Attack of the Greyhounds

by H. Nelson Freeman

  The Captain called out, “Mr. Hamilton, see if you can get a damage and personnel account.”

  The exhausted man slumped in his chair, then motioned for the messenger, “Call for a Signalman.”

  The GQ signalman messenger came up to the Captain, “May I help you, sir?”

  “Signal AGAR make one-six-seven, thirty knots, then drop five knots in an hour. Also, tell them to make up personnel and damage reports when they can.”

  “Aye, sir.”

  “How old are you, sailor?”

  “Seventeen sir,”

  “Remember this action well; you might want to make a personal record of it.”

  “May I ask why, sir?”

  “Someday, you will want to tell your children or grandchildren why you got the medals you will get in this war. Besides, everybody enjoys the stories of men at sea.”

  “I never thought of that, sir. Thanks, and I’ll be sure to put in how fortunate I was to serve under a great Skipper…er Captain, sir.”

  Captain Lanner smiled, remembering the stories his father told him. When he gets home, he’ll have some of his own.

  The Captain picked up the IC headset and rang up the Operations center. “This is the Captain, is the XO there?”

  “Yes sir, hold one, I’ll get him.”

  “XO, sir.”

  “Leroy, when you can, take a trip around the ship and get an account of injured and damage.”

  “Yes, sir. How are things up there?”

  “We’re good here, no damage or injuries.”

  “Okay, sir, I’ll get the information as soon as I can.”

  “As I said, we have time.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Fifty minutes later, the OOD ordered a radar scan, and it came back clear. “Helm, make your speed twenty-five knots, maintain your course.”

  “Aye, sir.”

  The Captain visited the Navigator to plot their egress from enemy-controlled seas. After three trial runs, the Navigator said, “Sir, this should work for us; turn to course one-two-nine in twenty minutes, maintain twenty-five knots for eleven hours. We will transit the Java Sea and most of the Bali Sea. It will be too early to slip through the Bali-Lombok Strait. We will need to stay clear of any enemy ships, which the radar can help. After dark, and we will have no moon, we slip the strait into the Timor Sea, and then on to Darwin.”

  “Sounds good, show the route and charts to the OOD, then work with them. Get some sleep while were keeping a low profile in the Bali Sea. I want you to be on the bridge when we transit the strait.”

  “Aye, sir.”

  The two Gleaves steamed at speed and on the course set out by the navigator, leaving the cruiser-destroyer group behind. Fifteen hours later, the ship was in the middle of the Bali Sea. The ships slowed to ten knots, allowing their sonars to sweep the area. Both ships cautioned the lookouts to remain sharp for any sign of the enemy.

  “Captain,” the OOD interrupted, “Radar reports we will be joining up with the support force in ten minutes.”

  The rest of the journey was tense, not so much from battle, but the lack of contact. The crew still wired from the earlier battle, talked like magpies.

  “Captain, here is the casualty list and battle damage.”

  “Thanks, XO, your assessment?”

  “In my opinion, we got lucky. I’m sure the head-on attack was a big impact on our getting through with the damage and casualties. And as far as I’m concerned, it was an act of God that we didn’t lose anyone.”

  “No argument there, XO. The most disheartening part of being Captain is writing condolence letters. They made me feel as if part of my soul is ripped away, and more than once, I had to stop.”

  “Captain,” the OOD interrupted, “Radar reports we will be joining up with the support force in ten minutes.”

  “Is it that time already?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Where does the time go?”

  “We have been a bit busy with all the fighting, and time has a way of disappearing.”

  Captain Lanner looked at the casualty and damage reports. The crew suffered thirteen men injured, two of them serious. The enemy shell hit the after deckhouse, putting the two forty millimeter guns down. That was serious; the forties were not only their antiaircraft defense but served for close-in contacts with surface contacts, like the one they had earlier. There was additional damage from shell hits, none serious.

  The Captain made some notes on how he wanted to word the report. His first concern is the injured men. “XO, any chance our people can get those forties operational?”

