Oct 14, 1942 - We are having extensive repairs at Pearl Harbor. Besides repairs, we are adding some special high-performance 40 MM guns and also some 20 MM guns. A new gun director mechanism is now installed between the hangar deck and the flight deck. Marsh Fields will operate the director during training exercises and GQ when his section has the duty. One of our elevators can not be repaired so it has been raised to flight deck level and it can be used to move aircraft over it. It is in a permanent "up" position. The number 1 elevator has been sporadic, not 100% reliable. The number one elevator was not hit by a bomb in the Stewart Island battle, but may have been affected somewhat by the whip lashing effect that the ship had during the battle.
Oct 16, 1942 - We are underway and are limping back to the South Pacific.
Oct 18, 1942 - Admiral William F. Halsey is at Noumea and takes over as "Commander, South Pacific Area and South Pacific Force." He is not shore-based there. He is using a small service vessel as his headquarters.
Oct 20, 1942- Since April, I have been the envy of all the ship's officers. My stateroom is a large single-person room and is located in a choice area of the ship. I get all of this because I am the Senior Flag Communications Watch Officer. My room is better than many of the rooms which are occupied by ship Lieutenant Commanders. Nevertheless, in this tropical zone, the air in the room becomes hot and stale. Whenever possible, I go up to sleep on the forecastle deck. Generally, there are fifteen or more enlisted men up there sleeping. While I was on the USS McCauley, I had a salvaged a pair of abandoned green marine coveralls and I use them for pajamas whenever I sleep topsides. Before GQ each morning, the Bos'n and his helpers come around and awaken everyone. I generally hear them coming and arise and finish my sleep in my room. (RHIP) means "Rank has it's privileges." This morning though, I didn't hear them and one of the mates came and kicked me on the rear and said, "All right mate, up and at 'em." His partner nudged him and told him that I was an officer. He came and apologized for kicking me. I said, "I can't expect to get special treatment if I don't wear my rank insignia on my pajamas."
Oct.21, 1942- I believe that Captain Davis was promoted to Admiral. I don't know how Captain Osborne B. Hardison USN got aboard, but today, Capt. Hardison took command of the Big 'E'. I don't remember how or when the now "Admiral" Davis left the ship. After all, we are out in the middle of the ocean.
Oct. 23, 1942 - At daybreak, we rendezvoused with the tanker USS Sabine and refueled. Seeing the lines come over from the Sabine reminded me of my exciting experience coming aboard from the San Juan just two short months ago. I stood close by and watched the operation. The seas were quite turbulent and the two ships were so close. It was a very dangerous situation. Half way through the fueling operation, the oil line parted and rather than try to fix it, the Admiral decided that we had received enough fuel and ordered "Cease Present Exercises."
Later in the day, we met up with the USS Hornet and her vessels. This reminded me of meeting the Hornet previously as she carried B25s for Doolittle's surprise attack on Tokyo. We now expect another exciting experience.
Oct 25, 1942 - The Japanese have four carriers in the area: Shokakau, Zuikaku, Zutho, and Junyo; eight heavy cruisers; two light cruisers and twenty eight destroyers. The United States has two carriers: the USS Enterprise and the USS Hornet. We also have two battleships: the USS Washington and the USS North Carolina as well as several destroyers. The only cruiser I can remember was the little San Juan. It was the San Juan that brought me back to the Big 'E' from Guadalcanal. Most of our big cruisers were lost at Savo while I was aboard the USS McCauley. They were the USS ships: Astoria, Vincennes, Quincy and Chicago as well as the HMAS Canberra (an Australian ship). The Chicago was severely damaged, but not sunk.
A little past noon today, we received a position report of two enemy aircraft carriers. We sent out an attack group of SBDs, but they can't find the enemy. These pilots are all new Ensigns that were assigned to the ship after the Stewart Islands Battle. While returning, our planes ran out of fuel and we lost seven of them. Most of the crew-members of the seven planes were saved by our destroyers.
I was worried. We had new green aviators and I was afraid that we would lose all of our planes and pilots in routine flights. I remember one particular day when everything seemed to go wrong. One pilot crashed his SBD into the superstructure, but the flight deck crew really got him out of the plane in a hurry. Another SBD lost power on takeoff and crashed into the sea. I watched a destroyer pull alongside the aircraft and I was happy to see the three members of the crew saved before the plane sank. There were other mishaps which I didn't see.
Oct 26, 1942 (0500 Hours) - I can picture in my mind's eye, Admiral Halsey sitting in a big comfortable chair at his new base in Noumea. He probably wishes he were back on the 'Big E' leading us on to this new battle. He sent the message, "Attack, Repeat, Attack." The problem is, we don't have information of the enemy's location.
