Mission: History Studiorum Historiam Praemium Est
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N a v a l O r d e r o f t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s – S a n F r a n c i s c o C o m m a n d e r y Mission: History Studiorum Historiam Praemium Est 6 November 2000 HHHHHH Volume 2, Number 11 1775: Winter Woolens for Washington John Paul Jones Captures Shipload Of British Uniform s Helps Keep Troops Toasty at Trenton Think of John Paul Jones and you think of “I have not yet begun to fight” and Bonhomme Richard engaging Sera- pis off Flamborough Head in a battle that left Jones in command of Serapis after his own ship sank. But that was in September 1779, and Jones had been fighting the British since the beginning of the Revolution, and he had been successful from the outset. His earliest temporary command in 1775 was that of the modestly-named Alfred, a 20- gun ship-rigged vessel ambitiously de- JOHN PAUL JONES wrote in a 1779 letter to John Hancock, “I hoisted with my own hands the Flag of Freedom the first time it was displayed, on the Alfred….” That flag would have been the scribed as a frigate, and he returned to Grand Union Flag, the flag that flew over George Washington’s headquarters in New York when Alfred for one of his first independent the Declaration of Independence was read to his troops. Alfred was Jones’ first independent com- commands in the autumn of 1776. mand, and in her, in the autumn of 1776, he captured five British ships and stole one. In a letter of 17 October 1776 to Robert Morris, a member of the Conti- 1943: Arleigh Burke Gets 3 Jap Ships and a Nicknam e nental Congress to whom he had ingrati- As DesRon 23 M ixes it up with 5 Enem y Destroyers ated himself, Jones recommended that he lead a naval force to the island of St. Captain Arleigh Burke, commander of nickname. Helena in the South Atlantic, there to Destroyer Squadron 23, was on 24 No- DesRon 23 was composed of Burke’s prey on British shipping between India vember 1943 refueling his ships at flagship Charles Ausburne (DD-570), and England and on trade between West Hathorn Sound in Kula Gulf, a small Cdr. L. K. Reynolds; Claxton (DD-571), Africa and Britain. Commodore Esek body of water separating the Solomon Cdr. H. F. Stout; Dyson (DD-572), Cdr. Hopkins, an elderly sea captain who had Islands of New Georgia and Kolomban- R. A. Gano; Converse (DD-509), Cdr. been appointed “Commander in Chief” gara. Burke’s ships, all new FLETCHER De W. C. E. Hamberger; and Spence of the Continental Navy in 1775, had class destroyers, had been the busiest in (DD-512), Lt.Cdr. H. J. Armstrong. Cdr. plans that would keep Jones closer to the Pacific and were tired. He had com- B. L. Austin flew his pennant in Con- home. Jones would take Alfred and the plained that he could not steam in forma- verse as commander of DesDiv 46 which brigantine Hampden to Cape Breton, the tion at more than 30 knots, even though included Spence, while Burke com- easternmost portion of Nova Scotia, the class was rated at 38 knots. manded DesDiv 45. where he was to release American sea- Burke was not as yet possessed of a While the ships were filling their men who had been taken prisoner and (Continued on page 2) (Continued on page 7) Page 2 M i s s i o n : Hi s to r y 6 November 2000 Japs Were About to M ove M en in Solom ons; It was Burke’s Job to Intercept Their Ships (Continued from page 1) east. Bingo. Burke’s message over TBS tanks, Navy intelligence at Pearl Harbor was succinct: learned that the Japanese planned a mis- HELLO DS 23 HANG ONTO YOUR sion to Buka, an island just north of Bou- HATS BOYS HERE WE GO gainville. Buka was a major base and the The commodore then instructed Aus- Jap army believed it would be an objec- tin to “hold back until you get your tive of the American advance. An air- proper bearing…that is 225.” The squad- field on Buka had been rendered super- ron then turned to meet the Japs and, at fluous by U.S. mastery of the skies so 0156, the enemy ships were 50 degrees the mission aimed at landing reinforcing off its port bow, about 6,000 yards dis- troops and taking off about 700 aviation tant. Burke’s plan was for his division to technicians. The Jap navy would handle make the first attack with Austin cover- the job with five destroyers, a perfect ing and then switch places with Austin match for DesRon 23. making the