USS Chandeleur AV-10: Sailing Airbase for Flying Boats (Limited)

(From the Foreword) The Japanese Combined Command, superior strategists who had conquered virtually all of Asia, made one fatal mistake in their designs on the United States; their sneak surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Until that below-the-belt lick, America was divided on whether to enter WWII and even which side we might join. Overnight, all doubts were erased...before the month was out, many of the prospective crew members of the USS Chandeleur had joined, underwent three weeks medical quarantine plus recruit training and were at Receiving Ships and Stations awaiting assignment; hopefully aboard ship because we knew "It won't take long to whip those sneaky little bastards." (Almost four years later, we certainly proved it!)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
• Release date: Jan 1, 1994
• ISBN: 9781681624341

Book preview

USS CHANDELEUR (AV-10)

USS CHANDELEUR (AV-10)

by Charles A. Owen

An all-volunteer organization at the time, the US Navy found itself inundated with angry recruits on Monday, December 8, 1941, the day following the day that will live in infamy.

Naval Training Stations throughout the nation reduced boot camp training from 90 days to just the three weeks necessary for the new personnel to receive inocculations that would protect them from everything except homesickness.

Before the beginning of 1942, this first batch had moved on to Receiving Stations for assignments to ships and shore stations where they were needed the most.

One of the new ships under construction at San Francisco was the USS Chandeleur. Her keel was laid in March, 1941 and she slid off the ways on November 19 at the shipyard of Western Pipe and Steel in South San Francisco.

Early in 1942 she was moved to Pier 27, between the Ferry Building and the Golden Gate for outfitting. (At the next pier, an identical hull was being outfitted as an escort carrier for the British Navy.) Exactly one year later, on November 19, 1942 she was commissioned and accepted by Captain William Sinton, USN, her first Commanding Officer.

The Navy required the skippers of all aircraft carriers and seaplane tenders to be, No. 1 - a graduate of the Naval Academy and, No. 2 - A Naval aviator. The Chandeleur was captained by five such stellar leaders during World War II. Under their guidance, this ship performed well, earned plaudits and contributed to our victory in World War II. The personal biographies of these fine men are featured elsewhere in this memorial book.

Bluejackets in San Francisco on liberty months prior to comissioning. From left: Bud Red Slater, Ray Kennison, Clem Argo, Sam Marconi, and an unidentified Coast Guarder. Persian Room, Hotel Sir Francis Drake, San Francisco. (Courtesy of Clem Argo)

Lucky’s in Oakland was a watering hole for many, including: I.J. Amann, Chief Kingfish Long, Chief Sammy Arnott, F.G. Nordman and E.R. Zoeter. (Courtesy of Chief Long)

The USS Chandeleur on her shakedown cruise December, 1942.

Those officers and enlisted men who were aboard that day, 19 November 1942, are Plank Owners a title they still proudly wear.

Survivors of ships damaged or destroyed by the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor were among the seasoned seamen who made sailors out of the raw recruits, many of whom had never seen a sea-going vessel, nor even a sea!

Torpedoes going to planes — then to Japs. (Courtesy of Jim Helms)

The ship’s laundry was hotter than topside. (Courtesy of Jim Helms)

Some of those assigned to the Chandy Lou early in 1942 were sent directly to the ship, if their specialties were usable as the craft was a-borning. They received housing allowance and lived ashore, reporting for duty each morning as did the day shift of shipyard workers who were putting her together.

Most of the crew was gathered on Treasure Island Navy Base. Many of them attended technical schools during this period, and all were endoctrinated in Navy protocol, Ways and Means of Surviving, etc.

Captain Sinton was quoted: Every officer and man must know how to swim before we go to sea. O. G. Pete Peterson, regular Navy and Storekeeper, is the only man known to have dodged swimming instruction. He retired years later after a full Navy career, and never did drown, except in beer!

As Commissioning Day approached, an incident occured which demonstrates just how thin were the ranks of experienced personnel. As then-Ensign E. H. Gamage reports, 50 years later: "At the time of commissioning, Capt. Sinton got all the officers in the wardroom and asked how many topside watch standers he had. No one raised his hand. Then he asked if anyone had ever been to sea. Wolf and I raised our hands.

I had sailed a boat on the Maine coast, and Wolf said he had been in the Merchant Marine. So Capt. Sinton stood watch with me and the Executive Officer with Wolf until we learned how and could get some others broken in!

