Pearl Harbor Day

Seventy-three years ago, Americans relied on the assumption that an enemy would announce its intentions before it attacked. On this date in 1941, however, they were to be disabused of that notion.

Frank Dolan, 1941

On that Sunday morning, just as the flag was to be raised on my father's repair ship, USS Vestal, the Japanese attack came without warning. At 7:55 AM, the first wave of enemy aircraft began hitting the U.S. Navy ships anchored in Pearl Harbor and the army air base there. Dad's ship was one of the many that were hit.* Torpedoes also passed under his ship to strike the battleship Arizona, to which Vestal was tied alongside. Several other ships were destroyed along with hundreds of lives lost.

Even while Japanese envoys were negotiating in Washington, their high command had directed its fleet to launch the strike. The American people were outraged beyond the comprehension of the policy makers in Tokyo. A generation of Americans brought up on peace was going to war.

The day after the attack, the president delivered his famous speech to Congress and to the American people. About that address, author Walter Lord wrote: "The speech was over in six minutes and war was voted in less than an hour, but the real job was done in the first ten seconds. 'Infamy' was the note that struck home, the word that welded the country together until the war was won."

USS Arizona Burning

*My dad, Frank Dolan, recounted his personal experience of the attack in his narrative, Pearl Harbor: As I Remember.

Sources: Day of Infamy, Walter Lord; Frank L. Dolan's Service Records and oral account

Avoiding the censors at Ulithi

There was a lot of secrecy surrounding the U.S. Navy's forward operating base at Ulithi in the Western Carolines, and for good reason. By October 1944, it will grow into the hub for U.S. Navy operations in the Western Pacific, including key combat operations at Leyte and Okinawa. It will maintain that role for 8 months until the liberated Philippines replaces it as the new forward staging area. At its peak, during the staging for the invasion of Okinawa in May 1945, Ulithi will be home to 722 American and Allied ships.

In order to avoid betraying a ship's destination at Ulithi and other advanced bases by her mail cargo, numbers were assigned by Navy and Marine Corps. Mail going to Ulithi was designated "Navy 3011." And, for added security, return mail home was heavily censored.

Frank Dolan, Ulithi 1944

My dad, Frank Dolan, assigned to the USS Hector, always tried to write his family back home about where he was stationed and what he was up to. But the heightened secrecy about Ulithi meant that letters had to be cleverly written to avoid the censor's cut. When Dad wrote to his sister, Flora, he used a prearranged code. They had agreed that he would disguise his location in the second paragraph of his letters. He buried the name "Ulithi" in the first letter of each of the first 6 syllables: “Un-less I tell her I’m OK Mom will worry about me.” The message got through, although apparently in 1944, it was nearly impossible for the family in California to find a world map that included the location of the tiny atoll.

Source: Frank L. Dolan's personal remembrances

D-Day in the Pacific | The Invasion of Saipan, 1944

Having successfully pushed through the Gilbert and Marshall Islands, the Allies now set their sights on the Marianas: Saipan, Guam, Tinian, Rota, and Pagan. From this strategic point in the Pacific, they would be able to bomb the Japanese mainland. This massive operation involved thousands of troops from all branches of the military and an overwhelming number of ships, vehicles, and weapons. 

The plan called for bypassing a full assault on Rota and Pagan, instead aiming at Saipan as its primary goal. Guam and Tinian were secondary targets. To invade Saipan would be a significant challenge for the Pacific Fleet since Japan regarded it as part of her homeland as well as integral to her inner defense perimeter.

Beginning June 11, 1944, American aircraft carriers carried out heaving bombing of airfields in the Marianas. Battleships also bombarded the islands.¹ 

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Today's date marks the anniversary of Saipan D-day in 1944. Sixty-four Land Ship Tanks (LSTs), some of which my dad, Frank Dolan, had worked on earlier at Pearl Harbor, landed U.S. Marines on 8 different beaches on a 4-mile wide front. Twenty-four gunboats offered some close protection for the landing force while battleships, cruisers, and destroyers pounded beach defenses. Eight thousand Marines got ashore within the first 20 minutes, with 12,000 more to follow throughout the day along with 1,400 amphibious tanks.

U.S. Marines in the first wave on the Saipan beaches
Source: National Archives

Awaiting the Marines were over 32,000 Japanese troops, more than twice the number anticipated. More than 2,000 Marines were killed on the beaches before the beachhead was secured 2 days later. It would be a long and hard-fought battle to take the island.

As the Marines fought off counter-attacks, the Japanese decided that the best way to support the island’s defenders was to attack the Americans at sea. This resulted in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, June 19, 1944. The attack proved to be a disaster for the Japanese as they lost 3 aircraft carriers along with many planes. The loss of their carriers meant that the Japanese force on Saipan could not be resupplied or reinforced, and they were effectively cut off.

Troops make their way to the beach from LSTs, some of which

were readied and repaired by Dad's ship, USS Hector

Source: National Archives

By the 22nd, Marines had pushed across the island, cutting the defending force in two. Realizing that he would not be reinforced, Japanese Gen. Yoshitsugu Saito ordered his troops to fight the last man. The Japanese held a final defensive line around Mount Tapotchau, a series of caves in the mountainous center of Saipan. In their assault, the Americans were forced to use flamethrowers to kill or drive the enemy from their underground hiding places.

