The Daybook - NHHC · The Daybook is an authorized publication of ... is NAS Oceana, his title is Supply Program Manager at the fuel farm. To him the

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The Daybook

HRNM Staff

Rear Adm. David ArchitzelCommander, Navy Region, Mid-Atlantic

The Daybook is an authorized publication ofthe Hampton Roads Naval Museum (HRNM). Itscontents do not necessarily reflect the official viewof the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense,the U.S. Navy, or the U.S. Marine Corps and do notimply endorsement thereof. Book reviews are solelythe opinion of the reviewer.

The HRNM is operated and funded by Commander,Navy Region, Mid-Atlantic. The museum is dedicated tothe study of 225 years of naval history in the HamptonRoads region. It is also responsible for the historicinterpretation of the battleship Wisconsin.

The museum is open daily. Call for information onWisconsin’s hours of operations. Admission to the museumand Wisconsin are free. The Daybook’s purpose is toeducate and inform readers on historical topics andmuseum related events. It is written by the staff andvolunteers of the museum.

Questions or comments can be directed to theHampton Roads Naval Museum editor. The Daybookcan be reached at 757-322-2993, by fax at 757-445-1867, e-mail at [email protected], or writeThe Daybook, Hampton Roads Naval Museum, OneWaterside Drive, Suite 248, Norfolk, VA 23510-1607.The museum can be found on the World Wide Webat http://www.hrnm.navy.mil.

The Daybook is published quarterly with acirculation of 2,000. Contact the editor for a freesubscription.

About The DaybookDirector Becky PoulliotCurator Joe JudgeEducation Specialist Bob MattesonExhibits Specialist Marta NelsonMuseum Tech./Librarian Ofelia ElboEditor of The Daybook Gordon CalhounArchitectural Historian Michael TaylorBattleship WisconsinOperations Manager Capt. Mary Mosier, USN (Ret.)Special Events Kathryn HolmgaardVolunteer CoordinatorThomas DandesHRNM OIC Lt. (jg) James WusterbarthHRNM LCPOITC (SW/AW) MarionClinkscalesCermonies ET1 (SW) Paul DuerDirector, HRNHF Maj.Gen.Dennis Murphy, USMC (Ret.)

In This Issue... Volume 7 Issue 4

Features

The Director’s Column...............2

Book Reviews..............................10

The Museum Sage.....12

Freedom Fighter: Battleship Wisconsin in the Korean War.........6

Model of the Armored Cruiser Maryland in the Works...............4

Cover Photographs: The central photographshows Turret No. 2 opening up on Communisttargets near the 38th Parallel in support of SouthKorean and U.S. Marine ground forces. Thelower left photo is the damage caused by a 152-mm shell. The lower central photo is Wisconsinpassing through the Panama in 1951 and the lowerright cartoon was what the ship should have beencalled, at least according to the deck department.

The Navy and the Origins of the Military-Industrial Complex, 1847-1887 by KurtHackemer. Reviewed by Ira Dye

At War, At Sea: Sailors and NavalCombat in the Twentieth Century byRonald Spector. Reviewed by JosephJudge

New Items and Changes to Wisconsin.........................................3

Picky, Picky, Picky: Threeinches, two feet, 152 mm,155-mm or, 157 mm??

“Can’t Ask for Better Duty”

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The Daybook

The Director’s Columnby Becky Poulliot

Vol. 7 Issue 4

ìCanít Ask for Better Dutyî:Wisconsinís Honor Guard

Adm. Vern Clark, Chief of Naval Operations, paid a visit to the museum and the battleship Wisconsin in theearlier part of November. He is shown here with the museum docents, members of the battleship honor guard,and TPU personnel. (Photo by ET1 Paul Duer)

Since April 16, a cadre of top-notchenlisted sailors have stood watch overour battleship, providing safety and

security for both the vessel and the 400,000visitors who have walked her decks. Thiscolumn will profile the young men and womenwho are assigned to the Wisconsin as membersof the Commander, Navy Region, Mid-Atlantic Honor Guard.

The Honor Guard is by definition an elitegroup, hand-picked from all the Navycommands in Hampton Roads. Honor Guardmembers are selected based upon theirprofessional bearing and work performance.Duty is for six months and then the memberreturns to the parent command, although theindividual can request to stay longer. Themuseum has been allotted two honor guardteams of three members each on a rotatingbasis. The sailors work regular duty when theship is open to the visitor, and before and afterhours for special events.

What is amazing to me is that the membersof the Honor Guard represent a cross-sectionof America ranging from their hometowns totheir interests, and yet are all alike in a sharedgenuine interest for American naval historyand American war heroes. Here are theirstories.

Petty Officer Shane Hawkey, a MuskegonMichigan native, arrived on April 8, 2001 andopened the ship to the public eight days later.He is the old-timer of the group. Hawkey is asix year Navy man, an Aviation BoatswainMate Fueler 2nd Class. His parent commandis NAS Oceana, his title is Supply ProgramManager at the fuel farm. To him theWisconsin is a “piece of history that keeps youfree, and you better respect it.” Hawkey enjoyshis educational role to the public, andparticularly enjoys the kids and veterans thathe meets. Hawkey wants to make the Navy acareer and has been with the Honor Guard forone and half years.

Petty Officer James Jordan, anotherveteran of Wisconsin’s opening day, wasreassigned but returned back here two weeksago. Jordan is the Honor Guard’s Lead PettyOfficer and is an Electrician’s Mate 2nd Class.

From Philadelphia, he has been in the Navyfor six years, served on the John C Stennis(CVN-74) and now belongs to the NavalStation Norfolk Color Guard. Petty OfficerJordan is amazed at the sea stories he hearsfrom the veterans, one of the most interestingbeing the WWII veteran who was sunk twiceby the Japanese, once on the Langley (CV-1)and two days later, onboard the US destroyerthat orginally saved him.

Our resident Cajun is Derek Causin, anAviation Ordnanceman from the AtlanticOrdnance Command at Oceana NAS. Derekjoined the Navy two years ago fromDonaldsonville, Louisiana to further hiseducation. Derek is 20 years old, marriedand someday hopes to be a State GameWarden. He loves being with the Honor Guardand is appreciative of the thanks he receivesfrom the visitors, particularly older Americanswho take the time to shake his hand and say,“thank you for all you do.”

Jonathan Bedford comes from NewBoston, Illinois. One and half years ago, hefollowed a family tradition of joining the Navy.Jonathan felt honor bound to contribute to ourcountry’s service, and the educational offeringsthat the Navy provided were impressive. PettyOfficer Bedford is an Electronic Technician3rd Class. His parent command is at NorfolkNaval Base’s Airport. Jonathan’s quote formsthe title of this column. He likes the uniquenessof being stationed on a battleship. “Who elsein the Navy can say that?” he asks.

Damage Controlman 2nd Class DennisHogan is a world traveler. Since joining theNavy almost five years ago, he has been onthree deployments and visited exotic ports inThailand, Australia, and Hawaii. His favoriteport so far is Victoria, Canada. Twenty-fouryears old and married since May, he and hiswife will be parents of a son next March.Hogan’s immediate goal is to make chief. Hisparent command is the Norfolk Naval StationColor Guard. He says that his uniform makesa big impression on kids; they look to him asan example and ask him questions about hisjob. Little ones ask if he is the Captain.

Airman Michelle Zuidema is 20 years oldand a Californian. She joined the Navy to getan education and gain job experience. Shewas selected for the Honor Guard threemonths ago. She is an air traffic controllerand loves being in the Honor Guard. She seesher primary role on the ship as an educator.Many people ask her about women’s roles inthe Navy. She likes interacting with differentpeople, learning from the visitors and themuseum docents onboard Wisconsin.

