USS Boston CA-69 in WWII

10-31-10

A year ago, my brother Bill and I launched this website dedicated to the men who served aboard the heavy cruiser USS Boston during the height of the Pacific War.  We knew that the ship’s story encompasses four decades – that she was retrofitted into a guided missile cruiser and found herself once again three and a half decades later in the South China Sea and CamRahn Bay, this time lobbing shells against enemy positions during the Vietnam War.  We knew about the terrific organization USS Boston Shipmates (of which our only affiliation is that we are members) that is dedicated to preserving the legacy of all ships named Boston.  But our dad served aboard CA-69 as she participated in the systematic reduction of enemy defenses that lead directly to the Surrender of Japan.  That’s the Boston that we’re interested in, and that is what this website is all about.

Bill decided to tackle the task of systematically identifying and listing all the men who served aboard her from Commissioning Day until the crew disbanded in February of 1946.  That is a work in progress, and Bill blogs when he can, reporting on his progress. We are planning to add photos to the crew records as we get them from folks out there in cyberspace.

When we launched the site, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do or write about.  I decided to post a monthly summary of the ship’s activities for 1943-45.  The last installment for October finishes the 12 month cycle.  I’m not big on redundancy – so future blogs will take a different path.  For one thing, I’ll try to start posting the photos readers have been sending me.

I reviewed all the postings the other day.  While I take it for granted that most people are used to electronic postings in “from newest to oldest” order, I admit that I found the October postings chronologically challenging.  A new reader would have to scroll to the “last page” to read the “first post” of a year ago.  Starting today, I am adding the “created date” to the title of each blog posting (assuming I remember to do that . . . .)

Thanks for reading, and thanks to everyone who has sent us pictures, documents, memories, observations, questions  . . .   etc.

Steve

Six days after the Canberra was slammed by a “fish” dropped by a Japanese dive-bomber, the Boston and the Crippled Cruisers were met by more fleet tugboats. Two of them each joined in a tandem tow of the cruisers.  Next morning, (Oct 20), Boston received orders to rejoin her task group (38.1), which was steaming towards the central Philippine island of Leyte.  The invasion was unfolding according to schedule.  Task groups 38.1 and 38.4 were ordered to provide support and cover for the invasion.

What unfolded over the next several days was a complex series of naval battles between the Japanese and Americans that stretched over three days and thousands of square miles of ocean in and around Central and Northern Philippines. Between Oct 23 and Oct 26, four separate and very distinct battles developed, with “victory” and “defeat” swinging like a gate for both sides  -  with substantial casualties and losses of ships for both.

Again, this battle is way too complex to adequately discuss here, complete with much drama, blunders and heroics on both sides.  However, when the smoke settled by October 24, the Imperial Japanese Fleet had suffered devastating losses of capital ships – especially aircraft carriers (in the Battle of Cape Engano).  The once mighty IJF, which started the War against America by attacking our fleet at Pearl Harbor less than three years earlier, was decimated and limped back to safe ports in the Dutch Indies and Singapore.  While this was not the last time Task Force 58/38 would encounter the IJF, what was left of her after the Second Battle of the Philippine Sea was almost a non-issue.

Oh, by the way, after a few days of mop-up following the Battle, the Boston and the rest of her task group was ordered back to Ulithi for replenishment on the morning of October 27.  As she steamed east, the crew got news that afternoon that the Cripples had arrived at Ulithi, fourteen days after the first torpedo struck the Canberra.

Here’s a Really Big  Overview of the situation in the Pacific in mid October, 1944.  By the 10^th or so, Japan began to scramble her defenses in anticipation of an American invasion -  by their reckoning, Formosa or the Philippines were the most likely targets.  In fact, the Americans had put into play (months earlier) the next invasion site -  The Gulf of Leyte in the Philippines, and had established Oct. 20 as Invasion Day.  By the time Task Force 38 had finished attacking Okinawa and Formosa by October 13, Japan had suffered crushing losses of fighter planes (more than 500 shot down).  Meanwhile, the American Invasion Armada of more than 450 ships carrying troops, supplies and equipment steamed steadily westward and northward toward Leyte.

