Warship: Uss Chester Heritage

By Earl E. Brannock

Americans have been a seafaring people, since before the first Jamestown and Plymouth settlements, as British ships plied the Atlantic conducting coastal trade. It is no wonder then that, even when a small nation, the U. S. Navy proved itself a force to be reckoned with. This tradition continues, as the United States deploys the strongest naval forces in the world.

Over three centuries, thousands of American warships and their crews, manning both commissioned vessels and privateers, have helped defend liberty at home and fought for freedom abroad. This monograph describes three of those belligerents, all named CHESTER, all of which achieved sterling records of valiant service.

The first CHESTER, an armed galley, fought during the American Revolution, as part of the Continental Navy. Fittingly, it was sponsored by the Maryland Colony, a shipping powerhouse, even during the eighteenth century, and named after its construction location, Chestertown, Maryland. Author Brannock also hails from Maryland and a seafaring heritage.

Another CHESTER, a light cruiser, did not emerge until just prior to World War I. It was also named after its mid-Atlantic shipbuilding town, Chester, Pennsylvania. Its crews served in the Great War, mostly on convoy duty, during the submarine warfare engaged in with German U-boats.

The third USS CHESTER (CA-27), also a light cruiser, was commissioned in 1930, and also named after Chester, Pennsylvania. Brannocks account of the duties it performed during the interwar years provides a unique portrayal of life as a U. S. Navy sailor at that time. Political upheavals in nations where American citizens and interests had to be protected were prevalent in Central America, and diplomatic and military missions were carried out, while an arms race engulfed Europe. Moreover, during the glamorous 1930s, millions traveled on ocean-going liners and so naval vessels were greeted in foreign ports by enthusiastic crowds and celebrations. CHESTER crews were feted on two continents.

Yet as the decade went on, war clouds darkened, world-wide. By 1941, the United States was in a quasi-war with Germany on the Atlantic Ocean, and Americans in Asia were threatened by Japanese occupation. USS CHESTER steamed into Pearl Harbor naval base in the early afternoon of December 7, 1941, missing the brunt of the early morning Japanese bombings, due to delays caused by a storm at sea.

From that day on, CHESTER was active in nearly every major engagement in the Pacific Theater, during World War II. Legendary officers like William Bull Halsey commanded CHESTERs units. Adm. Arleigh Burke served on CHESTER.

By 1943, author Brannock had joined the crew as a young enlisted sailor, but one who had logged many hours underway, while serving in the Maryland State Fishery Force. Thus, as a quartermaster on CHESTERs bridge, Brannock had a gulls eye view of the battles. His perspective was enhanced by the fact that CHESTER often served as flagship for Cruiser Division 5 and various task forces to which it was temporarily assigned.

For these obvious reasons, the account of USS CHESTERs World War II service comprises the bulk of this book. Because Brannock personally collected the ships archives and memoirs, the work offers an unequaled, first-hand and official rendition of the war service of one ship, its officers, and crew. Although thousands of books have been written on World War II, most cover broader subject matter; so small technical and tactical details can be lost. But readers miss little with this tract.

So sail along on a riveting ride across two centuries, two oceans, and four continents in this spirited tale of life, duty, and combat on board three American warships, all named CHESTER.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Apr 21, 2014
• ISBN: 9781493166572

Earl E. Brannock

From author Brannock who served on the USS CHESTER (CA-27) in World War II: “The second edition of CHESTER Heritage also honors Mrs. Mary Brannock, my widowed mother, who wrote her own short memoir for me.” “Miss Mary, a little gray-haired lady from Cambridge, Maryland in the year of 1943 went down on her knees every morning and evening and at the end of her weekly bible class with the simple prayer:  ‘Dear heavenly Father, I ask you to protect my boy and his buddies and the USS CHESTER, bring them home safely. My boy isn’t much, but he is all that I have.’” More than 2,000 CHESTER men did return home.

Book preview

Copyright © 2014 by Earl Brannock.

