USS SHUBRICK
DD-639

Personal War Diary
George Morley
of

George T. Morley


4 April 1945 to 10 August 1945

Okinawa
 
USS Shubrick DD639
Shipmate's diaries
Invasion of Okinawa by George Morley
April 04, 1945   Left San Diego
April 10, 1945   Arrived at Pearl Harbor
April 21, 1945   Left Pearl Harbor
April 27, 1945   Arrived at Eniwetok Atoll, an island in the Marshals.
April 28, 1945   Left Eniwetok
May 05, 1945   Arrived at Okinawa. Had an air raid every day except 7 and 8 when it rained.
AT OKINAWA
May 08, 1945 2155 We are now on a radar picket line, but we are only ten miles away from Point Bolo. No raids since day before yesterday.. Still see them shelling southern tip of the island.
May 09, 1945 1845 Went to General Quarters and Secured
May 10, 1945 0110 Saw smoke rise from nearby DE that had been hit by Suicide Plane, 2 DES and 1DD were hit. All three except one DE were sunk. We fired 12 shots at plane but missed. "First time to Fire."
May 10, 1945 0200 Secured from G.Q.
  0215 All Hands Man Your Battle Stations
  0445 Secured. Picked up an empty life raft.
  1930 Went to G.Q.
  2130 Secured from G.Q.
May 11, 1945 0115 All Hands Man Your Battle Stations
  0515 Secured from G.Q. (George Morley slept through G.Q.)
  0845 Went to G.Q.
  1025 Secured from G.Q. refueled and entered port. Saw my first dead Jap floating in water. He's a good one.
  1400 Holiday routine
  1800 Left port to go on radar picket and special assignment. No raids this night. It rained.
May 12, 1945   Saturday
  0500 General Quarters. In about 1 hour we are going to take a small island off Okinawa. We are G.Q. now.
  0600 Secured from G.Q.
  0630 The Drexler opened fire on Tori Shima. All you could see was a big cloud of smoke. You couldn't even see the island. Later we found out that no-one was on it, but they had been.
  1330 General Quarters
  1400 Secured from G.Q.
  1930 We left Tori Shima, all but the Drexler got underway for Okinawa.
  1915 General Quarters. As I was going to G.Q., I witnessed a dog fight between our fighters and a Jap bomber. Later the bomber made a suicide dive on the Shubrick and we turned the ship. The bomber was believed to have been hit by our gun fire. She crashed about 10 yards off our fan tail. We got credit for it. Later that night, a torpedo bomber, trying to make a run on us, was shot down by our guns. In all we got four of them. The Shubrick getting credit for two. None of our ships were hit.30 Secured from G.Q.
  2400 Arrived at Okinawa
May 13, 1945   Sunday
  0335 General Quarters
  0505 Secured from G. Q.
  0930 General Quarters
  1000 Secured from G. Q.
  1300 Field day all hands turn to. Haven't had any sleep now in two days. Got a letter from Mom today with a letter of Elsie’s enclosed. It was really good to hear from her. The first mail I had since April 21, 1945.
  1800 It's about 1800 now and we expect General Quarters any minute now.
  1930 General Quarters
  2105 Secured from G.Q. Got three letters from Elsie
May 14, 1945 0300 General Quarters
  0415 Secure from G.Q. Took stores aboard today. Sure seemed good to get some fresh food aboard.
  1900 General Quarters. Was writing Elsie and had to finish at G.Q.
  2015 Secure from G.Q. It's raining out. Now maybe they won't come in the morning. I hope it rains.
IN WISEMAN’S COVE
May 15, 1945   No early raids this morning. It was still raining a little. Took on fuel and ammunition. Got paid today $9.00.
  1910 General Quarters
  2055 Secure from G.Q.
May 16, 1945 0300 General Quarters
  0515 Secure from G.Q.
Had a movie this morning. The first one we had at Okinawa. We are still at Wiseman’s Cove.
  1800 Got underway for Okinawa (left Wiseman’s Cove)
  1910 General Quarters
  2100 Secure from General Quarters
  2145 General Quarters
  2215 Secured from G.Q.
  2245 General Quarters
  2355 Secured from General Quarters
May 17, 1945 0005 General Quarters
  0045 Secure from General Quarters
  0225 General Quarters
  0235 Secure from General Quarters
  0245 General Quarters
  0255 Secured from General Quarters
  0730 General Quarters
  0800 Secured from General Quarters
  1900 General Quarters
  2100 Set modified condition able
  2115 Set modified condition
  2355 Secure from General Quarters
May 18, 1945 0130 General Quarters
  0200 Secured from General Quarters
  0700 We are getting underway for Radar Picket No.7 40 miles southwest of Okinawa.
  1900 General Quarters
  2030 Secured
May 19, 1945 0315 General Quarters
  0430 Secured from General Quarters on Radar Picket #7. All day no trouble. It's raining.
  1900 General Quarters
  2000 Secure from General Quarters
May 20,1945 0100 Wrote to Elsie. Gee but I miss her. Sure wish I was back in Frisco with her.
  1830 General Quarters
  2030 Secured from General Quarters
May 21, 1945 0130 General Quarters
  0200 Secured form General Quarters
