 1943, after seven months of steaming and active battle encounters , we pulled into Auckland, New Zealand where the ship decided to have a birthday party, as the Grayson was commissioned in February 1941. A hall was rented, available were refreshments, beer in kegs and music for dancing.
However, due to the lack of ladies in attendance, myself and another shipmate (who shall remain unnamed) went in search of woman companions. Eventually we were able to convince two
young ladies to accompany us to the Grayson birthday party and dance.
Upon arrival we found the event in turmoil. Everybody was fighting each other as there were only Grayson personnel present. Beer kegs and refreshments were being thrown about. The entire place was a mess. We thought we saw some sailors running around in High Hats and Capes; but we were not sure. Needless to say, we speedily left the area with the ladies.
At the same time there was a formal celebration going on in the hall below where the Grayson's birthday party was. Being a formal affair
, those in attendance were wearing formal clothes- High Hats and Capes. Our skipper, Captain Bell, who intended to attend the birthday party later was there. The liquid refreshment running all over the place upstairs soon leaked downstairs; dripping over everyone.
The Shore Patrol was called and several of the crew were taken into custody. The next morning at muster Captain Bell was furious and had all those that could be identified transferred off the Grayson.
--Leo Kelleher RM1/c 2/42-2/47
Party Time
On one occasion after we had been on air strikes, our fleet commander, Admiral Bull Halsey, ordered us to Espiritu Santo for a rest. A party for officers was held on the second floor of the Officers Club. We arrived late and as we entered the stairway, officers quite inebriated were falling down the stairway. In the party roon, everyone was having a great time having their cocktails and getting to talk to Halsey who was shaking everyone's hand. Halsey believed that after a month or two at sea, his sailors needed a blast to stay in shape. I am inclined to believe he was right.
--Dave Prager LT 3/43-6/45
We Sail with the Tide
As an Ensign Supply Officer aboard the "G" while in Bremerton undergoing repairs, my storekeepers had the requisitions prepared for all of the supplies, spare parts, & food needed to sustain us for prolonged periods at sea (every thing except fuel oil and ammunition which was the responsibilty of the Engineering Officer and Gunnery Officer, repectively). I had held off re-provisioning 'til it was known when we would depart. As there was usually a two to three day advance notice, I felt quite comfortable waiting. To this day, I will
never forget when the Captain called me into his cabin at 1600 hours and stated "I just received orders. We sail with the tide at 0700 tommorrow. I trust that all supplies have been taken care of." "Yes, sir" I replied, and left.
I went immediately to the quarterdeck and requested the OD to muster a 5 man working party. I then called the motor pool for 3 large trucks with side boards to take us to the Supply Depot Seattle. So off we went. On the way we sorted the requisitions by class and type of material and divided them into 3 groups. Each truck had 5 men, a driver and a stack of requisitions.
At 0230 we left the Depot with th trucks literally bulging with supplies tied down to the side boards and headed for the ferry to Bremerton.
Arriving at the ferry slip, I found that the trucks had been overloaded too high for clearance. My God, what will I do now? I couldn't take off the necessary amount to clear and just leave it all on the pier. Just then I heard a lot of noise that sounded like a herd of elephants bellowing. I went to the next pier and lo and behold there WERE elephants. The circus had arrived in town with brilliantly colored wagons and all. (When a Supply Officer goes ashore
for provisions in war time, he always wears a 45 cal. side arm). I quickly found out who was in charge of the wagons and with my hand leaning on my side arm, I explained the situation and that I was appropriating the wagons for a few hours. After a brief, but forceful, discussion an agreement was reached and the working party off loaded the bales of hay and other circus material; pulled the wagons to the rear of the trucks; attached the wagon shaft to the trailer hitch and loaded the "over height" supplies into the circus wagons.
We made the next ferry and reached Bremerton at 0545 hours. When we came down the pier where the "G" was tied up; what a sight we must have been-- Navy gray trucks pulling red, yellow, and orange circus wagons with our supplies. The OD ordered an "all hands" working party to bring the supplies aboard. The Captain was on the wing of the bridge with a querilous look on his face; but relieved that we made it in time to sail with the tide.
