TheList 5280

The List 5280 TGB






Good Friday Morning 17 April. The Highlight of today is the release of


H-Gram 45.






Regards,






Skip













Today in Naval History






April 17














1778






The sloop-of-war Ranger, commanded by John Paul Jones, captures British


ship, Lord Chatham, in St. Georges Channel, during the American Revolution.






1808






Napoleon Bonaparte issues the Bayonne Decree, which authorizes the French


seizure of all United States ships entering all ports of the Hanseatic


League. Napoleon argues the decree will help the United States enforce the


Embargo Act signed by President Thomas Jefferson in December 1807.






1915






Chief Gunners Mate Frank Crilley, a naval diver, rescues a fellow diver who


had become entangled at a depth of 250 feet during salvage operations for


USS F-4 submarine that had sunk March 25, 1915, with the loss of her entire


crew. For his heroism on this occasion, he is awarded the Medal of Honor in


1929.






1918






USS Stewart (DD 13) is on escort duty in Quiberon Bay, France when nearby


the American steamship Florence H suffers an internal explosion. Ships Cook


Third Class Jesse W. Covington and Quartermaster Frank M. Upton dive


overboard to save an exhausted survivor surrounded by exploding power boxes.


For their actions, both sailors receive the Medal of Honor.






1942






USS Searaven (SS 196) begins rescue of stranded Australian sailors, airmen,


and soldiers from Japanese-occupied Timor, N.E.I.






1944






Minesweeper USS Swift (AM 122) and patrol craft USS PC 619 sink the German


submarine, U 986, in the North Atlantic.














Thanks to CHINFO






Executive Summary:






* The Navy identified the first Sailor who died from COVID-19 as


Aviation Ordnanceman Chief Petty Officer Charles Robert Thacker Jr.






* USNI reports the Navy released updated guidance to the Fleet


on COVID-19 prevention and mitigation.






* Multiple outlets report the Navy and Newport News Shipbuilding


have finished testing the first lower elevator on USS Gerald R. Ford.














This Day in World History






April 17










858






Benedict III ends his reign as Catholic Pope.










1492






Christopher Columbus signs a contract with Spain to find a western


route to the Indies.










1524






Present-day New York Harbor is discovered by Giovanni da Verrazzano.










1535






Antonio Mendoza is appointed first viceroy of New Spain.










1758






Frances Williams, the first African-American to graduate from a


college in the western hemisphere, publishes a collection of Latin poems.










1808






Bayonne Decree by


<http://historynet.wpengine.com/napoleon-bonaparte> Napoleon Bonaparte of


France orders seizure of U.S. ships.










1824






Russia abandons all North American claims south of 54' 40'.










1861






Virginia becomes the eighth state to


<http://historynet.wpengine.com/secession> secede from the Union.










1864






General <http://historynet.wpengine.com/ulysses-s-grant> Ulysses


Grant bans the trading of prisoners.










1865






Mary Surratt is arrested as a conspirator in the


<http://historynet.wpengine.com/abraham-lincoln-assassination> Lincoln


assassination.










1875






The game "snooker" is invented by Sir Neville Chamberlain.










1895






China and Japan sign peace treaty of Shimonoseki.










1929






Baseball player Babe Ruth and Claire Hodgson, a former member of the


Ziegfeld Follies, get married.










1946






The last French troops leave Syria.










1947






<http://historynet.wpengine.com/jackie-robinson> Jackie Robinson


bunts for his first major league hit.










1961






Some 1,400 Cuban exiles


<http://historynet.wpengine.com/cold-war-bay-of-pigs-invasion.htm> attack


the Bay of Pigs in an attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro.










1964









<http://historynet.wpengine.com/jerrie-mock-record-breaking-american-female-


pilot.htm> Jerrie Mock becomes first woman to fly solo around the world.










1969






Sirhan Sirhan is convicted of assassinating Senator Robert F.


Kennedy.










1970






Apollo 13--originally scheduled to land on the moon--lands back


safely on Earth after an accident.










1975









<http://historynet.wpengine.com/losing-ground-to-the-khmer-rouge.htm> Khmer


Rouge forces capture the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh.










1983






In Warsaw, police rout 1,000 Solidarity supporters.


















