From the Log of Verner Seawright
USS Daly DD519
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the 20th day of October 1944 we (US Military) invaded the
Philippines. A Jap fleet was coming in from the south to attack the
transport area.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today is my birthday October 24, 1944. The ships are preparing for action.
I checked the air in the torpedoes and charged them up to 2800 lb. About
dark our destroyers headed south to battle. The water was calm. My station
was on #2 Torpedo Tube. What I report here, I was witness to. They say
that this battle was one of the greatest sea battles ever fought. The Daly
fired 5 fish from the forward mount. Our ship was authorized to paint
three symbols on the bridge.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following are quotes from a message from:
Commander Destroyer Squadron 24
To: USS Daly DD 519
In my Official Report you were credited with three torpedo hits on an
enemy battleship. It is a good job you have done.
This is exclusive of other credits to the Daly during the Battle of the
Surigao Straits.
1. Three torpedo hits on one enemy Battleship causing it to slow and
making it impossible to escape from the guns of our cruisers and
battleships.
Seriously damaged and set afire one enemy Heavy Cruiser, and making
impossible it’s escape from the guns of our cruisers and battleships.
2. Hits and damaged one enemy heavy ship.
3. Hits and damaged one enemy destroyer.
A.M. D’Ambly Jr. Lt. USNR Executive Officer
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
December 26, 1943 USS Brownson
When the Brownson was hit, I was stationed on the #3- 40MM Gun Control
Director to operate the Smoke generator.
I saw the Japanese dive bomber drop the bomb that struck the ship.
After the bomb burst our Captain positioned the Daly about 2 or 3 thousand
yards from where the Brownson went down to assist in picking up survivors.
The first sailor that got to the Daly was a black man who I helped up over
the rail.
He looked back at the area where the ship had been hit and said to me “Man
I couldn’t swim a lick until I was in the water and I am fine!”
This gave me confidence as I could not swim either.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
February 21, 1945
The 21st of February was hell. The enemy tired a new trick. They began
their attack just as our carriers were landing planes. This was the most
fierce air attack I have seen to date. We went to GQ sometime around 1700.
Four Japanese torpedo planes came in low over the water at the carrier
Bismark . One plane was hit and struck the Lunga Point, a destroyer. There
was fire but it was brought under control with little damage.
The second plane was hit by the Bismark but dove into the fantail. The
bomb the plane was carrying went off. Three more tremendous explosions
followed and the carrier began to sink. The USS Bismark sank around 2100
that evening. More than 400 men were lost.
Did I hate to see them go, but this is the war that the people back home
do not get to see. The third plane in the attack was hit by the Daly and
burst into flames. The fourth plane somehow got away.
In the next air attack the mighty carrier USS Sarasota was hit. Then 4
more planes attacked one of the battleships and they were all knocked out
of the sky.
I had been stationed on tube #2 scared to death but I was able to help
pull some of the survivors of the Bismark aboard. There were 8 in all.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
February 22, 1945
No Jap planes today, just “Boggies”. The ship headed south to meet up with
the fleet tankers to refuel.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 28, 1945 - Off Okinawa
The Daly arrived at her station replacing a destroyer that had just been
damaged in an air attack.
4-28-45
The Daly is 65 miles north east of Okinawa on Picket Station #2. At
present I am on watch ( 8-12 ) Took a shower after dinner and went to bed.
0330- General Quarters 35 to 40 planes closing in on us. Our fighter
planes intercepted them and broke up their run. A second group was picked
up at 128 miles; they are all around us closing in on all sides. I saw a
piece of tin foil overhead that the enemy planes drop so that our radar
cannot pick them up.
The group of ships in the squadron got in line formation one behind the
other. We are second with two small rescue boats behind us.
The attack started as one plane went up the port side, then the DMS ahead
of us opened fire. At the same time another group of planes started a
suicide run on the Daly. “Here they come!” I am behind the blast shield of
the #2 Torpedo Tube. My buddy has the headphones on. Am I scared? You bet
I am! A Kamikaze plane missed me by about 3 feet. God was with me. It came
in on the starboard quarter firing at us as it dove on the ship. It barely
missed us and hit the water 10 feet from the ship to port side. Bessert,
one of the gunners was hit and I was told to help him out of the 40mm gun
turret.
As I was down below on the main deck helping the wounded gunner, US Navy
fighter planes engaged the enemy in an aerial dogfight to starboard. The
fighters saved us.
Another plane came in from the starboard quarter
missed the ship and with a bomb still attached to the plane exploded in
the water tearing the hell out of the Daly.
Officer Martin and many others were hit by the machine gun fire. Others
were then hit by shrapnel when the bomb exploded.
The Captain’s gig moored in the davits to the port side, caught fire. The
radar went out. The gyro had been out all the time during the action
causing a problem with accurately firing the main 5” batteries. Cables
were broken everywhere – what a mess.
Our ship’s doctor was killed by a piece of shrapnel that tore through his
skull. He died instantly. Scheidt, who was operating the Fire Control
Director for the 40mm guns and McElyea a good friend of mine were both
killed instantly by shrapnel from the bomb explosion.
I had been talking to Scheidt just a few minutes before the attack. It’s
hard to watch friends die in battle after helping them get the ammunition
up to the gun. I had just been up to the 40mm gun helping someone else.
Both these men were about 10 feet from my GQ station on #2 Tube Mount when
they were.
They took Scheidt to sickbay on a stretcher. I felt his pulse; I could
still feel a faint beat. The sick bay was full of wounded. The Pharmacist
Mate looked at him and announced him dead. The body was taken aft to the
crew’s head with the other two for preparation for burial at sea.
We had K rations for supper. The ship was relieved at 1845 hours and the
ship headed back to the transport area. Arrived at 2130 and anchored.
They just had their 46th air attack of the day.
Two hundred enemy plane were in the attack; 104 were destroyed. The Daly
got credit for destroying 5 of the 15 planes that attacked us. Naval
intelligence reports that the attack today was the most concentrated yet
God I thank you