Never again did I wait to hear when we were to sail before re-provisioning.
--Dave Craigmile Ens. 3/45-7/46
The Kangaroo Story
After several months at sea, the Grayson arrived at Brisbane, Australia, and the ship's crew was given liberty.
Some aspiring crew members, after imbibing in the local brew decided they would like to have a ship mascot. They decided to visit the local zoo or an animal farm. How they found it is still a mystery. They hired a cab and went in search of an animal that was noted in Australian history, a Kangaroo. They decided this would be a good pet to have on board. After locating one they went about their business in capturing the animal. They roped him, got him into the cab, and were ready to head back to the ship when another member of this invading party decided he too would get a pet. He spotted an Ostrich. Coming from the southern part of the US he did
not know what it was. Unfortunately, when he attempted to catch the Ostrich, the animal resisted and nearly clawed him to death. Anyway, the group had their kangaroo and decided to get back to the ship which was tied up at a commercial pier on the edge of town.
Upon arrival where the "G" was berthed, the tide was out. In order to avoid any recognition from the officer of the deck, they decided they would get the kangaroo aboard via the fantail. As the tide was out, the fantail was several feet below th elevel of the pier. The first attempt to have him jump was almost fatal as he missed the fantail and landed in the water. They roped him back to the pier and this time
he made the jump successfully. It made such a noise that the men who were sleeping below thought the ship wa shit and scrambled topside. They finally got the kangaroo down below and everything from there on is a mystery.
The next day all hell broke out. Brisbane police and other investigators were aboard regarding the "kidnapping". Fortunately, because of the good relationship between the Australian government and the US Navy, all was forgiven.
It was later learned that the kangaroo was an old one. In fact it was a grandfather and he was lucky not to have had a heart attack.
--Leo Kelleher RM1/c 2/42-2/47
The Kangaroo Story Continued
After being at sea for lons periods we would usually be sent to some port for rest and relaxation. I recall in particular our visit to Brisbane, Australia, in March of 1944, during the period we were carrying on our operations in the New Guinea area. When we docked at a friendly port we were encouraged to go ashore and have fun; which included a bit of carousing. Some of the officers and men even got a little smashed on occasions. One night in Brisbane I was on duty as OD and heard some noise from the fantail. I checked and was surprised to find three of our crew leaning over a hairy creature saying," Grab him by the tail" or "Hang on to his leg". It turned out to be kangaroo
which the men had kidnapped from the Brisbane zoo. The police were called and came by to pick him up and return him to his home. Needless to say, the sailors had had a few too many. The next day a couple of police officers came aboard to talk toour skipper, Bill Pratt, about the kidnapping. Bill handled the problem in his usual able way. He told the officers that we expected to leave in a few days for New Guinea to prevent the Japs from invading Australia and that the men involved with the kangaroo were essential for our operations. The officer in charge then said, "Let's just forget the whole thing, but don't let it happen again". The officers then left the ship and we heard nothing further. Justice was done.
--Dave Prager LT 3/43-6/45
Woes of the Fireroom Gang
General Quarters have sounded. Everyone to their battle stations. Down the hole we go closing the hatches behind us. Light all boilers. Get up all the steam you can! We're off to the races.
Bells start ringing. Full speed ahead. Watch the smoke, watch the water level in the boilers. Then something happens topside. Bells start ringing. Stop, Full Astern. The engine room is spinning valves, closing some and opening others. The firemen are shutting burners off hoping not to blow the safety valves. The water in the biolers is going out of sight. Slow down the water going to the boilers. We're hoping the water doesn't get into the steam lines causing a water hammer and knocking out the turbines. Now the big question: Is there too much or too little water in the boiler?
The ship is shaking from bow to stern. Its screws bite into the water to bring us to a stop before going into reverse. The glass water gauge shows Clear, No Water Level. After a frantic minute, there it is: the water level. We're fine.
Bells start ringing again. Here we go again. From Full Astern to Stop to Full Ahead. What the hell is going on up there?
