Monday, January 09, 2012
OLD TIME IS STILL "AFLYIN'
On this date (January 9) in 1945, the good ship, YMS-176, took part in the invasion of Lingayan Gulf in the Philippines. That comes to 67 years, as I figure,
A few things stand ouy in memory. At Lingayen, the Japanese stepped up the kamikaze--suicide bombings, and added a new wrinkle.
Once the landings have been made, the invasion fleet is still at anchor in the harbor, Suicide swimmers attempted to board the anchored ships under the cover of darkness. One night we were underway in the harbor area. A lookout spotted a small boat, like a canoe or something similar. There were two men in it. Our searchlight picked them up like dancers on a stage. They dove overboard, but evidently they were wearing lifejackets and they popped back up. Some our guys began shooting at them. In the meantime our helmsman (the guy steering the ship) began to maneuver the ship in such a way as to run over the swimmers and let our propellors grind them up. As our valedictorian at NBHS might have put it,"That'll learn 'em."
A few things stand ouy in memory. At Lingayen, the Japanese stepped up the kamikaze--suicide bombings, and added a new wrinkle.
Once the landings have been made, the invasion fleet is still at anchor in the harbor, Suicide swimmers attempted to board the anchored ships under the cover of darkness. One night we were underway in the harbor area. A lookout spotted a small boat, like a canoe or something similar. There were two men in it. Our searchlight picked them up like dancers on a stage. They dove overboard, but evidently they were wearing lifejackets and they popped back up. Some our guys began shooting at them. In the meantime our helmsman (the guy steering the ship) began to maneuver the ship in such a way as to run over the swimmers and let our propellors grind them up. As our valedictorian at NBHS might have put it,"That'll learn 'em."
# posted by Noonski @ 5:32 PM 
