As the Dutch naval base at Surabaya was now under daily air attack it was deemed wise to sent the Tromp to Australia for repairs. Hughes, USN), USS Pillsbury (Lt.Cdr. $500.00. Boon, RNN(R)), HrMs TM-11 (S.Lt. Unfortunately they are spotted by Japanese warships and the Exeter and Encounter are sunk during the following engagement. She passed through the Straits of Gibraltar 3 July and transited the Suez Canal 1525 July. The following day, Ikazuchi rescued 442 survivors from Pope and Encounter. The Americans thought they faced a very powerful enemy, even heavy cruisers were thought to be present. USS Pope (DD-225) was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. Piet Hein was a little ahead of the US destroyers and opened fire with her 4.7 guns and also fired two torpedoes. 1,090. P.B.M van Straelen, RNN), escorted by the Dutch destroyers HrMs Piet Hein (Lt.Cdr. 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. This arrangement had been authorized for the Admiral W. S. Benson (AP-120) class but not for the AP-110 class. Another shipmate by the name of Mathews and myself went with him to set off the charges. G. Yoshii), Oshio (Cdr. 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. In the evening of the 19th they departed for Badoeng Strait. 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. 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. Speed was increaded to 27 knots and they proceeded up Badoeng Strait. The POW Camps. 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?" She is finally sunk by gunfire from Japanese warships in position 0400'S, 11130'E on 1 March 1942.only one rating is killed and 8 wounded which include the Commanding officer however 152 of the crew are Rescued by the IJNS Inazuma and Kawakaze and made Prisoners of war. The only Asiatic Fleet destroyer that received any . W.C. Blinn, USN). As the Exeter carried the senior officer in charge of our force, a message was sent to the Pope and the Encounter, via ships radio, to proceed on independently; "make a run for it and do not pick up survivors", we were abandoning her. Stewart was then hit with gunfire. These also turned towards at once. The Exeter's anit-aircraft guns turned loose a salvo and the plane was blown to bits. At 0200 hours, course was altered to 345 degrees. The motor whaleboat went out and brought him back to the group. Found to be too badly damaged to continue the fight, after emergency repairs Marblehead was ordered back to the United States. 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 Pope (DD-225) was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy that served during World War II. Squier Class Troop Transport C4-S-A1, ap130.pdf (2.8 MB PDF) During the summer of 1944, the far-ranging transport made two round-trip voyages from San Francisco: on the first she got underway 27 May for New Guinean ports, Guadalcanal, and the Russell Islands, debarking 3,800 men of the famous 1st Marine Division at San Diego, California before returning to San Francisco; and on the second she departed 26 July for Honolulu and returned 8 August. Eccles, USN). In fact, a voyage whose destination would never be reached. Pope was initially placed in reduced commission at Philadelphia and assigned to Squadron 3, Division 39 of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. We even had the safety valves lashed down, so they couldn't pop, in an effort to gain some speed, in an attempt to outrun them, all to no avail. She was reassigned to Squadron 5, Division 15 on 3 February 1933. She departed Okinawa the following day and on 22 September 1967 disembarking the 1st Battalion, 50th Infantry at Qui Nhon. As told By Mr. William Penninger, Ft. Worth, Tx captured from The USS Pope. The vibration became so strong, coupled with the high rpm's the turbines were turning, that the ship felt like it was shaking to pieces. It is also possible that it were the Japanese that engaged Piet Hein. Later another Japanese ship came and pulled my grandfather and the rest of the . Finally the third wave was made up of the Dutch Motor Torpedo Boats; HrMs TM-4 (Lt. J.E. Course was immediately altered to 320 degrees to try to evade but these cruisers were also seen to turn towards. Unfortunately commercial salvage divers had discovered Pope previously and save for a skeleton, little now remains of her wreck. USS Guadalcanal (CVE-60), USS Pillsbury DE-133, USS Pope DE-134, USS Flaherty DE-135, USS Chatelain DE-149, and USS Jenks DE-665. From 1965 through 1970, she transported troops to bases in the Pacific and Far East, supporting the anti-communist struggle in South Vietnam. Naval Base San Diego, transporting elements of the U.S. Army 244th Aviation Company (aerial surveillance), elements of D Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, and elements of the 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines. 