Memorial Day Tribute..

[Brock Samson]

http://www.usssanfrancisco.org/

I am a bit of a History Buff,.. and the battles that raged around Guadalcanal I find some of the most interesting, on land sea and Air American and Japanese Battled one another in some of the most horrific combat, unimaginable to most of us...
  Here is a bit of that History that took place in Ironbottom sound...

 

1942


The force arrived off Lunga Point on the 12th, and the transports commenced unloading. By mid-afternoon, an approaching Japanese air group was reported. At 1318, the ships got underway. At 1408, 21 enemy planes attacked.

At 1416, an already damaged torpedo plane dropped its torpedo off San Francisco's starboard quarter. The torpedo passed alongside, but the plane crashed into San Francisco's control aft, swung around that structure, and plunged over the port side into the sea. Fifteen men were killed, 29 wounded, and one missing. Control aft was demolished. The ship's secondary command post, Battle Two, was burned out but was reestablished by dark. The after antiaircraft director and radar were put out of commission. Three 20 millimeter mounts were destroyed.

The wounded were transferred to President Jackson just before the approach of an enemy surface force was reported. The covering force escorted the transports out of the area, then reassembled and returned. At about midnight, San Francisco, in company with one heavy cruiser, three light cruisers, and eight destroyers, entered Lengo Channel.

At 0125 on the 13th, the enemy force was discovered about 27,000 yards to the northwest. Rear Admiral Callaghan's task group maneuvered to intercept. At 0148, San Francisco opened fire on an enemy cruiser 3,700 yards off her starboard beam. At 0151 she trained her guns on a small cruiser or large destroyer 3,300 yards off her starboard bow. An enemy battleship was then sighted and taken under fire, initial range 2,200 yards.



At about 0200, San Francisco trained her guns on a second battleship. At the same time, she became the target of a cruiser off her starboard bow and of a destroyer which had crossed her bow and was passing down her port side. The enemy battleship joined the cruiser and the destroyer in firing on San Francisco whose port 5-inch battery engaged the destroyer but was put out of action except for one mount. The battleship put the starboard 5-inch battery out of commission. San Francisco swung left while her main battery continued to fire on the battleships which, with the cruiser and the destroyer, continued to pound San Francisco. A direct hit on the navigation bridge killed or badly wounded all officers except the communications officer. Steering and engine control were lost and shifted to Battle Two. Battle Two was out of commission by a direct hit from the port side. Control was again lost.
Control was then established in the conning tower which soon received a hit from the starboard side. Steering and engine control were temporarily lost, then regained. All communications were dead.

Soon thereafter, the enemy ceased firing. San Francisco followed suit and withdrew eastward along the north coast of Guadalcanal.

Seventy-seven sailors, including Rear Admiral Calaghan and Capt. Young, had been killed. One hundred and five had been wounded. Of seven missing, three were subsequently rescued. The ship had taken 45 hits. Structural damage was extensive, but not serious. No hits had been received below the waterline. Twenty-two fires had been started and extinguished.

At about 0400, San Francisco, all her compasses out of commission, joined Helena and followed her through Sealark Channel.

At about 1000, Juneau's medical personnel transferred to San Francisco to assist in treating the numerous wounded. An hour later, Juneau took a torpedo on the port side, in the vicinity of the bridge. "The entire ship seemed to explode in one mighty column of brown and white smoke and flame which rose easily a thousand feet in the air. The Juneau literally disintegrated." San Francisco was hit by several large fragments from Juneau. One man was hit, both his legs were broken. Nothing was seen in the water after the smoke lifted.

On the afternoon of 14 November, San Francisco returned to Espiritu Santo. For her participation in the action of the morning of the 13th, and for that of the night of 11 and 12 October, she received the Presidential Unit Citation. On 18 November, the cruiser sailed for Noumea, and, on the 23d, she got underway toward the United States. She reached San Francisco on 11 December. Three days later, repairs were begun at Mare Island.





more to come:

[Drache]

I'm an avid WWII buff and that was a VERY good and informative read!

[Brock Samson]

 

[Brock Samson]

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[Brock Samson]

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[Brock Samson]

 

[Brock Samson]

 

[Brock Samson]

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[Brock Samson]

Enjoy Your Freedom Folks...

[Brock Samson]

 BTW:
The Golden Gate Bridge is Seventy Years old today!