These brief bios offer just a surfacetreatment of the diverse talent found onboardthe Wisconsin. Please take the opportunity tocome by and say thanks to our Honor Guardfor bringing today’s Navy to downtownNorfolk.

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The Daybook Vol. 7 Issue 4

Changes and New Itemson Board Wisconsin

A new ribbon board will be installed to update and correct Wisconsin’s ribbonboard. The battleship now will have 18 ribbons. Among the new medals is theKorea Service Medal (last row, far right), which was authorized by SouthKorea in 1951 and then authorized for American service members in 1999.

by Mary Mosier

On December 7 th, when USSWisconsin was towed into her newberth in downtown Norfolk, the

peak tourist season seemed so far away.Summer was a long six months away; It ishard to believe that it has come and gone.We had over 400,000 plus visitors.Unknown to the average tourist was theongoing busy schedule and work of all thepeople that make the ship the success it hasbecome.

Some of the most frequently heardvisitor comments concern the outstandingmaterial condition and cleanliness of theship. It does not take long for a ship to losethe just painted look. Wisconsin’s continuedpristine condition is the result of threegroups. The first is the contract crew fromLyon Shipyard that is continually recaulking

and painting the public areas. The secondgroup is made up of sailors that are assignedto the Hampton Roads Naval Museum forshort temporary duty periods. They pick upand empty trash, clean the waterways,scrape up chewing gum, sweep the decks,wash the portholes, rig anti-pigeon barriersand all the other daily “fun” jobs. NJROTCunits, Boy Scouts, and other youth groupsare doing the fine tuning onboard, such asshining brass.

There have been many changes andimprovements since the ship’s arrival andthere are more to come. Within the first fewweeks of opening we discovered more tripand bang hazards. Although we can’t makethe ship totally safe for visitors, we try tofind quick and innovative solutions topotential danger areas. For example, we nowhave “nonskid” on the ladder railings so ouryoung visitors do not play sailor and slidedown the rails. The tomahawk loading railsare now painted with bright yellow stripes.Cargo netting was installed on the railingson the 0-3 level and across the bullnose.Bright orange cones are used to cover trip

hazards and some laddersteps were widened.

We have not beenfocusing just on safety. Wehave been taking ourveterans’ and visitors’suggestions. Because ourvisitors cannot tour theinterior of the ship wehave been trying to givethem a better “peek”inside. With the help of thecrew from the IPC RonaldReagan (CVN-77) wehave been outfitting thespaces that can be seen from portholes sothat our visitors can better imagine what lifewas like aboard Wisconsin. We installedlexan (bulletproof) glass in the door to theXO’s stateroom in order to open the hatch.We plan to do more doors on the main deckand 0-1 level. There are now six small setsof stairs under portholes so that children cansee the spaces. The flag bag legends havebeen refurbished and a utility boat wasinstalled in the port davit. Lastly, weinstalled new signs around the ship toenchance her interpretation.

What is next on our “to do” list? Marinesfrom Marine Corps Force Security BattalionNorfolk will have the Corps’s emblemrepainted on the aft starboard 5-inch gun

soon. The Ronald Reagan’s volunteers willrerig the lines. The ribbon board will berepainted with three additional awards andthe brass tompions for the 16-inch guns willbe remanufactured. Outfitting of interiorspaces will continue. Last, but not least, thecanvas installation will be completed.

These improvements come about due tothe dedication of a talented museum staff,the hard work and innovativeness of theNavy Inactive Fleet Command, inspirationof our docents and visitors and the supportof the Commander, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic and the Hampton Roads NavalHistorical Foundation. Thank you all for anamazing beginning. It has truly been a teameffort.

One of the many new additions to the battleship is the reunion of the battleship and one of her liberty boats. Itcan now be seen on the port side of the vessel. (Photo by Gordon Calhoun)

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USS Maryland continues on page 5

Museum to Receive a Model of aNewport News-built “Big Ten” Cruiser

Cruiser USS MarylandComing to Museum

USS Maryland (ACR-8) is shown here breaking in the Navy’s newestdrydock at the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston, 1909. Built byNewport News Shipbuilding, she was one of the “Big Ten” seriesof fast armored cruisers constructed for the Navy shortly after theSpanish-American War. (U.S. Naval Institute photo)

In the near future, the museum willexpand its impressive collection of shipmodels with the addition of the armored

cruiser USS Maryland (Armored CruiserNo. 8/ACR-8). Greg McKay of NewMexico is putting finishing touches on amodel that will complement the museum’sAge of Steel gallery. Mr. McKay has builtseveral models for the museum including the

cruiser CSS Florida, the ironclad USS NewIronsides, and the aircraft carrier USS Ranger(CV-4).

Authorized by Congress in 1900,Maryland was a Pennsylvania-class warshipand the fifth of the “Big Ten” series of armoredcruisers. Newport News Shipbuilding andDry-dock Company won the contract andcommissioned her on April 18, 1905. Shewas 502 feet in length, drew about 24 feet ofwater, and displaced 13,680 tons.

Maryland had a mixed bag ofarmament including four 8-inch/40caliber rifles, 14 6-inch/50 caliberrapid-fire guns, and two torpedotubes. The eight-inch rifles werefound to be effective weapons andbecame particularly well known fortheir destructive force. Self-propelled or “locomotive” torpedoeswere a new trend in naval warfare andalmost every warship from thebattleships to the tiny torpedo boatswere equipped with them. Eightboilers provided 28,900 horsepowerand allowed the ship to achieveslightly over 22 knots duringbuilder’s trials.

The “armored cruiser” becamevery popular among some navaltheorists after the Spanish-American War asthese ships were not only speedy vessels,but also had a respectable main battery andwere more heavily armored than smaller typesof ships. The public perceived the armoredcruisers Brooklyn and New York asextremely successful ships during the 1898conflict. Theorists envisioned that thesenew ships would form a scouting force forthe main battleship squadrons.

In many ways, however, this ship andher sister cruisers were rather odd vessels.Despite being labeled a cruiser, Maryland

was slightly longer and displacedmore water than the more heavilyarmed battleships. Since speed wasthe number one priority, herengineering plant produced overtwice as much power as thebattleships. But to save weight, herarmament was significantly lesspowerful than a battleship, whichwas equipped with 12 and 13-inchguns, and her armor belt was sixinches thinner than a battleship.

This paradox of a large ship withsmall guns provoked a storm ofdebate between naval theorists and

architects. Naval historian Ivan Musciantdiscovered a side by side comparison ofMaryland and the Newport News-builtbattleship Virginia (Battleship No. 13/BB-13) written by a contemporary flag officer,which outlines one of many criticisms of theship. The officer commented that Maryland’sarmor scheme was grossly flawed as the sidearmor was not only thinner than Virginia, but alower percentage of the hull area of theMaryland was armored than Virginia. Forty-five percent of Maryland’s hull was armoredcompared to 60 percent of Virginia’s hull.Another critic summed up by simply statingthat the armored cruisers were “inferior tobattleships in so many respects and superior tothem in so few.”

