AUGUST 8/9 ALWAYS MAKES ME THINK OF MY FATHER, CAPT. HAROLD E. TUT FRY WHO WAS ON THE USS ASTORIA (CA-34) WHEN IT WENT DOWN ON AUGUST 9, 1942 AFTER BEING HIT THE PRECEDING NIGHT BY JAPANESE FIRE DURING THE BATTLE OF SAVO ISLAND. OFFICIALLY 219 MEN WERE LISTED AS KILLED OR MISSING, INCLUDING MY DADS BEST FRIEND WHO DIED IN HIS ARMS. MY DAD SURVIVED, OR I AND MY BROTHERS WOULD NOT BE HERE. I AM GRATEFUL HE SURVIVED AND PRAY FOR ALL WHO SERVED IN OUR MILITARY, BUT THIS DAY IS ESPECIALLY MEANINGFUL TO ME AND MEMBERS OF OUR FAMILY. YOU CAN READ ABOUT THE NASTY ASTY AND HER BRAVE CREW BELOW OR GOOGLE MORE INFO. GOD BLESS ALL WHO SERVE AND THANK YOU DADDY FOR YOUR SERVICE AND EXAMPLE. USS Astoria (CA-34) 1 USS Astoria (CA-34) For other ships of the same name, see USS Astoria.  USS Astoria undergoing training off Hawaii, circa 8 July 1942 Career Name: USS Astoria Namesake: Astoria, Oregon Operator: USA United States Navy Builder: Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Laid down: 1 September 1930 Launched: 16 December 1933 Chris Shimicktened: 16 December 1933 Commissioned: 28 April 1934 Nickname: Nasty Asty Fate: Sunk, Battle of Savo Island 9 August 1942 General characteristics Class & type: New Orleans class heavy cruiser Displacement: 9,950 tons Length: 588 ft (179 m) Beam: 61 ft 9 in (18.82 m) Draft: 19 ft 5 in (5.92 m) Speed: 32.7 kn (37.6 mph; 60.6 km/h) Complement: 899 officers and enlisted Armament: 9 × 8 in (200 mm)/55 cal guns (3x3) 8 × 5 in (130 mm)/25 cal guns[1] 2 × 3-pounders (37 mm (1.5 in)) 8 × .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns The second USS Astoria (CA-34) was a United States Navy New Orleans class heavy cruiser that participated in both the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of Midway, but was then sunk in August 1942 at the Battle of Savo Island. Originally, Astoria was the lead ship of the Astoria-class as she was the first ship of that class to be laid down but received a later hull number higher than New Orleans because she was launched second. Early in 1943, after the Astoria had been sunk, the remaining ships of this class were refit and reclassified.  USS Astoria (CA-34) The Solomons (Battle of Savo Island) By the beginning of August, Astoria had been reassigned to Task Group 62.3 (TG 62.3), Fire Support Group L, to cover the Guadalcanal-Tulagi landings. Early on the morning of 7 August, the heavy cruiser entered the waters between Guadalcanal and Florida Islands in the southern Solomons. Throughout the day, she supported the Marines as they landed on Guadalcanal and several smaller islands nearby. The Japanese launched air counterattacks on the 7th–8th, and Astoria helped to defend the transports from those attacks. On the night of 8/9 August, a Japanese force of seven cruisers and a destroyer under Rear Admiral Gunichi Mikawa sneaked by Savo Island and attacked the American ships. At the time, Astoria had been patrolling to the east of Savo Island in column behind Vincennes and Quincy. The Japanese came through the channel to the west of Savo Island and opened fire on Chicago — HMAS Canberra force first at A VB-3 SBD-3 ditching near Astoria on 4 June 1942. USS Astoria on 8 August 1942.  USS Astoria (CA-34) 7 about 0140 on the morning of the 9th, hitting both cruisers with torpedoes and shells. They then divided – inadvertently – into two separate groups and turned generally northeast, passing on either side of Astoria and her two consorts. The enemy cruisers began firing on that force at about 0150, and the heavy cruiser began return fire immediately. She ceased fire briefly because her commanding officer temporarily mistook the Japanese force for friendly ships but soon resumed shooting. Astoria took no hits in the first four Japanese salvoes, but the fifth ripped into her superstructure turning her into an inferno amidships. In quick succession, enemy shells put her No. 1 turret out of action and started a serious fire in the plane hangar that burned brightly and provided the enemy with a self-illuminated target. From that moment on, deadly accurate Japanese gunfire pounded her unmercifully, and she began to lose speed. Turning to the right to avoid Quincys fire at about 0201, Astoria reeled as a succession of enemy shells struck her aft of the foremast. Soon thereafter, Quincy veered across Astorias bow, blazing fiercely from bow to stern. Astoria put her rudder over hard left and avoided a collision while her battered sister ship passed aft, to starboard. As the warship turned, Kinugasas searchlight illuminated her, and men on deck passed the order to No. 2 turret to shoot out the offending light. When the turret responded with Astorias 12th and final salvo, the shells missed Kinugasa but struck the No. 1 turret of Chōkai. Astoria lost steering