Pearl Harbor Day 2013

[PaugusBayFireFighter]

Remembering the hero's who died 72 years ago today keeping us safe.

[trfour]

Originally Posted by PaugusBayFireFighter

Remembering the hero's who died 72 years ago today keeping us safe.

2400 military and 1143 civilians killed.
4 battleships sunk and 4 damaged.
3destroyers sunk.
2 other ships sunk.
188 planes destroyed, 155 damaged.
55 airmen killed.
9 submariners killed, one captured.
4 mini-submarines sunk.

[BaileyBecca]

Semper Fi!

God Bless all !

[MeredithMan]

My father would always tell the story of how he was playing Ping-Pong in Frankie Hurley's basement in Dorchester when the news came over the radio that Sunday. The next day, Monday, my father, (who was 22), his brother Bill, (who was 19), and a bunch of their friends enlisted. He always said, "it was the thing to do". He and my uncle were in the Navy, (on different ships), in the South Pacific for the next 4 years.

MM

[Lakesrider]

While In Pearl Harbor a few years ago, I bought a flag that flew over the Memorial. I fly it every Pearl Harbor Day.

Taken from inside the Memorial....



Taken from the deck of the Missouri...

[trfour]

Originally Posted by MeredithMan

My father would always tell the story of how he was playing Ping-Pong in Frankie Hurley's basement in Dorchester when the news came over the radio that Sunday. The next day, Monday, my father, (who was 22), his brother Bill, (who was 19), and a bunch of their friends enlisted. He always said, "it was the thing to do". He and my uncle were in the Navy, (on different ships), in the South Pacific for the next 4 years.

MM

My older brother Mel was a radio operator aboard the USS Hazelwood DD 531 after it was almost sunk by a kamikaze, and totally rebuilt.
Some history;

After shakedown, Hazelwood departed the West Coast 5 September. Reaching Pearl Harbor 9 September, she sailed 2 days later with a fast carrier strike force under Rear AdmiralC. A. Pownall in Lexington to launch carrier-based air strikes against Tarawa, Gilbert Islands. Hazelwood next joined a second fast carrier force—6 carriers, 7 cruisers, and 24 destroyers under Rear Admiral A. E. Montgomery—for strikes against Wake Island 5 October and 6 October.fficeffice" />>>
Returning to Pearl Harbor 11 October, the destroyer took part in intensive training to prepare for the giant amphibious drive to Japan. She joined Task Force 53 under Vice AdmiralRaymond A. Spruance at Havannah Harbor, New Hebrides, 5 November. Departing 13 November, she took part in invasion of the ffice:smarttags" />lace w:st="on">Gilbert Islandslace> 20 November. In one of the bitterest struggles during the fleet's push across the Pacific, she served on antisubmarine patrol and as standby fighter-director ship. Hazelwood returned to lace w:st="on">Pearl Harborlace> 7 December 1943 to prepare for the next operation.>>
As the war in the Pacific gained momentum, Hazelwood sortied from Pearl Harbor 22 January 1944 as part of Task Force 52 under Admiral Spruance for the invasion of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls in the Marshall Islands. After troops stormed ashore 31 January, she anchored in lace w:st="on">Kwajalein Harborlace> as primary fighter-director ship and also patrolled against enemy submarines. This objective secured, she departed lace w:st="on">Kwajaleinlace> 15 February for several months of patrol and escort duty through the Solomons and Marshalls. She also bombarded Japanese shore positions at Ungalabu Harbor and a tank farm on New Ireland.>>
Hazelwood next participated in the invasion of the Palaus. As the 1st Marine Division landed on Peleliu, Palau lace w:st="on">Islandslace>, 15 September, she pounded enemy shore positions with gunfire to lessen Japanese opposition. She remained off Peleliu on patrol until 3 October, when she sailed to Seeadler Harbor, Manus Island. There the never-resting veteran joined Vice Admiral Kinkaid's naval forces for the invasion and liberation of the Philippines. As troops landed under naval cover on Leyte 20 October, Hazelwood came under heavy Japanese air attacks.>>
The next week brought constant enemy air raids and a succession of far reaching fleet moves as the Imperial Navy made one final but futile effort to drive America out of the lace w:st="on">Philippineslace> and regain some measure of control over the seas. In this struggle, known to history as the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the Japanese Navy was all but annihilated. Three enemy battleships, four carriers, six heavy cruisers, four light cruisers, nine destroyers, and a host of planes were destroyed. Hazelwood herself accounted for at least two kamikazes destroyed.>>
Hazelwood engaged in patrols off Leyte Gulf and gunnery and training exercises out of Ulithi during December. She then joined Vice Admiral McCain's fast carrier strike force and sailed 30 December. Carrying the war home to the enemy, the carriers launched heavy air raids against Japanese positions in the Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan, Okinawa, and along the China coast 3–7 January 1945. These devastating strikes also diverted Japanese attention from the Philippines, where landings were made at Lingayen Gulf 9 January. After further strikes on Japanese positions in Indochina, the hard-hitting force returned to Ulithi 26 January.>>
Joining another fast and mobile carrier task force, Hazelwood sortied 11 February to protect carriers as they launched heavy air strikes against the Japanese home islands 16 and 17 February. Swiftly shifting positions as only sea based power can, the fleet then sped south to provide support for the landings on Iwo Jima, begun 19 February. Although under constant attack from kamikazes as well as fighters and dive-bombers, Hazelwood came through the invasion untouched and on the night of 25 February sank two small enemy freighters with her guns.>>
Returning to Ulithi 1 March, the battle-tried destroyer sailed again for action 14 March with a fast carrier force to provide air cover and shore bombardment for the invasion of lace w:st="on">Okinawalace>, last step before invasion of the Japanese home islands. After the invasion 1 April, Hazelwood operated off lace w:st="on">Okinawalace> on radar picket and escort patrols through intense Japanese air attacks. On 29 April, the carrier group she was shepherding was attacked by kamikazes who dove out of low cloud cover>>
>>
Hazelwood after the Kamikaze hit off lace w:st="on">Okinawalace>.>>
Hazelwood, all guns blazing, maneuvered to avoid two of the Zeros. A third screamed out of the clouds from astern. Although hit by Hazelwood’s fire, the enemy plane careened past the superstructure. It hit #2 stack on the port side, smashed into the bridge, and exploded. Flaming gasoline spilled over the decks and bulkheads as the mast toppled and the forward guns were put out of action. Ten officers and 67 men were killed, including the Commanding Officer, Cmdr. V. P. Douw, and 36 were missing. Hazelwood’s engineering officer, Lt. (j.g.) C. M. Locke, took command and directed her crew in fighting the damage and aiding wounded. Proceeding by tow and part way under her own power, the gallant ship reached Ulithi 5 May for temporary repairs, then sailed to Mare Island Naval Shipyard via lace w:st="on">Pearl Harborlace> 14 June for permanent repairs. Hazelwood decommissioned 18 January 1946 and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet at San Diego, California.
She was one tough ship...
Before and after pics...

