RECOLLECTION

Harry Chester 1989

“General Quarters at Licata, Sicily”

July 10, 1943 found the Swanson a part of the invasion force off the coast of Licata, Sicily. The time was about 0230 in the morning and darker than a stack of black cats.

The ship was at general quarters with all stations manned and ready. My battle station was in number 1 gun (5”/38 cal.) and Kaarlo Mani was the gun captain. Franks a Machinist Mate ( I forgot his first name) was in charge of the powder and shell magazine. Warhead Williams was a member of the magazine crew.

We got word from the gun director on the squawk box there were two German torpedo boats in the area and we were accompanied by the destroyer ROE DD418. Our intent was to intercept them. Captain Robertson was senior to the Captain of the Roe so they were ordered to fall in astern of the Swanson and we took off after them. Through some sort of a mix up the Swanson ended up being rammed by the Roe in number 1 Fireroom.

We had some new men in our crew and after the collision they were pretty shook up, like they had been handed their death sentence that could be carried out at anytime. To relieve the tension I began talking. I don’t remember about what but I am sure it was not about the invasion, anything to keep a man from freezing up, when it came time to do some shooting. A man who freezes up is useless.

When the Roe hit it was a hell of a jolt, and I ended up under the gun in the pit. The sound power phones I had on had a direct hookup with the magazine and the phone cords had a couple of turns around my neck. In my fall I had pulled the phones apart. The light lights were out and pandemonium for a few seconds. I found some spare phones and managed to get them hooked up in the dark. (later I experimented in the dark to hook up phones and was never able to do it again.) When I was hooked up, Franks was calling me, and I was surprised at how clear and calm he sounded. He said:

“Whats going on up there Chester?” And I replied:

“I don’t know, but we may have been torpedoed.” And he replied:

“I don’t care for myself, but I wish you would send somebody down here and let this

damn Warhead out of here, he has gone haywire. He’s on the overhead, he’s on the

bulkhead. He ran over and knocked me down three times and if he does it again, I

am going to take a dog wrench and kill the son of a bitch!” And I replied:

“Hang on – I’ll get back to you!”

With the gun captain concurrence I undogged the gun mount door and stepped outside. The Bullnose had water coming through it. I went to the port side and I could dimly make out the Roe through the steam and smoke. I went back inside the mount and got Franks on the phone and gave him the scoop. He said:

“Please have somebody let Warhead out of here.” I told him:

“I’ll be right down.” (When magazine people entered the magazine the damage control party would come along after them and close a big heavy hatch that had sixteen dogs on it, and it must weighed one hundred and fifty pounds.) I can not think of a worse place to be at general quarters than in a destroyers powder and shell magazine. If a ship hit in other places and goes to the bottom, in all likelihood the magazine crew will go down with the ship. This is definitely not a place for anyone with claustrophobia.

I made my way to the hatch and took that oversized screw driver called a blade and picked the dogs open. When I opened the hatch it reminded me of a toy jack-in-the-box the way Warhead popped through the hole. The ladder ended at the hatch, but I swear Warhead climbed another six feet into the aid after the ladder ran out. I greeted him with a loud: “Come out of there Warhead!” He did not answer, just left there on the double. Franks was standing at the bottom of the ladder and said:

“Boy you just got here in time, I was fixing to kill him!” I then apprised Franks concerning our situation as far as I knew and said if I was him I would bring the crew out of there , as I thought the ship maybe sinking.” Franks promptly took his crew out . With all the destroyers sunk in World War II, I’ll bet there are several tin cans on the bottom with their magazines still manned. I didn’t tell Franks but probably if I had been in that crew there would have been more that Warhead running over him.

If the Roe had hit about seventy five feet further forward there is a good chance this story wouldn’t have been written. There was over 50 tons of powder and 100 tons of shells there. It would have made one hell of a boom!