The History of Destroyers Built in Orange, Texas During W. W. II Page: 18
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resulting concussion in mount one was great.
The four men who suffered from exhaustion and collapse, resulted from a
combination of intense, sustained muscular effort (all first loaders had loaded
approximately 250 rounds each in the course of an hour and a quarter) together with
partial asphyxia, due to poor ventilation in the turrets. Ventilation was particularly
impaired and gas from the guns accumulated rapidly, due to the fact the guns were
being fired into the wind, dead ahead, and the gas ejection air was not of sufficient
pressure to expel the muzzle gases.
(c) Commendations
Every officer and man on board is deserving of the highest praise for their
battle conduct. No individual or group of individuals can be singled out for
exceptional merit - they all worked together as a fighting team in perfect
unison in carrying out the mission search for - find - and destroy the enemy.
When the going is toughest - they are at their best. There may be ships with
as good a fighting crew but there is none with such a fighting heart.
7. Lessons learned and recommendations.
(a) The policy of the Squadron Commander is:
(1) The opportunity for surprise usually comes once- take advantage of this
without delay.
(2) That the destroyers be ready to attack.
(3) That the destroyer commanders initiate the attack at the first favorable
opportunity after contact.
(b) The surprise element was made possible by the SG Radar and a night of low
visibility, and also the squadron's low speed (23 knots) and was taken advantage of
immediately.
(c) The squadron was in attack disposition.
(d) The Squadron Commander headed in immediately and launched the attack.
(e) The bold, aggressive leadership and the proper disposition of own forces before
and after contact was the secret of the success of this engagement.
Destroyer Squadron 23, then taking on oil at Hathorn Sound, was ordered at noon November
24 to expedite fueling and make directly for a point off Empress Augusta Bay. En route, Captain
Burke received his orders, brief and to the point as Halsey's commands always were:--
Thirty-One-Knot Burke, get this. Put your squadron athwart the Buka-Rabaul evacuation
line about 35 miles west of Buka. If no enemy contacted you know what to do. Halsey18
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Orange County Historical Society (Tex.). The History of Destroyers Built in Orange, Texas During W. W. II, book, October 2002; Orange, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth312850/m1/23/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Orange County Historical Society.