  “The electricians, Damage Control, and shipfitters are on it now. As soon as they have a better assessment, they will send it in.”

  “Very well, keep an eye on things back there unless we have another contact. While you’re aft, stop by the four main engineering spaces and give them a well done, for me. ”

  “Yes, sir, they deserve it as much as anyone. I remember you used to be down there. Is that why you knew how to push this ship to the edge of the envelope?”

  “Yeah, something like that.”

  “Bridge, radar, we show an air contact at two-six-zero degrees, course zero-eight-zero, altitude five-zero-zero-zero feet, speed one-nine-zero. The speed would coincide with the normal speed for bombers.”

  “What about that support force from the southeast?”

  “We should join up in five minutes, sir.”

  “Very well, keep me informed. OOD. Have the XO call in and tell him we have a possible air strike inbound, and our support cruiser-destroyer force to the southeast.”

  “Aye, sir,”

  The two Gleaves increased up their speed to thirty-five knots again. It wasn’t enough to stay ahead of the incoming air-strike.

  “OOD, prepare to repel aircraft from two-six-zero degrees.”

  “Aye, sir,” the OOC nodded to the Bo’ sun.

  Bo’ sun’s Mate Third Class, Lee Marineo announced the order over the 1MC. All over the ship, men prepared themselves for the coming attack.

  “Captain, the after deckhouse reports the forty-millimeter guns are back in commission.”

  “Just in time to get in on the action.”

  “Sir, we’re receiving a signal from the support force, they will join us for AA support as fast as they can.”

  “Very Well, OOD, be mindful of course changes from the cruiser, they are now SOPA, and act accordingly.”

  The OOD acknowledged the change of SOPA command, then called Signal and had them route all course changes to him immediately upon receipt.

  “Bridge, radar, enemy aircraft fifteen miles out, bearing two-six-zero. They are splitting apart, and there is a second wave behind them.”

  “Mr. Hamilton, have Signal inform the cruiser.”

  “Aye, sir.”

  A minute later, Signal called on the sound-powered phone system, “Cruiser confirms both contacts.”

  “Bo’ sun, inform the crew of the second wave, we don’t need for anyone to get relaxed if they think the first wave is it.”

  “Aye, sir,” Marineo said, then blew his whistle into the 1MC.

  Orders began coming in changing the ship’s position in the support group that would give them the maximum protection. The group formation took on a box formation, with a mile between ships for mutual gunfire support and maneuvering room.

  “OOD, inform Main Control to stand by for changes in speed, and the incoming attack may occur any time.”

  The stern lookout called in, “Aircraft diving from two-six-zero.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  The stream of seven-point-seven copies of the British three-oh-three bullets marched toward the ship’s stern. Then the machine guns of the IJA Zeke merged with the heavier thump of twenty-millimeter cannon rounds joining the lighter machine gunfire. The stern watch dove for cover behind the splinter shield of the nearby ship’s twenty-millimeter cannon, which was spitting its three-quarter-inch shells at the fighter. Both the
plane and the ship were getting hits on one another.

  The forty-millimeter cannons on top of the after deckhouse began slamming two-pound, high explosive shells into the big round Saki engine. One, then two cylinders were blown away, throwing oil and aircraft-grade fuel over the nose of the green painted plane. The high-temperature exhaust manifold provided the heat sufficient to flame the fuel into a funeral pyre. Its dead pilot road the torch into the broiling wake of the destroyer.

  On the bridge, men reported additional planes diving toward the other ships. “Bridge, starboard lookout, the Betty bombers on the water at zero-four-five relative, headed for the cruiser.”

  The Captain wasted no time, “Open fire on that plane.” He grabbed the TBS and called the cruiser, which turned out to be an antiaircraft cruiser. Its sixteen five-inch guns and eight twenty-millimeter cannons were blasting explosive shells at the bomber. The big Betty dropped its torpedo at the weapons maximum range and turned away. As impossible as it appeared, the plane escaped without a scratch.