Once in commission, the Chandeleur learned Navy Air’s immediate need was for a fast cargo vessel. The day after Christmas, 1942, we were underway for San Diego, where we filled the holds and covered the topside decks with a great variety of materiel and rolling stock desperately needed in the South Pacific. With a stop at Pearl Harbor, we were then underway for Esperitu Santo in the New Hebrides. This was a forward base supporting the Marines’ invasion of Guadalcanal. While in mid-ocean, we loaded one passenger: King Neptune, in full regalia. He came over the side as we neared the equator, demanding homage from all, especially the Polliwogs who would soon cross that 0 Latitude line for the first time. Because the Polliwogs on this new vessel far outnumbered the shellbacks, the initiation was rather mild.

Off-loading rapidly at Esperitu, we were underway for the best example of South Seas Paradise we would see throughout the war; Apia Harbor in British Somoa, a bright star in the sky of Polynesia!

We anchored off-shore and were soon surrounded by dug-out canoes with the occupants offering to dive for coins. One tiny dug-out canoe contained only one tiny boy of about 3, who wouldn’t speak or dive but wanted coins tossed into his boat! After our coins were exhausted, he turned and paddled toward the beach and broke into song: You Are My Sunshine. We then learned US Marines had been defending the island for about a year!

At Samoa, we also loaded a damaged PBM for return stateside. This was many months before most Mariners and their squadrons were ready to do duty in the Pacific theatre.

Our second cargo cruise began at San Francisco March 22, 1943. We loaded most of our cargo and plenty of passengers at Port Hueneme, the home port of the famous CBs, and were underway for Esperitu via Pearl. Discharging cargo, we then sailed to Efate, the capitol of the New Hebrides.

From Efate, it was south to Noumea, New Caledonia, headquarters of Admiral William Halsey, USN Commander, South Pacific. From this HQ, the Navy task forces, Marine and Army assault troops and all the support forces needed to keep us moving forward while eliminating the enemy received their orders — including us!

On the third day, April 22 we got underway for Pearl, then on to San Diego and SF. Four days of loading at Alameda NAS and SF, then underway for San Diego for loading more cargo plus two squadrons of a Marine fighter wing.

After Pearl again, we sailed to Midway Island, where we traded one Marine squadron for another that was ready for duty at a more advanced station. On this leg, we had an escort, USS Ellet (DD-398). After one of our surface lookouts spotted a periscope, we went to General Quarters, Ellet dropped depth charges, then both ships cleared the area without any interference from the deep. From Midway, our course was almost due south, crossing first the Equator with the traditional indoctrination of Polliwogs, then two days later the International Date Line before reaching Wallis Islands, a coral reef surrounding a lagoon, with the circle of islands featuring Polynesian natives, US Marines, coconut palms and tropical vegetation. We dropped off one of the Marine air squadrons here, then continued our third journey to Esperitu Santo, arriving July 1, 1943, at Palekula Bay where we unloaded the second Marine fighter squadron before moving to the island’s other side and anchoring in Segune Channel.

CHANDY LOU’S BOOMERANG SWABBIE

by O. G. Peterson, SK1c, (Ret.)

Hailing from Garden City, S.D., I was sworn in to the Navy in December 1940. After boot camp at Great Lakes, I went aboard the Salt Lake City CA-25 for Pearl Harbor with 185 other boots. I was then assigned to USS Farragut, (DD-348). When Pearl Harbor was attacked we were tied to a buoy about 800 yards forward of the USS Oklahoma, (BB-37), we watched our battlewagons being torpedoed and bombed and we were almost helpless. We were lucky and managed to get underway. As we left harbor, we watched the USS Nevada (BB-36) being bombed and run aground.

The Farragut was assigned to escort the coastal freighters back to the US. After the first trip, I went to the Naval Hospital, Mare Island. Upon release, I was assigned to the commissioning crew of the USS Chandeleur. At that time, I was a Seaman, striking for Gunner’s Mate.

Our first skipper, Captain Wm. Sinton demanded that every crew member of his ship be able to swim, so I was sent to swimming lessons. I missed class one day, and as punishment was assigned to a working party for the storekeepers at Pier 27. I must have pleased them, for I went most every day after that. That is how I became, and remained, a storekeeper.

At this time, the Chandeleur was just a floating hulk, with no decks or bulkheads. Little by little, she emerged as a Great Lady and a very good ship to serve. One of the original plank owners, I spent the entire war on her.