0630 Hours - Our scouting planes locate two Japanese task forces and at about the same time, the Japanese locate us.
0900 Hours - A rainstorm has come over and is covering the Big'E', which is fortunate for us, but is bad for the USS Hornet. The Hornet is taking quite a beating and we are afraid that it is lost. Eventually, the enemy finds us. Fortunately, we are now being followed by the USS South Dakota, which is a new big battleship. It carries many anti-aircraft guns. Don't ask me how many. Its main objective for this battle is to protect her self and to protect the Big'E'.
0945 Hours - Note: During this battle, I was down in the Flag Secretary's office again. I told the men who were with me that it would be better to lie on the deck, but if they felt better about it that they could stand or sit. I grabbed a couple of pieces of green paper. I thought that I should write down what happens when the enemy planes come over.
I wrote the following: "Have word that there are twenty five dive bombers at a distance of about seven miles. (I wasn't certain of the word "seven". It may have been "eleven".) This was about 0945 Mike 26 October. We have launched our fighters and have instructed the Hornet to do likewise in hopes of an interception. The questions are: 'Will they attack us?' 'Will they attack the Hornet?' or 'Will they split up and attack both carriers?'"
1008 - I'm down below in the Flag Office prepared to destroy the publications if needs be. I figured the planes would be here by now. I surely hope our fighters can help us out.
1010 - The ship seems to be going pretty fast and is shaking considerably. (I'm shaking too.)
1011 - word just passed, "When the attack develops all hands whose duties permit lie flat on deck.
1014 - Another word passed on another speaker. Possibly the same thing.
1021 - Still on deck . Nothing happening that we know of.
1026 - Someone just said they got one hit on the Hornet.
1031 - Word passed, "Stand by to receive SBD's in Number 1 elevator."
1036 - "No bogies on screen." Said Reece, "Believe Hornet hit."
1038 - Word passed, "Close all ventilation except William. There are bogies on the screen."
1058 - Sounded like AA fire (40 MM)
1100 - 1/2 - "Groups one to nine inclusive, draw Battle Rations according to Battle Ration Bill." Word passed.
page 2
1104 - More bogies on screen coming in. (Phone Call)
1114 - Our AA started.
1114 1/2 - First bomb hit (Something hit my leg)
1121 (about) - Fire ceased.
End of my Handwritten Account
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| USS Enterprise during the Battle of Santa Cruz |
I had once heard that sometimes during a battle a person could have an arm or leg severed by shrapnel and not realize it. When something hit my leg, I wondered if my leg had been blown off by shrapnel. I was afraid to look. Finally at 1121 when firing ceased, I looked. It was just a life jacket, which had fallen down on my leg.
It would be interesting to know how much ammunition was used by our ship gunners during this battle. The guns were barking constantly from the first gun at about 1058 until 1121.
Unlike the Battle of Stewart Island, where we had neither intercom nor phone service, for this battle we had both, it isn't nearly as terrifying as it was at that time. You'll notice that the clock times are not in sync with my log. My watch has always been one hundred percent accurate. Sometimes the OOD will wait a few minutes before making entries.
1117 Hours - An enemy plane drops a 550 pound bomb at us and Captain Hardison could not quite out-maneuver it by reversing engines. The bomb went through the forecastle deck, near the anchor windlass. It went outside the ship to explode. The concussion of this bomb picked up Ensign Marshall Fields, who was in the newly installed gun director, and threw him out and onto the flight deck. Witnesses said that he rolled down the deck like a rubber ball. The shrapnel from this bomb immediately followed the concussion and a piece of it cut through the gun director and would certainly have cut Ensign Fields in half had he not been blown out first. He was taken to sick bay, but suffered no apparent injuries.
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| Battle of Santa Cruz |
In order to avoid bombs and torpedoes, Captain Hardison maneuvered the ship by right or left turns and by putting the ship in reverse. I think that he was the most skillful of all our Commanding Officers in doing this. In spite of this, one of the bombs hit our forward elevator and put it out of commission. This bomb exploded in officer's country and destroyed a whole nest of officers' staterooms, Ensign Field's stateroom included. The only good that came from this was that all of Ensign Field's large trousers were destroyed, except for the ones he was wearing. Because of the seniority system, a lot of us were reassigned rooms. My room wasn't damaged, but it was taken from me and given to a higher-ranking flag officer whose room was destroyed. I was assigned to a room with three other officers. My friend, Ross Glassman, who was still an Ensign is kicked out of his nice room and is assigned to the newly created tent city. Ensign Fields is also assigned to tent city. Tent City is just a huge canvas tarp, which was cut to make bulkheads (walls) for a huge room to house the misplaced lower ranking officers. Cots were welded in and so the living quarters are quite similar to enlisted men's quarters. Ross really feels badly that he hasn't been promoted and he salutes me and calls me "Sir" every time he sees me.
(Note: Last April when I went to the USS Hornet with our Flag Allowance, I learned that I should have had a nicer room when I was on the Big 'E'. When we were returned to the Big'E', the Billeting Officer tried to give me a small room in the bow of the ship with three others. I complained to him and he wouldn't change his mind. I went to Commander Dow, who phoned the Billeting Officer and ordered him to give me the room that was assigned to the Flag Division. When we had the problem with "Tent City", the Billeting Officer really apologized for having to assign me with three other officers and told me that he would move me to a better room as soon as one became available. It really pays to be a squeaking wheel.
(Note: I don't know the time of day that the following happened: Lt(jg) Richard Woltemate heard on the intercom that an enemy airplane was approaching so he decided to go out on the catwalk, which is just outside the coding room, to watch. He was with two enlisted men, who also wanted to see the Japanese plane. It was a near miss on the port side of the ship. The bomb fragments or shrapnel flew up and castrated one of the men and another cuts into Richard's calf. Richard and the uninjured man pull the injured man to safety. Richard didn't go to sick bay to have his wound dressed because this was an unauthorized zone and he thought that he would be reprimanded. Instead, he went down to his room and put a foreign substance on his wound so that it will be colored purple when it heals. He also taped it open so that it will leave a big scar and he will have a war wound memento. Later, he was really upset when he learned that he could have received the "Purple Heart", had he reported it at the time.
1119 Hours - We have a terrific explosion aboard ship. The entire ship whips up and down for the entire length of the ship. (I believe this is the bomb hit that I logged in at 1114 1/2). The explosion caused lots of damage including the contamination of our water supply. Everyone is thirsty now.
1120 Hours - Battle is over. Every man was keyed up during the battle. Every fish or stick in the water is reported as a periscope.
1127 Hours - Fifteen torpedo planes attack us. We learned later that these planes were supposed to have been in a coordinated attack with the previously mentioned dive-bombers. All of them were meant for the Big 'E'. Captain Hardison managed to outmaneuver all the torpedoes and saved our ship from any more damage. The destroyer, USS Smith wasn't so fortunate. One of these planes made a kamikaze attack on the Smith. It rendered the Smith out of control and it almost collided with us.
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| USS Smith is hit |
1221 Hours - The attacking planes are here. There are twenty dive -bombers that are coming down on us from the clouds. Our own ship shoots down eight of them. The remaining twelve fly away. One of the near misses hits the ocean to starboard and made the ship whiplash so much that now our forward (Number 1) elevator jammed in the "Up" position. Our search "Radar" was also put out of commission.
1225 Hours - The Radar Officer climbs up to the radar dish to repair it. Two different groups of enemy bombers (A total of 15 bombers and 9 zeros) came over us. Our fighting planes are out of fuel so our ship guns are our only means of protection. The South Dakota and San Juan each took a bomb hit in the action, which took place an hour ago.
1245 Hours - Happy Day!! The sky is clear of the enemy. This is the last attack of the day by their planes. The enemy lost more than one hundred aircraft in this battle. We are now able to start recovering our aircraft. It is cumbersome with only one serviceable elevator.
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| USS Hornet at Santa Cruz |
Hornet's planes have no place to land. We just completed landing and refueling our own bombers and sending thirteen of them to Espirito Santo, which is a small island nearby. Now we are landing our own torpedo planes as well as the Hornet's torpedo planes on our flight deck.
2000 Hours - Finally, the battle is over and we secured from GQ. As I said earlier, the rooms were assigned by seniority. I believe that if I had been in charge of this I would have assigned the aviators to good rooms so that they could get a good rest. These men were under a great deal of anxiety and stress. A good rest would have done them a lot of good.
We haven't heard any more about the contamination of our fresh water so I don't brush my teeth and I am mighty thirsty for lack of water. Finally, the next morning, I learned that the water was OK. It was really satisfying to have a good glass of water. The men who had to go to live in "Tent City" were upset. One day, they each had a nice room with a private desk and bunk. Now they were living like the enlisted men in a large common room that was inhabited by a few dozen other officers. The main handicap was for the officers who had to work on shifts and had to sleep while there were others milling around, making noises etc.
In the book, "The Big 'E'" by Cdr. Edward P Stafford, Pg. 193 - ". . . Only one other warship in history had survived such a sustained air attack - The HMS Illustrious in her battle with the Luftwaffe in the Mediterranean."
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