16JUN44
In the middle of the night, 0050 hours to be exact, the 5 1/2” by 5 1/2” shell hole that had done so much injury and damage was plugged, the affected compartment pumped dry and adjacent spaces checked for integrity.
While the level of enemy activity had slackened considerably compared to the previous evening, the fleet’s mid-watch Sailors were kept alert:
“At 0210 an unidentified surface craft was reported bearing 266˚, distant 13 miles. USS DORTCH was ordered to investigate and cleared the formation at 0228. At 0230 fleet course changed right to 000˚. At 0248 USS DORTCH identified the surface contact as two small Japanese sampans and commenced firing on them.”
Japanese “Sampans” were almost always present in the vicinity of virtually every naval battle. Used sacrificially to report on American fleet movements, they became fair game targets as early as the Doolittle Raid in 1942. “Japanese Sampan afire after being attacked by submarine USS SCORPION (SS-278) at 37 12' N, 141 29' E in late April 1943. Catalog #: 80-G-68680, Copyright Owner: National Archives,
Original Date: Fri, Apr 30, 1943”
At 0400 the fleet turned to course 100˚ in order to position optimally for the day’s first launch. Ordered at 0441 to turn further right to 140˚ and ramp up speed to 20 knots, all carriers began launching aircraft at 0446, slightly over an hour prior to local sunrise of 0551. Princeton again launched 12 fighters and 8 bombers for Strike ABLE, which would hit targets on Saipan as well as the northernmost enemy airfield on Tinian, known as Ushi Point.
Located at the northern tip of Tinian Island, Ushi Point Airfield would become a major U.S. Base and be renamed North Field. B-29 missions against the Japanese home islands, including the atomic bombing missions in August, 1944, would launch form North Field.
Sea Story: In the mid-1990’s while I was attached to Carrier Air Wing FIVE and stationed in Japan, I found myself airborne in an
A-6E Intruder in the vicinity of the Marianas. I was again flying as Dave Hodges’ wingman. When I realized where we were, and with some time and gas on our hands, I asked him if he minded if I took the lead for a few minutes. Asking for the lead was uncommon but “Hadji” is a good dude and agreed without a question. I was thinking it would be neat to go take a look at what remained of North Field but as we approached the northern tip of Tinian, I realized that it was within the traffic control area of Saipan International Airport’s (formerly Aslito Airfield) tower.
North Field, Tinian Island. In the distance is the southern coast of Saipan Island.
Consulting a chart, we found a frequency and I radioed Saipan Tower:
“Tower, Eagle 506, we’re about 10 miles southeast of you. Any chance we can overfly North Field?”
“Hello Eagle, we have no traffic in the area, go right ahead. Please notify when clear.”
Now flying as lead, I crossed Hadji to my port side and began a descent while lining up on the northernmost runway, “Runway Able” as it was known in 1944. At 0245 hours on 6 August, 1944, using the radio callsign “Dimples 82,” Colonel Paul Tibbets and his crew broke ground from runway Able and turned north towards Hiroshima, Japan and their rendezvous with history.
From right to left: Runways Able, Baker, Charlie and Delta at North Field, Tinian Island.
Crossing the beach at about 50 feet, I continued to descend and flew the length of the runway in “ground effect,” wondering what it must have been like over 50 years prior, and not remotely considering that North Field would ever come back to life.
It was another instance of a few seconds of flying which I will always remember. I hope that by rebuilding North Field we will prevent its being used in anger in the future.
Sea Story End
In the lull between the first and second launches, the War Diary notes that “At 0735 jettisoned one F6F-3 aircraft from which all useable parts had been salvaged.” After decades of being interested in WWII in the Pacific, I still find it amazing — and a little sad — when I see grainy black and white footage of crews pushing what look to be perfectly good airplanes over the side, to melt away as if they had never existed.
The Action Report details results from Strike ABLE:
“Twelve F6Fs strafed and set afire one single engine and one twin engine plan on the Ushi Point airfield, Tinian. The F6Fs also strafed enemy gun positions in Garapan Town, Saipan, setting several small fires with tracers and causing at least a temporary cessation of enemy fire from positions in several houses. The F6Fs also strafed troops moving south from Garapan toward Charan-Kanoa.”
While the fighters continued strafing, the bombers were bombing:
“The F6Fs strafed troops moving south from Garapan toward Charan-Kanoa [while] Eight TBM-1C were directed by Command Support Aircraft to drop their bombs along a line from Mt. Tapotchau south to the northwest corner of Aslito Airfild, approximately 400 yards in advance of U.S. front lines. Some pilots dropped their bombs selectively and others dropped in train. Runs made were individual runs. Each pilot attempting to drop his first bomb just in advance of the last bomb dropped from the plane preceding him.”
While Marines and Soldiers continued to face unexpectedly fierce resistance on Saipan, at 0930 Princeton contributed 12 VF and 8 VT to Strike DOG, it’s second and final mission of the day.
DOG would be focused on enemy positions and facilities on Guam Island, approximately 100 miles south of Task Group 58.3’s position. The fighters would target Orote and Agana airfields while the bombers would hit gun emplacements on the Orote peninsula and at Saupon Point.
Flying on the wing of his Commanding Officer (and Air Group Commander) Lieutenant Commander Ernest “Woodie” Wood, Ensign Frank “Smoke” Kleffner was about to have an interesting day.
The War Diary, per normal, states simply the facts:
“At 1251 Ensign KLEFFNER, A-V(N), USNR,, was reported shot down over GUAM and rescued by an unidentified destroyer (friendly); he had been flying [aircraft number] VF-16 from this vessel.”
