I planned to get both of us over the side in case the ship was sinking. The chaplain conducted the service in which five U.S. Army and two U.S. Navy casualties were buried.During the invasion, reports of suicide attacks other than those by kamikazes began to come in. The second plane dived to just above the ocean surface, causing the ship’s lookouts to lose sight of it until it was almost on the DuPage, dead ahead at 200 yards. When the ship was declared secure, they looked around their area for casualties.“When we looked at the 20mm gun port on the deck above us, the boy in the gunner’s seat was dead,” said Wells. Off Japan proper, the USS "Nevada" and her escorts fight off attacks by Kamikaze suicide planes. “I got up from my seat to see what he was hollering about. Almost every make and model of aircraft were used as kamikazes. The explosion killed 61 men and tore a 25-foot hole in the hull. “An army lieutenant kept hollering to get them to the beach. The invasion force reached Lingayen Gulf on January 6 and commenced sweeping operations and fire support. We were lifted about five feet out of the water and slammed back down. The crew had refueled a destroyer, transferred provisions to an LCI, and continued to care for wounded in its infirmary. Ironically, the best Kamikaze planes were in the U.S. inventory (heavy, but fast fighter-bombers such as Corsairs and Thunderbolts). Masafumi Arima Invented The Kamikaze Strategy. Wells and the gun crews in the aft section helped contain the fires and throw all explosive material overboard. They approached low, out of the evening sun, and would execute radical maneuvers to confuse the ships’ defenders.On January 9, S-day, the transport division continued to steam into Lingayen Gulf during the early morning hours. At Okinawa, kamikaze attacks focused at first on Allied destroyers on picket duty, and Gun tubs 16 and 18 were wrecked, decks along the port side were holed and bulkheads badly warped. The forward 20mm gun tubs, 2, 4 and 10, commenced firing.Storekeeper 2nd Class Oliver E. Moreau was stationed on the flying bridge to assist the fire-control officer. Pictures made simultaneously show the same attack viewed from the carrier itself. TTY: 202.488.0406, Holocaust Survivors and Victims Resource Center. Yukio Seki. He was known as the father of the Kamikaze. They had explosives strapped around their waists to detonate against the side of the ship.”. 1845—change course to 340T, 6 knots, 30 rpm. There are a total of 22 ] WW2 Japanese Kamikaze Aircraft entries in the Military Factory. “Once we got loaded with troops the assault LCVPs would move away from the ship and form up in a large circle. About that time, I thought, ‘I’m going to be some damage control officer if this thing goes off when it hits the water.’ All this time the loudspeaker kept up a constant, ‘Lt. The kamikazes had their most successful day on October 24, 1944, when 378 kamikazes managed to sink 16 Allied warships off Okinawa. At 7:02 pm, general quarters was sounded as two Japanese twin-engine bombers were sighted.“I had just gotten cleaned up when general quarters sounded,” said Wells. This force was followed by Task Group 77.2, the bombardment and fire support vessels accompanied by 12 escort carriers and their screening destroyers and destroyer escorts. The landing craft complement for the ship included two 50-foot LCMs (Landing Craft, Mechanized) on the aft deck with a 36-foot LCVP (Landing Craft, Vehicle and Personnel) nested in each LCM. On or After Date of Successful Attack by Organized Special Attack Squadron - Vice Admiral Takijiro Ohnishi formed the first kamikaze special attack squadron in the early morning of October 20, 1944 (Inoguchi 1958, 13), but the first successful suicide attacks by special attack squadrons did not take place until October 25, ⦠A kamikaze attack on a US warship during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, October 1944 The Kamikazes were the suicide attacks conducted by the Empire of Japan against the Allied Forces during World War II. “We had heard one bomb go off and had no idea what else the plane might have had. Later, three more dead and 40 wounded were taken from an LSM. I heard one 500-pound bomb go off as the plane careened down the ship’s side.”At 7:15 pm, the left wing of the plane hung on one of the ship’s antimine Paravene boom cables and swung into the left side of the navigation bridge. This was climaxed in May 1942 with the fall of the Philippine Islands. I grabbed him and helped him to the rail. kamikaze attacks, and since the role of the Japanese Naval Air Arm is, in general, better documented thaa that of the Army, the focus in this study is on Japanese Naval Air activities. The first official kamikazeplane had hit its target on Oct. 25, 1944, in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, but the idea had been building