  0400 General Quarters
  0430 Secured from General Quarters
  0630 General Quarters
  0815 Secured from General Quarters and Radar Picket No.7
May 22, 1945 1000 General Quarters
  1025 Secured from General Quarters
  1830 General Quarters
  2000 Secured from General Quarters
  2030 General Quarters
  2100 Secured from General Quarters
May 23, 1945   Relieved from Radar Picket duty.
May 24, 1945   Refueled and got stores
May 25, 1945   General Quarters all day and all night.
May 26, 1945   Got on radio watch in the shack
May 27, 1945 0745 General Quarters
  0830 Secured from General Quarters
  1300 General Quarters
  1330 Secured from General Quarters
  2015 General Quarters
  2130 Secured from General Quarters. Refueled this afternoon. Got mail. Had a letter from Rita and one from Mom.
May 28, 1945
 0125 General Quarters
  0205 Secured from General Quarters
  0430 General Quarters
  0500 Secured from General Quarters. Saw a Jap plane bite the dust.
  0815 General Quarters
  0915 Secured from General Quarters. Went out on AA Screening during general quarters and stayed there.
  2030 Got word we were heading for Radar Picket #16. The Hot one.
  2300 Went to General Quarters
May 28, 1945 2330 Secured from General Quarters
May 29, 1945
 0005 General Quarters
  0013 The Shubrick took a Suicide Plane on the 40 mm. The plane dropped a bomb just an instant before she crashed. The bomb hit the deck spreading fire all over. The Explosion set off the 40 rum Clip Shock and I believe set off the depth charge that blew out the fire. The after fire room and engine room and 201 were flooded and about 1 ½ feet of water in 202. In the handling room of No.3 Mount. Thoen was killed, all were injured but Corple, Hookey and Frazier were killed in emergency radio. Grube, Harris and Hardcastle were trapped in No 3 Magazine. We got the wounded and put them on the fantail. The Van Valkinburg came along side and took the wounded and all unnecessary personnel off the ship. The ship was abandoned except for the repair party and Volunteers. At about 0600 we started to get towed to Kerionia Island. At 2200 Grube and the rest were taken out of Magazine.
May 30, 1945 0230 Went to sleep
  0930 Woke up.
June 1, 1945   Today the rest of the crew returned to the ship. Gee but it sure seemed good to see their faces. Worked on the Ship.
June 8, 1945   Still fixing the ship and not yet got all the bodies out of the engine room. We now have a patch on our side and have pumped all the water out.
June 18, 1945   Had a beer party on the beach of one of the islands in Wiseman’s Cove. Got some Jap books from a Cove.
June 19, 1945   Went up for S l/c. Guess I got it.
June 27, 1945   No mail again today except for a letter from AI. I have gotton none in two weeks. Still no dope on what they are going to do with us.
July 1, 1945   Got S l/c.
July 2, 1985   Left Kerama Retta for Nakagwshwku-Wan (Now Buckner Bay) under our power.
July 4, 1945   Went into dry dock for repair.
July 9, 1945   Went out of dry dock and went along side of ARB-I.
July 10, 1945   Got a letter from Lee, I was quite surprised to hear what she told me. Also signed leave papers.
July 15, 1945 12 noon. Left Okinawa for Saipan with Convoy. Boy it seemed good to turn homeward again. It made me get a lump in my throat knowing I was going home.
July 21, 1945   Split Convoy and we took some to Guam instead of Saipan. We are safe.
GUAM
July 22, 1945   Arrived this morning at Guam. Sure had a lot of mail waiting for us. We tied up along side of Tillmana and the Herndon. Was about 50 feet away from our starboard side. When we were there, it was just like two brothers meeting. Had liberty in afternoon for 1st Section.
July 23, 1945   Went over on the beach today on a store working party. Ate 12 oranges and 3 apples. Got a piece of Jap Plane motor.
July 24, 1945 0815 Left Guam for Eniwetok and expect to be in Pearl on the 2nd.
July 27, 1945   Arrived at Eniwetok, refueled and got underway for Pearl.
July 30, 1945 1200 Monday, 12 noon. In about 1 hour it will be Sunday the 29th. Crossing the line.
August 2, 1945 1400 Arrived at Pearl Harbor and moored at 1430. Sure seemed good to see it after being out here. If there is liberty, I'm going ashore.
August 3, 1945   Got underway for Puget Sound.
August 10, 1945   This morning we woke up in the Strait of Juan De Fuca. Arrived at Port Townsend to discharge the depth charges and proceed to Puget Sound for 90 days availability. Got the ship's flag that took us from Buckner Bay to Port Townsend. Japan is about to give up.
    This is the end.
August 10, 1945   Think this has been the happiest day of my life; Back in the States.
The war's over and 30 days leave about to commence.
END
Capt Jolly's note to the Crew


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