Cover Design by: C. Kay Larson

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Rev. date: 04/02/2014

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Contents

Introduction

Part I       Galley CHESTER in the American Revolution

Part II       USS CHESTER (CL-1) in World War I

Part III       USS CHESTER (CA-27) in World War II

Appendix A       Adm. Arleigh A. Burke, USN, Biography

Appendix B    Captains of USS CHESTER, World War II, 1941-1945

Crew of World War II CHESTER

Appendix C    USS CHESTER (CA-27) ENGAGEMENTS

Appendix D    DEDICATION to USS CHESTER

crew and listing of killed in action, World War II

Bibliographical Note

About The Author

Illustrations

Introduction

Recruiting poster issued by Continental Congress

Part I:

CHESTER, galley, Continental Navy

Part II:

USS CHESTER (CL-1), World War I

CHESTER World War I crew

Part III:

USS CHESTER (CA-27), 1930s

CHESTER on ways prior to launching

O2U-3 aircraft, on first take off from CHESTER

CHESTER crew on liberty in Barcelona, Spain

Residents of Chester, Pennsylvania welcoming CHESTER home from European tour

Cruiser Division 5, on maneuvers

CHESTER crew, Argentina

CHESTER’s crew on parade, Rose Festival, Portland, Oregon

CHESTER’s rowing champions, receiving award and afloat

CHESTER’s boxing team standing, and in action

Scout plane returns from mission

CHESTER maneuvered to rescue LEXINGTON survivors

Engineer plan of CHESTER torpedo damage

Rescue of survivors, SS PRESIDENT COOLIDGE

Location of Japanese sniper, sugar mill, Saipan, Sept. 1944

Prisoner-of-war camp, Saipan

Sinking of USS MESSISSINEWA

USS CHESTER target areas, Iwo Jima, 1945

USS PENSACOLA, damaged at Iwo Jima

CHESTER anti-aircraft gun batteries

Damage from collision with USS ESTES, February 19, 1945

Adm. Arleigh A. Burke, USN

World War II Captains of USS CHESTER

World War II USS CHESTER crew

MAP

World War II/Korea Pacific Theater, Japanese mainland region

Foreword

T he bravery and sense of duty of U. S. Navy fighting men is personified by the true dedication of the officers and crews aboard ships named CHESTER. Since the first oar of the Galley CHESTER entered the water in pursuit of our enemy during the American Revolution, the courage of officers and enlisted, alike, in times of crisis has changed the course of history. Our seagoing fleet gained a second CHESTER just prior to World War 1. This Cruiser (CL-l) performed with valor during the Great War.

Earl Brannock’s three years of wartime service on the third CHESTER (CA-27), during World War II, gave him the insight to assemble the real-life stories of valiant Navy men who served our country through three wars. Much of the information in this book was selected from collected personal accounts and photographs taken by USS CHESTER crew members, gathered in the ship’s archives at the Brannock Maritime Museum in Cambridge, Maryland. This book weaves an engrossing picture of life at sea during both difficult and light-hearted times. The reader will be amused and moved by the tales of CHESTER men whose sense of DUTY, HONOR and COUNTRY truly typify the spirit of the men of the United States Navy.

ARLEIGH A. BURKE

Chief of Naval Operations,

U. S. Navy (ret.) (1993)

PHOTO%202%20RECRUITING%20POSTER.jpg

Recruiting poster issued by Continental Congress

Introduction

A mericans have always been a seafaring people, even though our continent faces both the Atlantic and Pacific regions. During the early days of settlement, until the construction of the Erie Canal in 1825, water was the safest and most reliable means of travel. So it is no wonder that America has always fielded strong naval forces, almost regardless of federal support. The first ships of the Continental Navy, WASP and HORNET, were funded by Baltimore, Maryland merchants, before the Continental Congress, established a colonial navy in October 1775.

Many ship names have been almost as famous as their captains: Massachusetts’s CONSTITUTION; John Paul Jones’s BON HOMME RICHARD; the USS MONITOR; the battleship LEXINGTON; the USS ARIZONA, the sunken remains of which still lay at the bottom of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Yet America has deployed thousands of other warships, 137 aircraft carriers during World War II alone, which are only remembered by their veteran crews and their descendants, although dusty records reside in government repositories.

Warship is the story of three of those virtually anonymous ships, all named CHESTER, a galley, then two light cruisers. The last cruiser’s crew members, whose adventures comprise the bulk of this book, endured three years of hectic and turbulent service during World War II, bombarding islands, evading enemy strikes, and being tossed around by vicious Pacific Ocean storms. Only a near week-by-week account like this can truly portray life on board a U. S. Navy warship during the Big One. But the mission of the author has been to give an overall rendition of the grand traditions and service of American naval personnel over three centuries.

PHOTO%201%20GALLEY%20CHESTER.jpg