in Japan for even longer. By that time the Japanese had worked out standard tactics for kamikaze attack. Emergency repairs were made from January 13-20, and the DuPage prepared to return to war. The kamikazes—Japanese suicide planes piloted by fliers bent on sacrificing themselves by diving their aircraft into American naval vessels—soon found the strung-out convoy. “I got my pants and a skivvy shirt on and ran for the gun. “I had no idea what they were shooting at, then the kamikaze hit. By Don SmartWarfare History NetworkAugust 21, 2015. A Japanese plane plunging downwards during a Kamikaze attack . View the list of all donors. Over the course of two days, over 350 enemy planes imposed absolute ⦠On the forward deck, three racks contained eight more LCVPs. Succeeding enemy planes try for hits. For the DuPage this invasion would produce a traumatic event that the ship’s crew had witnessed but never experienced. The invasion troops were quartered amidships on lower decks 1 and 2. This threat was the suicide boat, or Shinyo. The overall force commander was Vice Adm. Thomas C. Kinkaid. We were right in between two LSTs when a mortar shell exploded right in front of the boat. The beach party returned to the ship, and the DuPage commenced to rehoist all boats.Throughout the invasion operations, the ship was undergoing continuous alerts. Main telephone: 202.488.0400 On 6 April 1945, waves of planes made hundreds of attacks in Operation Kikusui ("floating chrysanthemums"). this invasion would produce a traumatic event that the ship’s crew had witnessed but never experienced. All troop cargo was transferred to the beachhead by 5 pm. About 19% of kamikaze attacks were successful. The USS Intrepid being struck by a kamikaze off Luzon, Philippines, November 25, 1944. In case the steering controls on the bridge were disabled, the ship could be controlled from this area. The plane cartwheeled down the port side of the ship, exploding bombs and fuel. “I saw the ships on either side of the DuPage shooting with their guns aimed just above the water,” remembered Neilson. Set at thousand-yard intervals, on her left was the USS Fayette, on the right the USS Cavalier, and trailing, the USS Wayne. The Zeke pulled up at the last moment to correct the dive and the airplane hit the center of the flight deck. In addition to the quad-40 stations, there were 20mm gun tubs, dual 50-caliber machine guns, and a 5-inch cannon. The wounded were transferred to hospital ships USS Mercy and USS Marigold. A total of 93 fighters and 57 bombers had been flown in conventional attacks that day, inflicting no damage on the enemy. Two escort carriers, two heavy cruisers, two destroyers, a destroyer escort, and several other ships were damaged by kamikaze attacks. All Japanese aircraft were driven away from the invasion armada during S-day. In the early hours of January 10, lookouts reported hearing the sound of a boat approaching. In all, kamikaze attacks claimed the lives of 88 crewmembers from 1944-45. For America, the early months of the war in the Pacific meant one defeat after another. MacArthur believed the planes were from air bases on Luzon, while Oldendorf assumed they had come from Formosa. Several torpedoes were fired at the convoy to no effect. The new attacks were different in that the pilots were more skilled, the aircraft larger and more heavily armored. Two landing craft, LCI(G)-365 and LCI(M)-974, were sunk on January 10 by suicide boats.January 10 found the infantry units up to eight miles inland, moving forward against very little resistance. Wells and his gun crew immediately started throwing the 5-inch ammunition overboard. When I came to seconds later, a sailor was kicking fire off me. Fire came rolling down the port side and over the top of me. But one dives straight into the "Ticonderoga." The Kamikaze (ç¥é¢¨), "Divine" or "spirit wind", officially Tokubetsu KÅgekitai (ç¹å¥æ»æé "Special Attack Unit"), abbreviated as TokkÅ Tai (ç¹æ»é, used as a verb as TokkÅ (ç¹æ» "special attack") were suicide air attacks from the Empire of Japan late in World War II. The impact of Kamikaze attacks decreased during the final months of the war in the Pacific, in part because of an improvement in Allied evasion tactics. Enemy aircraft continued to be a threat, requiring continuous general quarters calls. Mindoro was taken by mid-December and the airfields converted for Army Air Force use. At 7:15 word came down from division command: “Lower all boats.” The crew immediately commenced lowering all landing craft, and this was completed by 7:49 am. 1902—sounded general quarters, enemy planes in the vicinity. By 2015, the fires were under control and the carrier was able to recover aircraft. “I motioned to two more men and we manhandled the bomb over the side. The targets were U.S. escort carriers; one, the St. As the main force moved ahead, the attacks continued. He described the activity getting ready to head for the beach. Kamikaze, which means "Divine Wind" in ⦠The mighty invasion armada for the main thrust at Luzon in the Philippine Islands was being assembled on December 28, 1944. The Japanese had killed 300 American sailors, wounded 760, and sunk two ships, but they could not stop the operation. When I looked at my gun station, the seat I was sitting in was also blown off. As night settled over the anchored transports, the Japanese resorted to still another suicide method. Previous kamikaze attacks were executed by relatively untrained pilots. Kamikaze Attempts Against the Hadley. Cannon headed for the main deck to take charge of the firefighting.