Thy obtained eleven hits on the Tromp causing heavy damage to the Dutch cruiser. There was no pain connected with it, it was more like someone had touched with a hot iron; luckily it did not hit bone. During the Second Battle of the Java Sea, Pope and Encounter were directed to escort Exeter away from the action. The two destroyers had taken up screening positions and shortly before midnight steam was available to two more boilers in HMS Exeter and speed was increased in steps to 23 knots, which was the maximum speed that could be obtained with the four boilers now operational. The enemy took avoiding action and no hits were obtained. At 0930 the inevitable happened. USS Pope (Lt.Cdr. As HMS Exeter was loosing way, HMS Encounter and USS Pope drew ahead. On a 3-month round-trip voyage out of San Francisco, beginning 23 January, she took troops to Guadalcanal, Auckland, and Nouma, and brought 1,300 men back to San Francisco 9 March. Japanese forces deployed to intercept the Allied ships trying to escape. . After a brief stop in San Pedro California, she made passage through the Panama Canal on 15 June 2010, continuing on to ESCO Marine in Brownsville, Texas where she arrived at her final destination for dismantling. US Navy Roughly 250 feet long and displacing about 1,200 tons submerged, U-505 was a Type IXC U-boat with a crew of 60. The third wave then entered the Strait. H. Kuboki) and Michishio (Lt.Cdr. Her 30 or so seriously wounded, including Goggins, were taken by train to the Dutch Petrinella hospital at Jogjakarta. Dazed and oblivious to a neck wound and the charred skin hanging from his burns, Goggins ran aft only to find the steering engines completely demolished. Getting back to the action itself, while this was taking place, we were being continuously bombed, shelled, and strafed. E.V.St J. Morgan, RN) and the US destroyer USS Pope (Lt.Cdr. Pope was initially placed in reduced commission at Philadelphia and assigned to Squadron 3, Division 39 of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. The mission actually hopeless, HMS Exeter, in her damaged condition could make no more then 16 knots when she sailed from Surabaya. Battlefields of WWII The Stories of WW2 Volume 27 at Amazon com Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users World War II HistoryNet May 8th, 2018 - Facts information and articles about World War II 1939 1945 USS Arizona Pearl Harbor World War II Facts Dates September 1 1939 ? Coordinates: 0400S 11130E / 4S 111.5E / -4; 111.5. On 7 July 1967, the General John Pope departed U.S. J.B. de Meester, RNN) and four US destroyers; USS Stewart (Lt.Cdr. After two surprise encounters against two rather large Japanese fleets that had left her unscathed and with no casualties to the crew, it seemed that the Pope must certainly be leading a charmed life. Shortly before midnight the Allied ships changed course to due north to pass to the east of Bawean Island as ordered. With a top speed of . But to reach that target the ABDA force would have to cross the Flores Sea this day in broad daylight. The Snook was lost six months in the Luzon Strait later on April 8, 1945 with 60 onboard. [4] This was to be the start of a long, almost 60 hour ordeal for the men in the water, as the survivors from Pope would not be rescued until almost midnight on 3 March by the Japanese destroyer Inazuma. She received two battle stars and the Presidential Unit Citation for her World War II service. After shakedown General John Pope sailed for Newport News 5 September 1943 with over 6,000 troops and civilians bound for Greenock, Scotland; and, after disembarking her passengers there, returned to Norfolk, Virginia 25 September. On 4 June 1944, a hunter-killer group of the United States Navy captured the German submarine U-505. During the naval battle of Balikpapan she made close-quarter torpedo and gun attacks which helped delay Japanese landings at Balikpapan and later in the Battle of Badung Strait she impeded the invasion of the island of Bali. We were hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned by the enemy. Little did we know that we were headed for a big disappointment and what would prove to be the last voyages for these three ships. We in the engine room were surprised when told that we were surrounded by enemy ships, thirteen to be exact, five cruisers and eight destroyers. : The U.S. Navy Destroyer's Service in World War II. The Allies were at that time under the impression that they had obtained a victory. Many was the time that I would look at the 3/8" steel plate that was the skin or bulkhead of the ship, and expect at any moment to see a shell penetrating it. Muster Rolls, 1860-1939. Another shipmate by the name of Mathews and myself went with him to set off the charges. Commanded by Captain Daniel V. Gallery, the task force was alerted to the presence of U-boats in the area by Allied . Our guns were now firing again as they had moved within range of our four-inch guns. All hands were alive, with the exception of one who had been killed instantly by shrapnel to the head. You can locate this information through various sources: Government Sources: The Old Military and Civil Records Branch, National Archives, 700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20408, holds copies of deck logs from 1801 through 1940, as well as . She arrived at Vung Tau on 29 July 1967 to disembark the 244th Aviation Company and the 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment. During 1921 she alternated between her winter base at Charleston, South Carolina and her summer one at Newport, Rhode Island and escorted President Warren G. Harding to Plymouth, Massachusetts 30 July 1 