After the war, we brought her through the Panama Canal and into the Philadelphia Navy Yard to be put into the Reserve Fleet. She was to be used as a barracks ship for the Reserve Fleet of over 100 ships and submarines. The living quarters were to be used and the rest of the ship sealed off. She stayed that way until she was scrapped, after I retired. Toward the end, we were opening ships to obtain spare parts before breaking up occurred.

I have dear memories of my shipmates and time on the Chandy Lou. We were almost complete with entry into the Reserve Fleet when I was transferred to the USS Hamel, AD-10. We took her to Plymouth, England as a provision ship. I soon returned to the US for shore duty at NAS Atlantic City for two years, followed by a tour of sea duty on the USS K. D. Bailey, (DD-710). Then I re-enlisted and was assigned to the USS Hank, (DD-702) for the best destroyer duty I had. Then I was due shore duty again.

Guess what? I was again assigned to the Chandeleur and spent almost two years on her. Then back to sea on an ammunition ship, the USS Shasta. This was anything but good duty, but then I was due shoreside duty again. Fortunately, it was back to the Chandeleur. This time, I would not go back to sea, as I would complete my 20 years in the service.

Ed Note: Pete and his late wife, Florence, established their home in Maple Shade, N.J. during his Naval career. Pete still lives there, his phone number is 609/779-9483, and the address is 37 Orchard Ave., the Zip is 08052. He always enjoys hearing from his former shipmates.

Pete Peterson, Chandy Lou sailor over 20-year career.

SWIM-A-WAYS

by Hal Sessions, USN Chaplain RET

Fifty years ago following the sinking of the USS Wasp (CV-7), approximately 2000 survivors were on leave. Our orders were not to mention the sinking of the ship until it was announced officially. It was announced October 26 following the sinking of the carrier, USS Hornet. You see, the Navy stayed one carrier sinking behind on its announcements so the Japs didn’t know how desperate our true carrier status was.

The editor of the home town paper cornered me for the scoop. Our ship was struck by three torpedoes fired from the Japanese submarine I-19. The first torpedo hit forward on the starboard side, hitting the aviation gas tank and creating a huge fire. The second torpedo hit admidships and caused huge explosions and the third torpedo hit aft and knocked out our power system.

At my control station half-way between the hanger and flight deck we soon discovered that when we turned the valves on for the sprinkler system on the hanger deck we were without power and the water merely trickled out.

Without power, there was no public address system, no powered telephones and no power to lower the boats into the water. The word to abandon ship had to be passed along verbally from one person to another.

After massive explosions and fires we opened a port hole and then realized that most of our shipmates were in the water. We had not gotten the word. We then proceeded to the flight deck and went to the stern of the ship, helped a few of the wounded on kapock mattresses, and lowered them into the water. I was a good swimmer so gave my lifejacket to someone else and slid down a line into the water. I felt completely at home in the water since I had been raised in Lake Village, Arkansas on beautiful Lake Chicot.

Shortly after swimming around for awhile a couple of us noticed a crosstie floating near us and we used that as a raft. Soon, Chaplain Merritt F. Williams swam over with a mae-west lifejacket on and asked if I would remove his shoes since he couldn’t touch his feet. So I slipped under the water and relieved him of his shoes. Now some three or four of us were clinging to this same crosstie. (Later when I was back in the Navy in Chaplains’ school, I visited him in Mass. and we relived the experience.)

The first destroyer that was picking up survivors approached us and said, "I’m sorry, fellas, we have over 400 survivors aboard and we are unable to take others. Soon the second destroyer approached us and said the same thing, tossing us a few lifejackets. We tied them together and supplemented our raft.

All of a sudden we saw a shark. We remained calm and the shark went his way and we went ours. Then suddenly, around two hours after we had been in the water, the third destroyer approached us and we boarded it. This was the destroyer USS Landsdownes and we climbed aboard.

Some things that I really remember about that destroyer are these: First, the men shared and gave us some of their dungarees to wear. Second, they provided us with a large milk can full of warm tomato soup which was our supper. That was delightful. Third, the Landsdownes was given orders to go in rather close that evening and fire additional torpedoes into the Wasp in order to finish sinking her. She slid beneath the waters at 2100 or 9:00 p.m. on September 15, 1942 some 250 miles southeast of Guadalcanal. Also I remember that two of our survivors died that night and we had a burial at sea the next morning for them.

Hal Sessions, Lt. Commander and Chaplain.

We had 2,247 men aboard the Wasp and when we were sunk 193 of them were killed and 367 injured. The Landsdowne transferred us in the New Hebrides as we proceeded to make our way back to San Diego to begin our leave.