The Action report provides more detail:
“Eight enemy planes were strafed at Agana Airfield but no definite results were observed. One pilot, Ensign Kleffner, was shot down over the Agana Airfield and dropped his belly tank and bombs before crashing into the sea eight miles* from the west coast of Guam due west of the Agana Airfield. He was picked up by a U.S. Destroyer.”
Thankfully Marsha Clark, while conducting research for her book “Carrier Down,” attended several Princeton reunions and spent many hours interviewing the men of The P and preserving their stories:
During an afternoon mission, Ensign Kleffner had a narrow escape as his F6F was shot down over Guam and in so doing earned a nickname - Smokey Joe. He was flying wing with Air Group Commander Wood.
"Woodie didn't have any sense of the limitations of the plane [Hellcat]," Kleffner said, "and so we made a screeching dive from about 9,000 feet over Guam to look for camouflaged targets. Just he and I. The rest of the air group stayed at altitude. We came across the Guam airfield at about 200 feet and doing about 300 knots. As I tried to stay with him I couldn't have seen any targets, camouflaged or not."
The two Hellcats prompted intense ground fire from the Japanese.
"Every kind of fire opened up," Kleffner said, "and caught me instead of him. I don't know what caliber they were using, but there probably were some small arms. One shot the throttle quadrant off in my hand and at the same time I had it on 'full.' The plane started to burn rather well and the oil pressure went to zero. It wasn't long before there was severe sudden stoppage. RPMs went to the peg on the gauge as there was no prop governor. I could read 'Hamilton Standard' [the manufacturer's name] on the propellor blade."
Kleffner said he considered briefly the possibility of jumping, but "I could see the Japs were still shooting as I zoomed up for altitude." Instead of parachuting, he "stayed in the turkey and got out to sea about a mile before flopping in the water." In so doing, he said, "I probably set some kind of record for stretching a glide."
Kleffner scrambled out of the plane, and noted the entire underbelly had melted away, as water poured through the hole. He broke out his emergency rubber boat and inflated his Mae West-style life jacket. As he climbed into the tiny craft, he spotted splashes in the water all around him.
"I figured these coordinated with puffs of smoke I could see on the beach," Kleffner said, "so I sank the boat and went into the water with just my head sticking out. Sea conditions that close to the beach were not particularly rough."
Kleffner said he was told later that one of his flying mates contacted a destroyer and "threatened them with strafing if they didn't pick me up." Whether or not such pressure was involved, a ship appeared on the scene about an hour after Kleffner went into the water.
“When it was still on the horizon and hull down, I couldn't tell right away whether it was one of ours or otherwise,” he said. "It really felt good when I saw the Stars and Stripes on it.
A member of the destroyer crew let Kleffner know that they intended to try a running pickup because of their closeness to the enemy-held island of Guam. They indicated they were not going to slow down too much, and would throw lots of life rings and I better catch one," Kleffner said. "I did, and damn near jerked my arms out by the roots. The crew ran up the deck and got me alongside without getting me tangled up in the screws."
The destroyer was the Aylin, which had been involved in
U.S. forays from Alaska to Guadalcanal.
"Some weird ducks on there," Kleffner said, "but I was happy
and slept the clock around. I was in some sort of mild shock. There was a doctor aboard the ship. He couldn't find a mark on me, so I didn't get the Purple Heart. All in all, it was rather humiliating, as I hadn't done any harm to the enemy. My forced landing had been spectacular and that's how I got my name - Smokey Joe. I celebrated my twenty-first birthday on March 9 and got shot down on June 16."
Undated photo of Fighter Squadron 27 officers. Ensign Kleffner circled. While researching this post I came into contact with Mr. Kleffner’s daughter. I asked her if she was related by chance, to Ensign Kleffner who had served in USS Princeton and mentioned that I had met him at one of the Princeton reunions I had attended with Mom and Dad. To my question about his callsign she replied: “It was indeed. Started as Smokey Joe, after he left a trail of smoke across the sky, and was shortened to ‘Smoke.’ He went by it his whole life after that. He passed in the mid 1990's.“
The War Diary reports that at 1233 Princeton “completed recovery of 8 VT and 12 VF from Strike DOG” but that is, as we’ve seen from the event above, an accounting error by the bridge watchstander, as they were one Hellcat short.
Shortly after the recovery of DOG Princeton began maneuvering to join alongside oiler USS Kaskaskia (AO-27), where she would complete two important tasks:
“At 1630 received three patients from USS INGERSOLL vis USS KASKASKIA, all wounded in night action of 15 June 1944. Completed fueling at 1755, having received 265,000 gallons of fuel oil and 62,000 gallons of aviation gasoline.”
As darkness fell Princeton and the Task Group maneuvered back slightly east of the island chain to a position 35 miles southeast of Tinian and 90 miles northeast of Guam.
Marines on Saipan were facing fierce resistance, necessitating the reinforcement by the Army’s 27th Division. What was anticipated to be a violent but brief battle was, only two days in, looking to be a significantly more difficult and possibly much longer slog.
The Nimitz Graybook:
“By the end of 16 June the 4th MarDiv (Marine Division) had advanced 800 yards beyond the first phase line; the advance was halted my enemy artillery and mortar fire. The 2nd MarDiv made only slight gains.”
While the various ships of the Task Force were settling into the evening routine of maintenance and preparation for the next day's events, aboard his flagship USS Indianapolis Fifth Fleet commander Admiral Raymond Spruance was being briefed by his staff on increasingly desperate efforts by the Japanese to locate and attack the American fleet.
* Kleffner's account of ditching 1 mile offshore differs from the Action Report's 8 miles but makes much more sense because A) it's his personal account and B) it's backed up by the fact that he recalls being shot at by enemy guns, which wouldn't reach or be able to see him had he been at 8 miles and C) his account of his "running pickup" by the destroyer is consistent with the destroyer not wanting to become a sitting duck for shore guns.
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