Evening star., 1944-06-18

Wide World Photo.
With the Maury underway and with
further plane attacks still threatening,
Smady succeeded in plugging the holes
about foot below the water line.
1T was quite job" says Sims.
Battle of Tassafaronga
The Maury's next action was the
rugged November 80 batatle OF Tas-
safaronga, in which the cruisers PEN
sacola, Minneapolis and New Orleans
all were badly hurt by Japanese tor
pedoes.
"That was very rough night" re-
calls Ensign Charles Hackwith OF Tou-
Ion. ILL.,, then the Maury's chief gum
.ner's mate. se 1o
After Tassafaronga, the Maury piled
between Noumea and Guadalcanal,
escorting beans and bullets" cargoes to
6 the Guadalcanal troops. On the night
of February Is, 1943, japanese torpedo
planes tried their first night attack on a
convoy of four troop transports and
tanker off San Cristobal.
One torpedo plane came in low di-
rectly over the Maury. "Pappy' Gill
more. a slow-talking Texan, fired his
20-millimeter straight up and the plane
swerved and burst into flames little
more than so yards of the Maury.
Officers and men lifted a loud and
mighty cheer.
More of EN- Coming
knock off the noise" growled Gill
more. There's more of 'em coming"
AL but one of the attacking japanese
were downed No ship was hit.
From February to mid-March.
the Maury worked escort assignments
in the occupation of the Russell Islands,
our first northward advance from Qua
dalcanal in the Solomons.
In July, during the New Georgia CAM
paign, Sims took the Maury on IL night
runs up ''the slot" On the night Of
July 1918 came the second battle Of
Kula Gulf. Three Allied cruisers sus-
tanned torpedo damage, but four and
possibly six enemy ships were sunk or
damaged.
Skipper Sims was awarded the Silver
Star for this action. He took the Maury
to the assistance of another destroyer,
the Ralph Talbot, which was towing
the badly damaged U. S. S. Gwin and
protected the ships during constant
enemy attacks. The Gwin finally had to
be abandoned and sunk, less than 100
miles from the Japanese air base Of
Kahili, amid persistent threat by enemy
planes.
Two nights later the Maury ran with
a force of destroyers and APDS (de-
stroyer transports) through Gizo Strait
on the successful rescue of U. S. S.
Helena survivors from Japanese-occu-
pied Vella Lavella.
Another two nights later the Maury
escorted reinforcements and supplies to
hard-pressed marines at Enogai Inlet,
and was shot at by shore batteries.
Daylight Bombardment
On the morning Of July ~ the Maury
led a destroyer squadron In daylight
bombardment of Munda Airf1eld, cap-
tured by our ground forces IS days later.
Retiring from the brilliantly success
full Vella Gulf action of August 6. the
Maury's main feed pump supplying its
boilers with water went out. Her second
pump was rated as able to maintain
opeed only for an hour. But the Maurys
men took her back to port at 20 knots.
"We Were Lucky Ship"
After Vella Gulf, the Maury went
into port for overhaul She had been
at sea. Sims believes. longer than any
other Navy combatant ship up to that
time. He was relieved as skipper py
1t. Comdr. j. w. Koenig, the Maury's
present captain.
I'VE were lucky ship" Sims re-
marked. I'VE went through quite bit
of action without getting hurt"
That Maury crew has gift for under.
statement.