17 JAN 44
January 17th saw Princeton continuing to undergo repairs to superstructure and replacement of damaged radar equipment. Refueling from dock facilities included taking on 161,050 gallons of fuel oil and "at 0955 commenced receiving aviation gasoline from YO 43* secured alongside to starboard, completing at 1035 after receiving 25,000 gallons of aviation gasoline.”
At 2000, the Naval Ammunition Depot would deliver 75 additional Mk. 14 primer detonators.
The most significant event of the day occurred at 1200 hours, when “pursuant to a despatch from the Chief of Naval Personnel, dated 15 January 1944, and Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas, File No. Pac-026-ihb over P16-3/OK, serial 234, dated 17 January 1944, Captain William H. BURACKER, USN, (55970), reported aboard for duty involving flying** as Commanding Officer at such time as he shall be designated to relieve Captain George R. HENDERSON, USN, by Commander Carrier Division ELEVEN. Captain BURACKER is in the status of a passenger in the interim.”
It was not unprecedented back then to have the “PCO” (Prospective Commanding Officer, pronounced: Pee See Oh), aboard for a period of time in order to receive a “passdown” from the current CO. Captain BURACKER would become CO of Princeton in less than three weeks, but those three weeks would be anything but boring, as we will see. Interestingly, ten months hence would see another PCO aboard “The Peerless P” as she and her crew faced their biggest challenge.
* Y = District Craft, O = Oil Barge
** “duty involving flying” is in almost every Naval Aviator’s orders, whether that officer is going to a flying or a desk job, because those words mean flight pay will continue. Flight pay helps offset the cost of essential items like sunglasses and beer.
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