1970














<http://l.emails.history.com/rts/go2.aspx?h=393000&tp=i-H43-9I-5QG-OLc9u-1c-


13FF5-1c-OLgOF-2JHsnH&x=hist-tdih-2018-0417%7c04172018%7c9ea406ed51cf1a1b47b


4fcd138eedd01468b5f2f9ae735c8103bc1d12f0369ee%7c359783638%7c20848%7chist-tdi


h-2018-0417%7c04172018%7c9ea406ed51cf1a1b47b4fcd138eedd01468b5f2f9ae735c8103


bc1d12f0369ee> Apollo 13 returns to Earth


















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This a follow on to H-Gram 44 and picks up the next phase of the Battle of


Okinawa. Another great piece of work by Admiral Cox and the folks at the


Naval History and Heritage Command. Only 17 days have passed of the 92 days


the battle will last since the start of the battle on the First of April.


The amount of the loss of men, Ships and aircraft will shock the nation.


skip














H-Gram 045: The Ship That Wouldn't Die (2)-USS Laffey (DD-724), 16 April


1945






16 April 2020






















<https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/our-collections/photograp


hy/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-75000/NH-75436.html>


USS LAFFEY (DD-724) Severely Damaged






USS Laffey (DD-724), severely damaged by bombs and kamikaze hits some 30


nautical miles northwest of Okinawa, on 16 April 1945. This view shows the


Group 21 20-mm guns on Laffey's starboard side, abreast of her bridge (NH


75436).










Contents










*


<https://www.history.navy.mil/about-us/leadership/director/directors-corner/


h-grams/h-gram-045.html#1> The Ordeal of USS Laffey (DD-724)






*


<https://www.history.navy.mil/about-us/leadership/director/directors-corner/


h-grams/h-gram-045.html#2> The Naval Battle of Okinawa, Part 2










<https://www.history.navy.mil/about-us/leadership/director/directors-corner/


h-grams/h-gram-045.html#3> 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 13 Mission


<https://www.history.navy.mil/about-us/leadership/director/directors-corner/


h-grams/h-gram-045.html#2>










75th Anniversary of World War II










This H-gram covers the Naval Battle of Okinawa from the second massed


kamikaze attack (Kikusui No. 2) through Kikusui No. 3 and No. 4 to 2 May


1945, with special emphasis on the ordeal of


<https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html>


USS Laffey (DD-724) on 16 April 1945. It is a follow-on to


<https://www.history.navy.mil/about-us/leadership/director/directors-corner/


h-grams/h-gram-044.html> H-Gram 044. For more on the background on the


invasion of Okinawa, please see H-Gram 044's attachment


<https://www.history.navy.mil/about-us/leadership/director/directors-corner/


h-grams/h-gram-044/h-044-1.html> H-044-1.










USS Laffey (DD-724)










"No! I'll never abandon ship as long as a single gun will fire!" stated


Commander Frederick J. Becton, commanding officer of destroyer Laffey as his


severely damaged ship burned on 16 April 1945.






Naval Historian Samuel Eliot Morison remarked, "Probably no ship has ever


survived an attack of the intensity that [Laffey] experienced." Morison was


probably right.






During the 80-minute attack by 22 Japanese kamikaze aircraft and


dive-bombers at Radar Picket Station No. 1 northwest of Okinawa, Laffey shot


down at least eight aircraft (six in the first 12 minutes) and damaged the


six kamikaze that hit her. By this time, she had been damaged by four bombs


(plus those carried on the kamikaze). With both her surface search and air


search radars out of action, her aft 5-inch turret destroyed, one quad 40-mm


destroyed and the other on fire, down by the stern due to a bomb hit, her


rudder jammed 26 degrees over, with virtually everything after the aft stack


engulfed in aviation gasoline fires from kamikaze hits, it seemed Laffey was


doomed. Wounded men in the wardroom casualty aid station were killed by bomb


shrapnel. But no one gave up. Gunners kept shooting despite flames all


around, and damage control parties kept fighting the fires despite more


bombs, strafing, and kamikaze. A number of the 20-mm gunners "died in the


straps," firing their guns at the kamikaze until the instant of impact.


Skillful ship handling by Becton, one of the most battle-experienced


officers of the time, in maximizing firepower against incoming aircraft and


maneuvering to take the unavoidable hits from the stern rather than even


more damaging ones from forward was a key factor in Laffey's survival.


Another critical factor was that the destroyer's firerooms and engine rooms


remained watertight.