[ApS]

Earlier that fateful morning, it was a twin engine patrol bomber (PBY/Catalina) that sighted two Japanese subs near Pearl Harbor beaches. My Dad happened to be stateside, training other pilots in the intricacies of flying the PBY "flying boat" when the first attack occurred on Oahu Island.

On December 7th, the very first bombs fell on Kaneohe Bay Naval Air Station, where his entire squadron of 36 aircraft (VP-11) was destroyed on the ground.

Otherwise totally unprepared to return fire, sailors retrieved 50-caliber machine guns from damaged PBYs, then used them to return fire. The largest loss of US Navy lives occurred in Kaneohe hanger #3, where sailors were gathering ammunition to return the fight to the enemy.

Using one of those guns, the first Medal of Honor of the war was earned at Kaneohe Bay Naval Air Station. (While bleeding from 21 wounds).

My Dad's squadron VP-11 later was tasked for night-fighting—all painted black—reknowned as the "Black-Cat-Squadron".

[ghfromaltonbay]

Got to visit Pearl Harbor in February of 2010. They had just redone the visitors' center and Senator Inouye was there to re-dedicate the facility. The late senator was a Medal of Honor recipient for his service in Italy during WWII. It was the highlight of my Hawaii trip.

[JMR]

I must admit one of the more impressive and touching things I have ever seen is the oil still seeping out of the Arizona fuel tanks after all these years. you can't watch those oil droplets come to the surface without getting tears in your eyes.

BTW, the National Park Service has done a great job at recreating the attack in the new museum at Pearl Harbor.

Our job is to never forget and teach our children about Pearl Harbor, as well as 911

[Lakesrider]

Originally Posted by ghfromaltonbay

Got to visit Pearl Harbor in February of 2010. They had just redone the visitors' center and Senator Inouye was there to re-dedicate the facility. The late senator was a Medal of Honor recipient for his service in Italy during WWII. It was the highlight of my Hawaii trip.

Hey...That is when I was there. Got married in Kauai on the 02-20-2010. We stayed for a week, Then on to Ohau for three days and then to the big island for a week.

[NoBozo]

trfour": Is that a "Helopad on the back of that "Destroyer"..?? We didn't have Helopads on ships until the sixties. I think you have a wrong picture.

PS: I also see the "DASH" hanger. I was there. NB

PPS: DASH: Drone Anti Submarine Helicopter....1961....