In a climatic enemy attack on July 7, over 3,000 Japanese, including wounded and some civilians, struck the U.S. Army's position in a desperate charge. Nearly overwhelming their lines in an attack which lasted over 15 hours, the American soldiers bravely fought back. With reinforcements, the army succeeded in turning back the assault with very few Japanese survivors.

Throughout the invasion, Japanese defenders were tenacious, completely willing to fight to the death. Indeed, more than 30,000 had to be killed before Saipan was taken by July 7th.² For the Americans, over 3,400 of the 67,451 troops who participated were killed or reported missing.

The American victory at Saipan was quickly followed by successful landings on Guam on July 21st, and Tinian on July 24th, although there was heavy fighting in the battles for both islands. With the Marianas secured, the Americans quickly developed air bases for long range B-29 bombers that could reach the Japanese mainland, helping to hasten the end of the war.³

¹ The battleship, USS Tennessee, was damaged by artillery fire from Tinian. Eight men were killed and 26 wounded. Despite the damage and loss of personnel, Tennessee delivered fire on a Japanese counterattack near Agingan Point on Saipan before leaving for emergency repairs. The next day, the ship returned to Saipan channel to provide supporting fire to assist U.S. Marines in consolidating their beachhead. On the 22nd, Tennessee sailed for Eniwetok where Dad's repair ship, Hector, repaired her battle damage. On June 14, another battleship, the USS California, was hit by a shell from a Japanese shore battery on Saipan, killing 1 man and wounding 9. Dad's ship repaired her damage at Eniwetok as well.

² Tragically, more than 20,000 civilians also were killed, many of these jumping from cliffs to their deaths. Despite efforts by U.S. troops to persuade them to surrender they were convinced that untold horrors awaited them if they fell into the hands of the Americans.

³On November 24, 1944, U.S. B-29 bombers attacked the Nakajima aircraft factory northwest of Tokyo. The high-altitude mission marked the first bombing raid of Japan from the Mariana Islands.

Sources: The Two-Ocean War, Samuel Eliot Morrison; Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships: USS Hector III (AR-7); USS Hector AR7- Ship's Log (WWII)

Underway for Eniwetok | Service Squadron Ten

On today's date in 1944, the day before the Allied invasion of Normandy, my Dad, Frank Dolan, was sailing from Pearl Harbor. Resupplied and with a fresh coat of camouflage paint, Dad's ship, USS Hector, sailed with a task unit of 4 other ships* for Eniwetok, codenamed "Babacoote." It was on its way to join its mobile service squadron, transferring there from Majuro. Crossing the International Dateline on the 9th, Hector arrived safely at Eniwetok Harbor on the 13th, reporting to the recently commissioned Service Squadron 10 of Task Force 38.

Navy service squadrons—composed of repair ships, floating drydocks, and other floating equipment—supported fleet combat units in the Pacific. During the war they allowed the Navy to operate across the ocean for extended periods of time. Service Squadron 10 (ServRon 10) provided for major naval bases relatively near the Navy's ongoing operations against the Japanese. The Squadron's vital work allowed ships to remain on duty for a year or more without the need to return to a major repair base stateside.

Eniwetok had been in Allied hands since their victorious invasion in February. The atoll now offered the Americans a strategic airfield and harbor from which to launch attacks on Japanese strongholds in the Mariana Islands further north. As a major forward operating base for the Navy and the Marines, there was a lot of work for a repair ship like Hector. Already, hundreds of Allied ships were anchored in the lagoon when Hector arrived. Many of these would be participating in the invasion of Saipan within a couple of days. At its peak in July, more than 520 ships were present in the lagoon.

Marianas Invasion Force assembled in the lagoon at Eniwetok Atoll, June 1944

For 3 1/2 months, Hector supported Task Force 38, the main striking force of the United States Navy through the latter half of the Pacific War. During that time, she repaired numerous ships alongside and in the harbor. Then, September 30th, Hector sailed for Ulithi.

Service Squadron 10 was commissioned at Pearl Harbor on January 15, 1944. It was based first at Majuro (February-May 1944), then Eniwetok (June-September 1944), Ulithi (October 1944-April 1945), and Leyte-Samar, P.I. (May-August 1945). At the height of its activities, the squadron controlled 609 vessels at 5 fleet anchorages.

Service Squadron 10 was designed to be a mobile base, furnishing logistic support, including general stores, provisions, fuel, ammunition, maintenance, repair, salvage, and such other services as required in the support of an advanced major fleet anchorage in the Central Pacific Area. It was directed to furnish similar logistic support to Navy and Marine shore-based units not otherwise provided for in the area. And, wherever possible, it provided services and supplies vital to any of our allied armed forces.

In addition to the Hector, an arresting array of additional repair ships and tenders also were present at Eniwetok. These included the repair ship Ajax; destroyer tenders Piedmont, Cascade, and Markab; repair ship landing craft Egeria; floating drydocks ARD-13 and ARD-15; mobile floating drydock AFD-15; and floating workshop YR-30.

At Eniwetok, before leaving for Ulithi, Hector's welding shop crew posed
for this photograph. Metalsmith, 1st Class Frank Dolan is center, second row.

