THE N AT I D N AL M U S E U M DF PACIFIC I**

Fredericksburg, Texas Center for Pacific War Studies

Presents An Interview with: Robert D. Graff USS- Battle of Salvo Island

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6/29/2009

alarm

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have

lost

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or

to is about Midway and Guadalcanal: the Turning Points. Midway was the first time that we made any dent in Japan’s fleet. We crippled their naval air force. From that time forth, they were never able to muster the aircraft strength that they had before, the day before

Midway. It was a very important achievement.

Some of the officers on ATLANTA, one especially, a fellow named Lloyd

Mustin, who was an Annapolis man and who was the Assistant Gunnery Officer, was

very critical of our Task Force Admiral at Midway for taking our ships away after we had

sunk four Japanese carriers. He said there were lots of other ships we could have gotten

before they could get away. Why didn’t we go and shoot them up? You know. Launch

the planes and all the rest of it. He asked the Captain. The Captain said, “I really don’t

know”, he said, “my orders are to stay in the Task Force and that’s what I’m doing. I

think there must be something else that’s going to happen, and CINCPAC doesn’t want

to risk the ships.”

So back to Pearl we went, refueled, provisioned, armed, again in two or three

days, and out to the South Pacific again. This trip we in ATLANTA started and never

returned. We went down first to Tongatabu, which is one of the island atolls which the

Navy had, with the help of the New Zealanders and the Australians figured out and

equipped to be a major supply depot. Here in this glorious tropical island, with its coral-

ringed harbor, you had fifty big warships. It was a most perverse sight. There was time

to visit with friends on other ships, a rare event. Then, from that time forth (about July

4th) the ATLANTA worked with various Task Groups, in the southwest Pacific until the

middle of November, 1942.

14 6/29/2009

we

thing

were

us

all supply

Division

Expresses invaded learning

keep

the carrier

skills.

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construction

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to

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was

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bases

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ten

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land

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6/29/2009

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6/29/2009

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and

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carriers.

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lot

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6/29/2009

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6/29/2009

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force, them

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to

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Callaghan your

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going

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radio

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Canal”.

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commander

people

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they

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of

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name

in hand-to-hand

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to

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to

cruiser,

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no

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it

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take

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tires

Callaghan

radar.

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to

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rage

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to

you

6/29/2009

Task

behold,

Task

be

She

of

they

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the

out

night

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by

At big destroyer formation, with all their convoy of troop transports behind them. He sunk a cruiser and a destroyer; we lost only one destroyer. The Japanese transports turned around. It was a great victory for the Americans and it showed that Scott was a fighter.

When he was ordered aboard the ATLANTA, he was given no fighting responsibility.

He was just nothing, a Rear Admiral on the bridge. I guess Headquarters didn’t have a command spot for him, but they wanted him up there. He was the man who should have been the Commander of our Task Group.

November 12, 1942. We were a column of ships which consisted of four destroyers, four cruisers—the SANFRANCISCO,the ATLANTA,the HELENA and I think JUNEAU was the last cruiser, followed by four destroyers. ATLANTAhad fire control radar which could see far and accurately. The SANFRANCISCO did not. We made radar contact with enemy ships as did the ship behind us, the HELENA. She had taller masts and could see farther, and she said they’re out there at twelve miles or something like that. We were now in the heart of Iron Bottom Bay with Guadalcanal three to five miles on our portside, with Florida Island, Tulagi, five or six miles on our starboard side and five miles ahead, a little island called Savo, S-a-v-o. That piece of water in there had no name but by the time we had occupied Guadalcanal in February

1943 there were 59 Japanese and American ships lying on the bottom there gave it a name: Iron Bottom Bay.

We went forward. At twelve miles HELENA got radar contact and very shortly thereafter, we made contact. Admiral Callaghan didn’t do anything about it. We just kept seeing them come closer.

20 6/29/2009

positions Japanese

something said, gave were

dangerous the

bothered

cruisers

in torpedoes

somehow down then

then

single in we

at Mr.

Mr.

the

the

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ours

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6/29/2009

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and

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explosion.

pieces

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6/29/2009

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Navy

26

there.

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27

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8/1312009

to dropped

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the the place. I didn’t know the meaning of some of the curses. The Captain finally said: “You silly son-of-a-bitch standing up like that! You might have been killed!” I replied quietly that the helm was hard over in a turn. Somebody had to stop the turn when that was ordered and straighten up on the new course or we might have collided with one of our own ships. I simply did what had to be done. The Captain quieted down.

To his credit he didn’t keep a grudge. Six months later I wanted to go to a Naval

War College. I filled out an application. The Captain had to sign it, which he did, and appended to it a very strong letter of recommendation. I didn’t get accepted. I was however, ordered to return to San Francisco to join the commissioning crew of another

ATLANTA class ship, the FLINT, that was being built there. It was my third and last ship.

Mr. Morris: Since they were called cruisers, they were...

Mr. Graff: So I went to San Francisco, my favorite city and had a glorious six or eight weeks there, met two or three most attractive girls, met a man who was one of the civic leaders who introduced me to his family. By the way, I got separated from Navy service in San Francisco after the war ended because I wanted to see if! could get ajob and stay there. I loved the city.

