Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-11-03
Skipper Tells How
u. ). Fleet Blasted
Nine Jap Warships
Routed Enemy Force on
Way to GuodoIconoI,
Capt. E. c. Small Says
BY WALTER CLAUSEN, .

by WALT EN- OAh OOENS
Associated Press War Correspondent.
PEARL HARBOR, Nov. IA 40
minute battle the night of october
11-12, in which possibly nine Japa-
nese warships were sunk, was de-
scribed wildly yesterday by Capt.
Ernest Gregor Small OF New Haven,
Conn.
"It was a hell Of a melee, COM
pletely surprising the enemy" said
Capt. Small. I'VE sank one heavy
cruiser and believe we got two others
and one light cruiser, and we know
we sank one destroyer and probably
four others.
within the first four minutes, I
saw our salvos going In like red box
cars on a Jap heavy cruiser. plung-
ing right into her, and she sank. 1t
was like seeing prize fighter get
ting socked on the chin, then shake
and just drop cold.
Caught at Smile Range.
1--WE caught them at five-mile
range and hit some ships before they
could open fire. One had Its guns
trained fore and aft.
1T was one of those things naval
officers wait for 20 years to see.
1--WE capped their IT. They we're
coming at high speed toward Quad
alcanal at right angle to our
course. The Jap ships turned in
utter confusion, each ship taking its
own course and trying to bring the
action parallel and uncross the dis
astrous T.
("Capping the IT, is a naval
maneuver whereby a line OF ships
swings in front of an opposing
line of vessels, thus enabling
them to concentrate their broad
side fire upon the leading ship
of the enemy line, which can
bring to bear only its forward
guns. BY this maneuyer the
ships able to cross the T achieve
superior fire power)
Zone destroyer came at us at high
speed for torpedo attack and was
within 1900 yards when our salvos
obliterated it.
II can best describe this night &C
ton for the layman as a Fourth of
July fireworks lasting 40 minutes
and its conclusion like the dying set
pieces burning out"
THE action was in srurts of from
three to 10 minutes with both forces
moving at top speed
Injured Men Stuck to Guns.
II was especially gratifed with
my ship crew in action and their
showing of courage and perfect re-
action to training. One Of the men
was at 5-inch gun when hit by
a shell fragment which cut open
his stomach and cut part Of his
hand off. But he kept his gun
pointers matched and fired four
telling salvos-then just died. An
other, shell loader, was hit by a
fragment but kept the shells coming
for the guns until he dropped dead
Every ship has it's characteristics
and our cruisers slogan is There's
a right way, wrong way, and our
way of doing things
1T was dark night with no
moon, clear, no wind. We we're on
a mission to intercept an enemy
movement toward Guadalcanal.
I'm the early evening there was
an interesting incident that we felt
was bad omen. In catapulting one
of our planes for search 1t. Will
liam j. Tate, rs, Baltimore, Nd, and
Radioman c. w. Morgan were
aboard. AS the plane left the cata-
pult we saw flames in its tail and
it landed af1re. Tate dived eight
times for the rubber boat and both
he and Morgan were burned. We
felt he was lost but he was rescued
three days later"
Turn Tables on Japs.
The night battle was near Savo
Island, just two months after the
first Savo Island battle in which
the Japanese sank the cruisers
Quincy. Astoria and Vincennes. The
Japanese had the advantage of
surprise in the first battle but the
tables we're turned upon them this
time with a much heavier loss than
they inflicted on the American
cruisers last August SO.
Capt. Small, keen-eyed, gray
haired, quiet man, explained that he
had just left a teaching job. He had
been professor of English history
and government at Annapolis.
my executive officer and I were
talking about Tate's accident" he
said. "He said, Captain, feel sick
in my stomach. and replied, yes,
it's gosh awful Then we sighted
the enemy.
1--WE had the advantage of posi-
ton and opened with gunnery i'm
mediately and started hitting. I
could not see all the action, but our
crew saw cruisers keel over and sink.
The ship saw sink was the first to
disrupt from high explosive and
then go out like dying Fourth Of
July set piece. Then it became just
q field Of burning ships