*Task Unit 17.7.12, was comprised of USS Hector, escort aircraft carriers USS Natoma Bay and Manila Bay, and the destroyers USS Halligan and Haraden.

Sources: USS Hector War Diary, June 1944; Beans, Bullets and Black Oil, Chapter 10: "Service Squadron Ten Organizing at Pearl," Worrall Reed Carter

Meeting MacArthur

It was either while he was stationed in Hawaii from April to June 1944, or earlier in 1941-1942, that my dad, Frank Dolan, and some of his buddies from his ship, Hector, decided to play some golf. It is the only time that I know of that he ever played, or as he recalled it, "pretended to hit a few balls around the golf course."

As he told the story, while the sailors were playing, a U.S. Army general caught up with them. It was an awkward moment, but the general made some small talk and offered a few observations with the sailors, then played on through their group. At the time, Dad had no idea who the general was. However, a few months later on October 20th, he and the rest of the world would recognize General Douglas MacArthur famously wading onto the beach at Leyte in the Philippines declaring, "I have returned."

The other Pearl Harbor disaster, 1944

Today is the 70th anniversary of the West Lock disaster at Pearl Harbor, an incident that few of us know much, if anything, about. The accident, which occurred on a quiet Sunday, just after 3 PM on this date in 1944, began following an explosion in a staging area for Landing Ships, Tank (LSTs) and other amphibious assault ships in West Loch.

The West Lock was a scene of great activity in May as ships were being loaded with ammunition, gasoline, and other cargo in preparation for the June invasion of the Mariana Islands in "Operation Forager." An accidental explosion occurred on an LST as she was being loaded with mortar ammunition. Three ships were lost in the explosions and the devastating fire that quickly that spread to other vessels in the harbor.

The cause of the initial explosion is uncertain. However, lack of experience in the handling of ammunition and other explosive cargo was the suspected cause. Few of the officers and men involved in loading the explosives had actual experience or training in handling it. Welding operations being carried on nearby could have been a contributing factor, but smoking was also suspected as triggering the explosions.

Twenty-nine LSTs were berthed in the lock to receive supplies from the West Loch Naval Ammunition Depot. Each LST was loaded with thousands of pounds of fuel and oil along with 6,000 cubic feet of ammunition stowed on the decks, under the guns, and in the amphibious craft onboard. Each LST had a 199-man crew plus about 200 Marines or Soldiers as part of the invasion force. The situation was ripe for disaster.

The official investigation revealed that the first explosion occurred on board LST-353, where heavy ammunition was being loaded. Gasoline stored in drums on adjoining ships was accidentally ignited, and in moments several LSTs were ablaze. The flames prevented crews from casting off lines and breaking free of the other ships. Then a second explosion came moments later, and a third—the most violent—followed shortly thereafter. It was a scene of smoke, chaos, and confusion, with men either blown overboard or leaping into the water to escape the flames.

Smoke billows upward from West Lock on May 21, 1944, when disaster struck
a nest of LSTs readying for the Saipan assault.
National Archives Photo  

The official account listed 27 dead and 100 missing. However, other sources state the final death toll at 163 servicemen, with a further 396 wounded. Six LSTs were sunk, 2 already carrying smaller, fully loaded amphibious crafts. Several more LSTs were damaged and/or run aground. Four could not be repaired in time for the invasion. Seventeen tracked landing vehicles (LVTs) and eight 155 mm guns also were destroyed.

With the reinforcement of the fleet coming from elsewhere, and through quick repair efforts, amazingly Operation Forager was only delayed by a single day, with the invasion commencing essentially as planned 3 weeks later.

While at the time, thousands of service personnel and civilian residents knew about the disaster, it received very little publicity then or later. The incident was cloaked in secrecy, and by the time it was declassified in 1960, most had forgotten about it completely. Even many sailors on duty nearby on the island knew little about it. My dad, Frank Dolan, was stationed onboard the USS Hector* in another area of Pearl Harbor. At the moment of the explosion, he and a few of his buddies were at the recreation area at Aiea Landing, about 4 miles away. From a high ridge they witnessed the LST’s blowing up and the spreading fire that followed. He had all but forgotten the disaster until a few years ago it was brought to mind in a documentary about the discovery of the remains of a fifth Japanese midget submarine used in the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack.

For the Sailors, Marines, and Soldiers present at West Lock on today's date, however, few of them would ever forget the "Second Pearl Harbor Disaster."

The rusted hulk of USS LST-480 still visible at West Loch. The remains honor
the 163, sailors, marines, and soldiers who died and 396 wounded in a fuel
and ammunition explosion on May 21, 1944.
Source: Star Bulletin

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Only 2 months later, on July 17, 1944, there was another disastrous explosion at a Navy yard, this one in the San Francisco Bay area. At Port Chicago Naval Magazine, 320 men were instantly killed when ammunition that they were handling blew up. Nearly 400 others were injured. The majority of the dead were African American sailors, at that time serving in the racially segregated military.

Navy crews were loading 2 naval vessels bound for the Pacific Theater with active munitions when the explosives ignited in a horrific series of blasts. Felt throughout the area, the explosions broke windows 30 miles away, hurled debris thousands of feet into the air, and obliterated both ships. Tragically, the blast instantly killed everyone killed at the waterfront—Sailors, Marines, Navy Armed Guard, Coast Guardsmen, Merchant Marines, and working civilians. It was WWII's worst home front disaster.