“From the bridge to the aft end of the ship was a mass of flames,” Cannon said. Kamikaze (ç¥é¢¨, [kamiêkaze]; âdivine windâ or âspirit windâ), officially Kamikaze/ShinpÅ« Tokubetsu KÅgekitai (ç¥é¢¨ç¹å¥æ»æé, âDivine Wind Special Attack Unitâ), were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval ⦠Never did know who he was. Several members of the amidships unit were killed or wounded during the ensuing collision. Three of the wounded died the following day. The American commanders were in a quandary as to where the attacks were originating. The leading elements of the task force were bombed, and six kamikazes jumped the force, damaging an oiler and minesweeper. The carrier "Ticonderoga," off Formosa, sustains a near miss from another Kamikaze. The troops came from widely dispersed staging areas—Bougainville, New Britain, Hollandia, Aitape, Sansapor, and the farthest away, New Caledonia. Admiral Ohnishi was convinced that further employment of these inhuman tactics was ⦠To support the convoy, Admiral William F. Halsey committed the aircraft of his Third Fleet against installations on Luzon as far south as Clark Field. Her crew will always remember January 10, 1945, as the day of the kamikaze. It comes from the name the Japanese gave to a typhoon that destroyed the Mongol ships in the 13th century and saved the country from invasion.In Western culture, the word kamikaze is used to mean the suicide pilots ⦠Far to the rear, the amphibious assault forces were having problems with Japanese aircraft and submarines. The left wing first hit the barrel of the 20mm gun on the port side and spun the turret and gunner around at a tremendous rate. These problems notwithstanding, the 43rd Division moved out and expanded its beachhead by two miles.The DuPage was anchored in the outer transport area going through cleanup routines in preparation for getting underway later in the day. With the sea lanes protected, the Luzon invasion moved forward. The Elmore Project. Forward, the heavy equipment, trucks, jeeps, and howitzers were on lower decks 3 and 4.The trip lasted 11 days and proceeded through the Surigao Strait, Mindanao Sea, Sulu Sea, Mindoro Strait, South China Sea, and into Lingayen Gulf. Each rack had two davits to attach and lower the boats to the water. It should be recognized, however, that approximately half of all kamikaze attacks were condJucted by Japanese Army Air Forces. The APA had many purposes, but the main one was to load troops and equipment, transport them to an invasion area, and put them ashore.A memorable description of the attack transport was given by author Sidney Carrol in a 1940’s edition of Coronet Magazine. By mid-1944 the Allied forces were ready to take the next step toward the Home Islands of Japan. The Allies had to invade and secure the small island of Mindoro before the main invasion could go forward, because two airfields there could support Japanese attacks on the invasion fleet. Washington, DC 20024-2126 The LCVP had a crew of three. Yukio Seki was born in a small village, Iyo Saijo, in Shikoku. His ⦠Mindoro was taken by mid-December and the airfields converted for Army Air Force use. (Source: Smithsonian Channel) As the suicidal pilots reached their target, they began an attack that would supersede any air raid in history. He recalled:“We saw it dive until it was skimming just above the ocean surface. All the wounded were ordered to the infirmary, and a crew count commenced. At the same time, the forces of Admiral Chester W. Nimitz had started a drive through the islands to the east that included the Solomons, Gilberts, Marshalls, and Marianas. The first load of casualties consisted of three dead and 10 wounded. Neilson remembered one of the five was a black sailor from the officers’ mess, who later stated, “I couldn’t swim at the time, however, I learned real fast.” At 11:30 pm, a message from the destroyer USS O’Brien came in reporting that five survivors from the DuPage had been picked up. The War Hawk was repaired enough to make the trip back to Leyte Gulf. My forward unit got the fires on the bridge under control and as we started aft, a seaman rushed up and said we had a live bomb on deck, fire all around it.”