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From: Dr. Paul M. Elliott, Jr.
Date: 04-20-2003 18:54:37
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Subject: One night of war
Message: Below is one of the war stories that is going to be printed in my class's "sixty years after graduation" book. This is the edited version the editor sent back to me, the way that it is supposed to appear.
Hope all is well. Happy New Year.
Love
The Old Man
SINKING OF THE USS CALLAGHAN (DD-792) PAUL "SPOOK" ELLIOTT
Early in the morning of July 29, 1945, I had just gotten into my sack after having had the 2000 to 2400 control watch in the main battery director when the general alarm sounded. We were on radar picket off Okinawa, along with the USS CASSIN YOUNG (DD793) and two or three LCS's. My GQ station had been in the fire control room, but some recent events had changed that.
Our gunnery officer had been detached and the new gunnery officer, a full lieutenant, a fresh graduate of the Gunnery Officers School, had been on board for only a week or so. He was well trained, but had never seen any combat action. The captain, Commander Charles Marriner Bertholf (yes, "Dirty Bertie," my company officer first class year) told me to take the assistant gunnery officer slot in the main battery director during GQ to "keep an eye on him." I never did know exactly what that entailed..
What I found out when I got to my station was that we had a single bogey making a run on us at a speed of 65 knots; yes, 65 knots. He was coming in from the starboard side. With our old FD (I think that is the right designation) radar we could train on him, range on him, but we could not point on him. The vertical lobes of the antenna were so broad that we got not only a direct echo but also an echo reflected off the water. I can still remember the young firecontrolman manning the elevation control saying, somewhat frantically, "Mr. Elliott, I can't match the pips." It turned out that the plane was just above the water, and we were getting multipath echoes.
The order was given for the main battery to open fire. When it did., I was quite shocked and surprised to see mount three, the admidships 5-inch-38, go off with smokeless powder. It lit us up like a Christmas tree. I immediately, without consulting the gunnery officer, said over the phones, "Mount three, cease fire until you are sure you have flashless powder in that gun." The new gunnery officer immediately said, "Belay that order, keep firing." I think that, for a moment, I thought about arguing with him, but I didn't say a word. And mount three kept firing with smokeless powder. It must have been an easy target for the pilot of the plane to see.
Since our elevation control wasn't very good, I was using the spotting knob to walk shells up and down. The last time mount three went off, still with smokeless powder, I saw the plane about 30 yards from the ship heading right for mount three. If I were an artist I could paint a detailed picture. The plane was an old float biplane, and I could see the pilot's head, leaning forward.
Immediate damage was the main steam line, broken in the after engine room. There were no survivors from the after engine room. About five minutes later mount three handling room ammunition exploded, the beginning of the end. I was one of the last persons ordered over the side by the Captain. The moon was shining, a chop was on the water, and clouds were passing over the moon; just guess how many shark fins I think I saw.
We were picked up by an LCS, taken to the CASSIN YOUNG, and thence on to the station ship at Okinawa. While visiting with a firecontrolman, who was a 40-mm gunner on the starboard side, and who, regretfully, had lost a hand to shrapnel from the explosion, told me, "Mr. Elliott, I could have shot him down. I could see his exhaust well, but no one ever gave an order for the 40-mm and 20-mm mounts to open fire."
The most vivid auditory memory I have is how the 40-mm and 20-mm brass sounded as it went past me while the ready ammunition on deck was being exploded by the fire.
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One night of war - Dr. Paul M. Elliott, Jr. 04-20-2003 18:54:37
One night of war - Jen Lee e-mail 12-03-2009 23:39:22
One night of war - lerel 03-27-2010 14:26:20
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