Nonetheless, the ship had its good points.It had a high freeboard allowing the ship tofire in heavy seas. It was one of the first shipsto be equipped with the new “balanced”turrets with sloping armor faces allowing theguns to elevate to 55 degrees. Mostimportantly, the designer’s intention of speedwas achieved as they were among the fastestships in the fleet. Only the torpedo boatsand torpedo boat destroyers were faster. If

Shown here is turret no. 2, which was equipped with8-inch/40 caliber rifles. (Photo by Greg McKay)

Maryland came with 12 small boats for landing parties. On themodel as on the ship, each of the small boats is different. (Photoby Greg McKay)

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On the verge of World War I, Maryland had upgraded systems, a new hull color (wartime slate grey), and anew name. The Navy renamed all of their armored cruisers with city names. Maryland was renamed Frederick.Along with her sister armored cruisers, the Navy assigned Frederick to protect valuable Europe-bound troopconvoys from German surface raiders and U-boats . (HRNM photo)

Wisconsin Visitor Information

General Information: 757-322-2987 http://www.hrnm.navy.mil

Volunteer Opportunities: 757-322-3106 [email protected]

Honor and Ceremonies: 757-322-2988 [email protected]

Historical Information: 757-322-2993 or 322-2984 [email protected]

Information on visiting Nauticus andNauticus’ Wisconsin Exhibits: 757-664-1000

www.nauticus.org [email protected]

Wisconsin Project Partners:USS Wisconsin Association:www.usswisconsin.org

Battleship Wisconsin Foundation:www.battleshipwisconsin.org

USS Maryland continued from page 4nothing else, this class of ships has someof the most beautiful lines of any warshipdesigned.

Once Maryland was commissioned intothe fleet, the ship spent much of its time intraining with the fleet and training newrecruits. She also served as a transportvessel for matters of state includingcarrying the secretary of state to Japan forthe funeral of Emperor Meiji Tenno. Afterthat, she steamed three times to Mexico andNicaragua to assist American citizensduring domestic turmoil in those twocountries.

With onset of the First World War, theNavy made several changes to the ship. Thecruiser was given more reliable boilers fromthe famed firm of Babcock & Wilcox,

minesweeping gear, a sixty-foot topmast,and a new fire direction system. Her hullwas painted slate grey, which was thestandard wartime color scheme, in place ofthe peacetime white and “Panama Buff”color scheme.

Lastly, the ship received a new name. Allof the armored cruisers were stripped oftheir state names in the 1910’s and renamedafter cities located in the ship’s formernamesake. For example, Pennsylvania wasrenamed Pittsburgh. In this spirit, Marylandwas renamed Frederick. The state names wereused in new battleships currently underconstruction. Maryland gave up her name forBattleship No. 46, which was concurrentlyunder construction at Newport News.

During the Great War, the ship and her

fast speed were ideal in protecting Europe-bound troop convoys against surfacecommerce raiders and U-boats, whichknown to be operating in the westernAtlantic. Operating out of Hampton Roads,Frederick and her sister cruisers escortedthe troop transports to the mid-Atlantic andthen turned over the protection duties todestroyers for the dangerous journey into

British coastal waters. For a short time, shewas assigned to the South Atlantic to be onguard for enemy commerce raiders. Whenthe war ended, she made six round trips toEurope to bring American soldiers home.

One of her last duties was to carry theU.S. Olympic team to Antwerp, Belgiumfor the 1920 Olympic Games. After spendinga few more months on a South Americancruise, she was retired to the Reserve Fleetand scrapped a year later.

Shown here is Maryland’s bridge, right behind turretnumber one. Notice the smaller guns, specificallyMaxium machine-guns, above the bridge. (Photo byGreg McKay)

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Freedom FighterWisky is Awakened to Fightthe Communists in Korea

Freedom Fighter continues on page 7

After a quick shakedown cruise to Britain with the Midis onboard, Wisconsin headed to Japan enroute to Korea. But firstshe had to squeeze through the Panama Canal (Photo fromWisconsin’s 1951-52 cruise book)

by Gordon Calhoun

One of the great advances of the Korean War was theuse of the helicopter. Wisconsin’s avaition detachmentused the Sikorsky H03S (shown here on BB-64 inDecember 1951) for spotting targets on shore and forsearch and rescue of downed aviators. (Photo fromWisconsin veterans collections)

When the Communist forcescrossed the 38th Parallel in 1950,the Navy had only one battleship,

USS Missouri (BB-63), in commission. Dueto a combination of severe budget cutbacksand a need on the part of the American publicto get back to a normal life, all of the otherbattleships, including Wisconsin, had been“mothballed” by 1947. But the Korean crisiscalled for at least a partial rearming as manynational security analysts saw the invasion aspart of a larger worldwide threat. As a result,after just three years of rest, “Wisky” was calledto serve again.

When Wisconsin arrived in Korea, the warhad just entered a stage of World War I-like

aircraft carriers Antietam (CV-36), PhilippineSea (CV-47), and Valley Forge (CV-45), theheavy cruiser St. Paul (CA-73), the lightcruiser Manchester (CL-83), around 12destroyers, and a few oilers and landing ship,tanks (LSTs). Rarely, would all of the shipsbe group together as Seventh Fleet wouldfrequently rotate the ships between theOperating Area “Sugar” (around the 38th

Parallel) and Japan. Wisconsin and St.Paul, for example, would often rotate as theheavy gun ship.

The battleship arrived on the bomblineon December 1, 1951. Accompanied by thedestroyer USS Wilstie (DD-716) (usually thebattleship was joined by only one destroyerwhile bombarding shore targets), the shipopened up with her first hostile shots of thewar with her secondary battery at 1824 onDecember 2. These initial shots with thefive-inch guns would be the first of many

intensity bombardments was to both keepthe enemy hunkered down in their bunkers,officially called “harassing fire,” andprovide illumination to friendly troopsattempting to fight off a nighttime attack.The raids were conducted in close co-operation with friendly troops on shore, asliaison officers from both American andSouth Korean units were a frequent sighton board. The close co-operation paidquick dividends. On December 4,Wisconsin fired off three illuminationrounds in support of South Korean troops.The rounds lit up the battlefield just in timefor the South Korean soldiers to massacrea North Korean assault.

The main guns were lit off for the firsttime in Korea when Marine forwardobservers from 1st Division called in a firemission on December 3. With the

promising and General Ridgeway orderedU.N. forces to cease offensive operationsnorthward and prepare for what he called an“active defense.”

Wisconsin’s role in this strategy was toassist three divisions holding the eastern flankof the U.N. line: the ROK’s (Republic ofKorea) Capital Division (situated right alongon the eastern coast, south of Kosong),the 11th ROK Division (situated slightlyto the west and south of the CapitalDivision), and the U.S.’s 1st MarineDivision, which was holding the centerof the line between the two ROK Corpseast of a valley labeled the “PunchBowl.” Additionally, Wisconsin andother ships of Task Force 77 had theresponsibility of protecting a series ofcoastal islands strung out along theeastern coast.

Unlike the armadas of World War II,Wisconsin’s “battlegroup” wassignificantly smaller in size. With asmaller defense budget and with othercommitments worldwide, the Navy inKorea was strapped for ships.

Her task force consisted of the

low intensity nighttime bombardmentsconducted in support of the troops of the1st ROK Corps. Around sunset, Wisconsin’sgunners would fire only about six roundsper hour. Higher rates were fired as needed,particularly if troops of the two NorthKorean corps facing U.N. forces launchedan assault. The purpose of these low-

stagnation. The U.S.-led United Nation forceshad recently thrown the Chinese-led forcesback across the 38th parallel and settled downinto a series of trench warfare battles. TheU.N. strategy at this point in the war was tohold on to what they had and to attempt toconvince the Chinese and North Koreans tonegotiate a cease-fire. Initial talks were

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Freedom Fighter continued from page 6

Freedom Fighter continued on page 8

Wisconsin served on the eastern coast of the Korean theater between late November 1951 and April 1952.While there, she served as flagship for the Seventh Fleet, provided much needed fire support for U.S. Marinesand South Korean Army units, and disrupted North Korean ground and naval forces. (Map adapted from a1966 official U.S. Army map of the Korean Peninsula)

Commander of the Pacific Fleet on boardto observing the action, this first 16-inchgunfire mission was rather modest with onlyfive shells being fired. As modest as it was,this initial attack destroyed at least oneenemy tank, two artillery guns, and a supplydump. More intensive fire missions werecalled in over the next three days. BeforeWisconsin’s first week on the bombline wasover, she fired 116 16-inch shells, 808 five-inch shells, and 157 starshell/illuminationrounds. In addition to the damage causedby the first fire mission, Wisconsindestroyed 17 bunkers, destroyed six moreartillery guns, and leveled a cave.

