On The Trail of the USS DARKE, APA 159
04 December 1944 to 11 September 1945
Submitted by Jeanne Waugaman
Dec. 04 Left Port Hueneme, CA for Pearl Harbor, T.H.
Dec. 05 to Dec. 9 at sea.
Dec. 10 Arrived at Pearl Harbor.
Dec. 11 to 15 at Pearl Harbor.
Dec. 16 Left Pearl Harbor for maneuvers.
Dec. 17 Arrived off Maui, Hawaii.
Dec. 18 Maneuvers of Maui continued through Dec. 24.
Dec. 25 Anchored off Maui.
Dec. 26 Left for Pearl Harbor.
Dec. 27 Remained at Pearl Harbor through Dec. 30.
Dec. 31 Left Pearl Harbor for Hilo, Hawaii
Jan. 01 Arrived at Hilo.
Jan. 02 Embarked 26th Marines, 5th Division.
Jan. 03 and 04 at Hilo
Jan. 05 Embarked rest of 26th Marines
Jan. 06 Left Hilo for Pearl Harbor.
Jan. 07 through 11 at Pearl Harbor.
Jan. 12 Left Pearl Harbor for maneuvers.
Jan 13 Arrived off Maui.
Jan. 14 through 16 Maneuvers off Maui.
Jan. 17 Left Maui for Pearl Harbor.
Jan. 18 Arrived at Pearl Harbor.
Jan. 19 through Jan 26 at Pearl Harbor.
Jan 27 Left Pearl Harbor for Eniwetok, Marshall Islands.
Jan. 28 through Feb. 03 at sea.
Feb. 04 arrived at Eniwetok.
Feb. 05 and 06 at Eniwetok.
Feb. 07 left Eniwetok for Saipan, Marianas.
Feb. 08 through10 at sea.
Feb. 11 Arrived at Saipan.
Feb. 12 Maneuvers off Tinian Island.
Feb. 13 through 15 at Saipan.
Feb. 16 Left Saipan for IWO JIMA.
Feb. 17 and 18 at sea.
Feb. 19 Arrived at IWO JIMA about 0500.
Battleships, Cruisers, and Planes giving IWO JIMA HELL.
Sub sunk about 300 yards away; 0900 Marines hit beach;
1000 of our Marines hit beach (red beach #2)
Feb. 20 through 24 at IWO JIMA
Feb. 25 Left IWO JIMA for Saipan with casualties. (206)
Feb. 26 Subs following us.
Feb. 27 At sea.
Feb. 28 Arrived at Saipan.
Mar. 01 through 04 at Saipan
Mar. 05 Left Saipan for Tulagi, Solomon Islands.
Mar. 06 through 08 At sea.
Mar. 09 CROSSED EQUATOR, going south.
Received King Neptunes Initiation.
Mar. 10 and 11 At sea.
Mar. 12 Arrived at Tulagi, Solomons.
Mar. 13 Left Tulagi for Espiritu Santos, New Hebrides went by Guadalcanal.
Mar. 14 At sea.
Mar. 15 Arrived at Espirito Santos.
Mar. 16 through 18 at Espirito Santos.
Mar. 19 Embarked 27th Army Division 106th Infantry, 2nd Battalion, 10th Army.
Mar. 20 through 24 At Espiritos Santos.
Mar. 25 Left Espiritos Santos for Ulithi, Caroline Islands.
Mar. 26 At sea.
Mar. 27 At sea. (Sub 800 yards.)
Mar. 28 At sea.
Mar. 29 At sea. (Sub contact.)
Mar. 30 At sea. (Sub contact) Crossed Equator going North.
Mar. 31 At sea.
Apr. 01 At sea. Easter Sunday.
Apr. 02 At sea.
Apr. 03 Arrived at Ulithi, Caroline Islands, very large atoll, hundreds of ships.
Apr. 04 Left Ulithi for Ryukus, 300 miles from Japan.
Apr. 05 through 7th at sea.
Apr. 08 At sea, Destroyer Escort held Sub down until we passed, it was not sunk because they did not know it’s identity.
Apr. 09 arrived OKINAWA; Ships and planes giving it HELL; Air raid
At 1907 lasted for 30 minutes. Disembarked troops.
Apr. 10 At Okinawa (Air Raid).
Apr. 11 At Okinawa (Air Raid).
Apr. 12 At Okinawa – Air attacks lasted eight hours. We were lucky and received no hits. Saw a few Jap pilots on their way to honorable ancestors.
Artillery duel on beach. Our on-shore ammo dump hit.
Apr. 13 At Okinawa (Air Raid).
Apr. 14 Left Okinawa for Saipan, carrying 235 casualties.
Apr. 15 through Apr. 17 at sea.
Apr. 18 Arrived at Saipan and unloaded casualties.
Apr. 19 and 20 At Saipan.
Apr. 21 Left Saipan for Ulithi.
Apr. 22 At sea
Apr. 15 through Apr. 17 at sea.
Apr. 18 Arrived at Saipan and unloaded casualties.
Apr. 19 and 20 At Saipan.
Apr. 21 Left Saipan for Ulithi.
Apr. 22 At sea.
Apr. 23 Arrived at Ulithi.
Apr. 24 At Ulithi until the 23rd of May, where we (enjoyed?) liberty on the (beautiful?) island of Mog Mog–three warm (hot) beers for each man. Have fun!
May 24 Left Ulithi. (Thank God!)
May 25 Laying off entrance to Guam.
May 26-28 At sea.
May 29 At sea. Arrived at Leyte Island, Philippines and left same day.
May 30 At sea.
May 31 Arrived at Subic Bay, on Luzon, main island of the Philippines.
Bay surrounded by mountains and HOT . . . up to 135 degrees daily.
Fighting going on in the mountains to the North.
June 01 through June 30, we were in Subic Bay except for the 23rd through the 28th we were in Manila where we received liberty. While in Subic Bay, we went through maneuvers in AA firing, winning all the flagship’s beer.
There are many Jap ships sunk in Manila Bay. Total of 154 ships. July 01 through 25 at Subic Bay going through the usual maneuvers and enjoying our three cans of beer on Grande Island. It blew up one day.
July 26 Left Subic Bay and went to San Fernando Rds., which is at the mouth of the Lingayen Gulf, Luzon.
July 27 through 29 at San Fernando.
July 30 Embarked soldiers of 33rd Division, 123rd regiment 32. Training at
Lingayen Gulf.
July 31 Training troops.
August 01 through 17, training troops.
August 17 left Lingayen Gulf.
August 18 Arrived at Subic Bay. August 19 At Subic Bay.
August 20 Left Subic and went to Batangus, Luzon, which is south of Manila.
August 21 At Batangus.
August 22 Left Batangus and went to Canda, which is south of Batangus, here we embarked troops of the 8th Cavalry attached to the 1st Cavalry division.
August 23 Went back to Batangus.
August 24 At Batangus.
August 25 Left for Japan.
August 26 Pulled into Subic Bay to avoid typhoon.
August 27 Left Subic Bay for Tokyo Bay.
August 28 through Sept. 1 At sea.
Sept. 02 Arrived in Tokyo Bay, anchored off Yokohama city.
Sept. 03 Pulled in Yokohama and finished unloading.
Sept. 04 Left Tokyo for Guam.
Sept. 05 through Sept. 10 at sea. (Sept. 6, orders changed to Leyte.)
Sept. 11 Arrived at Leyte.
To be continued....