James Hurtz 1989
“A NEW YEAR”
We spent New Year’s Eve in New York City. The third of January 1944, we got our orders to go to the Pacific. Down through the Panama Canal, which was something to see! Leaving Panama and on to Bora Bora Island steaming in company with the destroyer NICHOLSON, which was a long ways. From there we went on to Pago Pago and then to Milne Bay, New Guinea where we joined the 7th Fleet.
Finschafen, Goodenough Bay, Admiralty Islands and Hollandia. We were flag ship of two invasions . At one General MacArthur came alongside the Swanson in a LCVP, for short visit. As always, they kept us going just about all the time. Just having time to refuel. At the Admiralty Islands we shelled the beach for about an hour and a half straight in which I put 982 shells in the electric hoist which goes up into number three 5”/38 gun turret which was now my battle station.
The Japanese had our troops backs to the ocean. The poor guys didn’t have no place to go. The Swanson and eight other destroyers had about a hundred soldiers on each. When we arrived at Los Negros Island, LCVP’s transported the soldiers ashore. When they were all ashore, the boats brought the wounded out to the ships. The wounded brought the Swanson were in tough shape. The one they put into my bunk didn’t make it. Later the wounded were transferred to rear area Army Medical facilities. I didn’t care if I had any sleep or not. Some of the other destroyers stayed by the Island to give fire support for the boys there. It gave me an awful feeling to have someone die in my bunk.
We kept right on going from one island to another.