--Sal LoCascio WT2/c
The Last Cruise of the USS Grayson DD435
After spending 16 months at Munda, New Georgia, in the Solomon Islands, I requested and received destroyer duty. My orders were to report to the USS Grayson DD435 which was at Saipan Island, in the Marianas Islands.
Shortly after I went aboard, we received orders to go to Okinawa where destroyers on picket duty were taking a pounding from Kamikaze’s, flying from Japan.
The Grayson had not been in battle for over a year and first we had to put to sea for gunnery practice.
My battle station was with the after repair party to starboard, about half way between the #4, 5" - 38 gun and the bridge. #4 was manned and trained to fire at what I would estimate to be about 30 degrees from the starboard bow and when fired the projectile exploded prematurely between my position and the bridge and what I would estimate to be about 75 feet from the starboard side. Shrapnel raked the starboard side from the bridge to the area in which we stood. Two men standing with me were badly injured and another one nearby died instantly from massive head injuries. The injured totaled 12 and the more seriously ones were transferred to a PT boat and rushed to the Army hospital at Siapan. I have a small piece of steel deep in my left thigh and is still there. At the time I wasn't even aware of it and it has never caused any problems.
We received orders to proceed to Pearl, then to Seattle for a 3 month overhaul, then back to pearl and were there when surrender was signed. From there we joined a task force and proceeded to the Panama Canal, then on to Charleston, S.C. where we started preparing the Grayson to be decommissioned and this was completed in February, 1947. The Grayson had been my home for 16 months.
This account of the Grayson’s last cruise from Saipan to Charleston is from memory. To my knowledge there is no written history of these times and I feel compelled to write of its final days.
It seems incredible that this ship, after 13 engagements, sinking one submarine, downing 7 bombers, sinking 4 or more troop carrying barges, being strafed by aircraft, and the only survivor out of 4 from destroyer division 22, and having only 1 fatality, and that from its own 5" gun. It was a great ship that did its job well.
--Marion Turner CPHM USN, 1940-1947
The USS President Coolidge and the Minefield
The day that the USS President Coolige hit a mine and sank, we recovered one of her large doughnut-type life rafts from the beach where it washed ashore. We had seen what had happened to the Meredith survivors, so we thought itwould be good to have for the future. We hoisted it aboard the "G" and lashed it down on the starboard quarter across from the aft deck house. It was carrier there for the rest of the war.
During the Korean War, I was assigned to the USS Jarvis DD799 at the Charleston Navy Yard. The Jarvis had been taken out of mothballs.
At this time, the "G" was moored about three piers over from the Jarvis. When I left the "G" in late 1946, it was moored up the Ashley river. I used to walk over from the Jarvis to take a look at her.
Those Jap flags were still painted on the main battery director and that life raft was still where we had lashed it down.
--Verne Bedwell GM2/c 2/41-11/46
The USS President Coolidge and the Minefield Continued
On our return trip to Espirito Santos after the Meredith was sunk, we got into the same minefield where the President Coolidge sank just 5 or 6 hours before. The DD Tucker got in the same minefield about 5 or 6 weeks before and hit a mine and sank.
I can tell you that everyone who was topside at the time was along the rail looking for mines. It was a very uneasy time backing out of the minefield.
--Verne Bedwell GM2/c 2/41-11/46
Navy Life
On April 3, 1944, the Grayson took aboard some dismounted cavalry troops for the invasion of Rambutya Islands in the Admiralties. I remember the ship's cooks made sheet cakes at lunch time for the troops to eat before they disembarked into the landing craft. I came up out of the hatch over the reduction gear and talked to one of the soldiers about them hitting the beach. He was pretty sure there were still some Japs on the island.
He told me he did not like being on a ship. He said he would rather take his chances on the beach. He said, "Heck, you can't even dig a foxhole out here on this ship".
We never did find out what any more about those boys. We left them and went back to anchorage. We even saw a movie that evening!
--Bob Hayden MM3/c 12/43-5/46
Back to the Grayson
Information was provided by Dave Craigmile, ENS USS Grayson. Copyright 2000, USS Grayson Association and Richard Angelini.
All rights reserved in whole or in part.This is a service provided by the USS Mayo Group. Please ask to use any information contained within these pages. Thank you.
