Well, my dad told this story that a classmate told him. Prior to the actual engagement off Guadalcanal between Battleships Washington and South Dakota versus the Kirishima, there was no liason between Admiral Willis A. "Ching" Lee and the local command. It was a hurried set up, the four destroyers had never sailed together and had no training as a unit. While steaming off Guadalcanal in Iron Bottom Sound, Lee and the Washington's captain heard the PT boats from Tulagi talking to each other on the TBS (Talk Between Ships). They knew the Tokyo Express was coming down, but had not been told that American battleships would be coming. When they got a view of the silhouettes, the PT boat skippers decided they had to be Japanese and the squad dog told them to rev up and attack. At that Admiral Lee got on the TBS and said, "Boys, this is Ching-Chong-China Lee. Do you know who I am?" The shocked PT boat leader replied, "Yes sir. Yes sir, I know who you are." Being the ranking officer on Battleships, this made it clear to the PTs what was up. About that time, the IJN task forces were showing up on the Washington's radar. "Well, get outta the way and watch the show. We're coming through." Taking the admiral at his word, they pulled into shallow water, anchored, and watched the utterly confusing night battle while munching on fruit turnovers cooked in the diesels' exhaust.
Many years later, 1976 in fact, I was on the Farragut which was being inspected by Rear Admiral Bulckley (They WEre Expendable). Being a very junior officer, I only got a chance to ask him one question, so asked his opinion of the results if the Tulagi boats had attacked Kirishima if Admiral Lee wasn't there. He got a funny look and said,"Odd you should ask that. Jack asked that at some reunions." Jack? Jack who? He gave me the withering look that exhausted parents give particularly dense children. "Jack Kennedy". He didn't say "you idiot" but his face could be very expressive.
Well, my dad told this story that a classmate told him.
ReplyDeletePrior to the actual engagement off Guadalcanal between Battleships Washington and South Dakota versus the Kirishima, there was no liason between Admiral Willis A. "Ching" Lee and the local command. It was a hurried set up, the four destroyers had never sailed together and had no training as a unit.
While steaming off Guadalcanal in Iron Bottom Sound, Lee and the Washington's captain heard the PT boats from Tulagi talking to each other on the TBS (Talk Between Ships).
They knew the Tokyo Express was coming down, but had not been told that American battleships would be coming. When they got a view of the silhouettes, the PT boat skippers decided they had to be Japanese and the squad dog told them to rev up and attack.
At that Admiral Lee got on the TBS and said, "Boys, this is Ching-Chong-China Lee. Do you know who I am?"
The shocked PT boat leader replied, "Yes sir. Yes sir, I know who you are." Being the ranking officer on Battleships, this made it clear to the PTs what was up.
About that time, the IJN task forces were showing up on the Washington's radar.
"Well, get outta the way and watch the show. We're coming through."
Taking the admiral at his word, they pulled into shallow water, anchored, and watched the utterly confusing night battle while munching on fruit turnovers cooked in the diesels' exhaust.
Many years later, 1976 in fact, I was on the Farragut which was being inspected by Rear Admiral Bulckley (They WEre Expendable).
Being a very junior officer, I only got a chance to ask him one question, so asked his opinion of the results if the Tulagi boats had attacked Kirishima if Admiral Lee wasn't there.
He got a funny look and said,"Odd you should ask that. Jack asked that at some reunions."
Jack? Jack who?
He gave me the withering look that exhausted parents give particularly dense children. "Jack Kennedy".
He didn't say "you idiot" but his face could be very expressive.