The arrival of U.S. Marine Corps F4U Corsairs of VMF-441 "Blackjacks"


finally changed the odds. The Marines heroically flew into Laffey's


anti-aircraft fire to down numerous Japanese aircraft. One Corsair crashed


into the destroyer's air search radar while chasing and downing a Japanese


fighter (the Corsair pilot lived, the Japanese pilot didn't). Despite


horrific damage and high casualties (32 dead and 71-or 72-wounded), Laffey's


crew not only saved their ship, but the ship still had fight in her when the


Japanese attacks ended. Commander Becton would be awarded a Navy Cross, and


Ensign Robert Thomsen a posthumous Navy Cross. Other crewmen would be


awarded six Silver Stars, 18 Bronze Stars and one Navy Letter of


Commendation. Laffey would be awarded a Presidential Unit Citation. The


skipper of LCS(L)-51 (large support landing craft), Lieutenant Howell D.


Chickering, whose small and damaged vessel stood loyally by Laffey and


downed six aircraft of her own, was also awarded a Navy Cross.






In many respects, Laffey was lucky. Over the next two months, other U.S.


Navy ships would come under attacks almost intense and many would be hit,


many with even higher casualties. In some cases, crews would save ships that


should have sunk, in others the ship was lost despite their crews' best


efforts, often due to sheer random chance of where the kamikaze hit. One


thing that is certain, however, was that the extreme valor shown by the crew


of Laffey was hardly unique.






For more detail on the ordeal of Laffey, please see attachment


<https://www.history.navy.mil/about-us/leadership/director/directors-corner/


h-grams/h-gram-045/h-045-1.html> H-045-1.






















<https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/our-collections/photograp


hy/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/80-G-328000/80-G-328579.ht


ml> USS SINGBEE (DD-502)






USS Sigsbee (DD-502), photographed from USS Miami (CL-89) after a kamikaze


cut off her stern off Okinawa on 14 April 1945. She was towed to port and


repaired (80-G-328579).


































The Naval Battle of Okinawa, Part 2










Not only did U.S. ships off Okinawa face conventional and suicide aircraft


attack, but a significant threat also came from Japanese submarines, some of


them modified to piggy-back four to six Kaiten manned suicide torpedoes.


Between the time U.S. forces arrived off Okinawa in late March 1945 to the


beginning of May, the Japanese deployed two groups of Kaiten-equipped


submarines, the Tartara Group (I-44, I-47, I-56, and I-58) on 28 March and


the Tembu Group (I-47 and I-36) on 20 and 22 April. None of these Kaiten


submarines successfully attacked targets, although I-44 and I-56 would be


sunk trying.






Conventional Japanese submarines fared even worse than the Kaiten subs, with


RO-41 (rammed by destroyer


<https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html>


Haggard [DD-555]), I-8, RO-49, RO-56, and RO-109 all being sunk, accounting


for almost every Japanese submarine deployed to the Okinawa area. The


notorious I-8 (the submarine's crew committed numerous war crimes against


Allied shipwreck survivors) put up a spirited surface gun battle with


destroyer


<https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html>


Morrison (DD-560) before going down, and the rest used every trick in the


book to escape, but were no match for superior U.S. ASW technology.






Japanese kamikaze went after the Fast Carrier Task Force (TF-58) on 11


April, damaging


<https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html>


Enterprise (CV-6) and


<https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html>


Essex (CV-9); the destroyer


<https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html>


Kidd (DD-661) took a severe kamikaze hit, but survived.






The kamikaze threat was near continuous and, on 14 April, destroyer


<https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-h


istories/danfs.html> Sigsbee (DD-502) was badly damaged and nearly sunk.






Kikusui No. 3 came in on 16 April and included 165 kamikaze (120 navy and 45


army aircraft) and resulted in the loss of destroyer


<https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-h


istories/danfs.html> Pringle (DD-477) with heavy casualties (65 dead and 110


wounded), and putting the destroyers


<https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-h


istories/danfs/l/laffey-ii.html> Laffey (DD-724) and


<https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-h


istories/danfs.html> Bryant (DD-665), destroyer-minesweepers


<https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-h


istories/danfs.html> Hobson (DM-26) and


<https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-h


istories/danfs.html> Harding (DM-28), and destroyer escort


<https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-h


istories/danfs.html> Bowers (DE-637) out of action for the duration of the


war. Carrier


<https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-h


istories/danfs.html> Intrepid (CV-11) was also put out of action for over 30


days, leaving only five of the original 11 fleet carriers undamaged and on


line (although all but


<https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-h


istories/danfs.html> Franklin [CV-13] would return). About 225 U.S. crewmen


were killed and about 390 wounded.