[trfour]

Originally Posted by NoBozo

trfour": Is that a "Helopad on the back of that "Destroyer"..?? We didn't have Helopads on ships until the sixties. I think you have a wrong picture.

PS: I also see the "DASH" hanger. I was there. NB

PPS: DASH: Drone Anti Submarine Helicopter....1961....

Yes, More Info;
Hazelwood recommissioned at San Diego 12 September 1951, Cmdr. R. M. Niles in command, to participate in the Korean War. After shakedown she departed San Diego 4 January 1952, and reached Newport, Rhode Island, 21 January to join Destroyer Forces, Atlantic Fleet. Operations and exercises along the East Coast and in the Caribbean, as well as hunter-killer training with carrier groups, occupied Hazelwood until she departed Newport for the Far East 7 December 1953.
She reached Tokyo 12 January 1954, via Pearl Harbor and spent the next few months operating with a fast carrier task force and patrolling along the Korean coast to enforce an uneasy armistice. The far-ranging destroyer returned to the States the long way, departing Hong Kong 28 May 1954 and sailing through the Suez Canal to reach Newport 17 July.
During the next few years, Hazelwood maintained a pattern of training and readiness operations along the East Coast and in the Caribbean interspersed with deployments to the Mediterranean. During the Suez Crisis in the fall of 1956 she served with the mighty 6th Fleet, patrolling the eastern Mediterranean and helping to stabilize a tense international situation.

A DASH-drone over Hazelwood´s flight deck.


In 1958, Hazelwood began extensive testing of helicopters for antisubmarine warfare both in Narragansett Bay and out of the Naval Ordnance Laboratory in Maryland. Assigned to the Destroyer Development Division, she participated in tests on equipment used with radar and electronic counter-measure systems. Her primary research and development work involved the testing of the Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter (DASH). Hazelwood provided on board testing facilities, and helped make possible the perfection of DASH, an advanced and vital ASW weapons system. In August 1963 alone, the drone helicopter made 1,000 landings on the versatile destroyer's flight deck.
In addition to experimental developments, Hazelwood continued to engage in the many duties assigned to a destroyer. As America confronted Russia over the introduction of offensive missiles into Cuba in October 1962, she steamed again to the troubled Caribbean for antisubmarine and surveillance patrols. Hazelwood arrived Guantanamo Naval Base 5 November, just after the quarantine of Cuba had gone into effect and remained on guard during the crisis, serving as a Gun Fire Support Ship for Task Force 84. When the nuclear submarine Thresher failed to surface 10 April 1963, Hazelwood immediately deployed to the scene of the tragedy with scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to begin a systematic search for the missing ship.
Hazelwood resumed testing of DASH during June and later in the year conducted on board trials of the Shipboard Landing Assist Device (SLAD). She continued both developmental and tactical operations along the East Coast during the next year. She decommissioned 19 March 1965, and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. Hazelwood was struck from the Naval Vessel Register 1 December 1974 and sold 14 April 1976.



Terry
_______________

[Lakesrider]

Originally Posted by NoBozo

trfour": Is that a "Helopad on the back of that "Destroyer"..?? We didn't have Helopads on ships until the sixties. I think you have a wrong picture.

PS: I also see the "DASH" hanger. I was there. NB

PPS: DASH: Drone Anti Submarine Helicopter....1961....

The picture of the USS Hazelwood with the helo-pad on the mid deck was taken in 1960. So you are almost right on with the "Mid sixties"....

[ghfromaltonbay]

Originally Posted by JMR

I must admit one of the more impressive and touching things I have ever seen is the oil still seeping out of the Arizona fuel tanks after all these years. you can't watch those oil droplets come to the surface without getting tears in your eyes.

Seeing that oil affected me the same way. For some reason seeing the slick brought chills and thoughts of all the brave men still within the Arizona. Here is one of the pictures I took that day back in 2010.

[trfour]

Originally Posted by Lakesrider

The picture of the USS Hazelwood with the helo-pad on the mid deck was taken in 1960. So you are almost right on with the "Mid sixties"....

Hi Lakesrider,

During the Hazelwood's rebuild ( prier ) to being recommissioned in 1951, the big turret guns were removed and replaced with missal silos and fitted with the flight deck. My brother was stationed aboard in 1958 and everything you see in the 1960 photo was in place.
I don't get what the "Mid Sixties" has to do with the USS Hazelwood DD 531...

Terry
___________________________

[NoBozo]

i was stationed aboard Shenandoah AD-26 (Norfolk) at the time. (Destroyer Tender) We went in to the "Yards" to be converted ....to support DASH. For the destroyers it was called a "FRAM" Job. Almost all destroyers underwent the conversion.

We Deleted our two 5"38 open mount guns Fore and Aft ..for the Helo Deck and Hanger aft. I was stationed aboard Shenandoah from early 1960 through summer 1964. We never saw a DASH helicopter on board.

