Evening star., 1942-10-14
Capt. Moore Of Quincy
Killed al Height Of
Battle, Officer Says
We All Thought We Were
Going to Be Burned to
Deuth,' Survivor Relates
BY the Associated Press.


PEARL HARBOR, Oct. 14.-Capt.
Samuel N. Moore of Alexandria, Va.
skipper Of the cruiser Quincy, was
killed at the climax of a midnight
naval battle off the Solomon Islands
August 8 by salvo of small-caliber
shells which struck squarely on the
bridge of his ship.
1t. Comdr. Harry Baker Heneber-
ger, gunnery officer of the Quincy,
told yesterday of the savage. close
quarters engagement between sew
eral Japanese warships and the
United States cruisers Quincy, Vim
cennes and Astoria.
The burst Of gunfire on the
Quincy, he said, killed practically
all the men in the vicinity of the
coming tower, including the cap
tain"
(The Navy announced at Wash
ington Monday that the three
Navy cruisers were sunk August
8 while screening the continued
landing of American marines in
the Tulagi- area of
the Solomon Islands.)
Feared Burning to Death.
Comdr. Henebergers most excit-
ing moment was when a hit set
of a fire which engulfed the for
ward control station within three
or four minutes, during which every
port we looked out had flames 60
ing by, with fumes making it hard
to breathe.
I'VE thought we all were going to
be burned to DEATH he said.
Finally the fire subsided without
touching of inside the control sta
ton and about that time the en-
gagement was broken on"
Comdr. Heneberger, 80, is from
Worcester, Mass. His wife is living
at Newport, r. I.
Comdr Heneberger said the enemy
force rounded the tip of Savo Island
at high speed, about Is knots, and
closed range rapidly between 1000
and 5000 yards.
Immediately on coming into view
the enemy forces opened up with
searchlights silhouetting the forma-
tion of our cruisers and almost 81
multaneously opened fire. They
commenced hitting almost immedi-
ately. All three of our cruisers re-
piled with gunfire.
Several Jap Cruisers.
There were several enemy cruis-
ers. didn't see any destroyers.
We were firing at them with what
effect we cannot be sure.
"One OF the most curious things
to me was that I could see the en-
emy shells coming right on us.
The engagement was extremely
short. The enemy force passed by
us and went out the northern
passage so that the objective of our
force, that OF protecting the
transports of our main body. was
achieved. The enemy broke of the
action and never got nearer than
l8 miles from our transports. We
were under fire about half hour.
The Quincy was sunk as the
result of torpedoes fired in the midst
of the action. but the sinking came
some time after the Jap force dis
appeared"
After the firing ceased Comdr.
Heneberger left his station in the
flretop and went below. He found
several fires burning the length of
the ship. The broadside guns were
out OF commission and numerous
injured and dead were about the
decks.
When the water was well across
the gun deck I gave orders to
abandon ship. I didn't realize
people could be so calm.
Il jumped into the sea-. I swan
about so yards. then turned and
floated and saw the ship turning
over with a 90 degree list. The
bow slid under and the stern raised.
Everything was dense as darkness,
except for the illumination pro-
vioed by few fires still burning"