The battleship presence can not beunderstated. During this period of trenchwarfare, Communist forces built their bunkerson the north side of hills and mountains tokeep them out of the line of fire from groundbased artillery. Not only were the bunkers ingood defensive positions, but the Army andMarines lacked sufficient heavy artillery (155-mm and 8-inch) despite several attempts toprocure sufficient quantities.

The first alternative was air power, butairstrikes were scarce as both the Air Forceand Navy air wings concentrated theirmissions on strategic targets such astransportation infrastructure and factories. Thesecond alternative was heavy guns frombattleships and heavy cruisers. With completecommand of the sea, the heavy ships couldwork their way into a firing position that wouldallow them to pulverize a bunker trying to hideon the opposite side of a hill.

After they gave friendly ground troopsmore fire support, Wisconsin went on theoffensive. Based on intelligence provided bythe South Koreans, Wisconsin and thedestroyer USS Twining (DD-540) locatedseveral enemy troop concentrations north ofthe front lines. The two ships headed north tothe town of Kojo, located about 30 miles northof the front, for what was labeled a “specialfire mission.” The main guns opened up at1332 with the five-inch guns opening up soonafter that. For the next seven hours, the twoships leveled 17 bunkers, a 122-mm artillerybattery, an anti-aircraft battery, a North Korean

Division command post, and three ox carts ofammunition. When the latter was hit, it setoff a series of spectacular secondaryexplosions. More targets would have been hitif it were not for the large amount of smokecaused by a recent napalm drop by Navyfighters.

On December 10, while on the bombline,the destroyer O’Bannon (DD-450) handedover a North Korean solider that they caughttrying to make his way back to friendlyterritory on a make shift boat. The solider wasin bad health and was suffering from mortalcombat wounds. Upon questioning, he readilygave out personal information. His name wasXun Pyuykuk, and he was a North Koreanintelligence officer attempting to deliverinformation back to his superiors. He alsomentioned that he was married and had threechildren before he died later that night. Thenext morning, the agent was buried at sea onboard the battleship with full honors.

The fire support and bunker bustingmissions sometimes became secondary. At thispoint in the war, a series of small, but sharpactions began off both west and east coast ofthe Korean peninsula. During the 1950advance into North Korea, U.N. forces seizedseveral coastal islands. When the Chineseintervened and forced a hasty withdrawal fromthe North, U.N. garrisons continued to holdthe islands. As many of these islands werenorth of the main battle line, they were usefulin conducting intelligence and special forces-type operations against Communist positions.Naval historian James Field noted that thethreat of these islands kept three Red Chinesearmies and three North Korean corps occupiedon coast defense duty instead of the front line.Ironically, according to several histories of thewar, U.N. negotiators had already concededthe islands during peace talks.

This is not to say Communist forces werecontent with the situation. During late 1951,they made several raids on the coastal islandsand were successful in taking a few of themon the west coast. Alarmed by the communistgains, U.N. commanders felt they needed toorganize a better defense plan for the islands.This was not done until a meeting involvingcommanders of all branches of American andSouth Korean forces was held aboardWisconsin, which was serving as Seventh Fleetflagship, on December 9.

The second solution to the Communistraids was a more pro-active approach. OnDecember 20, Wisconsin set course for the port

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The Daybook Vol. 7 Issue 4Freedom Fighter continued from page 7


Wisconsin’s 16-inch and five-inch guns fire off shellsinto the Korean twilight sky. The battleship’s five-inchguns were often used in night strikes to harass enemytroop concentrations or to provide illumination shellsfor South Korean ground troops and U.S. Marines.(HRNM photo)

Being the flagship of 7th Fleet, Wisconsin rendered honorsto many VIPs. Syngman Rhee, the vehemently anti-Communist dictator of South Korea and his American wifewere among them. Cardinal Spelleman, the archbishop ofNew York, also paid a visit. (Photo from 1951-52 cruise book)

city of Wonsan. Located on the east coast ofKorea and several miles north of the 38th

Parallel, South Korean marines and irregularforces had possession of a few islands on theouter edge of the harbor. The Navy had keptthe city under a state of siege for a little overa year, both to support the South Koreanforces and to keep enemy ground forcesoccupied. The Wisconsin-led task forceprepared for an all-out strike to preempt anexpected Communist offensive on the

Wonsan islands. It would be more correctto say Wisconsin’s operations officer,Commander I.J. Superfine, and his staffprepared for an all-out strike. While theorders came down from Seventh Fleet, theburden of planning the attack fell toWisconsin’s staff, and not at the higherechelon commands. With the planning atleast somewhat in place, the light cruiserManchester and destroyer Gregory joinedWisky and steamed north. While the surfaceships steamed north, Antietam prepared herF9F Panthers, AD Skyraiders, and F4FCorsairs to join in at the appropriatemoment.

Wisconsin fired first and directed her fireat suspected coast artillery positions in theinner part of the harbor. As the squadron

moved closer, Wisky’s five-inch guns,along with Manchester and Gregory,opened up on several anti-aircraftbatteries located in various parts of theharbor. By noon, all of the AA batterieswere believed to have been destroyed, atwhich time Antietam’s Skyraiders andCorsairs began their run on the small boatyards. Additionally, with the defensessufficiently suppressed, the battleship’smain guns were turned to the railroadmarshalling yards and naval facilities.

Before the smoke cleared, Wisconsinhad done considerable damage with hermain guns. During this one strike, thebattleship fired 112 16-inch shells at theport. Post strike reconnaissance reportedthe following destroyed: eight anti-aircraft batteries, the divisionheadquarters, a bridge span, six gunboatsthat were to be used against South Korean-held islands, and the marshalling yard.

Commander Superfine noted in the afteraction reports, however, that the strikescould have been much better. He noted thatduring the initial planning of the strikes,Wisconsin’s planning staff was left out ofthe loop and only given intelligence aboutpotential targets at the last moment. Whenthe intelligence reports were handed down,it was then up to the battleship’s staff tocoordinate.

As soon as the strike on Wonsan wasover, the squadron immediately went southto support the Marines. Wisconsin’saviation detachment stayed behind on theSouth Korean-held island of Yodo, locatedat the entrance to Wonsan harbor. Pilotedby Lt. Logan, ADC Rol, and one otherenlisted person, the battleship’s SikorskyH03S flew thirty-five miles into North Korea.Word had reached them that a pilot fromAntietam had been forced to ditch his planeand was in need of rescuing. The rescue teamfound the pilot, a Lt. Seymour Marshall, on3,600-foot mountain and picked him up. Thehelicopter was fired at by enemy troops atleast three times. All three men laterreceived air medals for the heroic rescue.

Wisconsin was temporarily relieved ofher bombardment duties by St. Paul towardsthe end of December. For Christmas,Cardinal Spelleman, the archbishop of NewYork and frequent dignitary to Americanmilitary facilities, arrived aboard on Dec.27 and held mass. The ship then headedback to Japan to rearm and refit.

Since Wisky was the flagship of theSeventh Fleet, the crew rendered honors tomany other VIPs such as Senator Furgeson,NBC radio reporter John Rich, the U.S.ambassador to South Korea, and mostimportantly, the president/dictator of SouthKorea, Syngman Rhee. Each VIP visitunfortunately disrupted normal operations.When the VIP inspection or visit ended, thebattleship was forced to leave the bomblinefor at least 48 hours in order for the ship’shelicopter to be in range to take the VIP toshore.

