Evening star., 1948-08-22

COHtuT. CnufteS r Ftch, IT,, Ufto
1oas intelligence officer of the
Io,Ud, the tollo,Cing eyewitness
account 1Oas ,Dritten. 1t includes
the first explanation OF hoaD the
torpedo ,oas fred by an escorting
American destroyer.)
BY Comdr. Chorles F. Pick. Jr..
U.S.k.R., as told to Robert J. Lewis
On November IA. 1s43, the battle
ship Iowa was travelling fast, just
north Of Bermuda, escorted by three
blue-black destroyers. President
Roosevelt was seated in his wheel
chair on the Iowas first superstruc-
.ture deck, watching anti-aircraft
target practice.
Clustered around him were our
top military leaders-among them
Gen. George c. Marshall, Fleet Ad-
miral Ernest ]. King, Gen. Henry H
Arnold, Fleet Admiral William D.
Leahy and 1t. Gen. Brehon B
Somervell.
The battleship on which they
were travelling was the most power
full in the world. Displacing $4,000
tons at full load, she was 887 feet
long, carried 120 officers and 2,700
men, mounted nine 16-inch guns,
had heavy anti-aircraft armament
and could OUTRAGE the speediest u
boat.
But there was always the posi-
bility that a U-boat might score a
lucky hit on the Iowa despite her
speed. And one hit conceivably
could have reduced the IoNa's speed
so greatly that a wolf-pack might
have closed in for the kill.
Few officers Knew Mission
|. Then. at 2::3s pm. of that Sum
day at, sea, a warning cry roared
over the Iowa's loudspeakers: Tor
pedo on the starboard beam! Tor
pedo on the starboard beam!"
/ Had a U-boat got through? This
was the thought that shot through
many minds.
But let's pick up the story briefly
from the beginning.
The Iowa was at Argentla, New
foundland, when she received a
message to proceed to Norfolk, Va.
We arrived there October % to find
many large crates stacked on the
dock, stenciled for the U. S. S. Iowa.
Near us rode the flagship of Admiral
Royal E. Ingersoll, commander in
chief Of the Atlantic Fleet. After
a visit to the admiral, our skipper.
Capt John L. McCrea, flew to Wash
ington the same afternoon.
Only a few officers knew Of our
mission, but 1t was obvious to every
one that something unusual was
afoot. Workers started to repaint
the captains and admiral's quarters,
and all the forward part of the ship
known as the "Admirals Country"
No visitors were allowed aboard
ship. Sentries were placed at all
gangways. To our surprise, the
boxes which had been on the dock
contained expensive furniture, in
Guiding wicker chairs and smoking
stands.
McCrea Told His Job
A few days later, 1 suddenly real
ised why we had come to Norfolk
Strolling to the vicinity of the
captains cabin. I saw group Of
workmen installing a bathtub along
with shiny wall brackets.
Thinking this over I concluded
there could be only one person who
would use bathtub in the captains
cabin on the Iowa. I hurried away,
somehow feeling guilty that I knew
this secret.
AS the battleship's intelligence Of
ficer, was in good position to
learn what went on. Yet so close
was this secret guarded that at no
time did any one so much as hint
to me who our passengers would
be. II any one outside the captains
immediate circle discovered the
President was to be our passenger,
he kept it to himself-as I did.
Capt. McCrea learned of his i'm
portant mission the day we ar
rived at Norfolk On his visit to
Admiral Ingersoll's flagship, the
Atlantic Fleet commander said to
him:
You know what you're here for?"
mo. SIR" McCrea replied.
You're going to take the Presi-
dent to North Africa"
In Washington that afternoon
Admiral King told McCrea the
President wanted to see him at the
White House. Capt. McCrea had
been the Presidents naval aide for
more than a year and the two were
good friends. They had flown to-
gether to the Casablanca Conference
early the same year, occupying
seats across the aisle from one an
other.
In the Presidents study at the
White House, Mr.. Roosevelt shook
hands with Capt. McCrea and said !:
John, I'm glad you're going to take
another trip with me-"
Then he explained he could not
leave until after Armistice Day,
when he was to lead q tribute to the
Nations war dead Ut the Tomb OF