December 26, 1943 - Sunday - 80 years ago today

Status - John Skinner - USS Daly: 

USS Daly (DD-519) - Milne Bay, New Guinea

December 23rd: Underway 8 AM to 5 PM, otherwise moored; mid 80s, light winds.

December 24th: Moored until 10 PM, then underway; mid 80s, light winds. 

December 25th: At sea all day; at noon, off New Guinea coast, currently steering course toward Arawe area.  After nightfall, course changed toward west end of New Britain.

December 26th:  Covering the landings near Borgen Bay, New Britain.

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On the 26th, a group of destroyers, including Daly, escorted troop landing ships to Borgen Bay, New Britain for beach landings.  These landings started at 1:15 PM and the destroyers began patrols to protect the beach.

Here we come to a story that John told many times.  When forming the line of destroyers for the patrol, the story goes that Daly was ordered into a certain position in line and Captain Visser refused to go.  Another ship, the Brownson, was ordered in its place, and the Daly went in behind Brownson.  

NOTE: This seems a surprising story as it implies disobeying an order; but the reason for the refusal (if it occurred) is unknown and may have been legitimate.  I cannot find any indication that there was any controversy over this, and Captain Visser was a decorated officer who captained the ship until the end of 1944.  If this incident did happen, it seems that the Navy had no concern over it.  But it was significant to the crew, due to what happened next.

Here is the ship's deck log from noon to 4 PM for this day:

12-16.  Patrolling as before on base course 083 (t), 085 (psc), at 14 kts. (134 rpm).  

1315  Left LST's as the stood into BORGEN BAY;  commenced patrolling independently on a north to south line 10 miles north of BORGEN BAY.  

1415  Radar contact on unidentified planes bearing 090 (t) at 60 miles.

1430 Planes identified as JAPANESE.  Maneuvering at various courses form in column astern of HUTCHINS and BROWNSON at 25 kts. (250 rpm).

1434  Commenced firing with all batteries on JAPANESE dive bombers (VALS) diving out of the sun.  Maneuvering independently on various courses.  One bomb fell to starboard, distance 400 yards.

1435  BROWNSON hid amidships by several bombs.  Several bombs fell in wake, distance 50 yards.

1437  Ceased firing having shot down two JAPANESE DIVE BOMBERS (VALS).  

1442  Commenced circling BROWNSON on various courses at various speeds.  

1451  BROWNSON sank.  Both boats in the water rescueing BROWNSON personnel. 

1452 BROWNSON depth charges went off .  Knocked main battery out of alignment; lost all electrical power.

1454  All power back.

1455  JAPANESE dive bombers sighted to southward but driven off by our fighters.

1500  All engines stopped, picking up survivors. 

1510 LAMSON stopped close aboard picking up survivors.

1545  All suvivors aboard.  Picked up 168 survivors including Commanding Officer and 10 officers.  Commenced making way standing by to eastward to join HUTCHENS at 20 kts. (196 rpm).

 Brownson appeared to have to have taken a bomb down the smokestack, but it was actually two separate large bombs near the number two stack.  Now destroyers are called "tin cans" for a reason, and these two bombs touched off a huge explosion that blew off most of the main deck, after which Brownson sank quickly.  As the story noted above later spread among the crew, they began to believe that the bombs that destroyed Brownson actually had the Daly's name on them.  John used to say he felt like he was living on borrowed time, mostly due to this incident.

Below is a picture of the explosion of the Brownson after being hit by two bombs.  Note how the ships are very small on the horizon and how high the smoke went from the explosion.  Patrols continued after the sinking and rescue of the crew.

 

 

More Information:

• Official Navy Chronology, pp. 420-422. 
• Aleutians, Gilberts and Marshalls, Samuel Eliot Morison, pp. 187-212.
• Breaking the Bismarcks Barrier, Samuel Eliot Morison, pp. 366-386.
• War at the End of the World, James P. Duffy, pp, 275-277.
  
• Events of December, 1943 
  
• Logbooks of the US Navy at the National Archives, USS Daly, DD-519, December 1943

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