The ship left Japan and returned to thefront in early January 1952. Over the nexttwo weeks, the ship, in conjunction with thedestroyers USS Dehaven (DD-727) andMarshall (DD-676), commenced several firesupport and bunker busting missions onbehalf of 1st MarDiv and I ROK Corps. Welltimed communications from South Koreanforward observers allowed Wisconsin todrop major bombardments on North Koreantroops assembling for an attack betweenJanuary 15 and 16. In one case, an entirecompany of enemy infantry was caught outin the open and eliminated. During the two-day raid, at least three enemy companieswere wiped out before they could even getclose to friendly forces. After firing over400 16-inch shells and 905 five-inch shells,Wisconsin destroyed 26 shelters, crackedopen 10 bunkers, and leveled four caves.The ship had succeeded exhausting one thirdof her magazine capacity in just 48 hours.That evening, the ship and her escorts retiredto Sasebo, Japan to rearm.

9

The Daybook Vol. 7 Issue 4Freedom Fighter continued from page 8

Sometimes,neither the big guns nor the secondary battery wereneeded. Here, the starboard 40- mm antiaircraft guns openfire on a North Korean train trapped by a collapsed tunnelduring the March 15 strikes. (Navy Historical Center photo) Freedom Fighter continued on page 14

Navy aerial photography took this picture of Wonsan’srailroad marshalling yards after Wisconsin’s mainguns dropped several shells on it. (From 1951-1952cruise book)

The turnaround time was very quick andthere was barely enough time for the crewto catch their breath and with no time forliberty. The ship arrived in Sasebo at 0400on January 17. After receiving 306 16-inchshells, over 200 power bags, and exchanging40 homeward bound sailors for 37 new sailors(many fresh from boot camp and schools),Wisconsin was under way and headed backto Operation Area Sugar by 1600 the sameday. There was no time allowed to receivefuel or secondary ammunition. Theturnaround was so short that four of Wisky’ssailors arrived after the ship left.

Wisky arrived on station by the nextmorning where the battleship joined Essex(CV-8), Antietam, the heavy cruiser USSRochester (CA-124), and nine destroyersalready in formation. Once there, Rochesterand Wisconsin prepared to receive somemuch needed fuel from the oiler USSGuadalupe (AO-32). The fuel tanks wererunning low after the battleship averaged 25knots going to and from Sasebo. After therefueling, the ammunition ship USS Rainer(AE-5) came along side and transferred 900five-inch shells for the very active secondaryguns. While the deck department, gunners,and engineers worked to refit the ship, ViceAdm. Martin, commanding officer ofSeventh Fleet, came on board to plan out thenext few weeks of bombardments with hisstaff and Wisconsin’s operations staff.

The first fire missions back were theroutine fire support missions for SouthKorean units on January 23. The main gunswere brought on line two days later and

destroyed a North Korean command post andleveled 20 caves. With the warm-up periodover, TF77 moved north and anchored offKojo, a small coastal town that washeadquarters for the III North Korean Corps.This particular attack would be nothing likethe earlier raid on Wonsan, but nonethelesscalled for a combined attack with naval aircraft.The secondary guns opened the action at 0717on January 25 and aimed their shells atsuspected anti-aircraft batteries. While the AAguns were being suppressed, four bombersflew overhead and attacked an ammunitiondump. The main guns opened up two hourslater on troop concentrations, the Corps’headquarters, and a second supply dump.While several secondary explosions wereobserved, spotters failed to communicate targetcoordinates in a satisfactory manner, whichcaused several misses.

Two days later, South Korean commandersrequested that Wisconsin suspend her usual firesupport missions to drop a bridge near theNorth Korean held town of Kosong (about 20miles north of frontlines). The bridge itselfwas right on the coastline and could be seendirectly by Wisconsin’s observers. Wisconsin’sgunners succeeded in dropping one span ofthe bridge and severely damaging the otherwith little effort. The next morning (January29), they fired on the same bridge. This timethey caught repair crews out in the open. Theysucceeded in dropping the second spandamaged the morning before and in creating“a big hole on the south end of the bridge.”While there, spotters located the headquartersof the 15th North Korean Division and directed

main guns to destroy it.The fact that Wisconsin had to

bombard the same bridge in twodifferent fire missions was symbolic ofthe frustration of Korea as a whole. Theenemy was found to be a verydetermined opponent when it came tohandling UN air and naval raids.According to Army historian WalterHermes, the North Koreans hadcommitted several thousand workers forthe sole purpose of repairing bridges,building fords across rivers, andrebuilding roads. As a result, gun andair raids often had to be duplicatedseveral times to have a lasting effect.This often could not be done as air andnaval resources in the theatre werealready in short supply.

More frustration came with a second

attack on Wonsan. This raid included threedestroyers and aircraft from Antietam. Theattack began at 0730 with O’Bannon runningan ASW screen, and USS Brush (DD-745)and Twining taking up the dangerous taskof entering the inner part of the harbor.Brush exchanged shots with coastaldefenses on Hodo Pando, a peninsula on thenorth edge of the entrance to the harbor.Wisconsin once again targeted the railroadmarshalling yards (repaired since the firstattack). She succeeded in destroying ninerailroads cars and several hundred feet ofrolling stock. Gunners had to check theirfire when a pilot off Antietam was downedand forced to ditch in the harbor. Twiningquickly rescued him and Wisconsin resumedfire just four minutes later. They wouldhave to check their fire several more timesthroughout the day as aviators got too closeto the main guns. A note was later passedto the aviators telling them to stay clear. Totop off a frustrating day, post strike photos

10


Book ReviewsThe U.S. Navy and the Origins of theMilitary-Industrial Complex, 1847-1883by Kurt HackemerReviewed by Ira Dye

The title of Professor Hackemer’sbook is formidable but it does tellthe prospective reader exactly what

the book is about. It is a book very muchworth reading, and it deserves a place inthe library of anyone interested in thehistory of the “Old Navy.” The navalhistory of the antebellum period from 1815to 1861 has received very little attentionfrom naval historians, and the period from1865 until about 1890, even less. Mostnaval history readers are aware that theperiod following the Civil War was thelowest point in the effectiveness of ourNavy. But they have little understandingof how we actually made the transition fromthe post-1815 wooden-hulled, sail-driven,muzzle-loading, backward-looking navy tothe steel-built, steam-powered, rifled-gunfleet that overwhelmed the Spanish in 1898

and beyond. This book tells the story ofthat transition, and tells it in an interesting,readable way, albeit with lots of detail onadministrative matters.

The pre-Civil War Navy was very skilledin building wooden warships of the oldstyle. These ships, frigates, sloops and evenships-of-the-line, were built exclusively inthe Navy Yards, under the close supervisionof sea-going naval officers. The officercorps in those days was very conservativeand backward-looking, and would havehappily continued to replicate “OldIronsides” on into the future. There waslittle strategic pressure on the United Statesto change this mindset; it was a time of deeppeace and was not under any threat. But inWestern Europe, the strategic situation wasdifferent. The two old enemies, Britain andFrance, faced each other, with the evolvingtechnologies of the Industrial Revolutionavailable to them. A new naval arms race

between the two started up, and the RoyalNavy quickly found that the fleet needed thecooperation of British industry. Before long,both Britain and France were building steampowered, ironclad ships, the products of strongrelationships between their navies and theirnational industries.

In the United States, by the 1840s and1850s, naval expansion became more popularas part of the Manifest Destiny concept thatsaw the American nation as filling up thecontinent. Also at work was the ardentlynationalistic Young America movement. TheYoung Americans wanted to see a collectiveeffort of the Navy and private shipyards tobuild up and modernize the Navy, lookingabroad to Great Britain for inspiration.