_____________________________________________________________________________

* While stationed at Pearl Harbor during this period, Dad performed welding repairs to many of these LSTs for the upcoming campaign.

Sources: United States LST Organization; "Pearl Harbor's Second Disaster Remembered," US Navy; LST-225 War Diary, May 1944

USS Hector arrives at Pearl Harbor

On today's date in 1944, my dad's repair ship, USS Hector, arrived in Pearl Harbor after sailing from California on April 3rd. The ship was assigned to Service Squadron Two. She will remain at Pearl effecting repairs on various ships, primarily landing craft for the June Mariana and Palau Islands campaign, until she departs on June 5th for the recently captured Eniwetok Atoll.

During this time, Hector's crew was granted leave. For some of this period at Pearl, Vestal was also present, and Dad met up with some of his old shipmates, although never visiting on board. It was also during his stay at Pearl that he and some of his buddies providentially encountered Gen. Douglas MacArthur while on the golf course.

A memorable leave experience for one of Hector's sailors is reported as an anecdote in the War Diary for the USS Griswold. On April 21st, as the destroyer escort was steaming for the states, 11 miles off Diamond Head it spotted a man on a surfboard adrift in the water. After performing a rescue, they learned that the surfer was an unnamed crewman from the Hector who somehow got stranded too far from shore. No further mention of the incident is made. Too bad, because it would have made quite a story!

Dad and some of his Hector buddies in Honolulu, 1944
L to R: Percy Hunt, Bruce Cabbot, Cal Falcon, & Frank Dolan

Hector remained at Pearl until departing on June 5th for the forward naval base at Eniwetok.

Sources: USS Vestal War Diary, April 1944;  USS Hector AR7- Ship’s Log (WWII); USS Hector Muster Roll, March 1944; USS Griswold War Diary, April 1944

Hector sets sail for Pearl Harbor

On today's date in 1944, the recently commissioned repair ship, USS Hector, finally gets underway for Pearl Harbor and action in the Pacific. My dad, Frank Dolan, having served on the USS Vestal in the Pacific Fleet since 1941, is a metalsmith on this newest of the fleet repair vessels. Compared to conditions on his old ship, he remembered the accommodations on Hector as almost luxurious.

This will be Dad's second trip to the Hawaiian Islands. He was there serving on the USS Vestal in 1941, when he witnessed firsthand the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. His ship, though seriously damaged herself, was instrumental in repairing many of the other ships and installations damaged in that attack.

Now passing through California's Channel Islands on this day in 1944, Hector began its zig-zagging course across the Pacific Ocean, arriving at Pearl Harbor on April 9th. It will stay there for several weeks repairing various vessels, primarily LSTs and other amphibious assault ships needed for amphibious landings in "Operation Forager," the June campaign for the Mariana and Palau Islands. 

Hector will remain at Pearl until departing on June 5th for the forward naval base at Eniwetok.

Sources: Frank L. Dolan Service Records; USS Hector War Diary, April 1944; USS Hector AR7- Ship’s Log (WWII); Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships; 

Final shakedown for the USS Hector

In the closing days of March 1944, my dad, Frank Dolan, is a sailor aboard the repair ship, USS Hector, during a final period of shakedown operations for this newly commissioned ship. Hector is stationed for now at the Naval Operating Base on Terminal Island, California. Anti-aircraft and surface gunnery practices were fired. Commander W.W. Feineman conducted a military inspection of the ship and crew during the afternoon on March 27.

During the first couple of days in April, Hector will load supplies and make preparations for getting underway for Pearl Harbor on the 4th. As she nears her departure date, the ship will receive a coat of camouflage paint.

USS Hector, cir. 1945

Sources: USS Hector War Diary, March & April 1944; USS Hector AR7- Ship's Log (WWII); Frank L. Dolan Service Records

Hector begins final preparations for deployment

Over the previous weeks in 1944, my dad's new ship, USS Hector, has been undergoing final work before its deployment next month. On today's date in 1944, and for the next 12 days, the ship will be in Drydock No. 1 at the Naval Operating Base, Terminal Island, in Los Angeles. Today, builders and cleaners are beginning their work, which will include painting the ship's bottom.

Sources: USS Hector War Diary, March 1944; USS Hector AR-7 - Ship's Log (WWII)

Reporting for duty on USS Hector

On today's date in 1943, my dad, Frank Dolan, having completed training for his newly commissioned ship, USS Hector, officially reported for duty at San Pedro, California. He will spend the remainder of the war aboard this repair vessel, first as Metalsmith First Class, then Chief Metalsmith.

Launched November 11, 1943, and commissioned February 7, 1944. Hector is currently moored to the dock, loading stores, spare parts, and provisions. Over the next few weeks it will get underway several times carrying out shakedown operations. Degaussing and direction finder calibration, compensation of magnetic compasses, structural test firing, and speed trials were completed during this period. Hector is operating under Commander Operational Training Command, Pacific Fleet.

Frank L. Dolan, Metalsmith, First Class, January 1944

Hector will undergo final work and armament installation over the weeks ahead before sailing for Pearl Harbor on April 3rd.

