The spring of 1945 saw a round-trip troop-carrying voyage begin in San Francisco 26 March, which took her to Manila, Leyte, and Biak before returning 21 May. Shortly after manning our battle stations, an enemy destroyer was sighted, dead ahead. M. Kuroki). I felt assured that our well trained crew would give their all, even though the task was hot and demanding. The Oshio on her turn was seriously damaged by the Tromp. USS Pope (DD-225) was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. During battle action, all the hatches of both engine rooms were closed and battened down. Sidloso Published on Apr 17, 2023 Cuck John Paul II went to the Western Wall to ask for forgiveness for "antisemitism" Pope manages to escape only to be bombed by Japanese aircraft which leaves her unmanouverable after a near-miss. Pope joined Squadron 15, Division 43 of the Asiatic Fleet at Chefoo, China 26 August and participated in fleet exercises off Chefoo until her departure 28 October for her winter base at Cavite, Philippines. During the summer of 1944, the far-ranging transport made two round-trip voyages from San Francisco: on the first she got underway 27 May for New Guinean ports, Guadalcanal, and the Russell Islands, debarking 3,800 men of the famous 1st Marine Division at San Diego, California before returning to San Francisco; and on the second she departed 26 July for Honolulu and returned 8 August. The Dutch cruisers were the Java, De Ruyter, and Piet Hien. His ship, the U.S.S. USS General John Pope (AP-110) was a troop transport that served with the United States Navy in World War II.After the war she was transferred to the Army and redesignated USAT General John Pope.She later served in the Korean and Vietnam Wars as a civilian-manned Military Sea Transportation Service vessel, as USNS General John Pope (T-AP-110). There are four charges of TNT, ten pounds to the charge, placed next to the skin or hull of the ship, which when blown, allows the water to pour in at a rapid rate and speed up the sinking of the ship, better known as scuttling. Eventually, they dropped a bomb that narrowly missed the ship and exploded in the water on our after port quarter. On deck, the deck crews were readying the motor whaleboat, the wherry, and three cork rafts for launching. Soon she was illuminated by a searchlight and the Japanese opened fire. Pope fired all of her torpedoes and 140 salvoes of naval gunfire. On 1 September 1967, she departed Oakland Army Base with elements of the 1st Battalion (Mechanized), 50th Infantry, reaching Okinawa on 18 September 1967. She departed Okinawa the following day and on 22 September 1967 disembarking the 1st Battalion, 50th Infantry at Qui Nhon. [5] Pope remained afloat long enough to be sunk about 2pm[6] by the sixth salvo of a Japanese cruiser arriving on the scene. Pound, USN) and USS John D. Edwards (Lt.Cdr. We were forced to stay in Surbaja, tied to the dock, to effect emergency repairs to the hotwell. Hughes, USN), USS Pillsbury (Lt.Cdr. Sailing of these ships from Surabaya and course to follow. I was unlucky enough to have been hit by a machine gun bullet that cut the flesh off my right knee. The Allied squadron was discovered by Japanese cruiser float planes whose spotting of their cruisers' gunfire nullified the effectiveness of the Allied destroyers' attempt to conceal Exeter with a smoke screen. This humanitarian decision by Lieutenant Commander Shunsaku Kud placed Ikazuchi at risk of attack, and it interfered with her fighting ability, due to the sheer load of rescued sailors. H.C. The Baker shot produced so much contamination that President Truman cancelled the third test. Pope was stationed off Swatow and Pehtaiho during 14 June 19 August, observing the Japanese Navy en route to Swatow and the subsequent bombing and occupation of the city. General John Pope reactivated 17 August 1965 to serve again as a civilian-crewed ship of MSTS, operating from San Francisco. She passed through the Straits of Gibraltar 3 July and transited the Suez Canal 1525 July. From 1931 until 1937, the Pope continued to "show the flag" off the China coast, during the summers and spent the winters in the Philippines engaging in division maneuvers. Pope joined Squadron 15, Division 43 of the Asiatic Fleet at Chefoo, China 26 August and participated in fleet exercises off Chefoo until her departure 28 October for her winter base at Cavite, Philippines. During the Second Battle of the Java Sea, Pope and HMSEncounter were directed to escort the severely damaged British cruiser HMSExeter away from the action. . Steerage could now be re-established by varying the speed of the two propeller shafts. Three days later, on 15 December 1966 the 58th Field Depot disembarked the General John Pope at Qui Nhon. Unfortunately commercial salvage divers had discovered Pope previously and save for a skeleton, little now remains of her wreck. The 0400 to 0800 watch had just been relieved and was about to partake of breakfast, when here on the morning of March 1, 1942, our journey was interrupted by enemy forces. When the stern of the ship was completely under water, and the bow pointing to the sky, an eight inch salvo from one of the cruisers hit her at the waterline, which tended to speed up her sinking. These started making bombing runs at our ship. Pope made visits to French Indochina in 1935 and in 1938, two visits to Japan in 1934 and 1935 and one to the Dutch East Indies in 1936. Getting back to the action itself, while this was taking place, we were being continuously bombed, shelled, and strafed. Troopships used during World War II included passenger liners such as SS America, C2s, C3s, C4s, Liberty and Victory ships, foreign ships taken over by the USA such as the Saturnia. Taih (, "Great Phoenix") was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. It would mean a break in the monotony, but it could just as well be certain death. Pope was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 8 May 1942. They closed gradually until the range was about 18000 yards. She then departed and arrived at Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam on Thanksgiving Day, 23 November 1967 disembarking all units. They then worked round to the northward and resumed their course of 345 degrees at about 0430 hours. Soon after HMS Exeter was brought to a halt, HMS Encounter also had to stop due to damage received in the engine rooms by splinters. The enemy took avoiding action and no hits were obtained. Pope was heavily engaged in fighting in the Dutch East Indies in the early days of World War II. One of Adolf Hitler 's deadly submarines, the U-505, is seized as it makes its way home after patrolling the Gold Coast of Africa on June 4, 1944. General John Pope next stood out from the Golden Gate once more 2 June 1945, this time bound for Marseilles, where 5,242 troops were embarked and taken to Manila. The transports were attacked unsuccessfully by the American submarine USS Seawolf. .Japan remained an innovator in aircraft carrier design and construction during the years leading to World War II, operating nine of them by 1941. . As HMS Exeter was loosing way, HMS Encounter and USS Pope drew ahead. The enemy fire now became very effective on the almost stationary Exeter which was repeatidly straddled and hit. K. Kikkawa) Arashio (Cdr. The four US destroyers were ahead of the Tromp. H.E. It had been intended to alter course to 290 degrees at 0400/1 but shortly before this three ships, two large and one smaller were sighted to the westward in the light of the setting moon. From 15 July to 20 September 1938, she cruised in Chinese waters off Chinwangtao and returned 5 June 1939 with the South China Patrol force removing American consulates and nationals. USS General John Pope (AP-110) was a troop transport that served with the United States Navy in World War II. In April 1967, she transported the 589th Engineer Battalion to Qui Nhon from Oakland. HMS Exeter sank around 1150 hours. The allied first attack wave arrived south of Bali around 2130/19. During three consecutive months, November and December 1966, and January 1967, the General John Pope, along with the USNSGeneral Daniel I. Sultan, transported U.S. military troops to Southeast Asia. [4] This was to be the start of a long, almost 60 hour ordeal for the men in the water, as the survivors from Pope would not be rescued until almost midnight on 3 March by the Japanese destroyer Inazuma. Japanese surface and air forces launched an attack the next morning, midway between the islands of Java and Borneo. United Nations Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, Republic of Korea War Service Medal.[1]. Full-service research & records analysis. Our ship was considerably slower than any of their ships. Newsletter Archive. Finally, missions accomplished, General John Pope departed San Francisco 15 May bound for New York, where she decommissioned 12 June 1946 and was returned to the War Shipping Administration (WSA). In return the Japanese sank a Dutch destroyer and damaged the Dutch cruiser Tromp heavily. J.B. de Meester, RNN) and four US destroyers; USS Stewart (Lt.Cdr. As they sought to escape the three Allied ships fought four Japanese heavy cruisers and four destroyers throughout a fierce three-hour action, and they damaged a number of enemy ships. It was intended that the four US destroyer would enter Badoeng Strait and attack with torpedoes first and that the Tromp would come behind them to finish off the Japanese after the confusion of the torpedo attack. We had one 3.25" AA. After earning two battle stars and ferrying soldiers and aircraft in the European and Pacific theaters of World War II, it was downed by Japanese torpedoes while transporting reinforcements to . In the months that followed, General John Pope sailed in support of the giant amphibious offensive on New Guinea's northern coast, spearheaded by Rear Admiral Barbey's famed VII Amphibious Force. These Motor Torpedo Boats proceeded through Strait Bali and anchored in three bay's on the Java side to refuel which took the whole day. http://www.soshisha.com/book_search/detail/1_1499.html, "Kudo Shunsaku and the Destroyer Ikazuchi", http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=65&t=120892&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sda.+Retrieved, "The Untold story of Captain Kudo Shunsaku and the Destroyer Ikazuchi", http://www.japanprobe.com/?p1772.+Retrieved, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRcOmYgdp4E, http://www2s.biglobe.ne.jp/~nippon/jogdb_h18/jog458.html.+Retrieved, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, http://www.awm.gov.au/histories/second_world_war/volume.asp?levelID=67910, http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/225.htm, http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/2334.html, List of destroyers of the United States Navy, List of destroyer classes of the United States Navy, Articles incorporating text from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, World War II destroyers of the United States, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, 4 x 4", 1 x 3", 2 .30 cal, 12 x 21" (533 mm) torpedo tubes. 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