Personal Experiences

Navyhistory.com> Personal Experience> USS Portland

Other Sites:

Special Offer:

USS Portland

Sailor:

I guess my three scariest watches during General Quarters is all I could add to the thorough narrative of the ships battle stars in the accompanying piece. My first was on the searchlight deck as the electrician in case of searchlight an electrical malfunction. Two seaman manned the searchlight and were given instructions to aim the light at the pilot of the airplane attempting a Kamikaze attack

on our ship blinding the pilots vision. We were never hit, had a couple of near misses. My other General Quarters station was in aft steering. That

happens to be as far aft and as far down in the ship as one can get. It was

here that some men were sealed in to die with no escape during the battle of

the Coral Sea where the ships rudder was badly

Monthly Features:

Special Areas:

Submit A Personal experience

Sections: