Combat and Crisis Experiences of Admiral James L. Holloway
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Combat and Crisis Experiences of Admiral James L. Holloway III Sam Cox, Director of Naval History, 2 December 2019 USS RINGGOLD (DD-500) After an accelerated graduation from the Naval Academy, Ensign Holloway’s first operational assignment was as Assistant Gunnery Officer in the commissioning crew of the new Fletcher-class destroyer USS RINGGOLD (DD-500,) reporting in December 1942. In the first months of 1943, RINGGOLD conducted sea trials and work-ups along the Atlantic coast and escort operations in the Caribbean until she transited the Panama Canal in July 1943 en route Pacific Fleet Operations. On 31 August/1 September 1943, RINGGOLD participated in the screen for the fast Carrier Task Force strikes by ESSEX (CV-9,) YORKTOWN (CV-10) and INDEPENDENCE (CVL-22) on Marcus Island, deep inside the Japanese outer defense perimeter, which was also the first combat action by the new F6F Hellcat fighter. Although LTJG Holloway detached shortly after the Marcus operation, RINGOLD maintained a reputation for excellence in gunnery accuracy, including (unfortunately) an accidental night attack (approved by RADM Hill) on the surfaced submarine USS NAUTILUS (SS-168,) on 19 Nov 1943, hitting the submarine at the base of the conning tower with a five-inch round on the first salvo, which fortunately failed to detonate, and the NAUTILUS was able to continue her mission. The next day RINGGOLD was then one of the first two destroyers to enter the lagoon at Tarawa where she was hit twice by Japanese shore battery rounds that didn’t detonate but holed the ship; as RINGGOLD fought the flooding she continued to bombard Japanese positions, providing the best fire-support to the Marines ashore on Tarawa on that bloody day. I include this because of the impact that the commissioning crew has on the future “personality” and combat capability of the ship, and RINGGOLD was one of the best. USS BENNION (DD-662) and the Battle of Surigao Strait In December 1943, LTJG Holloway reported as part of the commissioning crew for the new Fletcher- class destroyer, USS BENNION (DD-662,) this time as Gunnery Officer. From his battle station in the Mk-37 Director atop the bridge, Holloway controlled the ship’s five Five-inch gun mounts, her two quintuple banks of torpedo tubes and directed the 40mm and 20mm anti-aircraft guns, as well as the ships fighter-direction team. After sea trials and workups in the Atlantic, BENNION deployed to the Pacific and participated in the invasion of Saipan and Tinian in June-July 1944 and the southern Palau Islands, including Peleliu in September 1944. At Peleliu, BENNION provided extensive close-in gunfire support to Marines ashore, emptying her magazine three times in one week. (On 1 July 1944, LTJG Holloway was promoted to Lieutenant.) In late October, BENNION provided fire support to U.S. Army troops who had gone ashore on Leyte on 20 October 1944. A Japanese shore battery returned fire and a near-miss on BENNION sprayed the ship with shrapnel, which narrowly missed LT Holloway, but severely wounded his Assistant Gunnery Officer, who lost an arm, and one of Holloway’s Petty Officers in the director. On 24 October, as BENNION was maneuvering with other SEVENTH Fleet units in preparation for the expected Japanese attempt to force their way into Leyte Gulf via Surigao Strait, the BENNION came under Japanese air attack. Holloway’s Five-inch guns shot down one Val dive-bomber and the 40mm’s knocked down a Japanese Zeke fighter- bomber close aboard. From his position in the Mk-37 director, LT Holloway could stick his head out the upper hatch and have an almost 360-degree view of the developing battle, and via the high-powered optics of the director, he had the best view of the enemy of anyone on the ship. As the Japanese force of two battleships (FUSO and YAMASHIRO,) one heavy cruiser (MOGAMI) and four destroyers commenced their penetration of Surigao Strait from the south, Holloway could track their progress as they came under multiple unsuccessful attacks by U.S. PT-boats after midnight on 24-25 October 1944. He could then see the devastating 1 torpedo attacks by two U.S. destroyer squadrons, which sank the FUSO and two Japanese destroyers and severely damaged a third destroyer. However, the situation rapidly became confused due to smoke, shore interference with radar, flash blindness and other factors. According to the plan, the nine destroyers of Destroyer Squadron 56, under the command of Captain Roland Smoot, would conduct the third torpedo attack, doing so in three sections of three; one section of destroyers proceeded down the east side of Surigao Strait, one section would attack head-on in the center or the strait, and the third section, which included BENNION, would attack down the west side of the strait. The idea was to catch the Japanese column in a simultaneous multi-directional attack so that no matter which way it turned it would expose itself to torpedoes. The multi-directional part of the plan worked, but the simultaneous part did not. BENNION was the last destroyer in the third section and would make the last attack and be exposed the longest to Japanese counter-fire, which Holloway could clearly see through his optics as the Japanese responded to the first two destroyer squadron attacks. In the confusion, RADM Jesse Oldendorf, thinking the Japanese had turned away, gave the order for Smoot’s Division to attack. Only after it was too late did Oldendorf learn that the remaining Japanese ships, battleship YAMASHIRO, heavy cruiser MOGAMI, and destroyer SHIGUR,E were still advancing at high speed and would be in effective range of the U.S. battleships and cruisers (which had crossed the Japanese “T” at the north end of the strait) before Smoot’s destroyers would be in range to launch effective torpedo attacks. With no time to wait, Oldendorf gave the order for the battleships and cruisers to open fire while Smoot’s destroyers were between the U.S. battle line and the Japanese column, a very dangerous place for the destroyers to be (and destroyer ALBERT W. GRANT (DD-649) paid the price, caught in the cross-fire and severely damaged by Japanese and mostly American shells.) As BENNION was commencing her attack run, Holloway could see hundreds of U.S. battleship shells and thousands of U.S. cruiser shells passing overhead, many impacting the Japanese ships, which nevertheless kept coming and shooting. BENNION and the other U.S. destroyers were under orders not to fire their guns until torpedoes were away (a lesson from previous battles) so as not to give away the torpedo attack or draw fire to themselves. However, under the circumstance this was pretty much moot. With the gunfire and starshells from both sides, the Japanese could see BENNION and the other destroyers and were blazing away with main and secondary armament and BENNION sailed through the splashes of numerous near-misses. At a range of about 6,000 yards, after the first two destroyers in the third section launched their torpedoes, Holloway fired five of BENNION’s ten torpedoes (the destroyers were under orders from Oldendorf to only fire half their load.) Holloway’s target was the “second battleship.” (However, by this time FUSO had already dropped out and sunk, and MOGAMI had closed up behind YAMASHIRO…to be fair MOGAMI was misidentified as a battleship in just about every sighting report in the war.) After the third section fired their torpedoes, YAMASHIRO turned, causing the torpedoes to miss (but catching one from Smoot’s flagship NEWCOMB (DD-586) from the other direction.) In the smoke, Holloway lost sight of the Japanese ships until YAMASHIRO appeared at a range of only 3,000 yards. Holloway recommended to the commanding officer, Commander Joshua Cooper, that they fire the last five torpedoes despite the orders, as a capital ship that close was too good a target to pass up. Cooper concurred and ordered the launch. One of those torpedoes is believed to have hit YAMASHIRO and may have been the nail in the coffin, as YAMASHIRO had already been hit by about four torpedoes and dozens of heavy and medium caliber shells, and she shortly after rolled over and sank with almost her entire crew. At dawn, BENNION and several other destroyers were ordered to pursue Japanese forces down the Surigao Strait to finish off any cripples. MOGAMI and SHIGURE had escaped and the only Japanese ship still afloat was the destroyer ASAGUMO, whose bow had been blown off by one of the first salvos of U.S. torpedoes. ASAGUMO had still valiantly tried to continue into the battle but the damage proved too severe and she was attempting to limp away, although with her torpedoes she was still potentially dangerous. 2 BENNION was ordered to finish off ASAGUMO. Holloway opened fire at 10,000 yards, hitting on the third salvo. At 6,000 yards, Holloway shifted to rapid continuous fire, and as BENNION closed to 2,000 yards, ASAGUMO sank with 191 of her crew (39 were rescued, an unusually high number.) Shortly after, a Japanese Zeke fighter-bomber dove out of the clouds with almost no warning. Holloway shifted fire to the Zeke, with a direct hit on the nose of the aircraft. LT Holloway detached from BENNION a couple weeks after the battle as he had orders to Flight School. The skipper of BENNION, CDR Joshua Cooper, was awarded a Navy Cross for his actions in the Battle of Surigao Strait. Holloway would be awarded a Bronze Star with Combat V for Surigao Strait and a Navy Commendation Medal with Combat V for previous actions during his tour on BENNION.