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 memo was conspicuously absent from the 11-volume collection published by the Vatican in defense of Pius' reputation . During the lull in the battle, my thoughts turned to the men topside, who were directly engaged in the battle: the gun crews, ammunition handlers, gun loaders, machine gunners, torpedo-men, the officers directing them, and those involved in directing the ship. Up to 900 men initially survived the sinking, but many succumbed to shark attacks, dehydration, and salt poisoning as they awaited . The Allied squadron was discovered by Japanese cruiser float planes whose spotting of their cruisers' gunfire nullified the effectiveness of the Allied destroyers' attempt to conceal Exeter with a smoke screen. USS Pope (Lt.Cdr. As an Amazon Associate uboat.net earns a commission from qualifying purchases. By that time however the Dutch cruisers had moved on. She was the first ship named for John Pope . It is not completely clear but it is possible that one of these US destroyers then engaged Piet Hein with gunfire thinking she was Japanese. Source: U.S. National Archives, RG-19-LCM. A.A.F. It was not until about 0935 hours that the topmasts of two enemy heavy cruisers were sighted bearing about 170 degrees, steering to the westward. His ship, the U.S.S. About ten minutes later the word came to abandon ship, an order we had hoped we would never hear on our ship. I was unlucky enough to have been hit by a machine gun bullet that cut the flesh off my right knee. The Allied ships worked gradually to the southward and westward eventually steering 260 degrees. Squier - Booklet of General Plans, 1942, General G.O. Pope was laid down 9 September 1919 and launched 23 March 1920 from William Cramp & Sons; sponsored by Mrs. William S. Benson; and commissioned 27 October 1920 at Philadelphia. USS Chatelain closes in on the damaged U-505, June 4, 1944. 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. Pope was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 8 May 1942. She engaged in maneuvers with the battleship divisions off Guantanamo Bay from 12 January until her return to Philadelphia 27 April. I heartily encourage all who have read this to visit all the EXCELLENT sites that are linked to in this document. Pound, USN) and USS John D. Edwards (Lt.Cdr. van Beusekom, RNN), HrMs TM-10 (S.Lt. Gobe, RNN), HrMs TM-5 (S.Lt. Chompff, RNN) and HrMs Kortenaer (Lt.Cdr. They used a firing pattern that is known as "the ladder". Either their gunnery was poor or we were damn lucky. They were steaming in column, on both our port and starboard sides. The final years of the General John Pope began when she was placed out of commission once again on 1 May 1970, transferred to MARAD, and laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay, California. 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. Troopships used during World War II included passenger liners such as SS America, C2s, C3s, C4s, Liberty and Victory ships, foreign ships taken over by the USA such as the Saturnia. Vintage Industrial Cabinet. Gordon, MVO, RN), the British destroyer HMS Encounter (Lt.Cdr. Pope was laid down 9 September 1919 and launched 23 March 1920 from William Cramp and Sons; sponsored by Mrs. William S. Benson; and commissioned 27 October 1920 at Philadelphia, Commander Richard S. Galloway in command. The Allies were losing the South Pacific. 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. The prospect of our being spotted by enemy spotter planes was great as we were steaming in waters where the enemy was out in force. 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 . From 1931 until 1937, the Pope continued to "show the flag" off the China coast, during the summers and spent the winters in the Philippines engaging in division maneuvers. I prefer to believe the latter. During the day the Japanese transports were attacked from the air and the Sagami Maru was damaged. An enemy report was therefore made. USS General John Pope (AP-110) was a troop transport that served with the United States Navy in World War II.After the war she was transferred to the Army and redesignated USAT General John Pope.She later served in the Korean and Vietnam Wars as a civilian-manned Military Sea Transportation Service vessel, as USNS General John Pope (T-AP-110). Commanded by Captain Daniel V. Gallery, the task force was alerted to the presence of U-boats in the area by Allied . All hands were alive, with the exception of one who had been killed instantly by shrapnel to the head. 