There were different, competing engineand propulsion technologies available that hadbeen developed for the merchant marine byprivate industry. The Navy’s response to thesituation was intelligent and pragmatic: thedepartment advertised for companies to buildsteam propulsion to fit into Navy-built woodenships. They allowed for considerableflexibility in the responses, and after someexperimentation, worked out a usable systemof competitive bidding and contracting. Therewere several types of engines all describedby the author, plus a really good water-tubeboiler that came to light during theprocurement process. Within a few years, thecontracting process had evolved to the pointthat entire ships were being built bycontractors. This was all excellent preparationfor the Civil War, which was to come in 1861.

The Civil War tested the Navy’sprocurement system to the limit. Privatecontractors proved to be very innovative. Forexample, John Ericson produced the highlysuccessful Monitor and others developed thenew “ironclad” technology. Theimplementation of the ironclad technologywas beyond the capability of the over-worked Navy Yards. But several creativeapproaches to the ironclad problem wereproduced by private firms.

The end of the Civil War brought a swiftregression in naval power. Budgets were cut,

contracts canceled, ships laid up, and theoperation of the Navy turned over to Adm.David Dixon Porter, who was convinced thatthe Navy had gone downhill since theintroduction of steam. This was followed bya period of politicization and corruption, andby the early 1870s the United States was athird-rate naval power. We were unable toface down Spain in a serious manner andwhen we tried to protect American interestsduring the War of the Pacific, in 1879, weretold by Chile, who had modern cruisers, tomind our own business.

Finally, after several discussions, the “SecondAdvisory Board” in 1883 started a four shipbuilding program that was the start of the steelnavy and the turning point in the fortunes of theU.S. Navy. This led to the fleet that fought theSpanish-American War, and then on to theGreat White Fleet and to today.

Professor Hackemer lucidly traces thisstory as the relations between the Navy andprivate industry evolved from the 1840’s onthrough the 1880’s. He has thoroughlyresearched his subject and uses primarysources to a large extent. The story is well-documented, and any reader wishing to gofurther can easily track any subject dealtwith in the book back to its source materials.

While perhaps not everyone’s dish of tea,I found this book to be interesting and filledwith material that was completely new tome. I recommend it to any student of navalhistory. It will fill a gap in the knowledgeof even those who think they have athorough knowledge of how the Navy to gotwhere it is today.

Kurt Hackemer. The U.S. Navy andthe Origins of the Military-IndustrialComplex, 1847-1883. Annapolis:Naval Institute Press, 2001. ISBN 1-55750-333-8. 181 pages. $45.00.

11


Ronald H. Spector. At War At Sea:Sailors and Naval Combat in theTwentieth Century. New York:Viking Penguin, 2001. ISBN 0-67086-085-9. 436 pages. $29.95.

At War At Sea: Sailors and NavalCombat in the Twentieth Centuryby Ronald H. SpectorReviewed by Joe Judge

Anyone who has lived through the 20th

century, or even a significant part of it, can attest to the feeling that it was

the pace of events that marked the period.Change, driven by technology, swirled aroundevery field of human endeavor. Naval historywas no different: the century dawned with thebig battleship enthroned as the capital ship,and ended with naval forces preoccupied withair power, undersea power, missiles andintelligence. One of the country’s foremostnaval historians Ronald H. Spector has turnedhis considerable talents to a history of navalwarfare in this fast-paced century.

At War at Sea is a sweeping survey ofdifferent navies fighting different warsthroughout the century. Spector’s examinationis not a straightforward recounting of navalevents, but rather a book-length essay thatexamines the human factor in naval warfare.

Mr. Spector writes: “Looking back on thiscentury of relentless and often revolutionarytechnological change, it is little wonder thatmost naval historians have tended toemphasize technology … Technologicaldeterminism fails to explain why navies withsimilar weapons systems chose to employthem in dramatically different ways, as theBritish and Americans did with navalaviation in the 1920s and 1930s. …Obviously these questions can be answeredonly by reference to people, their training,ability, political and cultural background,experience, knowledge, expectations, anda host of other social and psychologicalfactors…”

Cynics will be not be surprised to findthe responses less than happy. One of Mr.Spector’s themes is the shadow of hide-boundtradition and class-consciousness that wasoften cast over navies trying to grapple with

complex problems. Britain’s Royal Navy, inso many ways the world’s greatest in manydifferent centuries, suffered from this problem:“Much time and energy were devoted tosatisfying the obsession with brilliantpaintwork, spotless decks, and gleaming brasswhich so preoccupied naval officers in the lateVictorian and Edwardian years. … In manyships, clips designed to lock watertight doorsfirmly in place had been filed and polished sointensely that their doors could no longer beconsidered watertight.” As for the U.S. Navy,until the 1930’s commissioned rank wasvirtually limited to Annapolis graduates. Hereis Mr. Spector’s account of the NavalAcademy at the beginning of the period: “thegreat majority of those who entered Annapoliswere from well-to-do families … Only oneper cent had fathers who were unskilledfactory workers or farm laborers. Blacks werewholly excluded and Jews extremely rare. …Annapolis education was not designed withany concern for intellectual rigor.” Japan andGermany, two other navies that receiveextended treatment in the first half of the book,suffered from systems that placed little valueon the well-being of their crews. TheJapanese navy was so brutal, writes Spector,that a Japanese sailor compared it to being“a slave on a pirate ship.”

But Spector counters these illuminatingtales with a broader point: “navies, beneaththeir rituals and regalia, are extremelyadaptive, fast-changing organizations.Entirely new types of seagoing warfightersand specialists have been accommodatedwithin the traditional structure of theservice.” In many cases, thisaccommodation was the result of thepresence of a decisive, forward thinkingindividual (or group of individuals) thattook on naval problems with originality. InBritain two such men were Admiral John“Jacky” Fisher and First Lord WinstonChurchill. In the U.S. it was outsiders,primarily reservists and civilians, thatpromoted naval aviation after World War I.Spector writes of “an odd organization ofenthusiastic, wealthy and well-connected Ivy

League graduates” that purchased their ownaircraft and took private flying lessons. Thisgroup, which became known as the First YaleUnit, had a budget for airplanes that equaledmore than 50% of the congressionalappropriation for naval aviation in 1916.

At War at Sea compliments such analysisof naval developments with accounts of majorsea battles where the navies of the world triedto apply the lessons of peacetime. Jutland,the Coral Sea, the British evacuation of Creteand the Battle of the Atlantic are just a few ofthe sea fights discussed in the book. Thelargest section of the book is devoted toWorld War II, where Mr. Spector’s mostvivid writing covers the great carrier battlesof the Pacific War. The last section of thebook focuses on the American navy duringthe Cold War and Vietnam. These accountsof military campaigns are used to illuminatenaval developments and issues, not ashistories for their own sake. Yet they arereliable and useful histories.

This book is a serious and detailedexamination of how navies of the worldconducted their business during thetwentieth century. It is directed toward theserious student of naval history, althoughthere is much to enlighten the general reader.It leaves the reader asking the question: whoare the forward thinkers that will come tothe aid of the Navy and the nation today?Where are our Jacky Fishers and First YaleUnits? Let us hope that the sea service isflexible enough to find them and let themcontribute to solve the problems of the twenty-first century.

12


The Museum Sage

Picky, Picky, Picky

Whoever coined the phrase “Don’tsweat the small stuff,” the Sageis here to tell you just how wrong

you are. In the Sage’s opinion, it is the“small stuff” which starts the biggest andmost intresting historical arguments.

