Pointing the five inch gun at the Russians
can make them REAL nervous!



    We were just coming back from the nuclear testing around the Christmas islands and going into a port in northern Japan that was frequented more by Russians, than our own vessels.
    As we were on our way in, we picked up some Russian destroyer escorts on our port and starboard.
    One of the other fifth division mates and myself where working out in the gun tub polishing up the brass, when the destroyers came along side.  We were curious and more than a little unnerved, as the cold war tensions was running quite high at the time.
    But being young and curious we wanted to take a look at their guns.  Not having binoculars, we came up with the idea of training the gun out on the Russian ships to scope out their armaments through the gun sights that were every bit as powerful as binoculars.
    My mate got in the pointer seat which moves the barrel up and down, I sat down in the trainer seat, it moves it back and forth and we proceeded to train the big 5 inch thirty eight gun out on the Russian destroyer to have a look.
    Heh...heh ...Heh ...Sure was funny to see the Russians running around kinda crazy like, as we pointed the gun out at them...didn't last long though, the Captain himself screamed over the intercom from the bridge "You crazy ^*#@ train that gun in, you trying to start WWIII?
    After that incident we seemed to get some particularly dirty duty for a time.
    Ahhh the mad impetuous days of our youth, some of my fondest memories during my service in the Navy from 59 to 66 was the duty I pulled on the ol fighting Lady.

 

 

 

Firing Yorktown's Guns.

The powder and shell from a Yorktown five inch gun flops into the deep blue sea


We usually fired our guns every Friday while patrolling off of Korea in 1953. There were 14 mounts of 3 inch fifties and 8 mounts of 5 inch thirty eights. The 3 inch mounts consisted of two barrels each and were loaded by four first loaders, sailors that fed 3 inch projectiles into the hoppers, the hoppers held six rounds each and were filled before the firing order was given. Several of these mounts could be electronically hooked up to one fire control station. When the “Fire” command was given and the local fire control officer pulled the trigger all six rounds from each barrel of each mount hooked to his station were fired immediately and the hot shell cases were simply ejected out front of the mount. They were left in the gun tub to cool down before handling. In this sequence of events there was never any need to add more ammunition to these mounts but that was not the case with the 5-inch mounts.

 

The 5 inch thirty eight mounts were just a little different. These guns are large and produce serious results and have to be treated with respect. The sequence of firing was as follows. The first powder man loaded the powder can into the loading tray. The first projectile man then lifted the 52 pound projectile from the fuse pot, placed it on a flat surface just above the loading tray. He then rolled the projectile into the tray, steadied it with the butt of his hand and almost simultaneously he reached up with his right hand and tripped the hydraulic loading ram’s lever. The ram with a force of 1400 PSI rammed the powder and projectile into the guns breech. The guns block slammed home, the gun fired, the block slammed open and the very hot powder case was forcefully ejected out the rear of the gun mount where it was either caught, or knocked down by the “hot shell man”.
Usually a single plane towing a target sleeve flew athwart the ship “across” say from starboard to port at an altitude of several thousand feet. Firing was controlled again by a local fire control officer located somewhat away from the gun mounts. Firing was commenced on the sleeve when the plane was just over the ship. The firing angle on this type of run was very steep and the loading tray of the five-inch mounts was very low. The first loaders, i.e., the first “powder man” and the first “shell man” could simply bend over and set the powder case and projectile into guns tray.


But one day someone decided to try another type of firing run. The whole fleet lined up in single file and the target-towing plane flew around the fleet at a very low altitude and fairly close to the ships. This created a very different loading situation for the five-inch mounts since the gun barrel was not angled upward at all and the loading tray was five feet above the deck. That meant that the first loaders had to raise the powder case and projectile head high to place them in the tray. On this occasion I happened to be setting at the fuse pot position with one of those very large helmets on which permitted the wearing of earphones. The first “shell man” that day happened to be about 5 foot 6 inches tall and weighed about 135 lbs. On the first run I was aware that he was having a little trouble raising the 50-pound projectiles high enough to properly load them into the loading tray, but the “gun captain” a third class Boatswain didn't seem concerned. On the second run I was watching the fuse pots dials spin while setting ranges into the projectiles fuses, the “commence firing” order was given, the “first projectile man” grabbed a projectile and I braced myself for the resultant concussion! Nothing happened, the other five-inch mount completed its firing of four projectiles and our “first projectile man” had not removed even the second projectile.

