A BRIEF HISTORY OF LCS(L) 91
by
Ens. A. L. Fox, Public Relations
Officer
In the early summer months of 1944 nearly sixty-five men and six officers entered the Navy with adventure in their blood, wonder in their minds, and a little touch of loneliness in their hearts, for here was the beginning of a new life. Little did any of us know that one day we would form a part of the Mighty Midgets that were later to play such an important role in the closing months of the war against Japan.
By September most of us were past our
Boot Training and had received specialized training and were gathering at
various bases such as Little Creek and Dam Neck, Virginia; Fort Pierce,
Florida; and USNATB, Solomons, Maryland.
About the second week in September, 30 men and 5 officers joined at
USNATB and were labeled Crew No. 3829.
Thus formed the nucleus of the crew that was ultimately to take over the
USS LCS(L)(3) 91 under the fine leadership of Lieutenant S. A. McCray of
Dayton, Ohio.
But there was a great deal to learn yet,
as we found when going through the training program at Solomons under command
of Commander N. Phillips. There were
classes in navigation, gunnery, chemical warfare, seamanship, communications
and damage control, and every third week we spent on one of the LCI or LCS
training ships. During these weeks
afloat we put to practical use our classroom training. In mid-October the rest of our crew joined
us. This part of our crew had been
receiving training in gunnery at Fort Pierce and Dam Neck. Now a full LCS crew, we went into the final
stages of preparation before taking over a ship of our own.
On December 8, 1944, we left Solomons
Training Base with 65 men and 6 officers bound for Portland, Oregon, to pick up
our ship, which was being built by Commercial Iron Works. We were all a bit weary of classes and
anxious to get to work on a ship of our own, so we didn’t mind the long, tiring
trip across the country on a crowded troop train. We arrived in Portland, Oregon, the City of Roses, on the 13th
of December, and to us it was a welcome sight.
Never will we forget the hospitality of that fair city or the
cooperation and help rendered by the Pre-Commissioning Detail, the Bureau of
Ships and the workers and management of Commercial Iron Works. This was all new to us and we needed plenty
of help.
It was a thrill to witness the
launching of our ship. This took place
on December 17 and the few short weeks that still remained before the
commissioning date of January 4, 1945 passed away quickly. It was the first time a lot of us spent
Christmas away from home, but we made the best of it with the help of George
White’s USO and the Officer’s Club at Portland Hotel.
And so the big day arrived, the day
when the Ninety-One was turned over to us.
We were on our own now and we had only a few short days in which to make
her shipshape and ready for sea. We
left Portland with regrets on the 15th of January in company with
the LCSs 66 and 90, and started on our
first and never to be forgotten cruise for San Diego, California, where we were
to meet the other ships of our group and flotilla for further assignment.
The trip to San Digeo proved to be a
rugged one for the green officers and men aboard. We started out in a storm and after being held up in Astoria,
Oregon for several days, started out again in what we hoped would be fine
sailing weather. However, our hopes
proved false. Not only did it continue
to storm for our entire journey but it was probably the worst storm that most
of us had ever experienced. We were 65
happy men and 6 most relieved officers when we finally arrived at San Diego,
California on the 23rd of January, 1945
Here we formed up and were assigned to
LCS Group 12 under Lt. Commander Voegelin, and LCS Flotilla 4 under Commander
N. Phillips. After spending the following month attending more classes, working
on our ship and going through mock invasions on San Nicholas and San Clemente
Islands, we left the good old U.S.A. for Pearl Harbor on the 22nd of
February. Here at last we were headed
for our crack at the Japs.
The next nine days were smooth sailing
and when we pulled into Pearl Harbor on the 3rd of March we felt
that the salt was in our bones and that we were now “regular amphibs”. Here too, we worked on our ship, took on
supplies, and had practice invasions on Maui Island in the Hawaiian Group. Training never seemed to cease, but we soon
found out that all this training was for a reason – a very good reason. The Japs fight for keeps and it was either
us or them.