As The Sage has alluded to in previouscolumns, there are certain peoplewho love to concentrate on the little “fun”facts of history. These facts are usuallyabout who was the first this or the last that.If these facts were to be changed, Earth

would not come to a screeching halt.However, some people get very passionateabout these little statistics. If one were everto discuss military history at a bar, then thisis the type of history to be found.

Now don’t misunderstand The Sage. Thisis an important aspect because it keeps thesubject of history fresh in the minds ofpeople who would normally not haveanything to do with it.

The battleship Wisconsin is no exceptionto this. You would not believe the argumentsthe Sage has overheard between veteransover who served on the longest battleship!Readers who are familiar with Wisconsin areno doubt familiar with the fact that BB-64is allegedly three inches longer than theother Iowa-class battleships. This minorextension in the 887-foot battleship’s hulloccurred, so the story goes, when shipyardworkers placed the bow of unfinishedKentucky (BB-66) on to Wisconsin after hercollision with the destroyer Eaton. As

Wisconsin is three inches longer, she is thelargest battleship currently in the world.Fine. Problem solved you say.

So The Sage will let his readers be theone to argue with the group of New Jersey(BB-62) veterans who claim that theirmagnificent ship is TWO FEET, longer dueto a mistake during construction at thePhiladelphia Navy Yard in 1944 making herthe largest battleship in the world.

There are some of these little facts,however, that The Sage is certain that arein need of correction. One concerns thesize of the North Korean shell that hit Wiskyon March 15, 1952. Every (save one) bookthe Sage has come across that mentions

permission to bring artillery battalionsequipped with the famous “Long Tom” gunsto Korea. (Joint Chiefs did turn down arequest for the heavier 8-inch guns however,making Wisconsin’s presence all the moreimportant, but we will save that argumentfor later.)

The North Koreans used equipmentgiven to them by the Red Army. The SovietUnion has historically some of the bestgunners in the world. It is a known fact theSoviets handed over a number of 152-mmguns to their North Korean allies. The 152-mm gun was an excellent piece of militaryhardware that the Soviets used with deadlyefficiency against the Nazis in World War

the “Temper TemperWisconsin” incident (socalled because BB-64promptly blasted theenemy gun battery thatcaused the wound intothe next time zonewith a full 16-inchbroadside), states thatthe battleship was a hitby a 155-mm shell.

The Sage haswondered about this forsome time and onlyrecently has comeacross the source of theproblem. Wisconsin’sdeck log for March 15,1952 reads “believed tobe 155-mm gun.” Manysecondary sources take this as theunquestioned truth. Some other “sources”have said 157-mm and The Sage doesn’treally want to know where that came from.

There is a little problem with this: theNorth Koreans didn’t use the 155-mmhowitzer, as it is an American caliber. Ithas been suggested that maybe the NorthKoreans used American guns capturedduring the UN retreat after the Chineseintervention. The problem with thissuggestion is that if the North Koreans wereusing 155-mm guns, it would have beennews to Gen. Mathew Ridgeway,commander of the UN forces, as he didn’thave these guns in theatre. He had topractically beg the Joint Chiefs of Staff for

II and has been copied several times theworld over. It had a range of about 13kilometers and only required a crew of fourto operate. So it is pretty safe to say that theofficer of the deck on March 15 made a smallerror about three millimeters in size.

With that settled (hopefully!), The Sagehas to get back to work and find out why somany naval histories say Wisky was injuredoff the coast of Songjin when the deck logreported her position off the coast ofMayang-do island some forty miles to thesouthwest. These debates will never die. Forthe sake of The Sage’s and historians’worldwide and their jobs, he hopes it neverwill. It is the little stuff keeps us employedand the spirit of history alive.

Shown here is a battery of 152-mm howitzers manned by Red Army soliders andpreparing to fire during the Battle of Kursk in 1943. It was an excellent gunthat only required a small crew to operate. This is more than likely the weaponthat the North Koreans used against Wisconsin on March 15, 1952 as the Sovietsdelievered hundreds of them to the North Koreans.

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Useful Web Sites

http://www.navalhistory.dk/This is a web site on the history of the Danish Navy.It covers (somewhat unfortunately) only between the years of 1801-1993 and thisexcludes some of the early glory years of the fleet. Nonetheless, the fleet doesquite have an interesting history in the 19th and 20th centuries. This site is inEnglish and Danish (for those of you who speak that beautiful language.)

http://www.naval-history.net/ This is an excellent websitefor history on the Royal Navy during World War I and II.It is mostly in a reference format. That is, it has compiledbasic facts, information, and maps that can be foundelsewhere. However, the creator of this site has gone tothe trouble of putting it all online. It also includes someinformation on other fleets of the world.

Understanding & Rembrance

Sponsored by the General Douglas MacArthurFoundation and Old Dominion University, the

symposium will be comprised of an impressive roster ofkeynote speakers and panelists to discuss the war, review itshistorical legacy, and honor veterans. For more informationcontact the MacArthur Memorial at 757-441-2965 or e-mailto [email protected]

A two-day symposium on the Korean War. June 26-27, 2002at Old Dominion University

14




Like World War II, Wisconsin’s armor and massive fuel capacity madeit an ideal ship to refuel smaller ships operating in a combat zone.Wisconsin refueled so many ships that sailors began to wonder whatkind of ship she really was. In the picture above, Wisconsin refuelsthe heavy cruiser USS St. Paul (CA-73) and the destroyer USS Buck(DD-761) (Above photo from Naval Historical Center, cartoon from1951-1952 cruise book)

Wisconsin’s turret number twounloads on communist targetsduring a daylight attack.Daylight targets includedbunkers and caves that wereable to elude air strikes andground based artillery. (Photosfrom Naval Historical Centerand 1951-52 cruise book)

showed that the roundhouse, one of the maintargets, was still up despite having 38 shellsdirected towards it.

But Seventh Fleet decided not to give up.The experience of the second raid on Wonsanprompted a third raid, this time with morefirepower. Two more carriers, Philippine Seaand Valley Forge, joined Antietam andWisconsin’s squadron. Four planes were sentup to provide better spotting, and thehelicopter went aloft to prepare for search andrescue. As the task force approached Wonsanharbor, Wisconsin, and not her destroyers,began to lay down a carpet of five-inch shells,several filled with white phosphorous, onthe coast defense and AA guns on HodoPando.

With shore guns suppressed,Wisconsin moved in closer to the outerpart of the harbor and opened her mainguns on several structures, including theelusive roundhouse. Aircraft from thethree carriers made attack runs as well.When North Korean gunners downedone Corsair, Wisconsin’s helicopter wentto look for the pilot and came underheavy fire. Several bullets hit the fueltank causing the helicopter to start

stood at combat stations for over eight weeksstraight. Even after liberty call ended, theship did not immediately head back to thefrontlines, as the next two weeks were spenttraining for the next series of missions andmaking repairs. By late February, the shipwas considered ready and returned to sea.

When the battleship headed back towardsOperation Area Sugar, the war had takenseveral frustrating turns. The peace talksthat were initially going well had hit several

roadblocks. U.N. commanders evensuspected that the sessions were only beingused as to cover for a major Communistoffensive in the near future.

In early March 1952, Wisconsin and thedestroyer USS Duncan (DDR-874) steamednorth as part of an overall effort by the Navyand Air Force to strike targets deep insideNorth Korea and prevent such an offensivefrom getting off the ground. Wisconsin’starget was a series of rail junctions andtunnels located along the east coast of Koreabetween the 40th and 41st latitudes. Thebattleship and the destroyer would firststrike targets near the coastal town ofSongjin (located about 150 miles northeastof Wonsan), then they would work their waysouthwest along the coast in the direction ofthe port city of Hungnam.