Japanese kamikaze attacks on 22 April sank minesweeper


<https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-h


istories/danfs.html> Swallow (AM-65) and LCS(L)-15 and damaged destroyer


<https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-h


istories/danfs.html> Isherwood (DD-520).










Kikusui No. 4 came in on 27 and 28 April and included 115 kamikaze (65 navy


and 50 army aircraft), and sank the ammunition ship Canada Victory. The


destroyer


<https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-h


istories/danfs.html> Hutchins (DD-476) was put out action by a Japanese


one-man suicide boat and destroyer-transport


<https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-h


istories/danfs.html> Rathburne (APD-25) was hit by a kamikaze. Both were


saved by their crews, but were too damaged to repair. The evacuation


transport


<https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-h


istories/danfs.html> Pinkney (APH-2) and hospital ship


<https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-h


istories/danfs.html> Comfort (AH-6) were seriously damaged by kamikaze hits.


U.S. casualties during Kikusui No. 4 were 77 dead and 87 wounded. Among the


dead were 27 Army personnel, including six nurses and ten patients, aboard


Comfort










There is some evidence to suggest that the Japanese hit on Comfort was


retaliation for the sinking of the Japanese Red Cross ship Awa Maru (with


the loss of all but one of over 2,000 aboard) by submarine


<https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-h


istories/danfs.html> Queenfish (SS-393), which resulted in the court-martial


of the submarine's commanding officer.






On 29 April, destroyers


<https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-h


istories/danfs.html> Haggard (DD-555) and


<https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-h


istories/danfs.html> Hazelwood (DD-531) were badly damaged by kamikaze hits,


and the next day the flagship of the Minesweeping Flotilla,


<https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-h


istories/danfs.html> Terror (CM-5), was put out of action.






However, the worst was not yet over for the U.S. ships off Okinawa, which


will be continued in H-Gram 046. For more on the Naval Battle of Okinawa,


Part 2, please see attachment


<https://www.history.navy.mil/about-us/leadership/director/directors-corner/


h-grams/h-gram-045/h-045-2.html> H-045-2.


































50th Anniversary of the Apollo 13 Mission


























<https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/our-collections/photograp


hy/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/USN-1143000/USN-1143249.ht


ml> Apollo XIII Astronauts






The original crew of the Apollo 13 lunar landing mission: (from left)


Captain James A. Lovell, Jr., USN, mission commander; Lieutenant Commander


Thomas A. Mattingly, Jr., USN, command module pilot (replaced due to a


German measles exposure by Jack L. Swigert, Jr., shortly before the launch);


and Fred W. Hais, Jr., lunar module pilot (USN 1143249).














"Houston, we've had a problem," calmly reported


<https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/biographies-list/bios-l/lov


ell-james.html> James A. Lovell, mission commander of Apollo 13, after a


fire and an explosion in an oxygen tank had crippled the command and service


modules. The spacecraft was 180,000 miles from Earth heading to the moon for


what was supposed to be the third lunar landing. Using the lunar module's


independent supply of power, oxygen, and propulsion as a "lifeboat," the


three-man crew of Lovell, Jack L. Swigert, Jr., and Fred W. Haise, Jr., were


able to survive as Mission Control in Houston worked feverishly to devise


solutions to what became the only mission: to bring the astronauts back to


Earth safely, hampered by many unknown variables regarding the severity of


the damage. Unable to "turn around," the only way home for the astronauts


was to continue to the moon and use the propulsion of the lunar module and


the moon's gravity to act as a slingshot back to Earth, a trajectory that


took the three astronauts father away from Earth than any man has been


before or since. After several harrowing touch-and-go days, Apollo 13


splashed down safely in the South Pacific as over 40 million Americans were


glued to their TV sets. The capsule was recovered by


<https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/i/iwo-


jima.html> USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2).






Apollo 13 was the fourth space mission for naval aviator Jim Lovell. He had


been aboard the longest-duration Gemini mission (Gemini 7) and the final


Gemini mission (Gemini 12,). He had also been the command module pilot for


Apollo 8, the first manned space craft to ever leave Earth's orbit and the


first to orbit the moon, transmitting an extraordinary Christmas Eve TV


broadcast from lunar orbit. Only one other astronaut, naval aviator John W.