Editor’s Note: In 1992, just 500 years after Columbus discovered America, Frank and Helen Viola plus Hal and Polly Sessions elected to join the celebration in New York harbor as the opening stage of a cruise to Bermuda.

Frank and Hal were both crew members of the Chandeleur and with their wives are active in the Chandy Lou Reunion organization. They joined the other 1453 passengers on the beautiful ship (MV) Horizon in New York. After the evening meal the anchor was dropped so all could enjoy the magnificent fireworks display, then get underway for Bermuda.

In that island paradise, Hal instigated a search for information about the visit of the USS Wasp back in 1941. Sessions was a crew member on that ship when she was sunk near Guadalcanal on Sept. 15, 1942.

Sessions started at the office of the Royal Gazette. Microfilm of that Bermuda newspaper revealed nothing. The local library’s files also didn’t help, so the search continued at the archives. Finally, the official there came up with a document entitled St. George’s Shipping Logs, Vol. 3 - 1939-1941 which disclosed this entry: "Entered Grassy Bay Dec. 18, 1941 at 0700 the USS Wasp, USS Steret, USS Stack and USS Savannah from the Southeast for supplies. The Wasp, Steret and Stack left Grassy Bay on Dec. 22 at 0805. The Savannah left Grassy Bay on Dec. 24, 1941."

This apparently is the only Bermuda record of the WASP’s visit to this British port — but all ships’ movements were TOP SECRET during WW II.

Packing a parachute.

The Dot-and-Dash boys in the radio shack.

A torpedo has 5,555 parts.

We welcomed aboard our first resident seaplane squadron, VP-71, a PBY squadron, on July 3. With 15 PBYs, the squadron conducted searches, bombing missions and Dumbo operations.

The AV-10 relieved the AV-4, USS Curtiss. The latter transferred to us their aircraft materiel and spare parts before departing July 10.

A task force returned to our anchorage on July 8, minus one destroyer and one cruiser, the USS Helena. The USS Honolulu and USS St. Louis and the six tin cans who came in were credited with sinking 10 out of 16 Japanese ships in the Battle of Kula Gulf. Honolulu came in with her bow blown off back to the forward turret. St. Louis had a big hole at the water line just forward of No. 1 turret. After a month of temporary repairs, the two cruisers got underway for complete repair in a rear area.

Also on July 8, our squadron lost one of its planes on night patrol.

The Chandeleur continued to tend the needs and wants of VP-71, then VP-14 through July, August and September at Espiritu Santo where the harbor population ebbed and flowed with task forces staging there before important sea battles with the Japanese, then returning with survivors from sunken ships plus accompanying damaged vessels that would live to fight again.

Other frequent arrivals included brand new ships of all types making their first trip to a forward area just as we had a few months earlier. They brought munitions, provisions, new movies, old mail, and an ever-increasing supply of new instruments of war ranging from airplanes to bulldozers, and from improved ack-ack to better radar, complete with civilian installers. These fortunates were able to fly stateside when their new equipment was in and running.

Flushed with the fabulous success of their surprise assault December 7 at Pearl Harbor, Yamamoto and the supreme command of the Japanese simply could not resist the chance for much additional territory.

In the remaining weeks of 1941, they landed in Malaya, Guam, Luzon. They attacked Midway, invaded Burma and landed at Sarawak. Wake fell to them on December 23, Hong Kong on December 25.

In January 1942 they took Manila and Cavite in the Philippines, landed in Borneo and beseiged Bataan. On the 23rd they landed in the Solomon Islands and New Guinea. February saw them bomb Australia. Singapore surrendered, then the first retaliation came when the US bombed Rabaul from Australia. Not until April were we able to strike another major blow; Doolittle’s bombing raid on supposedly unreachable Tokyo, with his bombers flying from Shangri La.

In May the high-riding Japs took Tulagi in the Solomons and conquered Burma, but were repulsed from Port Moresby, New Guinea. In the Battle of the Coral Sea, just south of the Solomons, and west of Esperitu, the US lost the most ships, but the enemy could least afford the loss of his ships and especially his carrier-based planes and their veteran pilots.

Then in June, there was no doubt as to the victor, since the Japanese lost all four of their major carriers that were involved in the Battle of Midway, which opened on June 4.

Guadalcanal was invaded by the US Marines on August 7, and Tulagi was retaken, including the seaplane base and ramp the enemy had completed just in time for our use!

In mid-October 1943, 180,000 gallons of aviation gas