Forward to War Diary
One must remember that about 60% of the crew, of the U.S.S. Indiana that went aboard just prior to the commissioning in Newport News Ship Building and Dry Dock Company in April 1942, had never been to sea prior to this time.
Most of the crew came fron Naval Training Bases from the east coast. They had not been out of the civilian way of life more than six months in some cases.
It was up to the older men both Officers and Enlisted to take these boys(men) and whip the into a well trained fighting crew, before this ship could hope to make it through the years ahead, not knowing what those times held for the entire crew and ship.
You will find the early part of their ship board life was spent in many hour and days drilling and learning the ways of war, and how to handle the problems that would come before them.
I think one of the hardest things we as young men had to learn, was to handle, the fact that we had left family and loved ones behind.
I found that getting used to the routine of shipboard living could be a test of any man's life. The long hours and discipline that was needed to carry you through, and things that you had never faced before made us realize this was a necessity, to do, or die thing.
Jeddiah Monroe Boyce, Ships Cook 2c, S Division

Observations
I reported on board for commissioning of the Indiana on April 30, 1942, and was assigned to the CY Division as Apprentice Seaman striker in the print shop. After the removal of the letterpress equipment, transferred to the Captain's Office as Yeoman striker. Sucessfully advanced up the rates to First Class Yeoman under the tutelage of Lt. Vercher. Stood the "JA" talker watches on the Bridge, which I believe were the highlights of my career on board. More interesting happenings than ever could be told are my memories of those days in the Conning Tower under six different Captains. Was almost transferred to the beach in Hawaii with the Staff of ComBatPac as first class yeoman but at the last minute and change of mind by Petty who was my senior. I took over his duties as Yeoman in charge of the First Lieutenant' Office. This was a very interesting duty as I got to know the very existance of all compartments on board during the tours of inspection daily with Commander Summers. I was the one with the little book taking down notes of discrepancies. Beside regular duties we kept a roster of "R" Division, both officers and enlisted men, regulating division sections and duties. Typed the "Plan of the Day", stood VHF talker watch on the Bridge, typed the Hoosier Herald every third day, some days were very busy just trying to keep track of where I was supposed to be and when. Never did quite make the rotation period but was finally discharged at San Francisco on October 01, 1945, and separated from the service at Lydo Beach, Long Island, New York on October 12, 1945.
I have many memories but the one that stands out in my mind is the night of the collision with the Washington. Had just completed standing my watch on the bridge and was getting ready to shower at the head on the main deck next to the Executive Officer's Office when the hit occurred. I thought we had taken a torpedo. All I had with me was a towel and I started down to the Captain's Office for my clothes. I never quite grabbed everything but did manage to get my dungarees as all I could see was water on the deck and so many men running around all covered with black oil. I could see the damage aft of the Captain's Office and knew that I would never make it to my battle station. Put on my pants and spent the rest of that terrible waiting period with the Repair Party on main deck as a phone talker and I couldn't get over how calm everyone seemed to be. At one point during this time I remember Lt. McLean ordering the voids flooded on the Port side of the ship as we had taken on quite a list to the starboard. No one could believe the damage we sustained. When the sun finally came up we could see we were missing many items about the starboard side. The dead were brought to the passage way outside of the Officer's Wardroom and First Lieutenant's office where they were prepared for Burial at sea that afternoon.
I guess I can say I lived through three strikes against you in life while serving aboard the Indiana - The Typhoon - The Jap plane crashing against the starboard side - and finally the collision of two dreadnaughts in the dark of night tha could have been curtains for anything other than two great ships of our fleet trying to bring an end to the turmoil of emotional years, months, and days of sweat and tears and many, many sleepless nights for final fullfillment - VICTORY.
Thomas Lawrence Ruff, Yeoman 1c, CY and R Divisions

The Woe's of a Cook
The incidents I will never forget
1. "Old Washing Machine Charlie" (the one who flew in close enough to call General Quarters at meal time). No doubt you can remember the many times you dropped your tray and ran like (Hell)
2. While cooking pork chops, the ventilation was shut off. (smoke and Grease deluxe!).
3. On June 5, 1945 we had a little problem. We had gone on duty approximately 0300 only to find a great deal of salt water on the galley deck. Remember the "TYPHOON?" So much for food in the coppers! That happened to be a "Bean Day" (Saturday). However a new menu was served, and instead of the usual Saturday bean schedule it turned out to be bacon and eggs (scrambled of course).
4. I recall 01 February 1944 the day we found extra ventilation on the mess deck when the U.S.S. Washington ramed our starboard side. It was in one of these side, compartments that one of our shipmates was sleeping, (L.H. Neville). He was never seen after that, (listed as missing).
5. Do you recall the many times you had coffee and sandwiches on battle stations? This was done by your "Little Old" battle station cooks, of which I was one.
Jeddiah Monroe Boyce, Ships Cook 2c, S Division.