The four task groups of TF38 ranged north and east of Luzon during those days, hammering away at targets up and down Japanese territories to soften their ability to break up the invasion at Leyte.  As we have already seen, Task Group 38.1 kicked up swarms of attackers off Formosa on the 12^th and 13^th, and the cruiser Canberra was torpedoed and rendered inoperable (requiring a tow). Twenty four hours later, Canberra’s replacement, the light cruiser Houston, was also hit and needed a tow.

The Boston took her in tow and Task Unit 30.3, called CripDiv1 (Cripple Division) began the arduous 1200 mile journey through enemy waters at the whopping top speeds of 4 to 5 knots per hour.  Over the next several days, CripDiv1 came under blistering attacks by enemy planes.  Part of the Japanese Fleet was dispatched to sink the cripples (what they erroneously believed to be the last remnants of the American fleet.

The Boston was relieved of tow-duty on the 16^th when fleet tugboats arrived. At 10 am, Boston, finally freed from the tow,  took up position to screen the cripples.  Four hours later, a swarm of 70 planes attacked.  Two small carriers were less than 20 miles away, and their fighter planes knocked down most of the enemy planes, but five dive-bombers got through.  While the Boston and the destroyers fought them off, the Houston was torpedoed AGAIN.  The destroyers, who were still transferring the survivors from the first torpedoing of the Houston, now had to rescue the rest of the crew that once again had to abandon ship.

This rag-tag collection of vessels now earned the name BaitDiv1 (the Streamlined Bait) by Admiral Halsey, as he hoped the Japanese Fleet would come after the cripples, allowing him the opportunity to have a once-and-for-all kick-ass naval battle  -  mano a mano  - with the Imperial Japanese Navy.  (Before they reached the cripples, the Japanese figured out that Task Force 38 was still intact, and they retreated.)

Up next:  The Battle for Leyte Gulf, also known as the Second Battle of the Philippine Sea.

As I’m processing promotions for January 1944 (so far we have over 220 and I’m only half way through the month), I kept processing firemen promotions.  Many promotion for firemen came three at a time, one month after the other.  So I got curious, I had an image of a these guys in fire suits putting out fires and I thought, wow of all the jobs, why is this one so special?

Then I googled the job:  Fire and tend boilers. Operate, adjust and repair pumps. Oh, yeah work in the bowels of the ship, in a dark hot environment shoveling coal into a boiler (OK, the WWII cruiser didn’t use coal); but I think that’s my definition of Hell.

I remember my Dad talking about what a crappy job working in the engine room was and how he was happy to be in the signal area where you might get shot by a ‘nip zero’ but at least you could breathe!

So congratulations to all the firemen of the Boston, your promotions were well deserved!

Database update: I have 1,774 individual records with data, and I have 618 names without data.

Bill

By dusk (October 13), the ships came under attack again, and a well-executed attack by enemy torpedo bombers resulted in Boston’s sister cruiser, the Canberra being slammed by a torpedo that instantly killed dozens of men below decks.

The events that followed over the next week or so are too complex for me to give a detailed account in this blog.  I will try to “paint a broad brush stroke picture.”

The Boston and her task group is less than 80 miles off Formosa – a half hour plane ride for enemy pilots.  In the inner circle of the formation lies a heavy cruiser that is on fire and has lost all power.  The admiral aboard the Boston orders another cruiser, the Wichita, to take the Canberra in tow.  The goal: tow the cruiser to the anchorage at Ulithi, some 1200 miles away.

The next day, the light cruiser Houston, that had taken the Canberra’s place in the formation was also slammed by a torpedo dropped in another attack on the ships. A massive explosion caused the captain to give the abandon ship order.  By the time half the men (more than 800) had jumped overboard, the captain requested a tow.  The Boston, in pitch darkness, hooked up the cripple and took her in tow.

This is not, by any means, the end of the Cripple Division (also called “Streamlined Bait” by Admiral Halsey – because he purposely dangled the wounded ships as bait to lure the Japanese Fleet into a massive sea battle) saga.

I’ll post more on this (Houston was torpedoed AGAIN while under tow   . . . . .  ).