Fighting nature["Bull" Halsey's WWII battle against a Typhoon]{Book Review}

The Washington Times ^ | 03 June 2007 | Larry Thornberry

[BGHater]

Bob Drury and Tom Clavin's "Halsey's Typhoon" is man-against-nature drama at its best. It's an inspiring and thrilling read.

It is a true story of heroism and hardship at war. It's also an account of the occasional cowardice, incompetence and cock-ups that occur in every military conflict. It's a story worth knowing and well told, with the pace and riveting immediacy of a good novel.

In December of 1944, while supporting Gen. Douglas MacArthur's "I will return" invasion of the Philippine Islands, Adm. William "Bull" Halsey's 170-ship armada suffered a sneak attack from Typhoon Cobra, an unexpected enemy that did more damage to Halsey's fleet than the Imperial Japanese Navy had managed to inflict in the preceding three years.

The battle against Cobra, which packed winds up to 150 mph, was as intense as any fight the American Pacific fleet waged during World War II. In three hellacious days in a part of the Pacific known as "Typhoon Alley," this perfect storm broke up and sunk three American destroyers, badly damaged dozens of other ships and destroyed on decks, or blew overboard, more than 100 war planes. Almost three times as many sailors died in this dust-up with Mother Nature than were lost fighting at the Battle of Midway.

Almost 900 young American sailors were washed overboard, trapped below decks or taken down by their sinking ships. Hundreds spent up to 60 hours in the Pacific, clinging to any flotsam they could find, fighting to stay afloat and alive. Their formidable opponents were wounds, dehydration, exhaustion, opportunistic sharks and a clamorous sea that threw up 70-foot waves. All in all, it was a hell of a couple of days at the office.

[oyez]

The Typhon washed up Captain Quegg in “The Cain Mutiny”.

[VR-21]

"The Typhon washed up Captain Quegg in “The Cain Mutiny”.

That was a tough day for Old Yellow Stain.

[Fiji Hill]

Hands across the water, hands across the sky,
Hands across the water, hands across the sky.

[carumba]

Bull Halsey saved Guadalcanal, launched Doolittle’s raid, and stood up to McArthur. He took heat for the typhoon and Leyte Gulf. All in all he was the real deal.

[rlmorel]

Agreed. Halsey was the real deal.

His big mistake in the typhoon was that he could not take his mind off of the enemy and concentrate on the real enemy at hand, which was the typhoon bearing down on him.

He was rightfully given only the mildest of reprimands.

[goodnesswins]

My father fought on a ship in the Battle of Leyte Gulf....I’m trying to find out what ship he was on....I can’t even find his enlistment info on Ancestry.com - anyone here have suggestions? (My Dad’s long gone - 1984)

[Spirochete]

When someone saw the eye of the typhoon on shipboard radar, they said WTF is that???

PPI radar displays didn't exist back then. The displays were more like oscilloscopes. One indicated range and a separate display indicated azimuth and elevation.

[sasportas]

From what I have read, no Admiral was more liked by his men. He was a man’s man. He had a great sense of humor. A no frills sea dog.

MacArthur called him the most fighty admiral in the Navy. Many remember him only for his mistakes, instead of his leadership.

[Nailbiter]

ping

[GATOR NAVY]

Try this pdf doc

How to Request Navy Records

[GATOR NAVY]

The US Navy had PPIs by late 1942. Here’s link to photos of USS DENVER PPI at the Battle of Kula Gulf in March 1943.

http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-d/cl58-k.htm

[JasonC]

The other curiousity here is that Japan was twice saved from invasion by the Mongols, by seeing their fleets smashed up by exactly this sort of storm. And called that deliverance by nature, "the divine wind". Divine wind in Japanese is "kamikaze".

Neither variety stopped the USN, though.

[rlmorel]

According to the book, someone did indeed see what was evidently the eye, and nobody understood it.

However, on the Wasp, someone did correctly interpret it.

[golas1964]

Paul McCartney - Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey - Lyrics

We’re so sorry Uncle Albert
We’re so sorry if we caused you any pain
We’re so sorry Uncle Albert
But there’s no one left at home
And I believe I’m gonna rain

We’re so sorry but we haven’t heard a thing all day
We’re so sorry Uncle Albert
But if anything should happen well be sure to give a ring

We’re so sorry Uncle Albert
But we haven’t done a bloody thing all day
We’re so sorry Uncle Albert
But the kettles on the boil and were so easily called away

Hand across the water (water)
Heads across the sky
Hand across the water (water)
Heads across the sky

Admiral Halsey notified me
He had to have a berth or he couldn’t get to sea
I had another look and I had a cup of tea and butter pie (butter pie?)
(the butter wouldn’t melt so I put it in the pie)

Hand across the water (water)
Heads across the sky
Hand across the water (water)
Heads across the sky

Live a little be a gypsy, get around(get around)
Get your feet up off the ground
Live a little, get around
Live a little be a gypsy, get around(get around)
Get your feet up off the ground
Live a little, get around

Hand across the water (water)
Heads across the sky
Hand across the water (water)
Heads across the sky
Ooo——————ooo-——————

http://www.amiright.com/misheard/song/unclealbertadmiralhalsey.shtml

[DieHard the Hunter]

Big-time Halsey fan! I MUST READ...!

[alfa6]

Thanks for the great shot of the Douglas TBD Devastator :-)

This is the plane that the VT squadrons flew to their slaughter at the Battle of Midway.

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[norwaypinesavage]

My father-in-law was on the Corregidor - a ‘Jeep carrier’ during this storm. He tells many interesting stories. His ship developed a hull crack during the storm. Cracks in these Liberty Ships led to rapid development of the science of Fracture Mechanics, a field in which I have spent a career. This damage took the Corregidor out of service in the Pacific for the rest of the war.

[Spirochete]

The US Navy had PPIs by late 1942. Here’s link to photos of USS DENVER PPI at the Battle of Kula Gulf in March 1943.

I had no idea. All this time, I thought they only had J-scopes and A-scopes.

[dakine]

...

[goodnesswins]

Thanks.....however, I don’t have his enlistment/discharge dates and rank....which is what they say they need.....he never said a word to us about any of his service! And we were estranged after my parents divorced (I was only 13)....so...I don’t have a lot of stuff....but, I’ll keep working on it...thanks, again.