. It was important that all LCVPs hit the beach at the same time.”The last boats with assault troops were away by 8:12 am.The first assault wave hit Beach White 1 by 9:35 am, and all assault waves were on the beach by 10. The USS Wayne was steaming a thousand yards astern, and her crew members saw the kamikaze strike and several men go over the side. For the thousands of soldiers who went into captivity at this time, their only hope was a statement from General Douglas MacArthur: “I shall return.” By late 1942 the Allied armies had started forward. The "Nevada," veteran of the last war, was in Pearl Harbor at this war's beginning, and has fought in many major actions since. would learn that one more item could be added to the list: target of the divine wind, better known as the kamikaze. The following pictures of the aftermath of the Kamikaze attack were provided by Vernon Neilson. Smoke envelops the ship. The ship’s chaplain officiated the service to bury the DuPage’s dead at sea.January 13 brought the last significant kamikaze attacks on the Luzon attack force. I had a wound in my leg, and my right arm was burned.”. The fast attack transports carried a crew of 50 officers and 600 seamen. He rushed to throw a shell and powder casing over the side. The mighty invasion armada for the main thrust at Luzon in the Philippine Islands was being assembled on December 28, 1944. To view the full picture, please double click on the ⦠My life jacket immediately caught fire, but I got it put out.”Death and destruction followed the big bomber down the side of the ship. In the area with the DuPage, the transport USS War Hawk was riding at anchor. Such situations occurred in both the Axis and Allied air forces. Kamikaze attacks on US ships, 1945 Japanese pilots used the tactic of Kamikaze (suicidal) dive-bombing attacks on enemy warships in 1944 and 1945. In the middle of troop loading, a Japanese fighter plane appeared, and the ship opened fire with all guns to drive it away.Wells was a crewman on one of the LCVPs. The "USS Ticonderoga," a carrier, also sustained such a hit in early 1945 off Formosa (Taiwan). “We were ordered to shoot up all floating boxes and trash with the .30-calibers as we went to and from the beach,” recalled Wells. They were 12,000 yards offshore opposite the small town of San Fabian. 10 January 1945. The wing then hit the boom cable, and the plane twisted to hit the port side of the navigation bridge just below us. There were also five men listed as missing and assumed blown over the side. Flag images indicative of ⦠Find topics of interest and explore encyclopedia content related to those topics, Find articles, photos, maps, films, and more listed alphabetically, Recommended resources and topics if you have limited time to teach about the Holocaust, Explore the ID Cards to learn more about personal experiences during the Holocaust. Although dangerous, they did not take precautions to avoid detection and antiaircraft fire. The destroyers Sumpter, Gascoyne and Pfeiffer were out in front providing protection for the convoy. Neilson had just stepped up to the deck above the control room and was standing behind the 5-inch gun, leaning on the bulkhead just below the Quad 40mm gun tubs, when the Japanese suicide plane hit the DuPage. Kamikaze aircraft were essentially pilot-guided explosive missiles, purpose-built or converted from conventional aircraft.Pilots would attempt to crash their aircraft into enemy ships in what was called a "body attack" ( tai-atari) in planes loaded with bombs, or other explosives. This included the battalions’ vehicles stored in holds 2 and 4. “An APA is a tenement, a moving van, a freight car, a garage, a fighting ship, a hospital, an ambulance and a hearse.” In a few short days the DuPage would learn that one more item could be added to the list: target of the divine wind, better known as the kamikaze. The troops came from widely dispersed staging areas—Bougainville, New Britain, Hollandia, Aitape, Sansapor, and the farthest away, New Caledonia. Kamikaze (Japanese: ç¥é¢¨; literally: "god-wind"; usual translation: "divine wind") is a word of Japanese origin. This armada of transports and their protective shield formed a convoy over 40 miles long. The USS DuPage: Braving Kamikazes From Air And Sea, The mighty invasion armada for the main thrust at Luzon in the Philippine Islands was being assembled on December 28, 1944. In other words, kamikaze attacks actually cost the Japanese fewer lives to achieve a given number of hits than conventional attack. This hull configuration was used for escort carriers and troop transports (AP) in addition to attack transports (APA). The first kamikaze force was in fact composed of 24 volunteer pilots from Japanâs 201st Navy Air Group. The DuPage deck log stated, “Enemy aircraft appeared