We did see a DASH Helicopter aboard a destroyer rafted alongside..They were doing flight tests..Tethered. The DASH helicopter crashed on deck of the destroyer doing the testing.

The DASH helicopter was "sporting" one of the very early Gas Turbine engines then in development.

As an aside: At the same time..Rover/BRM had a Gas Turbine entry in the "24 hours of Le Mans". It finished without incident. The ruling body had no idea how to "Classify" a Turbine Engine....HISTORY. NB

[NoBozo]

We need to be very careful as to when Missile "Silos" were installed on NAVY ships....not that it matters in general conversation.. NB

[trfour]

Originally Posted by NoBozo

i was stationed aboard Shenandoah AD-26 (Norfolk) at the time. (Destroyer Tender) We went in to the "Yards" to be converted ....to support DASH. For the destroyers it was called a "FRAM" Job. Almost all destroyers underwent the conversion.

We Deleted our two 5"38 open mount guns Fore and Aft ..for the Helo Deck and Hanger aft. I was stationed aboard Shenandoah from early 1960 through summer 1964. We never saw a DASH helicopter on board.

We did see a DASH Helicopter aboard a destroyer rafted alongside..They were doing flight tests..Tethered. The DASH helicopter crashed on deck of the destroyer doing the testing.

The DASH helicopter was "sporting" one of the very early Gas Turbine engines then in development.

As an aside: At the same time..Rover/BRM had a Gas Turbine entry in the "24 hours of Le Mans". It finished without incident. The ruling body had no idea how to "Classify" a Turbine Engine....HISTORY. NB

Hi NB,

So if I understand you correctly, you were referencing ( Destroyer Tenders ) not having the DASH helicopters until the Mid sixties, and not the USS Hazelwood??

As an aside, there was a Military helicopter that touched down on the USS Hazelwood's flight deck with some High Ranked dignitaries aboard, while the Hazelwood was in port in, ( I think it was in Newport RI,) and the deck crew had tied down one landing wheel when the pilot decided to lift off to reposition the copter on the deck, and it turned over sideways and crashed between the dock and the Hazelwood and I think there were four deaths. A piece of the rotor blade went through the ship and up the hallway and hit the radio room's door where Mel was working at the time.
Several months later the Hazelwood was at the Navy yard in Boston and they had a family day cruise and my sister and I went. We were given a tour of the ship and there were still some of the scars up on deck that had just been painted over. Anyway, we left the Navy yard and cruised out of Boston Harbor and out to sea where we were treated to an awesome steak dinner in the decorated mess hall. I was only about fifteen at the time, but it was a blast and the weather was perfect!

Terry
___________________

[trfour]

Originally Posted by NoBozo

We need to be very careful as to when Missile "Silos" were installed on NAVY ships....not that it matters in general conversation.. NB

Yes I'm sure that at the time a lot of these things were secret, and as I couldn't think of another name to call them, the missiles were mounted vertically below deck. And of course it had the conventional torpedo tubes mounted horizontally as well.
I was in the Army Signal Core, what do you expect.

[NoBozo]

Originally Posted by trfour

Hi NB,

So if I understand you correctly, you were referencing ( Destroyer Tenders ) not having the DASH helicopters until the Mid sixties, and not the USS Hazelwood??

_

Destroyer Tenders were Repair Ships designed to service destroyers and their equipment....from the bridge all the way down to the steam turbines and propulsion equipment in the engine room. This was done both stateside AND overseas.

DASH was intended to be part of the Destroyers "equipment".. so the Navy added Helo decks and DASH hangers to the destroyer tenders during the Very Early sixties so the tenders could service the DASH equipment. DASH wasn't intended to be an offensive weapon for use BY the destroyer tender.

In those days guided missiles were very new technology and were not launched from "Silos" in the deck...Close.. but NOT like missiles are vertically launched today. The missiles were "housed" in racks below deck where they would be "loaded" vertically up from below onto "Launch Rails" waiting on deck mounted Turrets . Once the missiles were loaded on to the two launch rails, they would be "aimed" in the general direction of intended flight and fired. Today's shipboard missiles ARE launched directly from vertical launch tubes in the deck. (There are exceptions). NB

[NoBozo]

DASH went Poof. After all the money spent with conversions....Nothing came of it. It was concurrently replaced with ASROC.... "Anti Submarine Rocket".... THAT was a Big Deal and some ships actually had armed sentry's around the launch mounts when in port. Just remembering... NB

ASROC: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASROC

[Lakeboater]

PBFF started a nice thread thanking and remembering heroes from Pearl Harbor and it turns to specifics about ships in the 60s?

[SIKSUKR]

Damn germans!