Attack of the Greyhounds

by H. Nelson Freeman

“I’ll be right down.”

  The Captain reached the quarterdeck as the first officer was saluting the colors. The first officer to board the ship was Commodore Aaron Newsome, Commander of Destroyers Hawaii. Captain Raymond Owen Sheffield, the new commander of the destroyer squadron, followed his supervisor. Chris snapped to attention as the OOD presented the officers.

  “Sir, May I present Commodore Aaron Newsome, Commander of Destroyers, Pearl Harbor, and Captain Raymond Owen Sheffield, Commander of Destroyer Squadron Seven.”

  “Welcome aboard, gentlemen, please follow me to the wardroom.”

  In the wardroom, the Stewart served coffee while the visitors broke out papers from their satchels. Captain Lanner had his copy of all the events that occurred from the time he was advanced to Lieutenant and assumed the position of Chief Engineer.

  Commodore Newsome sat back and allowed Captain Sheffield to run the interview. His role was an uninvolved observer.

  Captain Sheffield said, “Tell about the events that occurred following your advancement to Lieutenant and taking over as the Chief Engineer.”

  Chris took him through the days following their departure from Pearl Harbor until they arrived at Darwin. “Sir, may I refer to my notes, I want to make sure what I say is accurate?”

  “Absolutely,” answered Sheffield, “I agree, accuracy is paramount, and I wish more officers kept that kind of notes. Continue when you’re ready.”

  After a couple of seconds of scanning his notes, Chris filled in the officers on the events from his direct knowledge. “Sir, I would like to recommend that events that occurred outside of my presence come from other crewmembers for a clearer picture. If I offered them, they would come from a second-hand source, and that could be considered suspect.”

  “Excellent analysis Captain, we will follow that path.” Captain Sheffield said.

  An hour later, following the completion of Chris’ statement and follow-up questions from Captain Sheffield, the interview ended.

  “We want to talk with other members of the crew that has first-hand information.”

  “Aye, sir, I have a list here of those men who have such information,” Chris told the Captain as he handed over a single sheet of paper to him.

  The interviews went on for the next two days. It was becoming a second after-action report that mirrored the one Chris submitted to the Squadron Commander upon their arrival.

  Finally, on the third day, the two senior officers wrapped up their interviews. At the departure meeting, Captain Sheffield said, “We’ll review the interviews, and after dotting i’s and, making sure the t’s are crossed, then we’ll get back to you. In the meantime, now would be a good time to allow the crew to decompress. Liberty and leave are at your discretion, but the crew must remain on Oahu pending the end of this evolution.”

  “Understood, sir.” Captain Lanner said.

  The next visitors came from the shipyard and the local representative from the Bureau of Ships. Captain Ryan Lee, a forty-six-year-old career naval officer, was the representative of the Bureau of Ships. He and the shipyard commanding officer, Commander Bradley Phillips, another career naval officer, were whistled aboard by the duty Bo’sun. Captain Lanner took the men to the wardroom.

  With hot coffee cooling in front of the officers, Commander Phillips said, “Following an in-depth inspection of the ship, I will make my recommendations to Captain Lee. He, in turn, will decide as to whether or not repairs are to be made here, to send you to Mare Island, or decommission the ship. As soon as the decision, one of us will contact you. I expect this process to take two or three days.”

  “I understand, sir; I do need to tell you that my appointment as the commander of this ship is temporary. I took command when Captain Tyson and the XO, Lieutenant McGuire, were killed in action. I may be the Chief Engineer when you call.”

  “I understand, Captain, I wish you the best of whatever the decision will be. In any case, we will be in touch.”

  “Aye, sir.”

  The following Monday, Captain Sheffield and Commodore returned to the ship. The three-officer were back in the wardroom, this time with a briefcase full of documents.