Operations Department labeled the targets“Package,” which were the tunnels, and“Derail,” which were rolling stock. When thetargets were picked, Operations assigned the“Package” targets a number and the “Derail”targets names such as “Jig” and “George.”This led to targets being referred to as“Package 2” and “Derail George.”Wisconsin’s gunners placed base detonating

gushing fuel. With only eight gallons of fuelleft, the Sikorsky called off its mission andmade a hasty return to the ship. A secondhelicopter was sent from the tank landingship LST-799 that had been converted intoa makeshift helicopter carrier. Brush andTwining also raced into the hornet’s nest torescue a pilot downed in the middle ofWonsan harbor.

After a brief bombardment of III NKPACorps troops in Kojo, Wisconsin retired toYokosuka Naval Shipyard for its first shoreleave since arriving in Korea. The ship had

15


A North Korean 152-mm shell caused Wisconsin’s oneand only combat wound. The enemy’s four-gun batteryceased to exist shortly after making the attack. (Photofrom Wisconsin veterans’ collections)

fuses on the shells to allow the 16-inch shellto penetrate the target before exploding. Inwhat is a prime example of the destructiveforce of a 16-inch shell, the gunners did notmake plans to use any armor piercing shellsagainst the tunnels.

The two-ship squadron started the operationin the early morning hours of March 15.Arriving off the coast of Songjin at 0500, themain and secondary guns opened up on the“Package” targets first. After three hours of

path of destruction southward.The next target was a tunnel a few miles

west of the coastal village of Ch’aho. The


bombardment, the ship ceased fire, made 25knots, and rushed to their next set of targetsabout ten miles southwest of Songjin. Fortyminutes later and with her helicopter aloft,the main guns opened on the town ofTanch’on, which was a major rail junction,for three and a half hours. Around noon,the battleship ceased fire and continued her

main guns were aimed not only at the tunnelsand rolling stock, but also at the cliffs inorder to cause landslides by breakingretaining walls. Two more tunnels wereattacked. When the main guns leveled one,lookouts spotted a Communist train headingsouthbound. The train stopped close to theblocked entrance. Instead of just using themain guns or secondary guns, Wisconsin’s 40-mm anti-aircraft gun teams went into actionin an extremely rare role for the guns. The40-mm batteries fired a little over 100 roundsat the box cars, ripping them to pieces. Onemain gun turret was then fired against thelocomotive. One of the 16-inch shells scoreda direct hit on the locomotive.

Wisconsin’s aerial spotters detected anothertarget. They reported an enemy coast defensebattery about ten miles southwest of thebattleship’s position on the island of Mayang-do. The battleship then proceed at15 knots towards the suspectedposition and opened up apreemptive strike on Mayang-do.The enemy returned fire. Lookoutsspotted four distinct gun flashescoming from the peninsula, behindthe island. A few seconds later, asplash 20 yards in diameterexploded 100 yards off the portbow. Two more splashes explodedoff the starboard quarter. The shipimmediately went to 25 knots andstarted to change course from 264degrees to 234 degrees. Unfortunately, theship turned too late and the fourth shell foundits mark.

The Ides of March Offensive-In the early morning hours of March 15, 1952, Wisconsin and the destroyer USSDuncan (DDR-874) set off to cripple the North Korean rail system along the eastern coast. The squadron’starget list for the day is named in the map above. (Adapted from an official 1966 U.S. Army map of Korea)

The shell penetrated the starboard sideweather deck between frame 144 and 145 onthe 02 level and tore a 24 by 30 inch hole inthe ship. Three sailors, SA G.L. Alley, GM3J.A. Thackerson, and SA J.T. Gormican from40-mm mount #15 were injured. All threesailors suffered severe shrapnel injuries, butall of them had treatable wounds. The decklog reported that the shell was possibly a 155-mm shell; this has been repeated in severalnaval histories afterwards. However, thisinformation was more than likely a minortechnical error on a part of the officer of thedeck. (See The Museum Sage on page 12 formore information.)

The minor wound inflicted by the NorthKoreans was quickly answered. The enemygun flashes gave away their position and aretaliatory strike was ordered. All nine 16-


Niether Kim Il Sung’s forces nor Old Man Winter coulddampen the crew’s spirits. Members of the deckdivision make a snowman while off the coast of NorthKorea. (Photo from the 1951-52 cruise book.)

While the deck department thought of Wisconsin as“AO-64,” the aviation department had another name:NAS Wisconsin. (Cartoon from 1951-52 cruise book)

16


In Our Next Issue...�

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Freedom Fighter continued from page 15inch guns were loaded with point detonating(PD) shells, in place of the delayed-fusedshells used for leveling railroad tunnels. ThePD shells were designed to explode on firstcontact with a solid object and used againstsoft targets as they spread a large amount ofshrapnel. The ship changed course to 090degrees and opened up a full broadside onthe enemy battery at 1554 (13 minutes aftershe was hit.) Two direct hits were reportedand the enemy battery ceased to exist. Afterobserving Wisconsin returning the NorthKorean challenge in dramatic fashion,Duncan signaled to the battleship “Temper,Temper Wisconsin.”

After eliminating the North Korean gunposition, the main guns continued to attacka third railroad tunnel. Several 16-inchshells were lobbed at the tunnel and struckhome. With darkness coming on and themission complete, the ship secured fromgeneral quarters at 1700 and proceeded backto Operation Area Sugar. One final incidentcapped off the busy day when Duncan’ssonarmen thought they detected an enemy

submarine. Fortunately, they concluded itwas a school of fish and returned to stationin front of the battleship. As the shipdarkened, one of the busiest days inWisconsin’s history came to an end.

An officer who knew a thing or two aboutWisconsin praised the ship’s efforts. Adm.Earl Stone, Wisconsin’s first commanding

support of allied ground forces and strikesagainst the III NKPA Corps. Before the strikesbegan, Duncan came alongside and took thethree wounded sailors injured on March 15 toPusan for further treatment.

The squadron stayed on station for anothertwo weeks before retiring to Tokyo Bay. Theship pulled into to Yokosuka Naval Base toawait the arrival of USS Iowa (BB-61).

Wisconsin’s five month tour in Koreashowed the effectiveness of a battleship. Theship was able to cruise the east coast of Koreaand provide much needed support to U.S.Marine and South Korean units who wereoften outnumbered and outgunned against adetermined foe.

The ship soon returned to her homeport inNorfolk in the summer of 1952. Here, thesailors found warm temperatures and a warmerhomecoming. The concluding remark in theafter action report was the same as it had beeneveryday for the last six months: “Personnelperformance was excellent.”

Sixteen-inch shells are loaded on to Wisky while in Sasebo,Japan. The battleship would often race to Sasebo, load up300 to 400 of the one ton shells and then race back to thebombline; all this in a little over than 12 hours. (Photo fromWisconsin veterans’ collections)

officer and current commander ofCruiser Squadron One, came back onboard his old ship. He proudlycommented that “the gun strike conductedon 15 March by the USS Wisconsin andUSS Duncan is noteworthy in that itdemonstrated the great effectiveness of16-inch gun fire...rail traffic in theSongjun-Chiao area was distributed for aperiod of five days.”

For as busy the ship was on the 15th,Seventh Fleet had more work assignedfor the ship as soon as she returned tothe bombline (i.e. Area “Sugar”) andjoined up with St. Paul for continued

Wisconsin returned to the warmth of Norfolk from the cold, snowy weather of Korea in the summer of 1952.(Photo from Wisconsin veterans’ collections)

Privateering in Hampton Roads During the War of 1812

Book Reviews: American Maritime Prisoners in the Revolutionary War byFrancis D. Cogliano and On Seas of Glory by John F. Lehman

Wisconsin’s Silver Service

Documents

The Daybook - NHHC · The Daybook is an authorized publication of ... is NAS Oceana, his title is Supply Program Manager at the fuel farm. To him the