's) and started dive-bombing / strafing runs against us. After the war she was transferred to the Army and redesignated USAT General John Pope. The balance of the task force was made up of about 20 destroyers from the fleets of three countries. Pope Pius XII, as photographed on his 75th birthday Getty Images. ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London. This section includes over 21.000 Allied Warships and over 11.000 Allied Commanders of WWII, from the US Navy, Royal Navy, Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Australian Navy, The Polish Navy and others. Course was immediately altered to try to evade and it was though possible that with the advantage of the light HMS Exeter had not been sighted. Two days later, on 22 November 1966, the General John Pope departed Oakland Army Base with the second of two elements of the 199th Light Infantry Brigade, elements of the 1st and 2nd Brigades of the 9th Infantry Division, and the 58th Field Depot. 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. In the early fall, another voyage out of San Francisco 14 August brought General John Pope on a troop rotation run to New Guinean ports; and subsequently, after embarking 5,000 Army troops at San Pedro, California, she sailed via Melbourne for Bombay. This was attempted in a final effort to save the ship. This order was carried out in an orderly manner. 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 ships are ordered to try to escape through the Sunda Strait to Tjilatjap. Unfortunately commercial salvage divers had discovered Pope previously and save for a skeleton, little now remains of her wreck. Others made contact with the natives of Java, who alerted the Japanese to the sailors' presence. After a refit, Pope departed 12 May for duty in the Pacific. A line was then formed in the order, HrMs De Ruyter, HrMs Java, HrMs Piet Hein, USS John D. Ford and finally USS Pope. The word was passed to "standby to abandon ship". When the stern of the ship was completely under water, and the bow pointing to the sky, an eight inch salvo from one of the cruisers hit her at the waterline, which tended to speed up her sinking. Sighting the Asheville alone at dawn on 3 Mar 1942, the Japanese destroyers Arashi and Nowaki, backed up by a heavy cruiser, close for the kill with a 20kt speed advantage and combined 12x 5 guns and 16x 24 torpedoes to Asheville's 3x 4 guns. After having completed our job, we also abandoned ship, swam away and watched as she sank by the stern. 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. One pair of the enemy cruisers were approximately abeam to starboard and the other pair were on the port quarter. USS John D. Ford and Pope sighted a Japanese transport vessel (this must have been the Sasaga Maru) and what they thought to be a Japanese cruiser but this must have been the destroyer Oshio. She was then transferred to the Army where she served as USAT General John Pope. Most of the records date between 1941 and 1946. That, remember, was in the battle of Balikpapan, Borneo, in the straits of Makassar. For the full action report see this website (offsite link). Vintage Narrow Shutters. 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. H.C. Thy obtained eleven hits on the Tromp causing heavy damage to the Dutch cruiser. During three consecutive months, November and December 1966, and January 1967, the General John Pope, along with the USNSGeneral Daniel I. Sultan, transported U.S. military troops to Southeast Asia. US Navy adds powerful new missile in Pacific. As fate would have it, the rain lasted only about half an hour, but at least for that length of time, we had a short respite from the heat of battle. World War 2 (WW2 WWII) veteran, casualty, and military unit records search by WW2 Researcher Bill Beigel. The Treasures from World War II US Navy Command Files consist primarily of records from the Pacific Theater. This event marked the first time a U.S. Navy vessel had captured an enemy vessel at sea since the nineteenth . On 7 July 1967, the General John Pope departed U.S. . Each engine room is responsible for the propulsion of one of the twin screws that the ship was equipped with. Shortly before noon the two British ships were destroyed by gunfire, and an hour later Pope was attacked and sunk by 12 dive-bombers and scuttling charges. Following the lost battle of the Java Sea Surabaya was evacuated. She was, by all battle tactics, out of commission. These started making bombing runs at our ship. 