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5-12-45 Of Tori Shema on radar picket duty with one other can and 4 LCM. Air attack.
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From 12 May to 16 May the BOYD acted as picket support ship.
05/12 Sat. Destroyers support landing of Army troops on Tori Shima, Ryukyu Islands. United States naval vessels damaged, Okinawa area: Battleship NEW MEXICO (BB-40), by suicide plane, 26 d. 11'N., 127 d. 43 E. Heavy cruiser WICHITA (CA-45), accidentally by United States naval gunfire, 26 d. 22'N., 127 d. 43'E.
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5-13-45 Air attack.
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05/13 Sun. Aircraft from fast carrier task force (Vice Adm. M. A. Mitscher) commence 2-day attack on Kyushu airfields, Japan.
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5-15-45 Returned to Okenewa.
5-16-45 Kerama.
5-17-45 Okenewa.
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On 17 May BOYD, COWELL, and ELLISON were attacked by enemy planes near Io Shima. Planes were driven off.
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5-18-45 Air-sea rescue mission for B29 returning from Japan. 1900 bogies in vicinity. 2100 so far 2 runs have been made on us. One dropped a spare gas tank about 50 yards of port beam and passed directly overhead.
5-19-45 Okenewa.
5-20-45 A.A. screen. THATCHER hit. APD hit. DE hit. We assist THATCHER. Take aboard 7 casualties. Had to shove off from here. Bogies made a very close run on us. Took THATCHER to port. 13 dead. Many casualties.
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On 20 May in the evening USS THATCHER was seen hit by suicide plane. BOYD went to assistance, repelled further attacks, put our fires, and removed wounded from THATCHER escorting her later to Kerama Retto.
From the log of the USS THATCHER (DD-514):"The destroyer was assigned to radar picket duty to detect and intercept enemy aircraft before they could enter the transport anchorages. On 20 May, she detected large numbers of Japanese aircraft approaching the anchorage. All ships opened fire, and Thatcher maneuvered to bring all batteries to bear on the attacking planes. As a low-flying "Oscar" passed down her port side, she increased her speed to 25 knots and commenced firing with her 20- and 40-millimeter guns. The kamikaze climbed steeply, did a wingover, and dived into the destroyer, striking her aft of the bridge. All power and steering control on the bridge were lost, both radars and the gyro system were out all external communications were lost, and there was a six- by nine-foot hole between the keel and the bilge. Boyd (DD-544) and PAVLIC (APD-70) came alongside to remove the wounded and help extinguish fires. With 14 killed or missing and 53 wounded, the stricken ship limped into Kerama Retto. Thatcher awaited drydock entry until 1 July."
Later the "Kamikazes" took particular delight in diving into our Destroyers who patrolled on picket station and there was one field day when each of the picket stations was "rammed" by at least on suicider. We didn't want any of that, but-we got it!
Guess that was the ruggedest duty we ever had. We were in some mighty tough spots in those days on "Roger Peter" but our luck held out. We saw one can a few hundred yards away get hit by a "Kamikazer" and when we came up to give them a hand, we saw the damage done by just one plane and it was unbelievable. Suicide attacks on Destroyers later were so frequent that it was hardly news to hear of a tin can getting sunk. We, too, were expendable.
05/20 Sun. United States naval vessels damaged, Okinawa area: Destroyer THATCHER (DD-514), by suicide plane, 26 d. 33'N., 127 d. 29'E. Destroyer escort JOHN C. BUTLER (DE-339), by suicide plane, 26 d. 47'N., 127 52'E. High-speed transport TATTNALL (APD-19), by horizontal bomber, 26 d. 00'N., 128 d. 00'E. High-speed transport CHASE (APD-54), by suicide plane, 26 d. 18'N., 127 d. 14'E. High-speed transport REGISTER (APD-92), by suicide plane, 26 d. 25'N., 127 d. 21'E. LST 808, by suicide plane, 26 d. 42'N., 127 d. 47'E.
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5-21-45 AA screen - few bogies.
5-22-45 AA screen few bogies.
5-23-45 Okenewa - Kerama.
5-24-45 8 ships hit by suicide planes.
5-25-45 Underway for radar picket station 15.
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Performed routine screening until 25 May when the BOYD went to radar picket station.
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5-26-45 Air attacks. 1700 went to GQ. Hell. We fired about 500 [516] rounds five inch. 900 rounds of 40 M.M. They say we knocked 2 down. One hit close to our vultures and injured ten. Killed one. (L.C.S.) 0412 releived by U.S.S. DREZLER. 0430 proceeding to Okinawa. 0500 got word DREZLER sunk. Two suicide planes hit her. She shot down two Betties. 0630 Okenawa 5-27-45
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We had our share of suicide attacks, more than we care to remember and although there were many dark moments, we luckily came through unscathed. There was on night when the Japs made about 25 passes at us, we were on our toes a'plenty. We knocked one off and our guns managed to talk the others out of it. The destroyer that relieved us that night wasn't so lucky. Soon after we pulled out, she "took" one and later, sank.
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