Young, flew four missions during the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo


programs-and walked on the moon on his last mission. Only one astronaut,


naval aviator Walter Schirra, Jr., flew missions in each of the three


programs. Pilots who were or had been naval aviators (such as Neil


Armstrong, the first to walk on the moon) played a prominent role in the


"Race to the Moon" and, of course, every one of the Mercury, Gemini, and


Apollo missions was safely recovered by U.S. Navy warships.






For more on James Lovell's extraordinary Navy career, his four space


missions, and the contributions of naval aviators to the early U.S. space


program, please see attachment


<https://www.history.navy.mil/about-us/leadership/director/directors-corner/


h-grams/h-gram-045/h-045-3.html> H-045-3.






H-gram "back issues" may be found


<https://www.history.navy.mil/about-us/leadership/director/directors-corner/


h-grams.html> here. As always, feel free to share widely-there are some


truly inspirational stories.














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F-22 Demo video- Cockpit view along with airshow view ...






Major Josh "Cabo" Gunderson demonstrates each maneuver of the F-22


























<https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.milit


ary.com%2Fvideo%2Ffull-f-22-demo-look-inside-raptor%3FESRC%3Deb_200403.nl&da


ta=02%7C01%7C%7Cd3eb17629b4d4698359c08d7dd4d0097%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaa


aaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637221195091770691&sdata=qRpNj%2F%2B2jkpPZ4ZBLDqoJEeqdxcBX


jwg7YK0d%2BxuPcY%3D&reserved=0>


https://www.military.com/video/full-f-22-demo-look-inside-raptor?ESRC=eb_200


403.nl














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Thanks to Z-man for this one














BRAVERY IN BATTLE: THE MEDAL OF HONOR






COPTER PILOT'S REPEATED PICKUPS UNDER FIRE RESCUED 29 SOLDIERS






CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER 4 MICHAEL J. NOVOSEL Received medal: June 15, 1971


Novosel served in three wars during his time in the military, initially


enlisting in the Army Air Corps and becoming a captain who flew B-29 bombers


in 1945. He also fought during the Korean War as a pilot before leaving the


military to work in commercial aviation. In the 1960s, he learned he had


glaucoma, disqualifying him from flying as a civilian. He was inspired by


President John F. Kennedy's call for Americans to ask what they could do for


their country, and decided to re-enlist in the Army, which needed combat


pilots in Vietnam and chose to waive the glaucoma disqualification. He'd


become a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force, but had to accept a lower rank


of chief warrant officer in the Army. His first tour ended in 1967. His


second was with the 82nd Medical Detachment, 45th Medical Company, 68th


Medical Group. He was a "dustoff" pilot - an airman who flew helicopters


into battle to hover long enough to evacuate injured soldiers. His mission


on Oct. 2, 1969, was to fly into the Kien Tuong Province to rescue a group


of South Vietnamese soldiers who were surrounded by the North Vietnamese


near the Cambodian border. All of the men on the ground were out of


ammunition and had no radio communication, so Novosel had to repeatedly


circle the area under heavy enemy fire and without cover or fire support. He


and his crew flew low and scooped up the injured men, making six trips to


drop off men at a Special Forces camp for medical attention. On his final


trip, he saw a soldier close to an enemy bunker. Despite knowing he'd draw


more fire, he went in backward so the man could be pulled on board. One of


the enemy soldiers opened fire at close range, damaging the helicopter and


hitting Novosel in the leg and hand. He nearly lost control of the


helicopter, but managed to lift off and get everyone to safety. He and his


men would save 29 soldiers that day, and during his two tours in Vietnam,


Novosel reportedly evacuated more than 5,000 men. In early 1970, Novosel's


son, Michael Jr., was a recent Army flight school graduate and was assigned


to his father's unit. The two were reportedly the only father-and-son team


to fly together in the same unit in combat. Novosel completed his tour in


1970, and the next spring, he learned that he was to receive the Medal of


Honor. His presentation was delayed so that his son could finish his tour


and attend the ceremony. On June 15, 1971, President Richard Nixon presented


Novosel with his medal. Novosel died on April 2, 2006, at age 83.














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