As I Remember It
I first reported aboard in April, 1942, a few weeks or so before the ship was commissioned. A new Apprentice Seaman, confused, 17 years old, dirty and dusty from spending a few weeks at Norfolk Operations Base, VA. (Red Dust)
Sure did a lot of fancy foot work (Dancing), most of us called it the USO. Sure had a lot of Sandwiches and Coke, (much fun).
During the many hours of drills, my station was in a 16 inch handling room on the 5th deck. I rang the bell, out would come the powder, then carry it to the elevator, (the smell of ether). The noise when the guns went off was great! I loved it.
When we crossed the equater the R Division was the first to meet the justice passed out. It was rough but fun. I was in sick bay for three days getting salt blisters broken one by one (in my ears next to my ear drums).
The many battles we were in, I never realized any of them, for me it was excitment, just to darn young to realize the danger. My battle station was in Sick Bay, operating hydraulic valves for flooding.
The mishap that stands out in my mind is the collision with the USS Washington, I was asleep on a mess table by the Pogy Bait Store on the mess deck (last mess hall on the starboard side). I was knocked off when we were hit by the Washington (that steel deck was hard). I was full of oil from the broken oil voids, don't remember much till I got to my locker (can you imagine, I went for towels). Then went to GQ station, only had shorts on and covered with oil. Everyone at sick bay thought I came from a machinery space. I was sick from swallowing oil, don't know how I got it in my mouth?
For the fun side, I had Shore Patrol only once, by that time all I wanted to do was stay out of trouble (A lousy Shore Patrolman I made).
On my first trip to sea I was in the Chief's Quarters as a mess cook, and the cook told me pickles and fat would cure sea sickness. Boy, how sick his cure made me. I wasn't sea sick at all.
My rate climbed from Apprentice Seaman to Shipfitter 2nd Class, it wasn't easy for a 17 year old kid.
Liberty was great for me at 17, and I never went far from home. I liked to ride Ferry Boats from Newport News to Portsmouth to Norfolk and back. I never could figure why those guys got sea sick until I realized it was what they drank.
It was a sight to see Moe beating a sailor over the head with his arm in a cast, what made it funnier yet, he did it in the chow line.
I do believe the best time of all was in Pearl Harbor after being restricted to a certain way of life, to get free in Pearl.
Ya know fellows, a man could easily get carried away talking and thinking of the days and what we went through, at the time they meant nothing, but now ?
Edward Jannicelli, Jr., Ship Fitter 2c, R Division

A Day to Remember
I enjoyed the observations and it brought back memories when I was platoon leader and had to drill about 50 men of the 6th Division down at the South Annex complex on Hampton Blvd. This came about when they removed most of the crew after Commissioning Ceremonies because of the continued work that had to be done by the civilian work force at Newport News Ship yard.
I went to the I Division for a whi;e then transferred to the S Division and made SK 3c in February of 1943. Was transferred to the states and new construction at Alameda, CA, where I was assigned to the USS ARO-7 for it's commissioning. Then left the states for Australia. What a trip, it took 40 days and nights non-stop. Was towed by a sea going tug because the ship had no engines or screws. Looking forward to Southern Pines and would like to make a pitch to have a future reunion in Charleston South Carolina, where there is an excellent Naval Museum complex.
Charles LaMar Smith, Store Keeper 3c, S Division

The Mighty "I" (Song)

Cheer, cheer for the Mighty "I"
Echo her praises clear to the sky
She's a ship that can't be beat
The pride and joy of the U.S. Fleet.
We're all behind her, right to the man,
Show us the Japs, then stand by for a ram.
While her loyal sons go sailin'
Onward to Victory.

She has the guns and also the crew,
All that it takes to see the thing through,
Just give her a chance to show her stuff,
She'll knock the Japs right back on their duff.
And tho' the going, quite rugged may be,
The "I" will come thru, just you wait and see,
Her name and fame will live for years,
While sailing to Victory.

