Re: Pearl Harbor BBs
- From: "renaborney@xxxxxxx" <renaborney@xxxxxxx>
- Date: 31 Aug 2006 13:20:34 -0700
Jim wrote:
mrjohngilbert@xxxxxxxxxxxxx (John Gilbert)
....
In a more whacko vein, did anyone ever
envision using BBs (or any other sort of ship)
as a torpedo shield?
....
John Gilbert
I have a very dim & foggy memory of hearing a story in childhood that a
Japanese torpedo that hit USS North Carolina was intended for a carrier
she was accompanying (Hornet?). This was presented in the story as a
deliberate act by the NC to protect the carrier.
SNIP
Not quite, she was escorting another carrier and was hit by a fish that
had traveled miles after the rest of the spread had fatally damaged the
Wasp
Greatest torpedo spread of all time
1CV & 1 DD sunk
1 BB damaged
"On September 15, 1942, Japanese submarine I-19 quickly fired six
long-range torpedoes at the U.S. carrier WASP. Three torpedoes struck
their target causing such damage that the task force commander ordered
WASP to be sunk that night. The remaining three torpedoes raced on
across several miles into a second carrier force. One slammed into the
U.S. destroyer O'BRIEN that would break up several weeks later due to
severe hull damage.
Another blasted NORTH CAROLINA on her port (left) side just forward of
the 12 inch think armor belt designed to protect her from torpedoes.
The enormous blast shook the Ship and crew and sent tons of oil and
water skyward. Tons more water quickly flooded into the resulting 32 by
18 foot hole (see the photograph) causing the Ship to lean, a situation
the crew quickly corrected by purposefully flooding compartments on the
opposite side. Five men were killed and 23 were wounded.
"On the 15th of September 1942, reveille sounded at 0345 and this was
followed by dawn general quarters at 0530. After lunch I went up on the
Signal Bridge to do one of my frequent visits to that area. At about
1215, GQ (General Quarters, which means man your battle stations)
sounded. A Japanese four-engine patrol plane had been sighted. The
carrier WASP sent out their combat air patrol to intercept it. At about
1450 the WASP was noted smoking. There was a small wisp of smoke
drifting astern, but this was increasing rapidly.
Her distance from us was probably about eight to ten miles. At this
time she made a port turn and headed for us. As she came about, it
could be seen that she had a bad list to starboard. Smoke was pouring
from beneath the flight deck. I had a signal bridge long glass and was
looking at her most of the time. I could see that the fire was all
below decks consuming most of the hanger deck.
I could see a few men on the flight deck high on the port side forward.
As she came around to a course parallel to us, I could see planes along
the side at different places. At 1453 there was a big red flash and the
ship was covered with smoke. Distance prevented us from hearing the
explosion, but it must have been a magazine or gasoline. The smoke
mushroomed up to several thousand feet. About then I saw a destroyer on
our port side calling by light. I yelled to a signalman and pointed
this out. A second later electrician McDonald yelled 'torpedo
wake.' Everyone ran to the starboard side to avoid the blast. I
didn't know what side it was on, so I just stood there. I took one step
backward away from the shield and it hit. The ship jumped. You could
feel 35,000 tons jumping several feet in the air. I never had any idea
that there would be such an explosion from a torpedo. The torpedo hit
on our port side opposite turret two at frame 65. The ship rose and
dropped and I found myself on my back. I looked up in time to catch the
shower of water that came down. When I got up, smoke was everywhere.
The smoke smelled like fuel oil. By then we were in a hard turn to
starboard and the ship was heeling to port. We had increased our speed
to 25 knots. We were running at 15(knots) when hit. I snapped out of it
about then and decided it was time I manned my battle station, so I
made a dash for a down ladder and ran into a real traffic jam. I
finally got there and sat down with my heart pounding, wondering if one
torpedo would sink us or just what would happen. I also wondered what
had happened to the old WASP. Our 16-inch magazines were flooded to
prevent explosion. The forward head and the wing compartments along 2nd
division were flooded with oil and water. The 1st and 2nd, E, and CR
division living compartments were filled with smoke. Some oil and water
got into the 1st and 2nd division areas. We lost 5 men. One was trapped
in the forward head and was believed to have been knocked out by the
explosion and drowned when the compartment flooded. Three men were
killed by the explosion. They were taking soundings in a wing
compartment right over the spot where the torpedo hit. One man was
blown overboard and not recovered."
- Charles M. Paty, Jr. for finger.".
.
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