many times; several were shot from the air, one managed to crash into a transport and the rest were repulsed.”Admiral Oldendorf and the other commanders were worried, with good cause. Seaman lst Class Vernon L. Neilson was a member of the Quartermaster section, stationed in the after steering control room. The most often seen were the Mitsubishi A6M ("Zero," ... Ohka. He grabbed two men, and with the fire hoses soaking them down, started to get the bomb untangled from cables and beams. At Okinawa they inflicted the greatest losses ever suffered by the U.S. Navy in a single battle, killing almost 5,000 men. The second crewman manned the winch to crank up the ramp as they pulled off the beach. Her last orders assigned her to Operation Magic Carpet, transporting American veterans home.The service of the USS DuPage was continuous and honorable throughout the war, but one particular incident stands out. Captain at the conn. 1841—secured from general quarters, set condition III. The kamikazes were not through, however, as demonstrated in April during the Okinawa invasion. This boat was manned by a crew of five and coordinated all movements of the LCVPs. Cannon report to the bridge.’ I was a little too busy to stop right then.”When Cannon made it to the bridge, the captain informed him there was a bomb on the deck and that it needed to be removed. News of the kamikaze successes flashed throughout the navy. As the main force moved ahead, the attacks continued. By January 5 the entire 7th Amphibious Force carrying I Army Corps, followed by the 3rd Amphibious Force carrying XIV Army Corps, was moving out of Leyte Gulf into Surigao Strait. Loading elements of the 43rd Infantry Division at Aitape, New Guinea, were the attack transport USS DuPage (APA 41) and her sister ships [including USS Elmore (APA-42)]. Cannon was able to report the job already done. As the hours of January 10 waned, the captain put out a call for medical assistance for his vessel. The DuPage crew now mustered to perform a sad but necessary service, burying the dead at sea. “There had been reports of Japanese swimmers trying to reach the ships under the boxes. James J. Fahey joined the Navy in October 1942. 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW Cannon rushed his forward unit to the area and saw a 500-pound bomb in the midst of a sea of flames. The LCVPs were stored in racks on the fore and after decks of the attack transport. A few well orgainized strikes of say twenty Thunderbolt like fighters flown by trained Kamikazes and benefiting from trained escorts and reconassiance would would have been ⦠U.S. Navy. The leading elements of the task force were bombed, and six kamikazes jumped the force, damaging an oiler and minesweeper. The port wing of the navigation bridge was demolished, numbers 2 and 4 davits were demolished, and all LCVPs cradled in these davits wrecked. W.P. MacArthur believed the planes were from air bases on Luzon, while Oldendorf assumed they had come from Formosa. Australian and U.S. naval forces suffered 1,230 men killed and 1,800 wounded by the kamikazes during the Philippine operation. The guns would open fire with a cacophony of noise as the enemy planes approached. In accomplishing this, the Japanese lost 600 aircraft, with at least one-third of this number being kamikazes. The ship then sent out a voice radio message requesting all ships astern to be on the lookout for men blown overboard. During general quarters there were three damage control parties, the forward, amidships, and aft units. The troops came from widely dispersed staging ⦠The DuPage, with her contingent of transports carrying the troops of the 43rd Division, anchored in the transport area by 7 am. The captain then started to assess the damage and determine casualties. Experiencing the Kamikaze: "Jap planes were coming at us from all directions." In that bloody struggle, damage to U.S. Navy vessels would far surpass that sustained at Luzon. My buddy, Waldript, was on the bridge and saw the Jap come in. As the transports got closer to Lingayen Gulf, they began to come under intense air attack. By 7:37 pm damage control parties reported all fires extinguished and under control. At 6:30 pm, the DuPage weighed anchor and moved to the outer transport area. The peak in kamikaze attacks came during the period of AprilâJune 1945, at the Battle of Okinawa. The intense antiaircraft fire caused one aircraft to veer off. Once the order came down to the Command Boat that all LCVPs were loaded and ready, we got the order to head for the beach. Kamikaze attacks were more accurate than conventional attacks⦠With these losses, Japanese air power ceased to exist in the Philippines. Entries are listed below in alphanumeric order (1-to-Z). The 172nd Infantry Regiment, landing on the extreme left beach, White 1, had the most hazardous and difficult task. On or