second attack with Burke CAPT. BURKE as he appeared about the time Admiral William F. Halsey ordered providing cover. of the Battle of Cape St. George. Burke to complete refueling rapidly and American radar had two targets at Detail from a painting by Cdr. Albert K. Murray take his ships to a point off Empress first, which turned out to be two ships Augusta Bay on the southwest side of screening for three others – five in all. launched from where Burke was now. Bougainville while intelligence deter- The enemy screen, under Captain Kiyoto Kagawa turned right into the path of the mined whether the Jap mission was on. Kagawa, consisted of the destroyers fish. Burke topped off his tanks and sailed Onami and Makinami. The three others, Just before the torpedoes hit, Aus- from Hathorn Sound at top speed. En commanded by Katsumori Yamashiro burne’s radar found the other three Jap route, he reported to Halsey that he and carrying the valuable aviation tech- destroyers, and Burke changed his plan. would arrive off Empress Augusta Bay He would go after those three and leave at 2200. Someone with a slide rule calcu- Austin behind to polish off Kagawa. The lated that DesRon 23 must be steaming torpedoes found their marks. The de- at 31 knots. “Thirty-one knots!” ex- stroyermen saw three flashes followed claimed Halsey’s operations officer by three explosions. A ball of fire shot Capt. R. H. Thurber, a former squadron hundreds of feet into the night sky as mate of Burke. “He said he could make Onami exploded. She went down almost only 30 knots formation speed!” immediately with few survivors. Maki- Halsey’s next order had a lasting ef- nami suffered major damage but re- fect – at least for Burke: mained afloat. Both Jap destroyers were THIRTY-ONE-KNOT BURKE PUT new – less than a year old – and were YOUR SQUADRON ATHWART THE large – about the same tonnage as Des- BUKA-RABAUL EVACUATION LINE Ron 23’s ships. ABOUT 35 MILES WEST OF BUKA Sinking a pair of modern destroyers XXX IF NO ENEMY CONTACTS BY would make any squadron’s night a suc- EARLY MORNING COME SOUTH TO REFUEL SAME PLACE XXX IF cess, but Burke wanted more. Leaving ENEMY CONTACTED YOU KNOW Converse and Spence to finish off Maki- WHAT TO DO XXX HALSEY DESRON 23 fishtailing through The Slot. Burke em- nami, he took DesDiv 45 after the three ployed the same maneuver while dodging fire during other enemy ships. Thirty-one-knot Burke figured he a stern chase in the Battle of Cape St. George. would be more likely to make contact on Yamashiro, though, wanted no part of the western side of the St. George nicians, were Amagiri, Yugiri and Uzuki. the Americans. His decks were crowded Channel, rather than the eastern side and, Five destroyers against five – an even with aircraft mechanics, which seriously at 0130 on 25 November turned due match, except for the Burke factor. impeded his ability to fight his ships and north and began his patrol at 23 knots. When the Americans were in position his first obligation was to get those peo- He did not have long to wait. for a 4,500-yard torpedo run to the Jap ple to Rabaul. Moreover, when he saw The Jap destroyers had landed their screen, DesDiv 45 launched 15 torpe- what happened to his screen, he sus- troops and taken on the aviation techs does and promptly made a 90° right turn. pected that there might be more to con- between midnight and 0100 and were Kagawa, who had no previous night ac- tend with than a handful of destroyers. sailing on a course that would intersect tion experience, was taken by surprise. He turned and ran, with Burke about that of the American destroyers. At By the time he spotted Burke’s ships, the 12,000 yards behind him and bending on 0141, three of Burke’s ships made radar torpedoes had been in the water for all the speed he could muster. Some re- contact with targets eleven miles to the about four minutes and they hadn’t been ports say he was able to get all of 33 (Continued on page 3) 6 November 2000 M i s s i o n : Hi s to r y Page 3 Action ‘M ay be Considered a Classic,’ Says Naval War College President (Continued from page 2) knots from his weary FLETCHER class destroyers. A stern chase is a long chase, and at 0212 Burke made it longer by turning 45° to course 60 degrees before returning to course 15 degrees after a full minute. He later said that the jog was made on a hunch, and a provident hunch it was.