Evening star., 1943-08-01
Old NomeIess
By Sidney Shalett. (Appleton
CoufUru

By S1dney Shdlett. (Appleton
Century)
Her name probably to remain
1cognito until the time shall come
when revelation of what she is will
not harm our war effort, "Old Name
less" a modern American battle
wagon, made over following the les
sons learned at and subsequent to
Pearl Harbor, has taken her place
With Deweys Olympia and Bon
homme Richard in the battle rec
ords OF the United States Navy.
But what she did to japanese at
tempts to reinforce Guadalcanal.
and her tremendous and successful
tight against overwhelming enemy
air power, and her part in sinking
or GRIPPING an enemy fleet will
not be forgotten when the Navy
finally releases the record of Capt.
Tommy Gatch's ship.
She is of the North Carolina class.
That is assumed of that heavily
gunned, modern class of battle
ships changed over from lessons
learned earlier in this war, follow
ing the sinking by Jap torpedo
planes of the British Repulse and
Prince OF Wales. Her decks bristle
with anti-aircraft weapons. Her
l6-1nch gun turrets and her smaller
rifles speak with authority. as thev
spoke on a certain night off Savo
Island. the still air heavD with the
fragrance of gardenias, when "Old
Nameless," one of the ships of an
American task force, broke the back
OF Jap attempt to shatter Amer
lean seapower in that bloody corner
of the Pacific.
The story of "Old Nameless," writ
Ten by a Washington correspondent
for the New York Times, breathes
Inc enthusiasm of the author for
her gallant fight: If the book is
the saga of gallant commander
who deemed it beneath his dignity
TO duck when Jap 50O-pound
oomo burst on gun turret, gravely
Wounding him, it is none the less the
epic story of a green crew, drawn
from all strata of American youth,
welded together in few months
into fighting crew whose slogan
was Kill more Japs."
Ihe author has caught the spirit
OF galalnt fight by a gallant ves-
sci, of a dauntless commander and
hghtlng crew, hardened by months
OF dry run" battle practice to the
point where. when they saw action.
long before most battleship crews
hear a gun fired in anger, they
were ready.
That they downed 80 Jap planes
with their own guns, and 40 of 80
enemy planes did not 60 back, is
credit enough for the crew and
Sklpper-Capt. Thomas Leigh Catch
U. S. N. But Tommy Catch said
TO his crew, after they had pinned
the Navy Cross on him: They PIN
ned this medal on me because I'm
the captain, but you're the people
who really earned it." 1t ranks
along with his statement, as hos
pltal men picked him up, his jugular
vein severed by a bomb fragment:
rs the ship hurt?"
old Nameless' will live long In
the saga of Navy battle heroism.
Her story, of the heroism of the
crew and commanding officer; of
the fluidity of American designers
to adapt battlehip construction to
The changing methods of modern
war, is a contemporary and valu-
able contribution to the record of
the job American men are doing in
this war, from the drafting board
to the yoke of heavy machine gun.
old Nameless" she will be until
such time as the Navy deems it
proper for national security to tell
her real name She might also be
called "Old Incredible" But she,
her crew and her skipper carry on in
The best tradition of "Old Ironsides"
and John Paul Jones.
WALTER McCALLUM.