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Operating off the U.S. east coast, 9 August 1943, with a destroyer keeping company in the background.
Crippen, Craig wrote:
20 Nov. 1942, Noumea, New Caledonia:
"From ComServPac X Proceed to Brooklyn Navy Yard X Report to ComDist 14 for further disposition."
We couldn't believe our good fortune.
It was Christmas, Fourth of July, and New Year's all roiled into one.
We transited the Panama Canal, arriving New York 20 December 1942.
Two days before Christmas I was sitting home watching our local basketball game.
A strange feeling.
Like the war never existed in the Midwest.
Upon return to Brooklyn, the ship was in drydock with hundreds of welders, repairing the damage from the 49 major caliber shell hits we took at Guadalcanal.
823,000 man hours were required.
March, 1943: A year has passed since the ship was commissioned.
The whirling campaigns in the Solomons islands were behind us.
Overhaul in Brooklyn Navy Yard completed.
We got orders to Portland, Maine.
Arrived there in a thick fog, the signal men could make out a huge ship- it's the new battleship Alabama , last of the South Dakota class.
Both ships took a few days de-gausing; long electrical lines passed around and under the ships to offset German magnetic mines.
Radm. Hustvedt broke his flag on the South Dakota.
Our orders were to proceed to Argentia, New Foundland to await further orders.
Argentia was a bleak place, cold and wet.
We got a few liberties, but it was only to the fleet landing place.
We finally got new orders for Iceland, where we sat swinging around the hook.
Didn't know why, but we got a hurry-up order to paint the entire ship within 24 hours, an all hands evolution.
Underway.
The two battleships with a division of destroyers, course 130 degrees.
That heading would take us toward Africa, but it was only a diversion.
After a couple of days we steadied up on course 025 degrees.
We were now told our destination was Scapa Flow in Northern Scotland.
Anchorage of the British Home Fleet.
When we arrived, we passed many of their ships at anchor with thousands of British sailors gawking.
"The bloomin' Yanks are there!"
We would use the British flag and pennant system; therefore, half the gang boarded British ships.
We got some of their signal men.
Another third class and I were destined for the "KG5," the battleship H.M.S. King George the Fifth.
After getting squared away in our new billet, it turned out to be not too bad.
The chow was lousy, but at times, so was ours.
I was reminded, "Look here, Yank, we've been at this since 1939!"
One new thing for us: we were allowed a ration of grog, which, after a couple of tries, I passed.
The main staple drink, of course, was tea.
Promptly at 1600 they broke out the teapots.
I thought that they would break off an engagement with the enemy if it overlapped tea time!
The only altercation I saw was actually funny.
We were in a huge hall- maybe 500 or 600 servicemen- everyone promoting good fellowship and singing, "Bless them all; bless them all; the long the short and the tall.
There will be no promotion this side of the ocean, so cheer up me lads; bless them all."
Anyway, one of our guys got tired of his neighbor spouting off about the king.
"To hell with the king!"
A hushed silence fell over those within earshot.
the limey rose off his stool and, in clipped British accent, "Well, to hell with your bloody Babe Ruth then!"
We sailed past Bear island and Spitbergen, hoping to stir something up.
It was strange to come up on watch at midnight and read the plan of the day in bright sunshine.
Anchored back in Scapa Flow, we transferred back to our ship.
we left Scotland for Norfolk, Virginia, arriving about 1 August 1943.
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USN photo courtesy of Pieter Bakels. |
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Bow view at the Norfolk Navy Yard, after her 2nd refit at Norfolk, VA. 20 Aug.1943. |
USN photo # 5872-43 courtesy of Pieter Bakels. Photo added 07/23/10. |
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Stern view of South Dakota (BB-57) at the Norfolk Navy Yard, 20 Aug. 1943. |
USN photo courtesy of Pieter Bakels. |
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Port side view looking fwd after her 2nd refit at Norfolk, VA. Aug.1943. |
Official USN photo # 5875-43, courtesy of David Buell. |
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Port side view after her 2nd. refit in 1943. |
USN photo courtesy of Pieter Bakels. |
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Off the Norfolk Navy Yard, Virginia, 20 August 1943. |
USN photo courtesy of Pieter Bakels. |
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South Dakota (BB-57) is shown here after a second 1943 refit at Norfolk, in which a large SK antenna replaced the small SC-2 on her foremast. Note the small SG surface-search antenna on the secondary battery control platform under her forward main battery director. (Detail photograph courtesy of R.F. Summrall). | Photo & text courtesy of U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. |
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At Norfolk Navy Yard in August, 1943 following refit. Showing the superstructure area. Note the four twin 5in/38cal guns (per side) while the sister ships had five, but South Dakota (BB-57) was the only one that had an extra conning tower level.
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USN photo. |
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Joseph Davis Sandling, warrant officer, is the person shown in this photo in the conning tower of the South Dakota (BB-57). He was the youngest chief in the Navy in 1938, before wartime upgrades were happening, and if one looks closely at the hat it shows the crossed anchors instead of the shield.
Surface and aerial victory marks painted on the conning tower. Note the direct vision slots in the thick armor, circa 1942/1943.
Note her large spotting glass of which the ends can be seen on both sides.
Above that the Mk.38 Main Battery Director with atop (still) Mk.3 Main Battery Fire Control radar.
On both yards, anemometers and, hardly visible here, "TBS" (Talk Between Ships- VHF band / 72.5MHz) on her starboard yard, a much needed piece of equipment in the Atlantic that allowed the ship to communicate without fear of being overheard by listeners beyond the horizon.
Mounted on her Navigating Bridge Level, two whip-antennas, quarter-wave, free standing rigid aerials mounted vertically with one end grounded to to the ship's structure,(the catwalk's splinter-shield), replacing long single-wire aerials.
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USN photo courtesy of Pieter Bakels. Partial text courtesy of Joe Sandling II & Pieter Bakels. Photo added 04/20/10.
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