Milford chronicle., 1945-12-07
Lt.(j.g.)J. II. Latchum
Is Home On Leave
Continued from First PaEe)

mander, t. $. Navy. who was :
veteran of service in the European {
and Mediterranean Theatres of ac-
tion.
The saga OF the light and speedy {
Irwin is one of the most interesting .
to come out of the War. and Lieu
tenant Latchum. as one OF the
junior officers. was in the center OF
action. which took the Irwin
through the Navy's campaign in
the Mariannas. the drive off Min
danae and the blows at Okinawa.
FOrmosa and final drive against
the Jap homeland.
1t was on the morning OF OctO-
ber "a. 1914. that Lieutenant Lat
chum and the Irwin had their first
real taste OF hOrritying and Grip
pling action. when the destroyer
was ordered to 90 along side the
great carrier Princeton. which had
suffered Il direct hit from a Jap
bomber. which had managed TO
knife through the curtain of aCk
ack put up by the Irwin and other
deStrOyers. which were serving as
a StItfIiIIS IOlCt With iIlt DlS meet
of battle wagons. fast cruisers and
"fiat-tOps' that were then engaged
in the second battle OF the Philip
pines off MindanaO. to aid in fight
ing fires and taking off some OF
her personnel
Heavy seas sent the Irwin crash
ing against the heavier carrier as
Princeton men leaped 10 the lr
wins main deck Thick clouds of
smoke, torn by orange flashes as
the Princeton ammunition eX-
plOdcd, swirled about the ships,
The Irwin's bridge was Shambles.
crushed by the pounding against
the carriers side Officers and men
from the Irwin plunged into the
water time after time to drag TO
safety the Princeton men who had
been forced by the raging fires to
leap into the sea. All told. more
than six hundred OF the carrier
crew and flight personnel were TAX
en aboard. The remainder OF the
Princeton survivors were taken
aboard the cruiser birmingham
and the dcstroyers Morrison. Cas-
slH OilS ara tIdlllllS.
When it became apparent that
nothing could save the Princeton.
she was ordered sunk by our own
ships Three OF the rescue ships.
the birmingham. the Morrison and
the Irwin had been severely dam
aged The Jap feet and land based
planes We're too close for comfort
and the battered trio lost no time
in retiring. From Il base in the rear
area all three ships We're ordered
back to the States for repair and
overhaul. The two months that the
Irwin spent in the Navy yard were
the only break in her active career
In January of this year she again
headed out into the Pacific and or
ID day she was on the job at I've
Jma.
The fast carriers had made the
first spectacular strike agains
Tokyo. When they headed back tC
strike the second blow at the Jap
anese homeland the Irwin was il
the destroyer screen that accom-
panied the big ships That raiC
completed, the task force moved
recreation and preparation for the
campaign that clinched the fina
victory over the NippOncse.
In March the Irwin moved nortl
with a force of battleships cruiser
and destrOyers to pave the way TO
the waves of marines and soldier
who were to conquer Okinawa an
provide an air base from which tn
Japanese homeland could be struc
continuously and in force. Th
campaign that followed was one {
the most bitter Of the entire wa
OF the many ships whose blastin
of enemy shore positions raise
the curtain on the Okinawa can
palgn. the Irwin was one OF les
than Il half-dozen that stayed COZ
tinuously at the scene. week aftt
week. month after month, until II
final victory had been achieve