After Date of Successful Attack by Organized Special Attack Squadron - Vice Admiral Takijiro Ohnishi formed the first kamikaze special attack squadron in the early morning of October 20, 1944 (Inoguchi 1958, 13), but the first successful suicide attacks by special attack squadrons did not take place until October 25, ⦠His duty was to relay messages to the various gun stations as to targets and position. The DuPage was in formation as guide ship for the convoy of 17 transports and some smaller vessels. With the sea lanes protected, the Luzon invasion moved forward. The gunner ran the elevation transverse and trigger, the trainer ran the azimuth transverse.”The attack transport had a formidable array of antiaircraft weapons. These large items were transferred via ship booms to an LSM (Landing Ship, Medium) anchored alongside. The Japanese Kamikaze was their last desperate attempt to counter American military and industrial superiority. Just then we got hit by water from the fire hose and pushed back against the bulkhead. As they hit the beach, one crewman would trip the ramp at the front of the LCVP to let the troops off. In command of the fire support groups was Vice Adm. Jesse B. Oldendorf, and Vice Adm. Daniel E. Barby was over the transport groups. On February 14, all of us were punished because they suspected that we ate at ⦠The crew of the attack transport DuPage braved kamikaze attacks while supporting American landings in the Philippines. All that remain of the Kamikaze plane are its wheels. The Wayne crew scrambled to throw life preservers to the swimming sailors as the ship steamed by, since the transports in the convoy could not stop. Axell and Kase see these suicides as "individual, impromptu decisions by me⦠This footage (other than music) is in the public domain. I heaved a sigh of relief.”. The Allies had to invade and secure the small island of Mindoro before the main invasion could go forward, because two airfields there could support Japanese attacks on the invasion fleet. The kamikazes—Japanese suicide planes piloted by fliers bent on sacrificing themselves by diving their aircraft into American naval vessels—soon found the strung-out convoy. Wells’ boat was coming in as part of the third assault wave, and was interspersed with a group of LSTs (Landing Ship Tank). Fahey thought he was the first person to see a kamikaze attack in action â but he wasn't. Japan Kamikaze Attack 1944 Сolor restoration video. Attacking singly or in groups of four or more, the Kamikazes pressed their suicide runs, and the tiny ships worked in mutual support as best they could. 1915—twin engine bomber sighted, heading dead on for the USS DuPage, screening destroyer escort USS Cavalier and USS Fayette opened fire on plane.”. The rapper has hit out at those who criticised his previous record in controversial fashion “He was wounded and burned bad, real bad. Then he saw the first wounded.“A sailor stumbled out of the inferno and collapsed in my arms,” he recalled. Moreau remembered the moment the DuPage and the kamikaze came together. The basic design for the DuPage was a five-hatch cargo ship powered by an 8,500-horsepower steam turbine that could move it up to a speed of 16.5 knots. For the Allied naval forces, a welcome respite followed. The crew fought all through the next day to keep her afloat and restore power. In the dark nothing could be seen, and the Shinyo rammed the port side of the ship. Kamikaze attacks sank 34 ships and damaged hundreds of others during the war. List of Allied vessels struck by Japanese special attack weapons. All rights reserved. “The bomb was still very hot from the fire plus the three of us could not lift it over the ship’s rail,” Cannon continued. This area had excellent beaches, plus access to the island’s central plain and a direct road to the Manila Bay region. One wing blown off, a Japanese plane scores a direct hit. MacArthur developed a three-phase plan for recapture of the Philippines: First, seize the island of Leyte to be used as a marshaling area and supply base; second, invade and clear the Japanese from the main island of Luzon; and third, occupy the bypassed islands at a later date. The APA had many purposes, but the main one was to load troops and equipment, transport them to an invasion area, and put them ashore. Lieutenant George R. Cannon was the deck officer in charge of damage-control parties. The overall force commander was Vice Adm. Thomas C. Kinkaid. The forces of General MacArthur had driven up the north coast of New Guinea all the way to Morotai Island, lying just south of the Philippines. To support the convoy, Admiral William F. Halsey committed the aircraft of his Third Fleet against installations on Luzon as far south as Clark Field.By January 5, as Halsey’s fast carriers were in position to strike Luzon, Oldendorf’s forward groups were having a rough time.