Don "Doc Brown: Seaman 1/c

On April 16, 1945, I was on watch on the after torpedo tubes at approximately 8:30 a.m. It came over the headphones that bogeys were sighted on radar at 25 miles.

General Quarters was sounded. The bridge kept announcing, "Twenty miles. Fifteen miles. Ten miles." Then you could see little dots in the sky.

Four Vals came at us, two came in on the starboard bow. Then all hell broke loose. We were making a hard left rudder when the third plane came in, carrying a bomb. It missed the ship and crashed in the water, but the bomb jarred the rudders. All we could do was go in circles.

I was standing about two feet from a ready box [a tool box] when from the corner of my eye I saw a plane coming very close. The plane had been hit and was on fire, leaking gas. It was very low, almost hitting the ship.

The leaking gas and fires wiped out the 40s and 20s in front of me. It also burnt the paint off the ready box. But it didn't touch me.

Over the phones, the bridge told me to leave my watch and go help where needed. Shipmates were going down the ladder and some were waiting to go down to main deck. I waited for a while, then jumped to main deck.

I was running forward on the starboard side when I saw a plane coming at us. It was very close to the water, with our guns firing at it. The gunners hit the plane and it blew up. Parts were flying everywhere, and a small piece of shrapnel hit the palm of my left hand. After it was all over, I removed the shrapnel.

I was going to the galley when a chief electrician told me to be sure to "dog" the door. I said, "Okay." I dogged the door, and turned around when a plane hit the starboard side. Shrapnel came into the mess hall, hitting the chief electrician in the leg. I ran to get a pharmacist's mate. We returned and I helped him work on the chief. I went from there to topside. A shipmate said
they needed help very badly in sick bay. I stayed in sick bay the remainder of the attack, helping with the wounded.