On the 15th of April we were
on our way again, and after 14 days at sea arrived at Eniwetok Atoll, Marshall
Islands. We must have looked rather
funny to the natives because on April 22nd we had crossed the 180th
meridian of longitude, and as a result of initiation into the Royal Order of
the Golden Dragon, three quarters of the crew had shaved their heads.
Our stay at Eniwetok was only a short
one, and on May 1st we left for Ulithi. We arrived on the 9th, and after a short stay for
refueling were on our last leg headed northwest; our destination, Okinawa,
which at that time was the hot spot of the Pacific.
On the night of May Fifteenth, while
still 50 miles from our destination, we watched gun flashes on the
horizon. This was certainly a thrilling
moment. Here was action with the
enemy. On the morning of May 16th
we pulled into the anchorage at Hagushi, Okinawa in sight of the battleships
that were shelling Naha.
Here
our work began. Our first duty was
smoke coverage for the big ships in the harbor. Soon we were sleeping by our guns and making enough smoke to
cover at least half of the United States.
From the 16th until
the 30th of May we operated in the Hagushi anchorage on skunk
(anti-suicide-boat) patrol, anti-aircraft screening and smoke screening
station. General Quarters was sounded
so often that we saved time by staying at our stations. There were bogeys (enemy planes) every night
and frequently in the daytime.
On the 30th of May we joined
a Task Unit for the invasion of Iheya and Aguni Shima, Ryukyu Islands. On the 3rd of June the landing on
Iheya Shima took place and we put into practice our training at Solomons, San
Diego and Pearl Harbor. This time it
was the real thing. To see the power of
the assault of rockets, the guns of the destroyers, and the bombs and rockets
from the air support was a sight never to be forgotten. After the landing we
reported for picket duty north of the island and served there until the Task
Unit reformed for the Aguni invasion.
On June 9th we entered Red Beach at Aguni and repeated our
performance against this island. On
June 11th we completed the operation and returned to Hagushi
anchorage for further assignment.
From the 14th of June until
16th of July we served under the Northern Gunboat Support Group as
anti-aircraft coverage for ships at Ie Shima anchorage and Nago Wan
Harbor. Throughout this period we acted
as escort, anti-aircraft screen, smoke screen and patrol boat for the northern
anchorage.
On the 16th of July we were
relieved of duty with the Northern Support Gunboat group, and our LCS Group 12
made preparations to leave for a rear area, and what we all felt was a
well-earned rest. Two months of duty in
the campaign of Okinawa had us all on edge.
On the 26th of July we
arrived at San Pedro Bay, Leyte, P.I. and began a period of repairs and
recreation before a final thrust against the Japs. However, on 10 August we received the good news that Japan was
willing to accept the peace terms of the allies.
At last the war was over. In a matter of minutes the sky in the Bay
was a spectacular array of searchlights, rocket flares of all colors and
whistles that would put Times Square to shame.
Everyone was celebrating. This
was the moment everyone had been waiting for, for the past four years. In a few days everything was quiet again but
there was new spirit. This meant
home. Home, yes, but not right
away. There was still work to be done,
peace terms to be negotiated and occupation forces to take over. Our next mission is still unknown but
whether it will be Tokyo Bay, China, or the U.S.A., we of the Ninety-One are
ready.
-
- -
Memo to all hands:
Let me say to you that I am grateful
for your help in making this history.
The part that each of us has played in this war has not been a large
one, but the cumulative effect of your effort, and my effort, and the effort of
each of our shipmates has made the LCS 91 an operating unit, capable of taking
our place out on the fighting line. And
this we have done. It should be a
matter of pride for you to reflect on this.
I am aware of the difficulties you have
had regarding crowded and uncomfortable living conditions, lack of recreation,
and continued monotony and hard work.
You have put up with it all without complaint and have kept on doing
your job. Thank you for accepting that
which could not be changed.
Our job is nearing completion and soon
we may be breaking up. Before we do, however, I want you to know that I am
grateful to you for all your help, that I will remember with pleasure our
association together, and that I wish you good fortune in the future before
you.
Lt. S.A. McCray,
Commanding Officer
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