I’m a fantastically pampered introvert so I have the luxury of spending quite a bit of time in my imagination. Time travel scenarios are a favorite mental diversion of mine. Usually this is something along the lines of – if I could bring forward [insert person from history] what would they think about [topic that made me think of her in the first place]. So it isn’t surprising that I was thinking the other day about that esteemed work of American cinema, Back To The Future.
Back to the future got me thinking more personally. Specifically, what event in my family’s history would make me most vulnerable, existence wise? Marty McFly just had to make sure his parents hooked up. So if there were a time traveling assassin, when would he most likely be able to make sure Daniel Hero never draws his first breath?
It was a no brainer. And if I had to play the role of Marty, I’d rather attempt this rescue than make sure my parents hooked up. One shudders.
I introduce to you, ladies and gentlemen, the hero of our story: My maternal grandfather, Jones “Doc” Savage. His nickname was taken from the pulp fiction character, not the other way around.
The scene: Inside the cockpit of a Japanese scout plane on May 7th, 1942, over the Coral Sea.
It is morning. The pilot of the plane is an outlier for a strike force led by Admiral Takagi. Below him, their wakes forming a distinctive V pattern, the pilot sees two American ships. He radios back to the strike force that he has spotted a carrier and a cruiser. He is mistaken.
Admiral Takagi promptly orders all of his planes to attack what is actually the USS Neosho, a refueling tanker and its escort, the destroyer USS Sims.
The attack consists of three waves. The first two are largely ineffectual, due to skillfull anti-aircraft fire and maneuvering of the destroyer, led by Lieutenant Commander William Arthur Griswold.
But I’m not going to tell the whole story, we have senior petty officer Bob Dicken for that:
| From: | Dicken, R.J., C.S.M., U.S. N. | ||
| To: | The C.O. U.S.S. Neosho. | ||
| Subject: | Personal observations of SIMS #409 disaster. | ||
On May 7 at 0930 I was in the Chief’s quarters and heard a man in #1 handling room exclaim that a bomb had lit right alongside. General Quarters sounded immediately and duty gun opened fire. Upon reaching bridge the other guns had commenced firing on horizontal bombers. Recognition signals were attempted but no reply.
There were a large number of our shells which failed to burst at the beginning of the attack but after several rounds, number unknown, the fuse settings seemed to be operating satisfactory as bursts were observed near the enemy planes.
At beginning of attack Sims went to full speed and patrolled on either bow of tanker. Our gunfire seemed very effective in keeping the planes high and on the move.
Observed one bomb score near miss, port side, amidships. No damage reported. One casualty, slight shoulder wound, on #2 gun. Man treated during lull and returned to gun.
High level attack lasted ten to fifteen minutes.
For next two hours several Radar contacts made, distance fifteen to twenty miles, but no planes appeared.
#1 gun appeared to be blistered.
About 1155 planes approached, identification attempted and upon no response the order to commence fire was given. Enemy planes began dive bombing attack on tanker. A steady rate of fire was maintained from all 5″ guns.
About 1215 Sims received direct hit on or near after set torpedo tubes. Bomb apparently pierced deck and exploded in after engine room. Deck buckled forward of after deck house. Radar fell across gig. Received two more hits, one on after deck house, port side forward, which appeared to have caused only local damage. Another hit on #4 gun caused local damage. #1 and #2 guns were continuing to fire by local control.
Personnel was ordered off bridge and reported to Assistant Chief Engineer Ensign Tachna who ordered us to take off our shoes and put motor whale boat in water.
Numerous fireroom personnel seemed uninjured by first hit in engine room. This force assisted in lowering boat. Two men in boat when lowered. Boat began drifting clear of side. I went over the side, swam to boat, took tiller and began picking up personnel in water.
The Captain, still on bridge, ordered me aft to try to get aboard to flood after magazines and extinguish fire on after deck house. This was necessary due to fact that main deck between after deck house and machine shop was awash.
An attempt was made to get aboard. Ship began settling from aft, whale boat pulled clear and immediately afterwards the boilers blew up followed by another but smaller explosion. The ship broke in two parts, and sank.
