Navy's 'tin cans' are targets at Iwo and Okinawa

(We pick up the story of Navy signalman Philip Schneider of Hampden and the destroyer Boyd after Japanese planes crippled two U.S. cruisers near Formosa in October 1944 Adm. William Halsey envisioned the cripples as bait to lure out Japanese warships, but the Japanese admirals didn't bite. A week later, Halsey himself got suckered far to the north by a decoy fleet as the Battle of Leyte Gulf developed in the Philippines. Adm. Thomas Kinkaid's Seventh Fleet decisively defeated the Japanese Southern Task Force steaming through Surigao Straits south of Leyte. But the Central Task Force, approaching through San Bernadino Straits to the north, clearly outgunned Kinkaid's forces between it and the lightly armed troop transports and supply ships in Leyte Gulf. The Boyd, which had been headed toward Ulithi, raced toward the action.)

SCHNEIDER: We had a jeep carrier (baby flattop), two crippled cruisers, and three destroyers. We had our torpedoes ready to fire. But before we got there, we got word the Japanese fleet had turned and run. Nobody is sure why the Japanese admiral got spooked.

During refueling either Bill Fennecken or I was at the wheel. I got to be pretty good at it. We always wore a helmet. My quarters were below deck, but I slept on the flag bag on the bridge -- or in the bag if it was raining. I didn't want to get caught below deck if we got torpedoed.

Our skipper was Lt. Cmdr. U.S. Grant Sharp. I used to play acey-ducey with him in a corner on the bridge. He later became a full admiral and commanded the U.S. Pacific Fleet. He's now 95 years old and not well enough to come to our reunion in September.

Rifle to protect swimmers from sharks

When we were away from the action and could go swimming, we'd always have a small boat in the water and a man with a rifle -- in case of sharks.

(Phil Schneider's personal diary: "11-4-44. Jap sub on surface. Hit her with our five-inch three times. 11-5-44. Jap air attack. Two fish just missed us. Four planes. Four attacks."

The Boyd got a new skipper on Nov. 10, Cmdr. A. E. Teall. The destroyer screened carriers in the Philippines, performed convoy escort duty, then on Jan. 22, 1945, joined other ships bound for the pre-invasion bombardment of Iwo Jima.

(Schneider diary: "1-24-45. Bombarded Iwo. At 1544 they answered back and straddled us and another can -- 14 rounds too damn close. Went from 10 knots to 35 knots and retired.")

Taking evasive action

We took evasive action -- headed for the splashes (where the last shell had landed). On Feb. 16, we left Guam with the invasion group. During the invasion, the can next to us got hit -- and a can on the other side. And God, were we cold! Through the glasses on the bridge, we could see the Marines running around with their flame throwers. Climbing the mountain. I wondered how the hell do they do it. I saw the flag going up on Mt. Suribachi before the photographer got there to take the picture.

We supported them with bombardment. (Ship's history: "We moved in close to the beach and opened up on the pillboxes and caves along the side of the mountain and the exposed side of the crater. We spent most of the afternoon working on the gun nests and the emplacements that were doing so much damage to our advancing troops, moving to either side of the island as we were needed... By day we blasted the path ahead of our next advance. At night we kept up a constant harassing fire, keeping the Japs out of their sacks, and every so often threw in an illumination shell that kept them from counterattacking."

The Boyd was at Iwo till March 2. By March 26, the ship was off Okinawa and remained there till June 30.)

Sinking mines en route

On the way up, we sank eight mines. This was scary as hell. Your lookout would spot a mine in the water. You'd go alongside, blast away at it with your five-inch guns and with a rifle, keep blasting away till you exploded it.

Okinawa was the worst duty we had. It was mostly radar picket duty. You were scared all the time. Iwo, I don't think we were that scared -- it was the Marines who were catching hell. But Okinawa was unreal. I think we had 70 cans sunk or damaged.

Suicide planes wreak havoc

(Schneider diary: "4-3-45. Wake hit by suicide plane. Evans just got missed by another... 4-6-45. Four cans sunk, one sinking. 180 planes hit different groups, 116 shot down... 4-24-45. Two of our CVE's hit, one can so far... 5-4-45. Two cans sunk outside on picket duty. One can took five suicide planes. Aaron Ward -- she was a hell of a looking sight when they brought her in. At 0900 another can sunk on picket duty... 5-9-45. Two destroyer escorts hit 15 miles from us. 5-10-45. Two more cans. I haven't been able to keep track of them all. There's been about 30 destroyers hit so far not counting those sunk... 5-18-45. Air-sea rescue mission for B-29 returning from Japan... 5-20-45. Thatcher hit. APD hit. DE hit. We assist Thatcher. Take aboard seven casualties... Bogeys made a very close run on us. Took Thatcher to port -- 13 dead, many casualties... 5-24-45. Eight ships hit by suicide planes... 5-26-45. Air attacks. We fired 516 rounds five-inch, 900 rounds 40 mm. They say we knocked two down. One hit close to our Vultures -- injured 10, killed one. 0412 relieved by Drexler. 0430 proceeding to Okinawa. 0500 got word Drexler sunk. Two suicide planes hit her. She shot down two Bettys...

5-31-45. Tokyo Rose said there may be Marines and soldiers walking the streets of Tokyo but there'd be damn few tin can sailors.")

Steaming back and forth, firing everything

Tokyo Rose -- they piped her broadcasts through the ship. We laughed like hell at her. But off Okinawa, the suicide planes just kept coming in, coming in. It was forever. You'd steam at 35 knots back and forth, keep firing everything you've got. Your relief would get hit. The ship next to you would get hit. We were just lucky. But it lasted forever.

We'd have a CAP -- planes circling overhead to protect us. But still some of the kamikazes would get through.

When the Thatcher got hit, we went alongside with hoses trying to help them put out the fire. We'd have to leave them there -- the planes would be coming in again -- then go back. Eventually we towed them into port.

(Schneider diary: "6-9-45. Another ship hit by shore batteries. About six more have been hit since 5-31... 6-14-45. We had a couple of air attacks. Three planes were shot down by our CAP... 6-15-45. Four Bettys shot down by our CAP... 6-25-45. Heavy air attack at 2230 to 0430. We shot down two Bettys. International News Service took a story about us being helped by an eclipse.")

The moon is on our side

One night raid, they were right on us -- when a total eclipse of the moon turned everything dark. (Ship's history: "Just as they seemed headed back for the kill, the moon began to black out and almost immediately after we were swallowed into the dark. Our skipper told the guns to keep blasting away, saying 'If they can't see you, make them feel you' and we really poured the lead out. Two of them burst into bits, the others tossed in the sponge."

After Okinawa, the Boyd was involved in mine clearing operations in the East China Sea. Two days before the Aug. 14 Japanese surrender, the Boyd was back in Okinawa where the battleship Pennsylvania was damaged by an aerial torpedo only 100 yards off the Boyd's starboard bow.

Philip Schneider, now a signalman first class, came home with nine battle stars. The Boyd had earned 11 -- two of them before Schneider joined the crew. The ship was decomissioned in 1947, recalled to active duty in 1950 during the Korean War and remained in service until 1969.)

SOURCE: By DURHAM CALDWELL - EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR FOR THE REGISTER, (Issued 25 July 2001) PAGE 9 INTERVIEW, page 9 "Navy's 'tin cans' are targets at Iwo and Okinawa". THE REGISTER was founded in 1946 and is published by Turley Publications at 24 Water Street in Palmer Massachusetts.

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