I looked up from the fuse pots to find I was the only sailor still on our mount, in fact I couldn’t even see another person in our gun tub. I could hear a strange sound coming from the guns mechanisms, I slowly rose up and then I saw what the problem was. The projectile was standing straight up at the guns bore, the powder can was being forced into its side by the loading rams 1400 pounds of pressure, the powder can was beginning to crumple, going, crinkle, crinkle, crinkle.


I slowly took off my helmet and earphones, step off the mount and exited the gun tub forward. A Gunners Mate Chief and the First Class Gunner responsible for our mount came forward and released the hydraulic pressure by shutting down the pump, backed the ram off and we dumped the projectile and powder can into the drink.


End of another uneventful day aboard “The Fighting Lady” on the line around Korea.


Picture: The USS Yorktown arrives in Hong Kong.  A British carrier can be seen anchored forward.  The aircraft are positioned and manned to provide capabilities when tugboats are not available.  The Yorktown carried about 350 military personnel from Japan to Hong Kong for seven days of Rest and Recreation  R and R.

Thurman D. Smith
Gunners Mate Seaman
7th Division 1952-1954                 

Pictures of gunners; Daniel A.  Bernath Airman, 1968,
on 2nd Division's Gun  North Vietnam waters

Yorktown Admiral overrules the orders of a Marine Corps Private

Before joining the Navy I was an avid skater.  I took my skates with me in the bottom of my sea bag and when I boarded the Yorktown I put them in my locker.  I was hoping to find a roller rink in our travels.

    After the first inspection I was told to send them home.  In desperation I asked the ship's pastor if he could help.  He agreed to keep them for me.

    We docked at Pearl Harbor and I was given an overnight liberty so with my skates in hand I started off the ship.  I was stopped at the gangplank because the pass had not been signed.  I was told to see the Executive Officer but learned that he was off the ship.  So, I was told to see the Captain but informed that he was also off the ship and to see the Admiral!

Well, crazy me, I went to the Admiral's quarters.  After telling his marine on duty that I needed to get my pass signed, he told me in a loud and angry voice to "get the hell out of here!."

    I was about to leave when the cabin door opened and the Admiral asked what was going on.  The marine quickly snapped to attention and related my story to him.  The Admiral looked at my pass saying, "what's wrong with those guys down there" and signed my pass saying to me as he did, "have a good liberty, son!"

    I finally got off the ship and had a great weekend skating.

Dellis Caho, Plane Captain 1943-1946,

    The USS Yorktown and the Vietnam war
The Yorktown under attack by VC, Chinese Communist or North Vietnam gunboats?


Tonkin
I remember being on watch in CIC (Combat Information Center) when several blips appeared appeared on the radar screen. It turned out to be several Chinese patrol boats coming from inside the Tonkin Gulf. We were at Yankee Station at the time with a Russian trawler following us on our port side about 3000 yds.

We launched 2 A4's and the trawler made an abrupt turn and headed out from our formation. I continued to track the patrol boats as they approached our formation, when suddenly two of the blips disappeared from my screen. The A4's did their job. It was the only time an aggressive move was made towards our formation.

Wm. Wages, RD3, OI Div. USS Yorktown CVS-10. 


another patrol boat action?

I was on duty in CIC on the air picture early one morning when a group of officers ran up and handed me a message saying send that out flash. The Admiral appeared and said send it emergency. So I did.

Alpha Whiskey this is Alpha Sierra, flash, flash, emergency, emergency, two high speed contacts closing bearing ??? speed 40 knots do you copy? over.

Nothing. I repeated and still nothing. It seems my R/T drifted so the anxious officers grabbed the message and gave it to another guy. Later I was listening on another net to the rescue attempt of the guys we blew out of the water.

Someone asked if he could just shoot them as they refused to climb into a copter sling. He was told "negative." A destroyer lowered a boat and got them in custody. A year or so later I read in the Stars and Stripes newspaper there had been a POW exchange, 20 some North Vietnam sailors for 500 or so South Vietnam army POWS.

 I always thought those sailors were the ones we had a hand in capturing. One of many, many fond memories of my four years aboard the USS Yorktown and OI div.

1964 Pat Dingle OI RD3 64-68

 

When we were getting ready to leave Norfolk, here came a guy up the gangplank with a case of whiskey under his arm.  Nobody said anything.  Actually it was our understanding that drinking didn't bother ol' Jocko Clark (the Yorktown's first Captain), but he didn't want people to gamble all their money away.  One time down in Trinidad, during a shakedown cruise, we landed at a field right next to a clubhouse.  We put a whole bunch of liquor in the bomb bay of my torpedo plane and I made one of my best landings ever on the Yorktown.

"Pop" Condit.  Rear Admiral James W. Condit, USNR (Ret.)
 




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