November 17, 1942 - Tuesday - 80 years ago today

Status - John Skinner: 

John was still at home on leave.  

Below is an article about 3 O'Brien sailors from Erie, PA,

Text of the article:

When you think your time is up, everything flashes before your eyes -- past, present, and plans for the future, according to Jack Lester, third class fire controlman aboard the USS O'Brien, a destroyer, who says it happened to him when a torpedo crashed into the side of the destroyer, Sept. 15, damaging the ship so badly that she finally sank.

When the torpedo hit, Jack, the 20 year old son of Mr. and Mrs. George Lester, 722 Ardmore Ave., was at his battle station below deck.  The concussion threw him to the deck, and it was in those few minutes when they all thought the ship was doomed, that everything passed before him.

"We made what repairs we could and started for the United States, but then we ran into some rough weather and the ship began to break up," Lester told reporters.

They were only 93 miles from an American island when they knew that they wouldn't make the states, so they turned around and attempted to reach land. Before they reached it, however, Lieut. Comdr. Thomas Burrows gave the order to abandon ship, and Lester with the others went over the side.  The spent several hours in lifeboats, rafts, and actually swimming in the water before they were picked up by another destroyer.  Later they were transferred to another vessel and finally reached the states on Nov. 7.

Jack is home on a 30 day leave now and he'll report for active duty on Dec. 11.  He and two other Erie boys who survived the O'Brien sinking, Richard Reck, 1027 McCarter Avenue, and John Martin, 1902 Whitney Ave., have been assigned to the USS Bennett, a destroyer.

Lester attended Millcreek High School and enlisted in the Navy Nov. 26, 1940.  He received six weeks basic training at Newport, R. I., and was transported to Cuba on the USS Wasp. He was then stationed aboard the O'Brien and saw North Atlantic patrol duty to Iceland, Newfoundland and other points.

Naval Battle of Guadalcanal (continued)

Two more Naval battles occurred on the 14th and 15th, the second being a night battle involving the two new US battleships Washington and South Dakota.  The cost to the Navy was large, particularly in destroyers, and the South Dakota was badly damaged.  Another Japanese battleship was sunk by Washington.  Overall the US Navy lost more ships than the Japanese, but the Japanese lost many transport ships and much more air power than the US.  This was the end of major Japanese attacks to recapture Guadalcanal.

U. S. Navy Task Forces:

• Task Force 16 (Enterprise) provided cover for Guadalcanal and the fleets involved in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal.
  
• Saratoga sailed from Pearl Harbor on on the 10th for Fiji.
• Combined Task Force 61 was in the Guadalcanal area.
  
• Task Force 16 (Enterprise) -> TF 61  
• 
  

More Information:

• Official Navy Chronology, pp. 277-280.
  
•  The First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign,  John B. Lundstrom, pp 472-531.
• The Struggle for Guadalcanal, Samuel Eliot Morison, pp. 263-287.
• Neptune's Inferno, The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal, James D. Hornfischer, pp. 246-377.

 

NEXT POST: NOVEMBER 21ST

November 13, 1942 - Friday - 80 years ago today

Status - John Skinner: 

John had probably by this time reached home at Clark's Hill.  There would be time to catch up with friends and family, but there would also be lots of work to do, as farm chores never stop, even when the harvest is over. He would have until early December before needing to report to a new ship; as Boston was where most of the new destroyers were being built, that would be his destination.  

The sinking of Wasp was still classified, and so John would not have been able to mention it even though it happened at the same time O'Brien was torpedoed.

Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

The Japanese had decided to go all out to push the Marines off Guadalcanal.  Their initial force included two battleships,  The main action occurred overnight on the 12th-13th; it was a brutal nighttime slug-fest at close quarters between a Japanese fleet with two battleships and two US cruiser-destroyer fleets.  Two US admirals were killed and 2 cruisers and 4 destroyers were sunk.  Japanese battleship Hiei was damaged in the battle and later sunk by US warplanes.

The damaged US sailed for Espiritu Santo for repairs.  Light Cruiser Juneau was damaged during the battle, and on the way back was hit by two torpedoes from a Japanese submarine and exploded and sank in less than a minute.  All five of the Sullivan brothers, who had decided to serve together, were lost with the ship.

Several more naval actions would occur around Guadalcanal in the next few days.

U. S. Navy Task Forces:

• Task Force 16 (Enterprise) provided cover for Guadalcanal and the fleets involved in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal.
  
• Saratoga sailed from Pearl Harbor on on the 10th for Fiji.
• Combined Task Force 61 was in the Guadalcanal area.
  
• Task Force 16 (Enterprise) -> TF 61  
• 
  

More Information:

• Official Navy Chronology, pp. 273-275.
  
•  The First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign,  John B. Lundstrom, pp 472-488.
• The Struggle for Guadalcanal, Samuel Eliot Morison, pp. 225-263.
• Neptune's Inferno, The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal, James D. Hornfischer, pp. 246-334.

 

NEXT POST: NOVEMBER 17TH