The FReeper Foxhole Remembers Destroyer Squadron 9 & Wolmi Do-(9/13-24/1950) - Aug. 3rd, 2005

www.ussdehaven.org ^ | Relman Morin

[SAMWolf]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.

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You Can Thank Six Brave Ships for Inchon Win

The landing at Inchon, in a large part, is the story of six brave little Ships and a wonderful blunder.

The North Koreans made the blunder. The little ships, the big ones, the planes and finally a Marine assault force capitalized on it.

A chain of events started by these six ships led directly to the victory of Inchon.

In the entrance of Inchon harbor, and commanding approaches to it, is the island of Wolmi. It is a wooded island shaped like an oyster shell. From the beaches, the ground rises 300 feet to a rounded top, A stone causeway connects the island to the Inchon waterfront.

Wolmi was the key to the entire operation. Before the main attack could begin on Inchon, Wolmi had to be taken. In an order issued before the battle, Rear Admiral James H. Doyle, commander of Task Force 90, said:, "This mission (Wolmi) must be successfully completed at any cost. Failure will seriously jeopardize or even prevent the major amphibious assault on Inchon therefore, press the assault with the utmost vigor despite loss or difficulty."

Big questions loomed. What did the north Koreans have on Wolmi to defend it? How many guns? How big? Where?


Five U.S. Navy destroyers steam up the Inchon channel to bombard Wolmi-Do island on 13 September 1950, two days prior to the Inchon landings. Wolmi-Do is in the right center background, with smoke rising from air strikes. The ships are USS Mansfield (DD-728); USS DeHaven (DD-727); USS Lyman K. Swenson (DD-729); USS Collett (DD-730) and USS Gurke (DD-783).

Six brave little ships. six destroyers, were sent to find out.

Vice Admiral Arthur D. Struble, commander of Joint Task Force 7, ordered a "reconnaissance in force."

The mission frankly was to draw fire from Wolmi-the more the better.

A destroyer's armor is three-eighths of an inch thick. Practically anything stronger than a slingshot will pierce it.


Wolmi-do Island, Inchon, 9/14/50
Before Assault

On the morning of September 13, "D-day minus two," the six brave little ships, moving in column, and slowly, sailed into the narrowing channel leading pass Wolmi to Inchon.

One anchored off of the southern face of the island. Three passed through the neck of the channel to the other side. Two remained in the channel.

None was more than a mile from the beaches and some were 1,000 yards-two thirds of a mile.

They were "sitting ducks." That's what they were meant to be, juicy targets for concealed guns on the shore.


USS DeHaven DD-727

From all over the elbe of the channel farther down, thousands of binoculars were trained on them from American and British cruisers. The silence was like a blanket. It was a brilliant sunny day, and you could see even without binoculars.

Suddenly there was a single white flash. Seconds later the muffled crack of the gun came back. "The 730 reported she spotted a battery moving on the beach," a report to the bridge of the flag ship said.

A few more tense, breathless, incredible seconds of waiting passed. Still silence. Wolmi Island looked like a picnickers paradise, green-wooded and serene.


USS MANSFIELD DD-728

Then the North Koreans made a fateful and wonderful blunder. Suddenly a necklace of gun flashes sparkled around the waist of the island. The flashes were reddish gold and they came so fast that soon the entire slope was sparkling with pinpoint of fire.

The destroyers were quick to answer.

Lightening flashes leaped from their guns. They hit back, shell for shell, firing faster and faster until the whole channel was a tunnel of rumbling thunder.


USS Lyman K Swenson DD-729

The pace increased. On Wolmi, still more gun positions opened up. The red necklace spread and widened. They were hitting destroyers now. They could hardly miss at that range.

Then a report came down to the bridge and your blood ran cold. "It looks as though the 783 is dead in the water, Sir." Admiral Struble's answer was quiet and the words were taut. "Make sure and then see what we have to do to get her out of there."

The duel went on for an hour. It was a slugging match, toe to toe, and nobody quit or backed away. Six brave little ships sat there and shot it out with the dug in enemy gun crews on Wolmi Island.


USS Collett DD-730

Three of the six were hit, one seriously, but not so seriously that she could not come out under her own steam. An officer died. There were other casualties.

The destroyers came out proudly and without haste, still firing flat trajectory fire at close range and then at higher arcs as the distance increased.

The mission was accomplished successfully, the navy will say. Gloriously is a better word.


USS Gurke DD-783

If the guns on Wolmi Island had never been discovered; if the North Koreans had not blundered into exposing their armament, it is hard to say what might have happened to the transports and the little landing craft when they came in for the assault two days later.

