3/25/44: DesRon 23 & "31 knot Burke"

25 MAR 44

Through the wee hours Princeton and Task Group 36.2 churned northwesterly at 21 knots, 200 nautical miles north of and paralleling the orientation of the Solomon Island chain.

"At 0657 sighted six ships on the horizon, identified as DesRon 23, en route to rendezvous with the Task Group as ordered."

Destroyer Squadron 23, known as "The Little Beavers" and commanded by Captain Arleigh Burke, at this time consisted of USS Dyson (DD-5782), USS Stanly (DD-478), USS Converse (DD-509), USS Spence (DD-512), USS Thatcher (DD-514) and the flagship of the squadron USS Charles Ausburne (DD-570). (Burke would become Chief of Naval Operations and serve in that capacity from 1955 to 1961) DesRon 23 operated from Purvis Bay in the Florida Islands...

Fleet Recreation Center, Port Purvis, Florida Island, Solomons

Two sailors watch a softball game, 21 April 1944.

...attacking Japanese shipping in the interior waters of the Solomon chain, which became known as "The Slot."

When Burke had taken command, he communicated his succinct and aggressive "Commander's Intent" to the men of DesRon 23:

“If it will help kill Japs—it’s important; if it does not help kill Japs—it’s not important.”

After taking command of DesRon 23 in October, Burke had been distressed at the material condition of his small fleet of destroyers, all of which were in need of maintenance to varying degrees. The Fletcher class ships that made up the squadron were capable of making 35 knots. But unless you're out hunting bears, you want everyone you're with to keep up the pace. In this regard Spence, which had suffered and engineering casualty (a toothbrush misplaced in a boiler tube!) and was capable of only 30 knots, was the slowest member of the pack. From the get-go Burke did not miss an opportunity to let his superiors know that his command was capable of only 30 knots, a subtle but effective way of making the powers-that-be aware that he was frustrated with the lack of maintenance support.

E.B. Potter, in his biography of Burke, describes the circumstances that would birth a nickname:

"Burke had been debating whether it was advisable to include Spence in the forthcoming operation...He found her skipper, his staff, and, as far as he could see, her entire ship's company ardent to go.

'Okay,' he said to her captain. 'With your plant cross-connected, what do you figure you can do?'

'Thirty-one knots.'

Burke decided to take a chance, though he knew that in permitting Spence to operate with a cross-connected plant he was violating regulations which specified that when a ship was in combat or expecting combat her propulsion plant must be 'split,' so that if one side was knocked out the other could still keep the ship moving. To himself Burke excused his trespass on the grounds that his orders had not implied any prospect for combat.

At SoPac headquarters at Nouméa...Intelligence had just reported that the revived Tokyo Express had delivered troops to Buka and would transport the aviation personnel from Buka to Rabaul that night. Thurber decided he had better check on Burke's strength and progress. ... 'Report ships with you, your speed, and ETA Point Uncle.'

Burke, in reply, named the 5 ships in his formation, gave his ETA Point Uncle as 2200 that night, and concluded: 'Proceeding at 31 knots."

This conclusion produced some merriment at headquarters. For days Burke had been ending his reports with the statement that he was proceeding at a modest 30 knots, a kind of protest over the state to which his 35-knot ships had been reduced for lack of upkeep. Now, stimulated by action in prospect, he had managed somehow to bend on an extra knot. Thurber could not resist including a gentle gibe in his next transmission:

'31-Knot Burke, get athwart Buka-Rabaul evacuation line about 35 miles west of Buka. If no enemy contact by 0300 [local time] 25th come south to refuel same place. If enemy contact you know what to do.'

On the night of November 24th, 1943 Burke commanded his destroyers in what the Naval War College has called "a near perfect surface action," sinking 3 of 5 Japanese destroyers and damaging another. Only Amagiri, the destroyer that had cut JFK's PT-109 in half, would escape.

My love for the Navy is rooted in its culture and tradition. And part of that tradition includes a fundamental philosophy that the Navy will train you, equip you and then it will provide some boundaries in which you are expected to operate. Some of the boundaries are hard and fast. Others are more in the nature of guidelines. If you violate the hard and fast rules, expect to be held accountable accordingly. If you adhere to the spirit of the guidelines, as Captain Burke appears to have done when bringing Spence along, you might get away with it, but you might not. How things ultimately go will be the most important factor, but consideration may be allowed for such things as intent, competence, reputation and whether you are a good s**t or a f***ing idiot. In the end, what the Navy usually allows is the ability to beg for forgiveness. And that is not nothing.

If you're of the "good s**t" variety, men might write poetry about you...

And your fellow officers? They'll hoist one with you at the "Cloob Des-Slot"...

Officers of the squadron enjoy a beer at Cloob Des-Slot, Purvis Bay, Solomon Islands, on 24 May 1944. Those present are (from left to right): Commander R.A. Gano, Commanding Officer, USS Dyson (DD-572); Commander Luther K. Reynolds, Commanding Officer, USS Charles Ausburne (DD-570); Captain Arleigh A. Burke, Squadron Commodore; Commander B.L. Austin, Commander Destroyer Division 46; Commander D.C. Hamberger, Commanding Officer, USS Converse (DD-509); Commander Herald Stout, Commanding Officer, USS Claxton (DD-571); and Commander Henry J. Armstrong, Commanding Officer, USS Spence (DD-512). Courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation. Collection of Admiral Arleigh A. Burke, USN. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph.

On March 25th, Arleigh Burke only had 2 more days in command of DesRon 23, but Princeton didn't really care because she was busy with training and drills.

"At 1045, went to General Quarters...and all personnel inspected for full battle equipment, including steel helmets and flash proof clothing and gas masks for all exposed personnel. Simulated casualties during air attacks and repair parties simulated repairs. OTC maneuvered formation with emergency turn signals over TBS circuit. Completed drills, which were considered most worthwhile, at 1132."

The last War Diary entry, at 1945, notes that "fleet course was changed westerly to 280˚ and fleet speed changed to 17 knots."

400 miles ahead lay the Bismarck Archipelago and Rabaul but the Japanese had been defeated there by the end of February. Again, no indication regarding future operations but it seems perhaps Truk or the Palau Islands may be the next objective.

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