ROCHAMBEAU (cont) ESPIRITO and NOUMEA

CONTINUING USS ROCHAMBEAU TO
ESPIRITO SANTOS and NOUMEA.




We approached many groups of small islands apparently deliberately as the Captain of the ship was trying to avoid submarines. By very slowly cruising through these shallow, coral infested waters, submarines could not follow and it would cut down on the chances of our being hit by a torpedo. We came so close to some small islands that natives paddled out to the ship and tried to climb aboard. It was so shallow in places the bottom was clearly visible, but astern the props were kicking up pure mud.




After thirty days we arrived in Espiritu Santos Bay in the New Hebrides islands, now known as Vanuatu. Our stay in the New Hebrides was only about ten days while Marines disembarked and there were other exchanges and landings of personnel. Several men were taken off the ship by hospital personnel from a hospital ship at anchor in the harbor. One of those men was my old friend from Napa, Ole Olson. I never saw him again and I have always wondered if he survived. Dengue was not long lasting like malaria, but it was much more severe at onset and many people died from it.



One of the most impressive incidents of the war occurred one morning. I awoke to the most loud and persistent droning which vibrated the ships and the waters. Going on deck I discovered the droning noise was caused by the entire Torpedo Boat fleet moving out of Espiritu Santos en route to new headquarters on Guadal Canal. The entire harbor was full of torpedo boats and they were strung out across the ocean all the way over the horizon. What an impressive sight! I had no idea we had that many torpedo boats in our fleet.



One morning, we heard a solitary plane coming out of the west. He was low and headed directly toward us. Of course, the Japanese Zeros were always a threat. General quarters was sounded and we all donned our helmets. The plane as it got closer was determined to be one of our own, he was dipping his wings from side to side as though in a salute and was directly over us and in an instant he hit the main mast of a tanker anchored next to us. The plane exploded and there was nothing found of most of the plane nor the pilot. Later it was determined that the young officer piloting that plane was the same young officer I had beaten up in the boxing match a short time earlier. It gives one pause. I have often thought of this. I nearly hated this man when we were aboard ship, now I was seriously deflated, maybe guilt ridden.



Soon after leaving the New Hebrides on a clear moonlit night with a sea as smooth as glass, our engines stopped. For three days and nights we sat marooned on this glassy sea, waiting for the periscope that would pop up out of the water, signaling a torpedo attack on us. Nothing happened to us, but we witnessed several air battles and one night an ammunition ship blew up and the air and sea were filled with fireworks. We didn't know it at the time, but we were sitting marooned in the middle of the Coral Sea Battle. We were way off our course, but the Captain had followed a zig zag course in order to avoid submarines which were reported to be plentiful in the area. The war went on.


This is a recitation of actual events.  It is
not considered interesting, it is not an
adventure--- it was boring as hell then and
I`m sure you will find it boring now.
Sorry about that, please bear with me.

Probably a week later we arrived in the
bay at NOUMEA , NEW CALEDONIA.
Thrill, thrill--- it llooked like any other
tropical flat place in the Pacific ocean.

We anchored at a pier in Noumea and
we spent a lot of time just sitting on deck
or lining the rail, watching natives work.

One of the great life lessons was learned
at this time.
A giant pole , like a great , large telephone
pole lay along the dock.   A contingent of
Balinese men, tiny little men, about 20 of
them came one day and spent an interminable
amount of time sitting on, measuring,
discussing, arguing, hugging and kicking
the pole ---- suddenly as one man they got
up picked up the pole in their little arms
and walked away with it.......

----- leaving us open mouthed and bewildered.
None of we big strong Americans, to gether
or separately could have moved that pole.

I have often thought of that incident.  It has
been a life-long inspiration and lesson.

Trucks picked up we Hospital Corpsmen and
transported us about five miles to Mobile
Hosptal # 5.   At the gate to the hospital ,.
leaning on the gate post was my cousin,
Tracy Gulden.  He had been hospitalized for
a bad eye.  8,000 miles from home and the
first person I saw was  my first cousin.

Max Hastings, some other guy and I were
assigned to a tent.
Soon a platoon of Marines came to our
tent asking for me.   The Marines carried
two large cases of beer,  a gift from their
commander--- something to do with the
boxing match aboard ship .

Colonel Carlson, of Carlson`s Raiders, a
Marine outft was hospitalized at Mob. 5,
for a check-up .  A kid by the name of
Fisher and another Hospital Corpsman
from Oakland, California and I went to
the Colonel and asked if we could join his
outfit.  He said "sure" and we were in.
This was after several transfers and other
adventures in which we found ourselves
back at Mob 5.

Colonel Carlson apparently needed us and
the Ward Medical Officer discovered I had
a fever and entered me as a patient to
undergo further testing.

A couple days after that we received word
that my two friends had been killed at the
landing of another island--- I think it was
Tarawa.  I have never been sure.  It was a
bad memory , better forgotten.

Something like thirteen (13) months had
passed and I was sent back to the states with
a diagnosis of  a jungle fever.

------- John Crowley
This segment is sort of cryptic.  Yes it seems
like that to me too.  This part is no big deal.