W. Howard Luckham US Navy USS Helena |
I was aboard the USS Helena (CL50), light cruiser that terrible morning. I was a pretty lucky guy. After I ate breakfast, I stopped into our barbershop for a few minutes and then went down to the laundry, where I worked, to go get the Sunday paper, which was delivered when we were in port. I had no more than sat down to read the funny sheet when "Bank" we were hit with a torpedo. (Note: Before any of the battleships). The concussion knocked me up against the bulkhead. I was dazed and felt numb. Then the word came over the loud speaker "Japs attacking get to your battle stations." I helped a couple of shipmates who had been burned back to sickbay. Then, I headed back aft to my battle station, couldn't get through as oil and water were filling the passageway where I had just left (several were killed in the barber shop), then I went forward to topside and up the ladder between the number two and three turret, something told me to stop before I stepped out on deck, just then a Jap plane strafed the spot I would have stepped onto. I then made my way back to my battle station. I was pointer on the old 1.1 anti-aircraft gun (before the 40 MM) we didn't have any ammunition because all the magazines were locked up and the keys to the magazines were all locked up in the captains cabin and he was ashore at the hotel on the beach. Here is the best part of my story. We came in on Thursday, December 4, 1941. Fresh provisions were loaded aboard. A broken lug of potatoes was lying on the deck. The Jap torpedo bombers started dropping torpedoes onto the battleships across the channel and some of them flew over our stern. We threw potatoes at them. I can still see one of the Jap pilots laughing at us. After we finally got ammunition, our ship received credit for five Jap planes down. A Jap dive-bomber strafed our gun and killing my best friend and wounding several of the gun crew. I didn't receive a scratch. I also watched the bombs as they fell and hit the Arizona. |
Information provided by W. Howard Luckham. |