USS Hector
Source: uboat.net

Sources: Frank L. Dolan's Service Records; USS Hector War Diary, February 1944;  USS Hector (AR-7) Association; USS Hector AR7-Ship's Log (WWII)

The Battle of Kwajalein, 1944

While my dad, Frank Dolan, completed his training in San Diego for duty on the new repair ship, USS Hector, the war against Japan continued in the Pacific. In November of 1943, the U.S. and its Allies drove Japanese occupiers from Makin and Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands. The Americans' next objective was the Marshall Island chain. The Battle of Kwajalein, the opening of Marshall Islands Campaign, was fought from January 29 to February 3, 1944.

A small group of 29 atolls and 5 islands in the Northern Pacific settled by ancient Micronesian peoples, the Marshalls were under Japan's control into the Second World War. The islands, located about 2,900 miles east of Japan, formed a key part of the Empire's outer perimeter defense. The location of the islands also made them offensively strategic for the Japanese Navy.

By this point in the war, the Japanese were withdrawing from advanced positions in the Pacific, choosing to defend their nation closer to home. Their strategy for the island chain was to use its defense as a delay action while establishing a new defensive perimeter closer to Japan. They fortified garrisons on the eastern and southern perimeter islands, which were most exposed to attack by the Americans.

The American plan for taking the Marshall Islands, known as "Operation Flintlock," called for hopping over the fortified outer islands and directly attacking Kwajalein, the world's largest coral atoll, and center of Japanese control over the islands.

Source: World War II Database

U.S. aircraft carriers began their air offensive against Kwajalein on today's date in 1944. On January 31, U.S. Marines landed on Majuro Atoll and took it without any casualties, preparing it as a forward base for the full invasion. After overwhelming air and naval bombardment, Kwajalein was stormed by Marines and Army troops on February 1, and declared secured on the 7th, with a loss of only 372 Marines and soldiers killed. In contrast, the Japanese death toll was 7,800. On February 12th, Marines landed on Arno Atoll and began a series of mopping-up operations in the remaining minor atolls of the Marshall Islands.

The capture of Kwajalein allowed the Navy high command to step up its operations in the Marshalls and invade the important Eniwetok Atoll on February 17, 1944. In early April, Dad will sail with the Hector on its maiden voyage to Hawaii. By June, Hector will be repairing ships at the new forward naval base at Eniwetok.

Sources: Frank L. Dolan's Service Records; The Two-Ocean War, Samuel Eliot Morison; World War II Database; 

Reporting to the Naval Repair Base in San Diego

On today's date in 1943, my dad, Frank Dolan, reported to Industrial Command on the U.S. Naval Repair Base in San Diego, California. He will undergo several weeks of training for service on the Navy's newest repair ship, USS Hector.

Providentially, San Diego was also his hometown. Born and raised on a small ranch and dairy farm in Sunnyside, about 20 miles east of the base, Dad will enjoy spending time with his family and childhood friends.

Dad on leave, December 1943

Dolan Brothers Ed, Frank, Elwin, and Brother-in-Law Willie Howel
December 1943

Sources: Frank L. Dolan's Service Records and his personal narrative

Remembering Pearl Harbor | A sailor's first-hand account

My dad, Frank L. Dolan, was an 18-year old U.S. Navy Sailor aboard the auxiliary repair ship USS Vestal during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor 72 years ago on today's date in 1941. I am reprinting the original post about his experience on that fateful day.

                        ________________________________________________________

My dad was a weldor on the Vestal, which was tied alongside the battleship USS Arizona, when the surprise Japanese attack came.* He remembered the events that unfolded at Pearl Harbor on this date in 1941 like this...

Sunday was "holiday routine"… a no-work day. The officers and men would ‘sleep-in,’ but not me. I was eager to get my ratings. So, after morning chow, I went to the foc’sle… which was an upper deck in the forward part of the ship, to do my studying… Noise! A loud noise! A loud, booming noise came! Then came the roar of airplanes. I looked over the starboard (right) side of the ship and saw planes—many planes. Some were overhead, but many were just a few feet above the water. They were launching what I thought were “dummy” torpedoes. "Neat, real neat!" I thought. But when the first one exploded against a battleship’s side, I thought some dumb American pilot dropped a real live torpedo by accident.

Japanese aerial photo of the attack 

Even as torpedoes were exploding on impact against the sides of the battleships, I told myself there must be some mistake. The planes were so close we could easily see the pilots. Then the red ball designation of the Japanese on the sides of the planes came into view. Immediately I was off the foc’csle down the port passageway aft on the main deck and onto the starboard side to watch. Again, I was not really believing what I was witnessing. More torpedo planes, and then came the dive bombers. I had no battle station as at this time we were at peace with Japan, and had only one 3-inch anti-aircraft gun, and a couple of Thompson machine guns on board. Our 5-inch broadside guns were for use against surface craft.

My next move was to head for the weld shop. To get there I had to go down a ladder through the carpenter shop and then amidships to the weld shop. No sooner had I got down the ladder when a bomb came through the carpenter shop hitting the ladder I had just come down. There were numerous casualties in the carpenter shop. One shipmate was decapitated. Immediately, I went to the weld shop. Half of the men there had been sleeping or were just awakening and were asking, "What was up?" The other men and I told them the Japs were here. I looked toward the small hatch opening that I had just come through to get to our shop. "Ski," a shipmate, had just come into the shop looking very pale and wobbly. We grabbed him and laid him on a cot, face-down, as we discovered that both cheeks of his backside were torn off and hardly any flesh remained. This was the result of the bomb that had come through the carpenter shop. In the meantime, another bomb hit the forward part of our ship on the starboard side near where I had been studying a few minutes earlier.