  This time the Commodore took charge, “Captain Lanner,” he began, “I have been in contact with the Bureau of Personnel. At this time, we are sadly short of qualified commanding officers. Those facilities providing commanding officer candidates are well over-taxed, and a waiting list is growing by the day. Captain Sheffield has completed an extensive investigation of your background. Including several interviews with the ship's officers and your former fighter squadron commanding officer, who is currently at Barbers Point Naval Air Station.”

  “Captain Sheffield has recommended that you maintain the command of the HALLIS and the rank of Lieutenant Commander. However, you must complete a four-week short course at the training site for Commanding Officer Candidates here on Oahu. You, of course, have the option of declining this assignment.”

  “No, sir, I look forward to the training and responsibilities.”

  “We were told you would say that. I took the liberty of setting you up for the class; it will commence in three days, we have the location for you in your orders. Following successful completion of your training, your rank will become permanent, as well as the command of the HALLIS.”

  “Thank you, sir, for both of you. I am somewhat at a loss for words, which I sure will bubble up later.”

  After half an hour of small talk, the two commanders wished him the best in his endeavors and took their leave. Captain Lanner escorted them to the quarter-deck.

  At fourteen-hundred hours, Commander Phillips came aboard and told Chris Commodore Newsome recommended the ship to be repaired here. The over-riding consideration was the excellent condition of the hull and engineering plant, and that is directly due to your efforts as M & B Division Officer and Chief Engineer. Congratulations Captain. I also have been told you will be kept on in your current billet and rank. Congratulations on that, as well.”

  “Thank you, sir, this has been a whirlwind week, to say the least.”

  “Yes, that seems to be the standard around here these days. The war footing has changed everything, and it will take years to get it back to normal if it ever does.”

  “I’m afraid; we will never see days like there were before December seventh. And, I’m not too sure I want to.”

  “I don't disagree with you. Besides, this is what we trained for, wasn’t it?”

  “That it is Commander.”

  “I need to get back to the officer; the work is piling up.”

  “Thank you again, sir, for stopping by with that great report.”

  “I’ll be in touch as the repairs proceed. There will no doubt be times you are going to wish you were in the full school. It’s going to get hectic around here.”

  At the quarterdeck, Captain Lanner thanked the commander again as he left. Then the Captain called for the XO, “Check in to see if we can get quarters for the men on the base. You will also need to get fire and security protection for the ship. Muster the department heads and division officers and have them set up security and work details as needed. If we get the shore facilities for the crew, have them move in right away. I would like to have them in a place where they can get rest when not working. Tired men make mistakes, and accidents can be costly. We move the ship into the drydock the day after tomorrow.”

  “Aye, sir.”

  ****

  At the squadron headquarters, Captain Sheffield picked up the ringing telephone. “Captain Sheffield, sir.”

  “Captain, this is Commodore Lee. I’ve received a message from BuPers; it appears some commander I don’t know has rejected our recommendations regarding Lanner.”

  “Do we have another course of action?”

  “I have plenty of contacts at the Bureau of Personnel; I’ll keep you informed. Don’t say anything to Lanner.”

  “Aye, sir.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  With the ship’
s work in the competent hands of the XO, the Captain reported to the training facility for his course. During his initial interview, the commanding officer said, “This is highly irregular, but the circumstances warrant the acceleration. We are looking forward to seeing your capabilities.”

  “Thank you, sir; I’ll be doing my best to justify the faith my commanders have put in me.”

  “I believe you will, Commander, good luck.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  Captain Lanner began his short course for prospective Commanding Officers. For the next four weeks, the Captain attended lectures and classes. He called the ship every evening to get an update on the ship’s progress, and to inquire if any help was needed. Then it was homework, with Maggie helping where she could.

  The four weeks went by before Chris was aware of it, and he began spending his workdays on the ship. Before tugs removed the HALLIS from the drydock to a nearby pier, the hull technicians inspected the hull for damage, and new subsurface coatings were applied. The shipyard fabricated a new superstructure for the HALLIS and topped it off with a replacement Fire Control Director. Work was rapidly progressing on interior connections and a myriad of essential pieces of equipment. New communication and information cables were installed and checked out. When completed, yard paint shop workers protected the interior with primer and paint.