August. The enemy fire now became very effective on the almost stationary Exeter which was repeatidly straddled and hit. Pope joined Squadron 15, Division 43 of the Asiatic Fleet at Chefoo, China 26 August and participated in fleet exercises off Chefoo until her departure 28 October for her winter base at Cavite, Philippines. Oil-rich Borneo had been invaded and the tatters of the American, British, Dutch and Australian fleets had been reorganized into a single ABDA command. I heartily encourage all who have read this to visit all the EXCELLENT sites that are linked to in this document. They were evaded as the ships had orders to try to escape to Colombo. He was a navy man in WW2. On January 24, 1942 in the early morning during the Battle of Balikpapan four destroyers USS Pope (DD-225), USS Paul Jones (DD-230), USS Parrott (DD-218) and USS John D. Ford (DD-228) . They sailed from Surabaya in the afternoon of the 19th. USS Pope had been unable to take part in the Battle of the Java Sea as she had been repairing at Surabaya. A line was then formed in the order, HrMs De Ruyter, HrMs Java, HrMs Piet Hein, USS John D. Ford and finally USS Pope. Speed was increaded to 27 knots and they proceeded up Badoeng Strait. With no further means of propulsion, she slowed to dead in the water. The Encounter, who had been bringing up the rear of our column had by now pulled up abreast of the Exeter, at that precise moment she too was hit by an enemy salvo. The action was over around 0215/20 and Tromp retired from the Strait to the north-east. Two throttlemen are assigned to each throttle during battle, at about ten or fifteen minute intervals, we would take turns going to the hatch leading to the main deck, undog it, and gulp in a few breaths of fresh air, while glancing at the action that was taking place above decks. Many of us found time to say few prayers of our own. On 23 July 1966, elements of the 64th Transportation Company boarded the General John Pope, and departed from the Tacoma, Washington Outport Facility, arriving in Okinawa on 5 August 1966. On 1 November 1967, the General John Pope again departed Oakland Army Base with elements of the 61st Assault Helicopter Company, the 92nd Assault Helicopter Company, the 134th Assault Helicopter Company, the third packet of the 221st Signal Company (Pictorial) and the 45th Military Intelligence Detachment, arriving in Okinawa on 17 November 1967 for a 24-hour layover. The US destroyer meanwhile continued to retire from the area. Around 1120 hours, HMS Exeter received a vital hit in 'A' boiler room which started a large fire and the boiler room had to be evacuated. During the Battle of Balikpapan she made close-quarter torpedo and gun attacks which helped delay Japanese landings at Balikpapan and later in the Battle of Badung Strait she impeded the invasion of the island of Bali. We had fought the enemy from about 0800 until about 1350 hours. By the following evening, we had completed the necessary repairs and were once again prepared to return to action. We in the engine rooms had by now set the bilge pumps in operation. The Exeter's anit-aircraft guns turned loose a salvo and the plane was blown to bits. The Allied ships immediately altered course to the east. The attack force consisted of ships of the American, British, and Dutch navies; namely the cruisers USS Houston and Marblehead, the British cruisers HMS Hobart, Exeter, Jupiter, and Express. The first part of the night of 28 February / 1 MArch was uneventful. Around 2230 hours HrMs De Ruyter and HrMs Java opened fire on the Japanese which were taken by surprise. Eventually she was found and disabled and brought to a halt by damage received from aircraft from the Japanese aircraft carrier Ryujo.She was finally sunk by gunfire around 1440 hours from the Ashigara and the Myoko. We were about half way through what proved to be our last meal on the Pope, when we were interrupted by gunfire. I would answer the annunciator from the bridge and adjust the throttle accordingly, giving the bridge the speed it was requesting. As they sought to escape the three Allied ships fought four Japanese heavy cruisers and four destroyers throughout a fierce three-hour action, and they damaged a number of enemy ships. The motor whaleboat went out and brought him back to the group. As with the Baltimore class, it carried its magazines and equipment on a heavy 6-inch belt. With saddened hearts, we knew we would never walk the decks of the Pope again. The USS Leopold (DE-319) being launched in June 1943; Convoy escort during WWII could be both a terrifying or dull affair. Now Tromp went in. Reinstated on the Navy List 20 July 1950, General John Pope was assigned to MSTS 1 August. Pope was stationed off Swatow and Pehtaiho during 14 June 19 August, observing the Japanese Navy en route to Swatow and the subsequent bombing and occupation of the city. This gave one the feeling that the ship had been hit. The POW Camps. An enemy report was therefore made. Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, D Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion (Mechanized), 50th Infantry, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, "Deck Plans: USS General John Pope (AP-110)", General John Pope, Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet, Benicia, Solano County, CA, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=USS_General_John_Pope&oldid=1149452080, This page was last edited on 12 April 2023, at 09:54. Otis Elevator Vintage. Around this time all the Allied ships also engaged Japanese destroyers with gunfire. With each pass over the ship, they would strafe the ship with machine guns. William D. Porter. The other two ships were also in need of repairs and were not 100% fit for battle. Besides the ships themselves their crews were also suffering from fatigue due the immense strain they had been under the past weeks. Pope returned to Manila in late June on neutrality duty and remained on station there until 11 December 1941, when she got underway for Balikpapan, Dutch East Indies. He heard the staccato reports of anti-aircraft guns, the pounding of the 3" batteries and felt the heel of the cruiser as CAPT Arthur G. Robinson veered to avoid the aerial bombs. Steam pressure dropped rapidly and in the end the main engines had to be stopped. Meanwhile the Allied second attack wave was nearing the scene of the action. These forces were split into two groups. She was the first ship named for John Pope. USS Pope (DD-225) was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy that served during World War II. S. Kohama), Nenohi (Lt.Cdr. Movements of the Allied ships during the night. Stewart was then hit with gunfire. J.M.L.I. This was done to prevent the enemy from boarding a slowly sinking ship and gathering information or charts about our fleet operations. During 1921 she alternated between her winter base at Charleston, South Carolina and her summer one at Newport, Rhode Island and escorted President Warren G. Harding to Plymouth, Massachusetts 30 July 1 August. These were engaged with AA fire whenever possible. $12000.00. and a 2007 TV programme.[14][15]. The three of us left Surbaja at about 2200 hours, the night of the 29th of February. She sailed on to Da Nang to disembark remaining elements of the 3rd Marine Regiment. At 1245 hours, Nachi fired once again on HMS Exeter by gunfire. After the crew started to hit the water, Mr. Antrim, the executive officer, appeared on the fantail, and asked "who's going to volunteer to help me blow up the ship?" Unfortunately commercial salvage divers had discovered Pope previously and save for a skeleton, little now remains of her wreck. Otherwise, photos courtesy of cited or linked sources. Even though we were heavily engaged in action, our skipper decided to circle the Exeter, one time, to lay a smoke screen to better enable the men to safely abandon ship without too great a loss of lives. The wreck of USS Pope, DD 225, was located and identified in December 2008 by the dive vessel MV Empress, approximately 60 nautical miles (110km) from the wreck of HMS Exeter, which Empress discovered in 2007. Up to 900 men initially survived the sinking, but many succumbed to shark attacks, dehydration, and salt poisoning as they awaited . A. Kroese, RNN) as well as the US destroyers USS John D. Ford (Lt.Cdr. Almost torpedoing the battleship carrying President Franklin Roosevelt to the Tehran Conference was not the first misadventure of the ill-fated 'Willie Dee'. We were running a zigzag course and the shells fortunately fell harmlessly into the sea. These also turned towards at once. 6.832. Soon after HMS Exeter was brought to a halt, HMS Encounter also had to stop due to damage received in the engine rooms by splinters. The Asashio turned a searchlight on which was quickly taken out by a salvo from the Java. This effort seemed futile, we were taking water on faster that we could pump it out. Fate: Sunk following attacks by naval aircraft from carrier USS Guadalcanal and depth charges and gunfire from destroyer escorts USS Pillsbury, USS Pope, and USS Chatelain southeast of the Azores . Now, on the horizon yet another threat to our survival appeared: seven high bombers. When the skipper received the word "bombs away", he would have the ship veer hard to port or starboard, varying the directions, and the bombs would fall harmlessly into the sea. With her location/identification now being finally confirmed, all ships lost during the Battle of the Java Sea and subsequent engagements have now been discovered/located and positively identified. USS Corvina: USS Pope: USS Cotton: USS Porcupine: USS Cowell: USS Portent: USS Crow: USS Porter: USS Cushing: USS Porterfield: USS Cythera: USS Preston: USS Daly: USS . After serving in the Pacific Theater throughout the warbeing there from Pearl Harbor to Saipan, and then Okinawahe carried a quiet lifelong interest in documentaries about the World War II American . During the torpedo attack a total of fifteen torpedoes were fired, six each by USS Stewart and USS Pope and three by USS Pillsbury. Wiley exercised administrative control only from the destroyer tender, USS Black Hawk (AD-9), and was not aboard USS Paul Jones during the first three months of . In fact, a voyage whose destination would never be reached. The Oshio on her turn was seriously damaged by the Tromp. By bleeding the hydraulic lines and yoking the rudder gears with chains Goggins and the damage control parties were able to lock the rudder amidships. CDR William B. Goggins, the light cruiser's XO, scurried below decks to the wardroom, his General Quarters station, lest he and the CO both be caught on the bridge. The U-boat War in World War Two (Kriegsmarine, 1939-1945) and World War One (Kaiserliche Marine, 1914-1918) and the Allied efforts to counter the threat. Vintage Industrial Cabinet. In them he looked forward to a new world order that would supersede the selfish nationalism that had provoked the conflagration. Their targets, Asashio and Oshio were not hit and both Japanese destroyers now went after their attackers. Pope made visits to French Indochina in 1935 and in 1938, two visits to Japan in 1934 and 1935 and one to the Dutch East Indies in 1936. Steerage could now be re-established by varying the speed of the two propeller shafts. 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