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Post a reply to: HAPPY NEW YEAR
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[StartQuote] Frank, New Years Eve of 1944 was the worst day of my life. We were patrolling off Bougainville that night. As a quartermaster, I was on duty in the chart room. At midnight I shouted up, through the tube, to the exex who was at the wheel, "Happy New Year". He responded "I'm sure you have seen happier new years eve than this" I thought ...you old grouch. Twenty minutes later I received a message from the 160 boat that they had engaged a Jap lugger and the accompanying boat ( I don't redcall the number, it may have been the 159.) was returning to base because one of the crew was hit. They were coming to rondezvous with us. I told the skipper and he called General Quarters. As a new two month replacement, my station was to supply the port twin fifties gunner with amunition. Shortly afterwards, the gunner, Bufford Justice, told me to go tell the skipper that there was a vessel on the port quarter. I did so and the skipper told me that it was the island with the two palm trees that we always thought was a ship's stack when we went on patrol. I relayed the message to Bufford. He told me to tell the skipper that that island was kicking up a wake.. I told the skipper...Before we knew it there was the 160 boat. We circled to fall in position with the 160 boat but ...VOILA!...it was the Japs that we were going to get in formatiom with, not the 160 boat. When they surprised and confused us with gunfire, we hurridly scampered away as fast as we could. The skipper gave orders to fire,to Gimpy O'Niel, the torpedoman who was at the 50 caliber mounted on the deck, forward of the starboard torpedo. He didn't fire.. He was our lead gunner. Where he fired, the others were to fire, but since he didn't fire, no one fired. As we ran off with no retaliation, the strafing rippled about two feet along the side of the boat where I was hiding. . The shells from the lugger ( assumed that they were 37mm) kept coming up our fantail, each one closer. The next one was destined to smack us amidship.... I was positive that I was a gonner.... MIRACUOSLY THE SHELLING STOPPED!! I In that short time my whole life passed before me. If it didn't happen I would never believe anyone who would tell me that. When we were out of range, our skipper called for muster (roll call). He wa shocked that no one wea hurt. The next morning the skipper wanted to know why the lead gunner didn't follow his order ti fire. Gimpy said that he didn't hear any order to fire. He n was found to be partially deaf in his right ear which was facing in the direction of the skipper. . He was taken off the boat, and I became the gunner. How he ever got in the navy ,I wonder. Did he suddenly lose some of his hearing, due to the noise of the engines and the battles that he had been in before? Gimoy also said that it was a good thing that he didn't hear the order, because as an after thought he realized that he wasn't aiming at the lugger, but the 160 boat that was on the lugger's tail. That was my new years eve, which I will never forget. I called it a miracle The following year, while I was stationed in the Ffargo building in Boston, waiting to go back overseas, I was assigned shore patrol duty in a night club salled BILLY HURLY'S LOG CABIN. There I stood watching everyone happily laughing and singing, oblivious to what is going on on the other side of the globe. I couldn't believe what I was witnessing as my mind wandered back to one year ago. Another night to remember. [EndQuote]
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