USS Arizona

Dad recalled that at about the time the second bomb hit the forward part of the Vestal, on the starboard side near where he had been studying a few minutes earlier, was when the Arizona exploded. While he was below decks at that moment, he did not then know what had happened, although it was a “shaking experience” for him. “When the Arizona blew up and was broken in two, my first thought from below deck was that our acetylene and oxygen cylinders, which were topside and near the great explosion, had blown up. Soon afterward, we learned that it was the Arizona. And, later on, with all of the burned survivors, we knew for sure what had happened.”

Amazingly, of the 400 men on the Vestal, only 6 were lost, although many were seriously injured. Among the many deeds of brave men, the Vestal’s captain, Cassin Young, received the Medal of Honor for his courageous actions that day. On the other hand, the losses to the Arizona were horrific. More than 1,100 Sailors and Marines still lie entombed within its sunken hull. Over 50 Sailors lie within the submerged Utah.

Dad recounted his experience of this “date which will live in infamy” in his narrative, Pearl Harbor: As I Remember.

* A profound experience from my childhood was to personally meet Captain Mitsuo Fuchida, the Japanese commander who led the first attack wave on Pearl Harbor, and who immortalized the words, Tora, Tora, Tora. When I was about 10, my dad insisted that I go with him to a Youth for Christ meeting in San Diego, where this remarkable man and former enemy of the United States was speaking. Years after the Pearl Harbor attack, Fuchida became a Christian in a remarkable conversion to the Christian faith. I wrote about the experience in the post, Meeting God's Samurai.

Back in the States

On today's date in 1943, my dad, Frank Dolan, returned to the states after more than 2 years of service in the Pacific aboard the USS Vestal. Arriving in San Francisco on the troop ship, Matsonia, he reported to the Navy base, then enjoyed a few days' leave in the city. On the 29th, he will be reassigned temporarily to his hometown of San Diego. There he will be trained for duty on the newly commissioned USS Hector.

In San Francisco, Dad enjoyed a welcome change to his tropical diet of the past couple of years: “While on liberty in San Francisco in December ’43 and craving fresh fruit, a friend and I bought a sack of oranges and pears. As we walked down the street eating them, a shore patrol stopped us and ordered us not to eat on the street. We complied, but as soon as he was out of sight, we resumed our treat. Boy, were they good!”

Sources: Frank L. Dolan's Service Records and his personal narrative

Gilbert Islands Campaign, 1943

On this date in 1943, while my dad, Frank Dolan, was en route to the states after 2 years of Pacific service on the USS Vestal, the U.S. Navy began its invasion of the Gilbert Islands, codenamed "Operation Galvanic." Just days before, Dad's troop transport ship, Matsonia, made a 1-day stop at Funifuti, on the southern tip of this long, Pacific island chain. The next day, Matsonia, continued its voyage on to San Francisco, arriving there on November 17th, just as the amphibious invasion of the Gilberts was about to commence.

The Gilbert Islands, together with the Marshalls to the north, were strategic for the success of the Americans in their naval and marine operations against the Japanese Imperial Navy. Their goal was to establish airfields to provide air support for the upcoming operations across the Central Pacific. The first step was to gain control of strategic positions in the Gilbert Islands as the Allies penetrated Japan's eastern defensive perimeter.

Two atolls were key to the American invasion: Makin and Tarawa. Within days after their attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese occupied the Gilberts. They built a seaplane base on Makin and dispersed troops along the coastlines of the atolls to monitor the movement of Allied forces in the South Pacific. The largest and most strategically important atoll was Tarawa where a Japanese airfield was located on the tiny island of Betio. Of the two, Tarawa was the most heavily fortified, and it would prove the most difficult and costly for the U.S. Marines who would have to take it.

Source: World War II Database

The battle for Makin began on today's date in 1943, with Army and Navy air attacks. That was followed on the 20th by an Army infantry landing on mostly undefended beaches. They pressed inland over the next couple of days and defeated the Japanese stronghold. The Americans lost 66, with 152 wounded, while 395 Japanese defenders were killed.

Taking Tarawa to the south was not so easy for the Marines. The Tarawa atoll was comprised of 38 islands surrounded by coral reef. Taking the important airfield on Betio was the primary goal. The invasion was preceded by a naval bombardment, which as it happened, was not nearly sufficient to destroy or soften up enemy defenses. Then on the morning of the 20th, Marines boarded their amphibious landing craft and headed for the Betio Island beach. Soon, though, their crafts became stranded on the reef, and the men were forced to wade 700 yards to the beach under horrendous enemy fire. While they took heavy casualties, the Marines reached the beach. However, they were pinned down until on the 21st they were able to pierce the defensive line and eventually take the island. Over the next several days, the Marines took the smaller islands around the atoll. By the end of the Battle of Tarawa, there were more than 1,000 Americans killed and 2,200 wounded. 4,690 of the enemy were killed.