  In conjunction with the new bridge, the weapons experts from the yard repaired the damage to the fifty-two mount. Highly qualified civilian representatives from the sonar, radar, and radio manufacturers installed an entirely new electronics suite. For three days, the electronics chief engineers conducted checks, repairs, and adjustments on every piece of equipment and circuit throughout the ship. The day of rebirth loomed just around the corner.

  ****

  The duty Yeoman almost knocked the annoying black phone off the desk in a hurry to answer it. Tom Duncan, a Second Class Petty Officer, cautioned, “Slow down, Mike, You’re going to hurt yourself. Then I will have to do your work too.”

  “Sorry, I guess I was a little hungover from the luau last night.” He lifted the offending handset, “Captain Sheffield’s office, Yeoman Hendricks speaking, sir.”

  “Good morning, Yeoman Hendricks, this is Commodore Newsome, is the Captain in?”

  “Yes, sir, one moment, please.”

  Seconds later, “Good morning, Commodore, what can I do for you this morning?” Captain Sheffield asked.

  “Morning, Ray. My contact at BuPers got back to me. They were able to educate that new commander, and we have the green light to keep Lanner as a permanent Lieutenant Commander and the Skipper of the HALLIS.”

  “Good, that solves several problems, and we can send that ship back into harm's way with a competent captain.”

  “Yes, and if he survives, I can see a great career in his future.”

  “I can second that.”

  “How’s the ship coming along?”

  “I would expect her to be ready for trials in under two weeks.”

  “Well, keep me informed.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “As soon as the formal paperwork for his permanent position and rank arrive, set up a ceremony for him,” Commodore Newsome ordered.

  ****

  Following the yard period, the paint shop sent word they were ready to finish off the yard period with a Modified Twelve paint scheme to help her visibility when they have an island backdrop.

  The day for sea trials arrived. The crew reoccupied the ship, and at zero-three-thirty, the engineers were rousted out to begin the lighting off ballet. At zero-seven-thirty, Main Control called the bridge.

  “Bridge, Main Control, the Snipes are ready to answer all bells.”

  Captain Lanner smiled and nodded to the OOD. He, in turn, called out, “Single up all lines.” In seconds, only a single set of lines held the ship to the pier.

  “Shift colors,” was piped over the 1MC, and the ship’s horn sounded her movement to all around her — the water broiled behind the stern for the first time since returning to the islands. The after lines were untied, and the stern began to swing outward with the bowlines still attached. At the appropriate time, they were let go, and the ship slowly backed away from the pier.

  When in the center of the channel, the Captain called out, “Right standard rudder, all ahead one third.”

  The pilot took over and safely guided her out of the channel, through the minefield and past the anti-torpedo net. Then his boat came alongside, and he disembarked.

  Numerous yard and manufacturers’ representatives sailed with the ship to check on repairs and make last-minute adjustments to all the new and replaced equipment. It was round-the-clock work checking, testing, and recording events. Several days later, the HALLIS returned to port, where the civilians disembarked and headed for their offices to file reports. Before leaving, the senior yard supervisor gave the Captain a briefing on their tests. “A few last-minute adjustments will be required, and the representatives gave me an estimate of the remainder of the week to complete the tasks. Then she will be all yours.”

  “Thank the men, and thank you for all the hard work and long hours you all have spent accomplishing your work with the efficiency the world would be jealous of,” the Captain said.

  “You have my number, if any, needs attention. You and your men will have time to get the most from the upgraded equipment we installed. If anything happens, you can always send us a message. Our address is in the information packet.”

  “Anything we can bring back for you?”

  “Besides total victory and peace, maybe a rising sun flag.”

  “We’ll do our best.” The Captain escorted the supervisor to the quarterdeck and watched as the civilian men disembarked.