(Sung to the tune of the Notre Dame fight song)

How Can You Forget
Came aboard as Coxswain and Plank Owner assigned to the 5th Division. Listened to Frank Knox, Secretary of the Navy, make the statement that he would give his right arm to be in our place. I remember the red headed BM2c, can't recall his name but he always seemed to get in a fight when he went ashore.
Became BM2c serving under Lieut. Boorman as divisional officer and made BM1c after he left that duty when he was appointed Lt. Cmdr.
Worked at one of the dances at the armory in Newport News, was in charge of the "punch", never saw so many wiskey bottles in my life. Remember the recreation in the form of soft ball, needed six cases of 3.2 to field a team that couldn't hit a ball out of the infield. Also tried to rescue a shipmate with a grappling hook trying to come aboard by climbing up a hawser. Was also unsuccessful in trying to get the under the influence GM1c Webb to come back to the ship with me, but when he did return was successful in throwing over the side the bottle he had broken on the dock with the Canadian Clube label intact. The orderly retrieved it and Webb was given a CM and demoted.
Underway and through the Panama Canal with one foot clearance on each side and then the equator crossing and initation of the Pollywogs. Stoped at Funi-Futi then on to Pearl and drydock where I threatened to hold liberty cards back until all the scrapping of the barnacles was completed. Remember the short shore leave on the Fiji Islands. Our stay at New Caledonia with its beauty but also the mosquitos and one dollar cucumber sandwiches; and where the Captain lost both anchor chains and anchors and the rudder jamming on the way into port. What was the Pink House?
Then on to Kawajlein Islands and Najuro and the bombardments, refueling destroyers and the collision with the USS Washington, having perhaps saved some shipmates by chasing them off the gun tubs and having talked to the man under the catapult who was lost overboard.
Returned to Pearl for repairs, then back to the fleet and Ponape, Saipan, the Battle of the Phillipine Seas, etc. Survived the memingitis scare.
There were so many memorable happenings and others not worth reporting, but Commander Hammond ordered me to his office after I "read-off" two ensigns for getting after my men for smoking in the washroom while handling ammunition, where he told me not to ball out his officers, and then said, "I'm all for you and your men".
Wyatt Frank Gill, Boatswains Mate 1c, 5th Division

It Was A Very Memorable Day
The date was somewhere around June 14, 1944 and it was HOT.
We were off the Marianas, keeping the enemy from reinforcing their troops on Saipan and Tinian. They were trying to ferry troops across on barges, fishing boats, and even sanpans. Well, we sank everything.
The next day, the ship hit sand! You will remember the Marianas Turkey Shoot; 357 planes attacked our fleet and, for awhile, we had our hands full. Torpedo planes, Val dive bombers (fixed landing gears), O's fighters. Between our Navy pilots off our flat tops and our fleet' super AA gun batteries, we made short work of enemy planes. Let us say that "It was a very memorable day".
The greatest honor given me in the Marine Corps was on my return from overseas. I had been recommended for the Presidential Guard and after just about everyone back in my hometown had been questioned about my civilian life, I became one of approximately 80 Marines on the Presidential Guard.
I was stationed at the USMC Commandant Station in Washington, DC, for the balance of my enlistment. During this time, I was at the Congressional Library guarding the Declaration of Independence, and also assigned to the burial detail for Marine and Navy officers at Arlington Cemetery.
I was on Post #1 in Warm Springs, Georgia, when President Roosevelt died-he was only about 20 feet from me. He was a very friendly man who would take time to stop and talk with us and ask us questions about our hometowns. One time, the Secret Service men lost him and we all searched and searched before he was found. He had a blue Ford that was adapted to enable him to drive. He took off in this car, unkown to the SS men or the Marines, through a back gate which was never used. After the alarm was sounded, we finally found him at a roadstand buying hotdogs for some children! He really enjoyed getting off by himself in spite of the fact that the Secret Service men were very angry.
I received my Honorable Discharge from the Marine Corps from the Commandant's Station in Washington.
Howard C. Jenkins, Jr., Private First Class, 7th Division

Something of Interest
One incident that caused me to open both eyes was early the next morning after the ship had bombarded Tarawa and fueled a couple of destroyers, etc. Then steamed around in the dark. I was a Chief Machinest Mate in the A Division in charge of refrigeration and air conditioning, Chief of the Watch in #4 engine room on the 0400 to 0800 watch. I was on watch about 10 or 15 minutes early, as any good chief would do. About one hour or so later as we were steaming along quietly, everything was running along fine. The ship received a loud sudden crash on the starboard quarter, around the area of the #4 engine room.
The impact was great enough to cause a little water to leak through the inner bulkhead seam, but the bilge pump, kept pumping it out, so no problem. I thought it was a torpedo. It was only the USS Washington ramming into our starboard side , which gave us a month in Pearl.
Gilbert George Anderson, Chief Machinist Mate, A Division