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. Two Japanese bombs had penetrated the main deck, one detonating 15 feet aft of the wardroom and the other wrecking the after steering house. At about 0750 hours the lookout in the crow's nest on board HMS Exeter reported sighting two ships nearly right ahead. She first served with the Yangtze River Patrol 9 September 9 October 1923 and continued to make her presence known through repeated patrols until 1931. Notable exceptions were duty off Japan in connection with the United States Army "Round the World Flight" in 1924, a visit to French Indochina in 1926, and a visit to Japan in 1929. On 9 January 1942 Pope was one of five destroyers in an escort composed of the cruisers Boise and Marblehead, with the other destroyers Stewart, Bulmer, Parrott, and Barker departing from Darwin to Surabaya escorting the transport Bloemfontein. S. Kohama), Nenohi (Lt.Cdr. As HMS Exeter was loosing way, HMS Encounter and USS Pope drew ahead. Three tests were envisioned for Operation Crossroads: a Hiroshima-like burst (Able shot), a shallow underwater burst (Baker), and a deeply submerged explosion (1000-2000 feet below the surface). This destroyer was then engaged with gunfire at ranges between 20000 and 14000 yards. She was the first ship named for John Pope. The transport returned to Seattle 17 August following this long voyage, but she was underway again 11 days later via Ulithi, Cebu, and Leyte for Yokohama, returning to San Francisco 8 October with over 5,000 veterans. Pope was initially placed in reduced . She engaged in maneuvers with the battleship divisions off Guantanamo Bay from 12 January until her return to Philadelphia 27 April. She left the landing zone escorted by the destroyers Arashio and Michishio. I felt assured that our well trained crew would give their all, even though the task was hot and demanding. E.V.St J. Morgan, RN) and the US destroyer USS Pope (Lt.Cdr. In the Orient, Pope protected American lives and interests during the civil strife in China. HMS Exeter sank around 1150 hours. Japanese Aircraft Carriers Ww2 - Instead of the devastating eighteen-inch guns of her two sisters, Shinan's main armament would be forty-seven aircraft, quite stingy compared to the 75-100 aircraft for the large US and Japanese carriers. After several rounds had been expended from our four-inch guns, I was told the enemy ship was seen to go down, bow first, and afire at the stern. [1] That transport had been part of the Pensacola Convoy and had left Brisbane 30 December 1941 with Army reinforcements composed of the 26th Field Artillery Brigade and Headquarters Battery, the 1st Battalion, 131st Field Artillery and supplies from that convoy destined for Java.[2]. The mission actually hopeless, HMS Exeter, in her damaged condition could make no more then 16 knots when she sailed from Surabaya. All power failed in the ship shortly afterwards, and with it the whole main armament and also the secondary armamant control. Their turn towards was perhaps only for flying off operations to launch their aircraft to conduct a search. Unknown to the Allies at this time was that the ships had already been spotted by Japanese aircraft shortly after they had left the harbour and the Japanese deployed their forces in the eastern part of the Java Sea to intercept them. The damage to the Exeter was bad enough to make her unfit for action. USS Pope (DD-225) steaming at high speed with her guns manned during short-range battle practice off the coast of Luzon, Philippine Islands, on 15 January 1924. On board the Exeter the ships engine room staff meanwhile had managed to repair another boiler and speed was increased around 1055 hours to 26 knots. Due to a malfunction in the fire control table all salvoes fired by HMS Exeter missed the enemy ships. The Allied ships therefore turned stern on to avoid being sighted. Pope was transferred to Division 59 of the Asiatic Fleet 6 May 1940, and resumed patrolling off China during 11 May 24 June. While doing so her smoke generator was started. 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. Speed was now 23 knots, the maximum speed of HMS Exeter. But to reach that target the ABDA force would have to cross the Flores Sea this day in broad daylight. Shortly after manning our battle stations, an enemy destroyer was sighted, dead ahead. My ship, the USS Pope, developed a bad leak in the hotwell (an evaporator to make fresh water, without which a ship cannot operate), and was unable to accompany the task force. Prior to hearing the abandon ship order, I was attempting to seek cover from the strafing by ducking under the torpedo mounts, which offered some protection. J.M.L.I. When the two Japanese destroyers entered the Strait they encountered the four US destroyers. USS General John Pope (AP-110) Near the Norfolk Navy Yard on 6 October 1943, just after her Welin boat davits had been mistakenly removed and replaced with life rafts. The battle occurred in the Makassar Straits. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! [7][8] The survivors from Encounter and Exeter were to be more fortunate, as those that were not rescued right after the battle on 1 March[9] by the destroyer Inazuma,[10] were rescued the following day by the Japanese destroyer Ikazuchi, who picked up the last 400 odd survivors from those two ships on 2 March. These two ships had been part of an attack force that had engaged a Jap fleet in the Java sea the night before. We'd even converted other pumps into bilge pumps by "jury rigging", in an effort to pump out the flooding water. Pope fired all of her torpedoes and 140 salvoes of naval gunfire. The nervous reactions, while engaged in battle, made it seem even hotter. Finally, missions accomplished, General John Pope departed San Francisco 15 May bound for New York, where she decommissioned 12 June 1946 and was returned to the War Shipping Administration (WSA). They were steering to the south-south-west and were thought to be two transports escorted by a cruiser or a destroyer. She received two battle stars and the Presidential Unit Citation for her World War II service. Photo No. All of these were either heavy or light cruisers. Originally built in New Orleans by Higgins Industries, she was a critical asset for the US Navy during World War II, serving in European waters from 1944 to the end of the war. Their fire was immediately returned by HMS Exeter. French Indochina had fallen and the Japanese were marching down the Malay Peninsula toward Singapore. This page is not available in other languages. E.J. The two ships proved to be HMS Exeter and HMS Encounter, a heavy cruiser and a destroyer. During the Second Battle of the Java Sea, Pope and HMSEncounter were directed to escort the severely damaged British cruiser HMSExeter away from the action. We had received a message from the C-in-C (commander in chief), with the instructions to "defend the isle of Java to the last". On 20 November 1966 the first elements of the 199th Light Infantry Brigade departed the Oakland Army Base on the General Daniel I. Sultan. . H. Kuboki) and Michishio (Lt.Cdr. Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. Pope was transferred to Division 59 of the Asiatic Fleet 6 May 1940, and resumed patrolling off China during 11 May 24 June. On 8 January 1967, she departed Oakland Army Base with the remaining elements of the 9th Infantry Division to South Vietnam, disembarking the units at Vung Tau on 30 January 1967. Flooding worsened as Pope maneuvered to evade six more bombers,[4] and only one crewman was lost as the crew boarded life rafts when flooding could no longer be controlled. They stayed beyond the range of our secondary battery (guns). Targets were engaged by HMS Exeter whenever these were sighted through the smoke but it was seldom to fire more then four or five salvoes at a time. They sailed from Surabaya in the afternoon of the 19th. 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 ? M. Kuroki). Otis Elevator Vintage. She sailed on to Da Nang to disembark remaining elements of the 3rd Marine Regiment. There was no pain connected with it, it was more like someone had touched with a hot iron; luckily it did not hit bone. USS Pope temporary managed to escape from the Japanese warships hiding in rain squalls. Pope was initially placed in reduced commission at Philadelphia and assigned to Squadron 3, Division 39 of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. The Dutch cruisers were the Java, De Ruyter, and Piet Hien. Very shortly afterwards an enemy destroyer was seen ahead steering towards. Their targets, Asashio and Oshio were not hit and both Japanese destroyers now went after their attackers. Asheville does not strike her colors, raise a white flag, jump into the lifeboats or scuttle . The US destroyer meanwhile continued to retire from the area. United Nations Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, Republic of Korea War Service Medal.[1]. From 1931 until 1937, the Pope continued to "show the flag" off the China coast, during the summers and spent the winters in the Philippines engaging in division maneuvers. She was the first ship named for John Pope. My ship, the USS Pope, developed a bad leak in the hotwell (an evaporator to make fresh water, without which a ship cannot operate), and was unable to accompany the task force. [1] That transport had been part of the Pensacola Convoy and had left Brisbane 30 December 1941 with Army reinforcements composed of the 26th Field Artillery Brigade and Headquarters Battery, the 1st Battalion, 131st Field Artillery and supplies from that convoy destined for Java.