"Task Force 58 steaming westward to operating area north of New Guinea."
So reads the last sentence of April 19th's War Diary entry. After almost a week at sea Princeton was closing with the enemy once again.
Through the early morning darkness, senses were heightened and fingers twitchy throughout the vessels of the Task Force:
"At 0340 Task Group 58.1 reported an unidentified aircraft in the vicinity. At 0402 observed Task Group on starboard beam firing on unidentified aircraft. At 0404 went to General Quarters. At 0417 unidentified aircraft identified as friendly PBY search plane by night fighters. Secured from General Quarters at 0512 to commence preparations for fueling ship."
By 0654 Princeton was along the port side of fleet oiler USS Lackawanna (AO-40), steering a course of 090˚ at 10 knots.
Random fifty gallon fuel drums were noted by the bridge team bobbing gently past to port and starboard, slowly fading from sight to deteriorate and sink or to wash ashore on an unknowable, desolate beach. A single gasoline hose was attached forward and two fuel oil hoses, one fore and another aft, were connected to The P's refueling stations. Pumping commenced at 0731 and 44 minutes later 15,000 gallons of aviation gasoline had been transferred. By 0834 — 63 minutes after the transfer had begun — 180,000 gallons of ship fuel oil had been moved from Lackawanna's holds to Princeton's voids.
2,857 gallons per minute. Impressive.
USS Spence came alongside to deliver mail to ship's company and message traffic to leadership. Just prior to noon, 4 fighters and 4 bombers were launched for CAP and ASP, relieving Lexington aircraft that had run low on fuel.
At approximately 1300 an unidentified plane was reported 23 miles south of the Task Group and Princeton's fighters were vectored to investigate. "At 1312 this plane was identified as a Japanese VBM, Type "Betty"; and at 1315 the CAP from this vessel reported shooting down this plane, bearing 205˚, distant 35 miles from the formation."
The Action Report indicates the location of the engagement as 0˚30'N, 147˚25'E. There is no indication of the enemy aircraft's base of origin but Rabaul was 400 miles to the southeast and Wewak, Japan's largest airbase on New Guinea lay 330 miles to the southwest. Either way, this doomed bomber crew met their fate a long way from any support.
Three Fighter Squadron 23 pilots shared credit for this shootdown:
Flight leader Lt.(jg) L. H. Kerr, USNR
Ensign C.K. Weickhardt, Jr., USNR and
Lt. (jg) D.H. Olin, USNR.
Kerr reported the Betty's appearance as "dark brown; Yellow Numbers (not readable) on tail. Roundels on wings and fuselage."
Kerr, Weickhardt and Olin (Lt.(jg) Kerry was not listed as sharing credit in the kill) each reported engaging the enemy aircraft with all six of the F-6F's wing-mounted .50 caliber guns and recording hits in the Betty's "wing roots, port engine, cockpit."
The Action Report provides a brief description:
A solid day for the Junior Officers! Way to go Jaygees and Ensign!
At 1517, a little more than 3 1/2 hours after launching, the 4 fighters and 4 bombers began recovering aboard ship. Within 5 minutes, at 1522 to be exact, "arresting wire number 2 was carried away in a landing and was not replaced." This got my attention because in my day, it would have been a big deal:
Task Force refueling would continue as the formation closed on New Guinea, the "Smallboys" — cruisers and destroyers — scheduled to unrep until sunset and resume topping off at first light. NNNN
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