Fred's Tales Continued
HMS Indomitable with the Far East Fleet
After this the fleet refuelled and set out for Australia. Arriving off Freemantle at 06:00 – local time, February 4th, 1944. Some ships stayed at Freemantle and Perth, others went to Adelaide. Indomitable flew off her aircraft before entering Sydney Harbour. She was anchored just off Sydney Harbour Bridge. I personally got in trouble with the harbour authorities as I was doing an examination of the shafts and screws, only wearing a pair of bathing trunks, oxygen bottle on my left hand side, lead weights on my right, mouth piece and lead soled plimsolls. They went berserk when I surfaced. Did I not know that these were shark-infested waters? All I could say was that I hadn’t seen any sharks. They as it turned out only dived in shark proof enclosures, and not as I had.
After seven days in Sydney, Indomitable sailed for Marus in the Admiralty Islands. It was terrible – very hot, deep water underneath and jungle ashore. Leave was restricted to 12 men only per day and then for only half an hour. The leave party when landing on the jetty would form up, be surrounded by American guards, then marched up to a hut where they were allowed a half pint of Onion Beer, drink it, be marched back, and then sent off back to the ship. This was because Japanese forces were still on the island.
While the other ships were still in Australia the Indomitable was in Manus, preparing the ship, etc, and welcoming American liaison staff for the B.P.F. (British Pacific Fleet). Eventually the fleet ’Task Force 57’, assembled and we sailed for -? - , on March 17th, arriving on March 20th. Refuelled and then headed north at 06:30 on March 23rd. The target allocated as part of the assault on Okinawa was the Saka Shima Gunto group of islands. The normal routine was two days in from dawn to dusk attacking, and after three days out – refuelling, re-arming, repairing and renewing aircraft, then back in again. Fighter and bomber sweeps and attacks were carried out on the airstrips at Ishigaki and Miyako Jima. Each of which had three airstrips although photo reccs over the airstrips before leaving to replenish, etc, showed that the strips were well and truly plastered. On return it was found that all the holes had been filled and strips were operational again!
On the 2nd of April the Japanese made a determined attack on the fleet. One enemy plane made a strafing run over the Indomitable, machine gunning the flight deck, killing one rating and wounding two, so it is reported, but I was on the flight deck repairing the bandstand of aft multiple pom-poms, starboard side. And frankly it was news to me! One plane did attempt to strafe the flight deck but there were no casualties and the plane was shot down.
A kamikaze hit the flight deck of the Indefatigable killing fourteen and wounding sixteen. The flight deck was inoperable for a period of twenty to thirty minutes whilst they cleared up, then flying started again. This amazed the American liaison staff as usually when this happened to the American carriers it caused heavy casualties and damage. The American carriers had wooden decks, we had armoured decks. Further attacks on the fleet were carried out as we attacked the islands. We added Hirara, Sukhama, and Myara to the target list. It must be remembered that a pilot going to his plane ranged on deck dare not touch it with his bare hands – in the tropics the metal was red hot! However it was even worse between decks. Stifling and exceedingly hot and uncomfortable. When in carrying out strikes for those two days out the Ships Company were at action stations the whole time. They slept and ate at their stations and if out in the open and it rained you just got wet !
Admiral Rawlings had first wanted four days in action, two days out, but Admiral Vian, thank god, refused, saying the carrier crews could just not do it. Two days in, two days out, was all the carrier crews could manage, especially as during the days out replenishing they were working like hell on repairs, maintenance, storing the ship, getting ammunition on board, etc. All this after being at action stations for two days! The crews had none of this on the other ships! Action stations was not very comfortable at all. All food was sandwiches with a mug of tea. That was all that could be prepared and distributed during the time. Only one member of each gun crew was allowed away at meal times to collect supplies. During the night only one person at time to go to the lavatory, etc.
It had become apparent that the Japanese were flying directly from Formosa to Okinawa. The B.P. Fleet were therefore requested by the Americans to attack and take out the air fields on Formosa accordingly, instead of returning to Saki Shima, the carriers diverted and steamed in to the channel, separating at Formosa (now Taiwan) A strike force of twenty-four bombers and twenty fighters were flown off to attack Matsuyama. Heavy weather obscured the 2nd airfield so the flight diverted to Kiirun harbour were heavy damage was inflicted. Over Yonakumi a flight of Jap light bombers were destroyed. In the evening the Japanese sent to attack the carriers were all shot down and destroyed before reaching the carriers. During the night the carriers reversed and at first light flew off strikes again – at 06:45 Avengers struck at Matsuyama and Skiuchika airfields, runways, barracks, petrol and ammunition dumps were badly hit. A radar station at Yonakumi Shima was completely dissolved. On the 16th and 17th strikes were resumed against Sakishima. Late on the 13th news was received on the death of President Roosevelt. At the refuelling rendezvous on the 14th, Formidable arrived and Illustrious was sent back to carry out urgent repairs to serious defects. More strikes were carried out against the targets and the force retired to Leyte Island after a month of continuous action. We reached San Pedro Roads – Leyte – in the Philippines at 12:45 on April 23rd. However any illusion of a rest period was quickly proved wrong. The ships lay miles from the shore and the task of replenishing with dry provisions and ammunition from the merchantmen by means of ships boats proved a day and night affair.
I was occupied for three days diving to examine the ships propellers, shafts, ‘A’ brackets and rudder. As normal in these waters we just had a 5ft dingy and I wore the same as I did in Sydney Harbour: weighted plimsolls, goggles, oxygen bottle slung on my left side, and of course a pair of trunks.
The first two days were fine, but I felt uncomfortable on the 3rd day whilst down. I made my examination of the centre shaft, and instead of just killing time returned to the surface. I had just balanced over the gunwale of the dingy when three sharks broke surface underneath my legs ! Fortunately the AB (Able Seaman) in the dingy grabbed me and pulled me in before they had a bite. Admiral Vian and Captain Eccles were looking over the quarter deck rail waiting to get my report. Merry Hell broke out, for it appears that a signal had been received on board reporting the three sharks in the anchorage – and the officer of the watch had failed to show me the signal and left it to me wether I went or not. If I did after being given the choice then sentries with loaded rifles should have been placed at the rail. Anyway, it blew over, but while I was down I had found serious damage to the centre shaft and propeller bearings!