control on the bridge at about 0225, shifted control to central station, and began steering a zig-zag course south. Before she made much progress, though, the heavy cruiser lost all power. Fortunately, the Japanese chose that exact instant to withdraw. By 0300, nearly 400 men, including about 70 wounded and many dead, were assembled on the forecastle deck. Suffering from the effects of at least 65 hits, Astoria fought for her life. A bucket brigade battled the blaze on the gun deck and the starboard passage forward from that deck, and the wounded were moved to the captains cabin where doctors and corpsmen proceeded with their care. Eventually, however, the deck beneath grew hot and forced the wounded back to the forecastle. The bucket brigade made steady headway, driving the fire aft on the starboard side of the gun deck, while a gasoline handy-billy rigged over the side pumped a small stream into the wardroom passage below. Bagley came alongside Astorias starboard bow and, by 0445, took all of the wounded off the heavy cruisers forecastle. At that point, a small light flashed from Astorias stern, indicating survivors on that part of the ship. Signaling the men on the heavy cruisers stern that they had been seen, Bagley got underway and rescued men on rafts – some Vincennes survivors – and men who had been driven overboard by the fires blazing aboard Astoria. With daylight, Bagley returned to the heavy cruiser and came alongside her starboard quarter. Since it appeared that the ship could be saved, a salvage crew of about 325 able-bodied men went back aboard Astoria, Another bucket brigade attacked the fires while the ships first lieutenant investigated all accessible lower decks. A party of men collected the dead and prepared them for burial. Hopkins came up to assist in the salvage effort at about 0700. After securing a towline, Hopkins proceeded ahead, swinging Astoria around in an effort to tow her to the shallow water off Guadalcanal. A second gasoline powered handy-billy, transferred from Hopkins, promptly joined the struggle against the fires. Wilson soon arrived on the scene, coming alongside the cruiser at about 0900 to pump water into the fire forward. Called away at 1000, Hopkins and Wilson departed, but the heavy cruiser received word that Buchanan was on the way to assist in battling the fires and that Alchiba was coming to tow the ship. Sinking Nevertheless, the fire below decks increased steadily in intensity, and those topside could hear explosions. Her list increased, first to 10° and then 15°. Her stern lowered in the dark waters, and her bow was distinctivley rising. All attempts to shore the shell holes – by then below the waterline due to the increasing list – proved ineffective, and the list increased still more. Buchanan arrived at 11:30, but could not approach due to the heavy port list. Directed to stand off the starboard quarter, she stood by while all hands assembled on the stern, which was now wet with seawater. With the port waterway awash at noon, Commodore William G. Greenman gave the order to abandon ship.  USS Astoria (CA-34) 8 Astoria turned over on her port beam, rolled slowly, and settled by the stern, disappearing completely by 12:16. Buchanan lowered two motor whaleboats and, although interrupted by a fruitless hunt for a submarine, came back and assisted the men in the water. Alchiba, which arrived on the scene just before Astoria sank, rescued 32 men. Not one man from the salvage crew lost his life. Officially, 219 men were reported missing or killed. Awards Astoria earned three battle stars during World War II. References/further information • Fahey, James C. (1941). The Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet, Two-Ocean Fleet Edition. Ships and Aircraft. • Custer, Joe James (1944). Through the Perilous Night: The Astorias Last Battle. The Macmillan Company. ASIN B0007DXLUG [3]. • Domagalski, John J. (2010). Lost at Guadalcanal: The Final Battles of the Astoria and Chicago as Described by Survivors and in Official Reports. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-5897-4. Notes [1] Fahey 1941 p. 9 [2] dcmemorials/index_indiv0003258.htm [3] amazon/dp/B0007DXLUG External links • Navy photographs of Astoria (CA-34) (history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-a/ca34.htm) • Website dedicated to USS Astoria (ussastoria.org/Home.php) • This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here (history.navy.mil/danfs/a13/astoria-ii.htm). Coordinates: 9°12′33′′S 159°52′3′′E (http:/ / tools. wmflabs. org/ geohack/ geohack. php?pagename=USS_Astoria_(CA-34)¶ms=9_12_33_S_159_52_3_E_)  Wikimedia Commons has media related to USS Astoria (CA-34).
Posted on: Sat, 09 Aug 2014 22:12:51 +0000
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