26-27 JAN 44
26 January...
"At 0112 destroyer reported sound contact bearing 245˚, and formation executed and emergency turn 90˚ to the right (Starboard! C'mon people! my emphasis) upon order from O.T.C. At 0125 executed turn 90˚ to the left (Port! C'mon man! my emphasis) to course 300˚. At 0133 executed turn 40˚ to the left to course 260˚ and resumed zigzagging as before."
Dawn saw a repeat of the previous day's launch cycle, with a turn east into the wind in order to launch the initial A/S mission. This would be repeated approximately every 4 hours throughout the day.
At 2235 Fleet Oiler USS Neches (AO-47)...
"...reported that she was unable to keep assigned stations in formation due to engine trouble." The O.T.C. directed her to leave the formation and detached Destroyer Escort U.S.S. Martin (DE-30)...
and Destroyer U.S.S. Cummings...
as her protection.
With Neches in mind, it is worth a brief discussion of replenishing in general, and the additional challenges of replenishing at sea.
Alexander the Great, who said "my logisticians are a humorless lot...they know if my campaign fails, they are the first ones I will slay," would have approved of the protective measures taken by the O.T.C.
Admiral Nimitz called the ability to replenish underway "the U.S. the U.S. Navy’s secret weapon of World War II." It is something I witnessed so many times it seemed routine, but upon reflection, it is incredibly impressive.
Perhaps unglamorous, logistics has throughout the ages proven to be maybe the most important aspect of armed human conflict. Evidence of this is reflected in the 29 year lifespan of fleet oiler Neches, which was commissioned in October of 1941 and decommissioned in October of 1970.
USS Martin, her Destroyer Escort on this day, was stricken from the rolls and sold for scrap after serving barely over two years after her commissioning.
27 January...
In a deviation from the en route training regime of the past several days, January 27 included an UNREP for the majority of the Task Group, to include Princeton...
At 0650 the O.T.C. ordered underway refueling to commence with "Fueling speed set at 10 knots. Commenced maneuvering to approach port side of U.S.S. TAPPAHANNOCK for fueling. ... At 0720 gave first line to U.S.S. TAPPAHANNOCK and at 0735 U.S.S. CRAVEN came along starboard side ... Commenced pumping forward at 0759 and aft at 0752, through six inch hoses."
2 hours and 21 minutes after beginning, Princeton had taken on 239,631 gallons of fuel oil and 19,500 gallons of aviation gasoline.
In the midst of the refueling evolution the "VT pilot and two crew members recovered by destroyer on 20 January 1944, were returned" to Princeton.
At 1030 "test fired machine guns on fighter plane on flight deck."
The day's War Diary concluded with this entry:
"At 2241 crossed the 180th Meridian into East Longitude. The date was not changed, West Longitude date being ordered for use throughout current operation."
Normally, when crossing the International Date Line heading West, you skip ahead a day. An eastbound crossing, therefore, means repeating a calendar day.
On July 8th, 1990, I recall the CO of USS Independence, Captain Thomas Slater announcing that "tomorrow, July 9th, will be Junior Officer appreciation day."
That evening we crossed the Date Line and tomorrow turned out to be...July 10th.
Several months later, Captain Slater's replacement, Captain R.L. Ellis announced the celebration of "Senior Officer appreciation day" just prior to crossing the Date Line during our journey back to America.
Good times.
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