Friendships and Fond Memories
Of the great friendships that developed and the good times we shared together which left many fond memories that are still cherished today.
I'll never forget Daniel Farley, because I was following him up a ladder to the five-inch mount during an alert. He apparently wasn't moving fast enough for me as I prodded him on his backside to hurry up. Well I must have hit a sensitive spot. Farley never touched another rung on the ladder in order to get inside the gun mount. Another time I was squeegeing down the boat deck after a rain squall and the squegge handle accidently touched Harvey Basilio on the back side, Harvey almost went over the life line and then chased me around the ship until he was to exhausted to continue. I remember the time when Bill Dyer and I were on shore patrol in Frisco one evening. A civilian came running up to us requesting our assistance claiming there was a fight in his place of business, a dance hall. He said zoot suiters were involved in the fight and were using switch blade knives. We quickly responded with "Call the police-which way to the dance hall?". After being advised of the direction to the dance hall, the civilian departed to to call the police, Dyer and I also departed. However we departed the scene in the opposite direction. Besides we were in no condition to referee brawals after being rewarded many times with a shot and a beer for doing a good job. Checking heads in the bar rooms.
Another incident I remember well is the time John Raskuzinecy talked me into helping him cut a coxswains hair the night before crossing the Equater for the first time. Needless to say, it was a mistake. The following day, during the celebration, the coxswain and several of his henchmen pulled John and I out of line and proceeded to get even for the night before. They began to beat the tar out of us and I was almost certain this was the end of my navy career. Later, in the water tank, I thought they were going to drown me. They kept asking me to to say the right word (SHELLBACK), and I had no idea or what word they wanted. To prevent a disaster one of the men whispered to me "Say Shellback stupid". Believe it or not, I hardly had enough air left to gasp the word out. There are many other stories to tell. Let me make this clear,these people of whom I mention, and each and every shipmate aboard the USS Indiana, are not cosidered by me as characters per say but men of CHARACTER.
I knew it then, and I am more certain of it now, The USS Indiana had the finest crew within the fleet. I have only one regret, and that is I waited to long long to attend one of our reunions.
Frank Yacobowsky, Boatswains Mate 2c, 6th Division

Sky 1 Computer
I was a fire controlman, in charge of secondary plotting room in the time frame of June 1944, just prior to the invasion of Saipan, we discovered on routine tests, computer 1 was malfunctioning, cutting fuzes for 500 yards instead the setting that was generated. A Chief Warrent Gunner and I worked three days and nights trying to get it do it again with no avail, he suggested replacing the cover on the side of the computer with only two acorn nuts finger tight, so if it did happen again when under attack I could quickly remove the cover and hold down the contacts on the advance range follow-up motor. Well it happened again, when we began firing at a Japanese plane when it came into range (18,000 yards) the 5 inch shell exploded at 500 yards the air defense officer went ballistic, said put the entire starboard battery under the control of Sky 3 and computer 3. I said hold it, removed the cover on computer 1, and held down the contacts on the advanced range follow-up motor. We got the plane.

Early in 1943 when we ran around the Coral Sea with the Washington and Saratoga, we had a problem with the hydraulic power drives on the 5 inch gun mounts when they were put into automatic they would oscillate wildly. At one time we had seven out ot the ten mounts acting up. C.P. Royce at that time 2nd class fire controlman (called home La Jolla, CA I believe) DeRose (Fairmont, WV) S1c at that time and myself, also S1c worked with the gunners mates tearing into the system searching for the problem. The oil was drained and we took apart the receiver regulators and cleaned the fine pilot pistons with pink lady (alcohol rendered unfit for drinking) it didn't work, it left a pink film on the valves and shortly the mounts again began to oscillate. Royce decided we needed pure grain alcohol to clean the valves. Gannarelli at that time a Warrent Gunner was custodian of the alcohol and was probably reluctant to release any but we finally got a little and it did not work either. No one drank any either, to the best of my knowledge. Well, finally a factory represenative from Ford Instrument Co. was flown out there (Neumea, New Caledonia) and he discovered the oil was contaminated with an acid. The gunner mates drained the oil and we recleaned the valves and new hydralic oil was put into the drives with no more problems with oil.
Whitner Livingston Griffin, Jr., Fire Controlman 1c, FA Division

Last Updated 21 May 2000

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