  A messenger from radio approached, “Sir, the squadron commander has inquired about meeting with you at your convenience.”

  “Send to the squadron commander, “I am at his disposal.”

  “Aye, sir.”

  Ten minutes later, the Captain was rapidly moving down the gangway. He drove to the squadron headquarters three blocks away. As soon as he entered the office, the yeoman ushered him into the Captain’s office. The Captain was behind his desk, drinking an amber-colored liquid from a glass. The Commodore was seated in a comfortable looking leather chair, holding his glass up in a salute.

  “Ah, Captain Lanner, glad you could get over here so soon. Have a glass of G&W Five Star.”

  “Are we celebrating something, sir?”

  “Yes, we are, have a seat.” The Squadron Commander said, waving Chris to a soft looking over-stuffed leather chair.

  Chris set his hat on the floor alongside the chair. He was beginning to feel the long hours and little sleep he had in the past ten days at sea.

  “Commander, we have some news about your future in the Navy…”

  “Oh, stop toying with the man, Ray.”

  “You’re no fun. Okay, Chris, the powers to be at BuPers and every one up to the admiral has reviewed your actions to date, and they reviewed your Commanders Course results with, shall we say, some bewilderment. But, after being filled in on your mental capability, they nodded their heads. One rear admiral remarked, ‘I’m glad he’s on our side.’ Therefore, BuPers and the CNO have you permanently appointed to the rank of Lieutenant Commander, USN, and you are to remain as the Captain of the USS HALLIS.”

  The fiery liquid was going down his throat when the Captain fired off his bombshell. Chris’s throat closed up, and he began a coughing fit. The Commodore reached over and slapped him on the back several times.

  “Easy there, big guy. You don’t want to choke to death on your maiden voyage just around the corner.” After Chris caught his breath, the Commodore asked, “You going to be alright?”

  “Yes sir, I was caught a bit off guard. I was in the process of moving from the Captain’s Cabin back to my engineer's stateroom, believing I was going to be replaced.”

  “I hope you didn’t move too much. It’s tim
e to move and take command of your ship, Captain Lanner. Following a brief training period, you will be deploying to the Guadalcanal Theater.”

  “Aye, sir. Now, with the unknown resolved, we can get down to work.”

  “That’s what I want to hear.”

  The Captain and Commodore stood, signaling the end of the meeting. Chris thanked the two men for the work they put into his case. It was no secret that they wanted results for their efforts.

  Chris made it home in ten minutes. Maggie was beyond happy to see her husband; she wrapped herself about him like a blanket. It was past midnight before sleep overcame the exhausted couple.

  Maggie took the news of Chris’ new status with a surprisingly mild reaction. Chris looked at her with a face full of questions.

  Smiling, Maggie said, “Dear, I have no doubt you cleared the decks and blew the enemy out of the water. I knew you would be the Captain; it’s in your soul; you were born for it.”

  “That’s a lot of confidence in your husband,” he said.

  “Yes, and it’s well-founded, stop doubting yourself, Chris. You have the makings of an admiral before you retire.”

  With Maggie’s words still bouncing around in his head, the Captain made it back to the ship to find the manning authority decided to keep a working team together and retained Lieutenant Smith as the ship’s Executive Officer. The other officers, Chris reassigned, were likewise retained.

  The Captain called the quarterdeck, “This is the Captain, have all officers not on watch to report to the wardroom.”

  “Aye, sir, right away.”

  The call went out, and seven minutes later, the last of the officers walked into the wardroom. Captain Lanner was sitting at the head of the table with a cup of coffee, looking five years older from the events of the past few weeks.

  “Men,” the Captain began, “These past weeks have been a whirlwind of hard work, hard steaming, and hard fighting. We lost too many outstanding leaders and men. As such, we have our work cut out for us. We have had our mentors taken from us; now, we will have to fill their shoes. I do not doubt the capability of every one of you; you have proven yourself time and time again.”