  The gunners had no shortage of targets as yet, the third wave of fighters and bombers headed into the fray. The battle continued for another half hour, then as fast as they appeared, the aircraft disappeared toward the west.

  The Japanese attack was not without results. Two of the eight destroyers sustained damage and casualties. The cruiser managed to dodge three torpedoes, but it too sustained damage from strafing and a hundred-thirty-seven-pound bomb. Despite the damage, the force remained intact.

  The cruiser and destroyers made a decent speed through the passage east of Bali. But, not so fast as to create a large bow wave that may give away their presence.

  As the force entered the widening southern mouth of the pass, the soundman on the HALLIS picked up man-made sounds. “Bridge, sound, I’m picking up man-made metallic sounds from just south of Pulau Penida Island. Bearing two-seven-one, they are at the edge of our window, speed zero, or no movement, possibly a small surface vessel or surfaced sub.”

  The talker passed it on to the OOD and Captain. The OOD had Signal inform the cruiser. The response was to monitor but continue to destination. That, too, was passed on.

  From the island of Bali, the force passed by undetected into the night. They disappeared into the fog, developing over the Lombok Basin and its twenty-one-thousand-foot seafloor.

  “Helm,” called out the OOD, “Come to one-niner-niner-degrees, speed twenty knots.”

  Captain Lanner did a quick calculation; it would be about two days to Darwin. “OOD, what is listed for the eta Darwin?”

  “Two days, sir.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Hamilton.”

  ‘All is well,’ the Captain said to himself. His thoughts drifted to his red-haired wife. ‘Maggie was more than his wife. She was his anchor to sanity, his life, and his future.’ He allowed some brief fantasies to flutter about his brain, ‘Maggie, he and a couple of children working a farm in Iowa. Would that be to her liking? Or would they stay in the Navy till they retired?’

  The force was in the Timor Sea, a few miles south of the Japanese advancement. But there was always the threat of enemy ships or aircraft to be of concern. He climbed out of his chair and went to his cabin. There he shaved, washed up, and splashed cold water into his face.

  “Captain to the bridge,” the intercom yelped. Chris put on a fresh shirt and headed for the bridge.

  “What do you have, OOD?”

  “Unknown aircraft bearing two-eight-zero-degrees, sir.”

  “Very well, have signal pass the contact information to the SOPA, maintain an alert, maintain speed and course as directed.by the SOPA.”

  “Bridge, radio, those aircraft are friendly.”

  Chris pulled his weary body into his chair and allowed himself to catnap, comfortable that the OOD would call him if anything were needed.

  “Captain, we’re approaching the outer markers to Darwin, sir.” The humble OOD said.

  Chris’s mind stirred and climbed to the surface of reality, “Very well, Mr. Hamilton. Set Condition two and get everyone relieved. It’s well pastime for you and the rest of the bridge crew to get some rest.”

  The call went out, relaxing the crew a little. The weapons still had half the crew at their stations. The rest grabbed a bite to eat, then crashed near their stations, where it was cooler than the crew berthing.

  Two hours later, the quiet was interrupted by the 1MC, “Now all hands man the Special Sea and Anchor detail.”

  From lookouts to engineering spaces, the best men manned the stations for entering port. A small, fast boat came alongside, and the pilot boarded the ship. The same process was repeated with each of the force ships; then, the pilots directed the paths the ships took to either mooring to a buoy or pier.

  Captain Lanner called engineering, “Keep the plant running and split until we find out what’s going on out here. We’ll get you shut down as soon as we know what’s going on.”

  Ten minutes later, the OOD switched his station to the quarterdeck, two minutes later, the pier crane set a gangway from the quarterdeck to the pier.

  The first person aboard was an officer from the local US Naval office. Lieutenant Neil Belmont asked to see the Captain. Captain Lanner responded to the quarterdecks call. He asked the Lieutenant to join him in the wardroom. They settled in, and Belmont pulled a sheaf of papers from his briefcase.