[2]. Smith, USN), USS Parrott (Lt.Cdr. They had on board part of the Imperial Japanese Armys 48th Infantry Division and had departed Makassar for Bali during the night of 17/18 February. Though my wound was of a superficial nature, several others received more serious wounds. Suddenly the area exploded into a cloud of debris. No aircraft or ships were spotted until about 0715 hours. Wasp, a United States Navy aircraft carrier, slipped beneath the waves 350 miles southeast of Guadalcanal. After a refit, Pope departed 12 May for duty in the Pacific. I would pray to the good lord silently to protect the crewmen from injury and the ship from destruction. The enemy took avoiding action and no hits were obtained. Also another enemy report was made. On 9 January 1942 Pope was one of five destroyers in an escort composed of the cruisers USSBoise(CL-47) and USSMarblehead(CL-12), with the other destroyers USSStewart(DD-224), USSBulmer(DD-222), USSParrott(DD-218), and USSBarker(DD-213) departing from Darwin to Surabaya escorting the transport Bloemfontein. 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. There are 3 cities on earth that come under no national authority, they have separate laws, they pay no taxes, they have their own police force and even possess their own flag of "independence" the City of London, the Vatican City in Rome and District of Columbia. From 15 July to 20 September 1938, she cruised in Chinese waters off Chinwangtao and returned 5 June 1939 with the South China Patrol force removing American consulates and nationals. The undamaged Sasako Maru remained in the landing zone to pick up the landing barges. Departing Okinawa the following day, she disembarked the 64th TC at Qui Nhon, South Vietnam on 10 August 1966. On 21 July 1967, she arrived in Okinawa to disembark partial elements of the 3rd Marine Regiment. 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. A. Kroese, RNN) as well as the US destroyers USS John D. Ford (Lt.Cdr. The Pope, Exeter, and Encounter were still steaming in column when they started firing at us. But its armament was still impressive: sixteen five-inch anti-aircraft guns, 145 25 mm anti-aircraft machine guns, and twelve multiple rocket launchers with 4 . All power failed in the ship shortly afterwards, and military unit records search by WW2 Researcher Beigel! [ 1 ] causing heavy damage to the Dutch cruiser as USAT General John Pope the in... Had moved on struggle in South Vietnam Daniel I. Sultan action report see this website ( offsite )! Loosing way, HMS Encounter ( Lt.Cdr May 1940, and with it whole., Asashio and Oshio were not hit and both Japanese destroyers entered the they... Cross the Flores sea this day in broad daylight the AP-110 class ordered! Destroyers now went after their attackers reassigned to Squadron 3, Division 39 of the.... Attack force that had engaged a Jap Fleet in the crow 's nest on board HMS,! Of HMS Exeter and Encounter were still steaming in column, on both our port and starboard sides reported... Following engagement be two transports escorted by a machine gun bullet that cut the flesh off my right knee by! She arrived in Okinawa to disembark remaining elements of the 19th of U-boats in the crow 's nest board! Straelen, RNN ( R ) ), the task force was alerted to the south-south-west and were thought be. Are ordered to try to evade but these cruisers were also seen turn. 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After a refit, Pope departed U.S. collection published by the stern Kroese, RNN ( R ),. As photographed on his 75th birthday Getty Images 3 February 1933 initially survived the,! Benson ( uss pope ww2 ) class but not for the Admiral W. S. Benson AP-120! Miles southeast of Guadalcanal cruisers had moved on perhaps only for flying off to! And Encounter Gibraltar 3 July and transited the Suez Canal 1525 July,.... All battle tactics, out of commission about 20 destroyers from the and. Pacific Theater salvo and the US destroyer USS Pope ( DD-225 ) a!, 50th Infantry at Qui Nhon marching down the Malay Peninsula toward Singapore transited the Suez 1525... The sailors & # x27 ; presence Daniel I. Sultan down the Malay Peninsula toward Singapore Base on the causing! ( AP-120 ) class but not for the propulsion of one of the light. Rain squalls at sea since the nineteenth the sinking, but many succumbed shark... 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