At best, the casualties would have been enormous -for Wolmi Island is studded with guns-at worst, the invasion could have stalled right there at the first objective.

Six brave little ships exposed themselves to fire. The bigger guns and hordes of planes knocked it out before the Marines ever appeared.


USS Henderson DD-785

Six brave little ships: the Mansfield DD728, DeHaven 727, Collett 730 Lyman K Swenson 729, Gurke 783 and the Henderson 785.



Two days later the Marine invasion took place.

[Professional Engineer]

I hope somebody got fired for their inability to count in order.

[Iris7]

As far as I can tell, "1658" is a YC of the 1607 type.

http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrservicecraft/C_B_26.htm

Reminded me of "YCU" and "YFU" from the old days. Looking closely I see many differences from these earlier vessels. Certainly the unreliable ramp raising gear I remember is totally different. "YC" means, probably, "yard cargo". "Y" always means "yard" I believe.

1658 was delivered May 1, 1995 and so is just over ten years old. About a thirty year lifespan but could be longer if needed.

The hull is of the "raft" type, like WWII landing craft, with square section flotation tanks, or one big tank, in a sense, thirty feet wide and about ninety feet long, about six to eight feet deep, and divided into maybe fifty full strength sub-tanks, called "voids" (nothing in them, empty "voids"). This makes flotation more reliable. The "floor" you see in the pictures is the top of these "voids". The machine has much less room for humans than appears at first glance.

Think of it as a raft made of steel with an outboard engine. Not really outboard, but could be I.O., so shallow bottoms can be managed. The old ones had fixed propeller shafts arranged so they were well above the bottom of the hull, with the propellers in recesses in the hull bottom. These recesses were shielded from snagging (pretty well).

Anyway, brings back memories.

[Professional Engineer]

Howdy ma'am, get the chamber whipped into shape?

[Professional Engineer]

Anyway, brings back memories.

I intentionally ran ships aground? Cool!

[Iris7]

Two "728"s. Very strange indeed.

[Iris7]

Not hard to run a ship aground, easy as fishin', but hard to do it so you can get off again, and way harder to get off again without too much damage! Harbors and piers are way easier!

Saw an LST blown up onto the beach in a storm that looked fine from a distance but could not be salvaged. Beach operations are in open water, really. In rough weather they are difficult. (Understatement.)

[Iris7]

You got to be alive to do your job. You must not expend yourself unwisely.

[colorado tanker]

Hiya folks.

I've always liked destroyer sailors. Those guys have guts.

We're supposed to get some relief from the heat tonight in this foxhole. Hope so.

[GATOR NAVY]

It's an LCU-Landing Craft Utility.

[GATOR NAVY]

My first ship was in DESRON Nine.

[USMCBOMBGUY]

GOOD Afternoon all. Interesting read. Lot of guts to carry out that mission.

[USMCBOMBGUY]

Hello Gator,
What "boat" (LOL) are you on? Those boats are like a second home to me. I have spent some "Quality" time on the USS Frederick (Fast Freddy), USS Juneau, USS Boxer, USS Belleau Wood, USS Cleveland, and the USS Harpers Ferry.

[Iris7]

What surprises me about this mission is that there was so little damage to the Navy. Maybe those North Korean gunners had had a breakfast of schnapps. Could be they hadn't zeroed their pieces. Maybe their brass thought ships would not dodge like hell. Sure was dumb of them to shoot at someone obviously trying to draw their fire. Some sort of saying about the wages of stupidity, isn't there?

Lots of tubes on that island.

[PAR35]

Two "728"s. Very strange indeed.

I think the back one is a '9'.

[USMCBOMBGUY]

I looked in a couple of old books I have on ordnance to see what they may have been firing but didn't have much luck at finding anything other then the 75mm. The 75mm could be stated as being less then a reliable round against the skins of the destroyers, I imagine many could/would have passed through without functioning.
One thought I had was the proximity of the destroyers to the shore. The guns may have been laid in/sighted for a different distance. Another thought is although the story does not state it, there may have been more "hits" to the ships but the ordnance didn't function. Again maybe the proximity to the shore worked in their favor.
Just a thought

[Professional Engineer]

I looks like the anchor rode is obscuring the "9".

[Professional Engineer]

Hi miss Feather.

The other day, we introduced Bittygirl to grits. After just a few bites, she kept asking for more until she had eaten my plate clean.

[snippy_about_it]

Hi Sailor. I see by your tagline that you are back out at sea. Stay safe and stay out of trouble. :-)

[snippy_about_it]

I could live there. I'd plant a few trees though. ;-)

[snippy_about_it]

Howdy ma'am, get the chamber whipped into shape?

Nah, I just go for the free food.