Of course, news of the opening of the Gilbert Islands Campaign had hardly reached the states when Dad arrived there on November 17th. Over the next several months, Dad's new repair ship, USS Hector, will complete its final shakedown before beginning operations in the Pacific Theater. The naval campaign against Japan will proceed next with the invasion and occupation of the Marshall Islands. Within a few months, Dad will be on the Hector, stationed on the remote forward naval base of Eniwetok in the northern chain of these newly captured islands.

Sources: Frank L. Dolan's Service Records; The Two-Ocean War, Samuel Eliot Morison; World War II Database

Dad transfers to the States

On today's date in 1943, my dad, Frank Dolan, was transferred to San Francisco for "assignment to new construction."  Soon, he would be assigned duty on the newly built repair ship, USS Hector (AR-7). His old ship, Vestal, on which he served since before the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor in December 1941, is finishing its year-long assignment this month at Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides. On the 18th, Vestal will sail for work at the base at Funafuti in the Ellice Islands (now known as Tuvalu).

Dad sailed to San Francisco on the Matsonia, an old luxury liner converted to a troop carrier. Compared to his quarters for the past couple of years on Vestal, he remembered traveling home in relative comfort. The ship sailed via Funafuti. Then it sailed on without escort because it traveled outside of the war zone, and it was faster than warships. From San Francisco, Dad will be transferred to the Industrial Command, Naval Repair Base, San Diego, for training in Hector detail. His hometown is San Diego, so the transfer worked very well for him.

His new ship, USS Hector, was launched November 11, 1943, while Dad was en route to San Francisco. Hector was commissioned on February 7, 1944. The ship saw distinguished service, repairing ships of the Pacific Fleet throughout the remainder of WWII. It continued in service through the Korean and Vietnam wars, earning numerous service medals. After 43 years of faithful service, USS Hector was decommissioned in 1987. In 1989, she was leased to Pakistan and then returned to U.S. custody in 1994. She suffered rendering to scrap soon thereafter.

But in 1944, after its shakedown along the West Coast, Hector will sail to Pearl Harbor with Dad onboard for more fleet repair work.

USS Hector (date unknown)
Source: uboat.net

USS Hector with USS Houston alongside at Ulithi Atoll in November 1944
Source: NavSource Online

Source: Frank L. Dolan's service records; History of the USS Hector AR-7

September's routine repairs

In the month of September 1943, while stationed in Espirito Santo in the New Hebrides, in addition to extensive and/or emergency repairs to SS Matthew Lyon, SS W.S. Rheem, LST-354, LST-395, and the San Juan, Dad's ship, Vestal, tackled numerous routine repairs to various vessels of the fleet. In relative order of service and repair, these ships included: LST 448, Taganat, Cleveland, LST-446, LST-447, Murzim, LST-398, APC 28, LST-399, Saratoga, Montpelier, Bright, in addition to other miscellaneous ship jobs and work at the shore facility.

At least 4 times this month the ship was ordered to general quarters, and at least once enemy planes were close enough to be spotted.

Source: USS Vestal War Diary, September 1943

Work on USS LST-447

September 1943 was a big month for repairing LSTs ("Landing Ship Tank"). Dad's ship, USS Vestal, worked on at least 7 of them* this month.

On today's date in 1943, Vestal began repairs on LST-447, sister ship to LST-448, which Vestal repaired in August. LSTs were relatively large ships capable of shore-to-shore delivery of tanks and other vehicles, supplies, and personnel for amphibious assaults. These unique ships were designed with large ballast systems that could be filled for ocean passage and then pumped out for beaching operations. Over a thousand of these ships were completed in American shipyards by war's end and they played a significant role in the European and Pacific theaters.

These tank landing ships were constructed to carry multiple tanks, wheeled and tracked vehicles, artillery, construction equipment, and military supplies. Their design allowed for them to land their cargo on the beach. LSTs also could transport troops, with accommodations for 16 officers and 147 enlisted men in addition to her own crew complement of 7 officers and 104 enlisted men. Armed with 2 twin and 4 single 40MM, plus 12 single 20MM guns, LSTs had the capacity to defend themselves.

LST-447 was launched in 1942 and was the 447th member of her class commissioned into service with the US Navy. She entered service with the U.S. Pacific Fleet in December 1942, deployed to the South Pacific. Like many LSTs  that were rushed into service in the South Pacific at this time, LST-447 and her crew were given on-the-job training in ship operations while serving with the Allied force in operations in the Southern Solomon Islands in early 1943. It was during this period that the ship sailed into Espiritu Santo for "hull and engineering underwater repairs" by Vestal while in dry dock.

USS LST-447 unloading supplies at Bougainville
Source: NavSource Online

Apparently her repairs were not related to battle damage since LST-447's first amphibious landing was at Bougainville in November. Following that action, the ship went on to take part in the Bismarck Archipelago and Hollandia landings in the South Pacific through April 1944. Then, she shifted north to assault Guam in July through August 1944. Detached from frontline units after duty in the Marianas, the ship was overhauled at Pearl Harbor during the Philippine Landings. Following repairs at Pearl, LST-447 sailed in early 1945 for Ulithi Atoll where she joined the huge American Naval force massing for the planned assault on Okinawa scheduled for April 1st.