  “Captain, this is a copy of your report of damage and casualties. Is there anything we can do to help?”

  “Probably not here. I understand we will need at least two, possibly three replacements. Of course, we will require some help at a repair facility, the damage to the after deckhouse is too great for a tender.”

  “Yes, in looking over the damage report, I saw the work need is outside the capability of a tender. The recommendations, as you see, is to send you to Pearl for repairs, and I understand there are some new items you will be getting in your electronics. With that amount of necessary work, BuShips has decided to have both your ship and the AGAR receive an early overhaul in Pearl, instead of Mare Island. Mare Island is over-extended right now, and Pearl isn’t much better with the December 7th repairs, but its closer. The Navy doesn’t want to pull too many units that far away from the action in the South Pacific at this time.”

  “I can understand that. It appears the Japanese intent is to regaining control of Guadalcanal,” the Captain said.

  “That’s how we see it. We are within enemy long-range bombers here in Darwin. I’m sure you know they have hit us before.”

  “Yes, they leave death and destruction wherever they go. If you ever get into a fight with them, remember, their weakness is being unable or unwilling to alter their attack or protocol from their script. They are still a very dangerous adversary; they will fight to the death in almost every encounter. To die for the Emperor is their highest honor, and the more of their enemy they take with them, the better.”

  “We have read of reports of potential prisoners killing themselves rather than being taken prisoner,” the Lieutenant said.

  “Yes, in their society, to give up and allow one's self to become a prisoner is the lowest form of disgrace.” Captain Lanner said.

  “Now, all the information in the reports makes sense.

  Captain Lanner added, “The Asiatic people have a very different philosophy than we do. I would suspect our contact with the Chinese would show a similar difference in beliefs.”

  “Well, Captain, this has been good information. Here are your orders to sail to Pearl accompanied by AGAR. She, too, has damage that needs a yard facility. I will visit Captain Joiner with his orders when I leave here.”

  “Very well, I appreciate your visit, and I’m sure Dale will too. I see we’re to sail the first thing in the morning. We’ll need to refuel and take on supplies.”

  “Read further, you and AGAR will sail to Brisbane and take on supplies and fuel there. When your tanks are topped off, and supplies loaded, head for Pearl. And good luck.”

  Aft
er the Lieutenant left, the Captain returned to the wardroom and sat down with a fresh cup of black coffee. He went through the orders that would take him to the love of his life.

  He called the quarterdeck on the ship’s phone. “This is the Captain, have the XO lay to the wardroom, please.”

  “Aye, sir, right away.”

  Seconds later, the 1MC lit off, “XO, please lay to the wardroom.”

  The Captain filled the XO in on the orders, and they set their priorities. The XO left to get the department heads together and prepare the ship for an early departure by zero-four-hundred.

  Captain Lanner left the ship and boarded the AGAR. Following a short conference with Captain Joiner covering their departure time and course, he returned to the HALLIS.

  The remainder of the day was busy getting ready for their voyage to Brisbane. The XO stressed the importance of having the men get as much rest as possible. He did not inform the officers the ship would be heading for Pearl when they left Brisbane. Security being at its highest, the Captain would inform the crew once they were at sea from Brisbane. That way, nobody would inadvertently tell someone of the ship’s movement.

  The next morning the ship got underway on the first leg to Brisbane, “Helmsman Kemptford steer the course two-eight-nine, speed twenty knots. Mr. Tarrington, we will follow the track laid out last evening, I trust you have a copy?”

  “Aye, Captain.”

  “Carry on.”

  “Helm, we will follow this course for one-hundred-miles. I’ll take some readings and give you the next course at the proper time.

  ****

  A Japanese RO class sub sat thirty feet below the surface, watching the two destroyers. The commander had their radioman formulate a report to a carrier force a hundred miles to the west.

  ****

  Four and a half hours later, Mr. Tarrington called the OOD, “Time to come to one-seven-seven degrees, speed twenty.”

  The orders went out, bringing the two ships about where they settle in for another hundred miles.