But first I fitted out the FLINT, same business as before, a plank-holder for the third time; I was a member of the pre-commissioning crews of the ATLANTA, the

MONTEREY, and the FLINT. The FLINT was built in the Bethlehem Yard in South

San Francisco. When we went to sea and joined the fleet in Pearl Harbor it was getting to

30 6/29/2009

flames. was Harbor

Mr. Luzon the

started officers (Laughter Mr. believed HOSTILITIES. we were Japan

be

Okinawa,

shot attacks,

the

were

battle

over

Graff:

Morris:

a

just

to

lot end

before

to

One

duplicated

and

five

Seeing

prepare

it. doing

but

weep. fighting

of of

and

from

of

shot

enlisted

Leyte

other

At or

not

the

that,

I

from

all

six

was

the

first

onlookers.)

To CEASE

out a

for

war.

planes continuously.

this,

it

landing

in

after

and

whole

Okinawa

be

going

nobody

in

some

men of

the

We

killed

next

many

one

the

us

Philippines.

in

FiRE.

had

event

to

of

on

this

got

sun

day

different

stop,

believed

the

say,

ways

when

we

been

Kyushu

there

time.

and

there

and

THE

kamikazes.

The went

we

who

killed so

crashed

peace

in

having

battles

fought

came

guns

We

the

that

We

JAPANESE

which

would

up

time

cease

after

shot

with

had

fought

its

were

an

on

failed

to

31

and

at

was

authenticity believe

returned

encoded

join

every

Iwo

cease a

a

fire

hot

in-between

Task

neighboring

at

to

to

the

SURRENDER!

Jima,

message.

Leyte

take

again.

one

fire

prevent

that?

Force

main

overwhelmed

message

of

had

place

and

became

Gulf,

them

There

battles,

and Task

it,

been

destroyer

the

Navy

a

guessing

and

in

bombarded

month

next

down.

Force

were

unquestioned.

announced,

the

Headquarters

Of and

we

us.

fight

clear:

course

in

several

or

had

suddenly

of

Thank

that

a

two

the

was

cloud

fought

the

some

STOP

nobody

many

fleet

later.

kamikaze

God!

at

6/29/2009

coast

The

while

of

in

at

for

ALL

Pearl

of

We

war

of

We us FLINT was assigned a position with two destroyers as a Task Unit, I was the navigator of the FLINT by this time and thus navigator for the little Task Unit. We were given station off a rock named Nii Shima. We were there as a signal station for our planes that were going to Hiroshima. It was a place for the planes to circle to set their final run, to calibrate their course. If they flew over us in a certain direction, they were right on target. We just cruised a big circle and looked for submarines and finally the war was over.

The Task Force, including our Task Unit, steamed into Yokosuka Harbor and anchored. I wasted no time, I went around to see the Executive Officer. “Sir, as you know, I have many more separation points than are needed. I’d like to request leave for separation.” The Exec didn’t want me to do that. He and, later the Captain, both sat me down and said, “We want you to stay in the Navy.” I replied: “That’s an honorable request, I would be just as honorable in replying to you that I have never been in civilian life. The day I graduated from college I came right into the Navy. I’ve been here for five and a half years. I want to see some civilian life, if you don’t mind, before I make any decision as important as the one you’re asking me to make, and which I regretfiully decline. If the day comes in civilian life when I think I really do want to rejoin the Navy because I don’t like civilian life, I’ll get in touch with you.” They said, “You’d make a good Naval officer.” I said: “I hope I have made a good Naval Officer.”

I was put on a freighter bound for San Francisco.

I met a splendid Marine Colonel en route to separation, he too. We hit it off

Arriving at the Golden Gate, my new friend turned and said: “I’m going to provide you continuing help for situations in civilian life that put you face to face with an impossible

32 Corrected Text 8/13/2009 person. Instead of getting frustrated or angry, just pull out this calling card which has helped me so many times. Read its words to yourself. He handed me the card. On it was engraved: “Why are there so many more horses’ asses than there are horses?” My laughter brightened my homecoming.

I was separated from the service in San Francisco. I couldn’t find a job that was right. I was offered a post to start a group hospital plan, like the Kaiser Permanente

Foundation in San Francisco. A group of San Francisco leaders asked me if I would take this on. I said: “I’m not afraid of the administrative challenge, but I think I’m so ignorant about medicine that I wouldn’t be effective. Thank you for the honor of being asked.” I tried to get my job back on THE CHRONICLE where I had served in uniform in the office as a re-write man while I was fitting out the FLINT, but the paper had to give the job back to the fellow who went to war first. Job hunting was difficult because there were so many jobs in escrow, so to speak. I couldn’t find anything. Reluctantly I gave up on San Francisco and returned to the East Coast and began civilian life.

Is that enough?

Mr. Morris: It works for me. That was very detailed. Just the kind of thing I want. I didn’t have to ask any questions. I didn’t have to do anything. It was all there.

33 Corrected Text 8/13/2009