Wilbert Gauding: MM 2/c

Laffey was taking a turn for picket duty off the northern tip of Okinawa. It was April 13, 1945, and we had just viewed some of the ships that had been on picket duty. What a mess.

We also got some needed supplies from them. We found out that President Roosevelt had passed away.

On our first day of picket duty, we were attacked by 10 suicide planes. They were all shot down by our fighter planes.

April 15, we picked up the bodies of three dead Japs. One was almost completely eaten by sharks. We stripped off their clothes and threw the bodies overboard. We also picked up part of their plane.

April 16, radar showed a large group of bogeys coming from the north at 7:55 a.m. I had just gotten off the 4 to 8 watch and was in the chow line. The P.A. system ordered all hands to man their battle stations on the double. Laffey being the only target, we knew what was coming.

We were under attack for one hour and nineteen minutes.

My G.Q. station was in the after engine room below deck. I wore the headphones that kept us in contact with all departments. The repair party and fire control kept us posted on what was going on above deck.

The five-inch guns would start to fire, then the 40 mm, and last, the 20mm. I knew the suicide planes were about to hit!

Smoke and fire from the two upper decks sent smoke into the ventilating system to the engine room. We had to secure [turn off] the fans. This brought the temperature up to over 130 degrees Fahrenheit.

The three after living compartments flooded, and crashing planes and bombs started fires.

Soon a LCI came to the Laffey's rescue. It took our wounded aboard and its crew helped get the fires under control.

Our rudders jammed and the flooding of the after compartments meant we were unable to get under way on our own. A destroyer came to assist us. She towed us until a couple of sea going tugs reached up. Men from the tugs came aboard and assisted us in pumping the spaces and keeping the Laffey afloat. We were towed that night for about 80 miles.

We reached a repair center about day break April 17. Repair crews worked day and night for four days. They patched up the holes in the hull and freed up the rudder.

Then on April 22, we were under way for Saipan, along with about a dozen other ships. We were all enroute for Hawaii and then on to Seattle for repairs.