In late March, departing in a convoy fully loaded with men, munitions, and supplies, LST-447 was forced to wait offshore while other ships offloaded before she could beach and discharge their cargo on April 4th. By this time, the heretofore unopposed landings had turned into fierce fighting onshore, and an increasing number of Japanese kamikaze planes were operating overhead throughout the daylight hours. Despite these hazards, the ship's crew successfully off-loaded her cargo and debeached with the high tide in the evening of April 5th, before proceeding offshore to await orders. The next day brought reports of large numbers of Japanese aircraft approaching Okinawa, prompting the LST-447's crew to their battle stations to await the inevitable arrival of Japanese aircraft.

Closing ranks with other ships to combine firepower, the LST's crew was soon facing dozens of suicide attackers which began strafing, bombing, and diving all around them. Despite a valiant effort, the gun crews simply were overwhelmed by the mass attack. A single bomber dove out of the clouds, and despite taking several hits, its pilot slammed his plane into LST-447. The force of the crashing aircraft and the detonation of its full bomb and fuel load created a massive fireball and blew out the port side of the empty hold, causing fatal damage to the ship and numerous casualties. The LST’s captain quickly ordered the crew to abandon ship, but he remained onboard as the ship seemed to stabilize in the next few minutes. The stricken ship was placed under tow to more protected waters. The LST-447 almost made it to safety when she finally began to sink. Her skeleton crew was forced to abandoned her while the assisting tug pushed it out of the channel, allowing her to flood and sink.

USS LST-447 hit by a Japanese Kamikaze

April 6, 1945, off the Okinawa beachhead

Source: NavSourceOnline

For her actions on that day, the proud LST-447 earned her 6th Battle Star for WWII service. She also received the Navy Unit Commendation.


* In September 1943, Vestal repaired LST-354, 395, 398, 399, 446, 447, and 448, as well as numerous other Navy vessels.

Source: USS Vestal War Diary, September 1943

Repairs to torpedo damaged SS W.S. Rheem

On today's date in 1943, crews from Dad's ship, Vestal, began emergency repair work on the tanker, SS W.S. Rheem. W.S. Rheem was near Espiritu Santo when it was hit by a torpedo the previous day, fired from the Japanese sub, I-20. Thankfully, there were no casualties to the 40-man merchant crew or the 25-man Armed Guard aboard. The tanker was able to reach port at Espiritu Santo on its own power. I don't know for sure that Dad worked on the Rheem, but it required extensive welding, just the sort of work that matched Dad's expertise. Vestal will work on repairing the massive hole on W.S. Rheem's port side until the 15th while completing simultaneous repairs to several other vessels.

The infamous submarine I-20 was commissioned by the Japanese Imperial Navy in 1940. By November 1941, the sub was conducting operations around Hawaii in connection with the planned Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. I-20 was fitted with a top secret 46-ton 2-man midget submarine for a coordinated attack at Pearl with 5 other "mother" subs.

SS W.S. Rheem moored alongside another ship, perhaps SS Matthew Lyon.
Both ships were repaired by Vestal in Espirito Santo Harbor.

Torpedo damage received from the Japanese sub I-20

In early 1942, the I-20 patrolled the Pacific. Then for the rest of the year the sub operated in the Indian Ocean and the East Coast of Africa, launching midget subs and harassing British naval forces. She returned to the Western Pacific in August for the Invasion of Guadalcanal, then operated in the Solomons for the rest of that year where she again launched midgets against Allied ships.

I-20 continued to operate throughout the Solomons in 1943, covering operations and delivering supplies and ammunition in overnight runs down "The Slot" through the islands. Later, she patrolled the New Hebrides. On the last day of August, 10 miles north of Bougainville Strait, the I-20 torpedoed and damaged the W. S. Rheem. Her report was the last signal the Japanese command received from the I-20. The sub was about to have a run-in with the US destroyer, Wadsworth.

On August 31, the USS Wadsworth was sent out to hunt for the sub responsible for torpedoing the W.S. Rheem. Wadsworth was not able to make contact with any submarines in the first area searched, but then it teamed with amphibious patrol planes to scour the seas to the south of Espiritu Santo and west of Nalekula Island. On today's date in 1943, Wadsworth picked up an underwater sound contact and dropped 7 patterns of depth charges, claiming unconfirmed damage to the sub. It's possible that I-20 survived that onslaught, but it never returned home. Records list her as "missing" as of October 10, 1943.

It is also possible that another destroyer, the USS Ellet sank the I-20. On September 3, Ellet was ordered to hunt for a reported submarine in the area. That night, the destroyer picked up a radar contact and challenged the unseen contact. Receiving no reply, Ellet dropped 20 depth charges in an attempt to hit her target. The next day Ellet discovered a long oil slick but could not confirm a kill of the submarine.

To make matters even less certain, the I-20 and another Japanese sub, the I-182, were both operating in the New Hebrides at this time. Neither submarine returned from its mission, so perhaps both destroyers may be credited with kills. The final result is that the enemy's loss of 2 submarines is great news for American and Allied sailors on the New Hebridean waters.

Sources: USS Vestal War Diary, August & September 1943; War Diaries for USS Ellet, and Wardsworth, September 1943; The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II, Robert Cressman; Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships; Imperial Japanese Navy Page