All men that were not apparently dead were taken aboard, search made for two life rafts with from ten to twenty (total) men aboard. We then proceeded to tanker and placed ourselves under that command. There were fifteen Sims survivors in boat.
I have questioned Sims survivors for more data but no further information available.
Respectfully submitted Robert James Dicken C.S.M.
There’s more:
- I never saw any sign of panic. Everyone was on their stations doing their job and the whole ship worked as a well organized unit until the end. Discipline was excellent.
- There are a few outstanding things that I can remember in addition to the above report:The number one gun crew stood by their gun and kept up a steady rate of fire after the paint on their gun was burning and the ship was at such an angle that the decks were awash. The Chief Engineer was wounded severely but carried out several duties under extremely difficult conditions. He tried to fire the forward set of torpedo tubes to assist the Captain in lightening the ship and to remove the danger of the torpedoes exploding aboard. He also extinguished the fire on the torpedo deck house at the time. One outstanding act was done by an enlisted man named E.F. MUNCH, MM2c, just before he jumped over the side to be picked up by my boat, he secured a depth charge to the deck so it would not go over the side or accidently explode on deck.
- The last I saw of the Commanding Officer he was standing on the bridge when the ship was blown up by the explosion. He showed an example of courage throughout the entire engagement.
- To the best of my knowledge and belief all muster rolls, log books and valuable papers went down with the Sims. We did not have any books or papers in my boat at all. My boat was not loaded with a view to permanently abandon ship. The Captain believed that he could save the ship and was doing everything in his power to do so right up until the ship blew up and sank.
- During the entire four days of hard work in the boat, part of which time we were alongside the Neosho, and part clear of the Neosho, the conduct of the men was very good. We did the best we could to provision the boat and prepare it for sea. For the first three days we were repairing the 18 inch hole in the boat.
- Our small boat was left tied up alongside the Neosho when we were taken aboard the Henley. When the Neosho was fired on and purposely sunk, this boat went down with her. No property of any kind remains of the Sims.
- To the best of my knowledge and belief the following are the only survivors of the U.S.S. Sims:
NAME
RATE
SERVICE NO.
VESSIA, V.J. F2c Unknown LAWES, J. Jr. Sea2c Unknown TEVEBAUGH, J.W. RM3c Unknown GOBER, A.C. Sea2c Unknown CHMIELEWSKI, J. F1c Unknown SCOTT, M.W. F3c Unknown VERTON, J.C. Sea2c Unknown ERNST, G.E. FC3c Unknown SAVAGE, J. FC3c Unknown MUNCH, E.F. MM2c Unknown CANOLE, V.F. MM2c Unknown REILLY, T.F. WT1c Unknown CLARK, (unknown) CY Unknown PELIES, E.M. Sea2c Unknown DICKEN, R.J. CSM Unknown I am the senior petty officer in this group of survivors. Of this list two men are now dead, they are: Chief Yeoman CLARK, who died the first night we were in the boat and PELIES, E.M., who died in the sick bay on board the Henley. To the best of my knowledge and belief there are no other survivors of the Sims.
Robert James Dicken, CSM.
http://ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/logs/DD/dd409-Coral.html
And there he is, ninth down on the survivors list. Of the 192 person complement, 13 survive.
If you were a time traveling assassin, that would be my first choice. True, you’d be putting yourself in a huge amount of danger, but hey, this is my movie.
Now suppose you screw it up. Our hero, Doc Savage, is one tough bastard and he survives the attack by the Japanese, the four days at sea in a leaking boat, and whatever nefarious scheme you failed at to make sure Daniel Hero never draws breath. Perhaps I owe a particular debt to the tenaciousness of one MUNCH, E.F. Or maybe that’s the name I make sure is on my uniform when I board the Sims.
You’re in luck, time traveling assassin, because you’ve got a second chance.
And this time, you have some personal knowledge, something that would never be reflected by history in the form of ship logs kept on the internet.
Here’s the story told to his daughter, my mother:
“Just a few days before the Sims sank, I drew my pay. I didn’t have my money on me when the ship blew up and I was tossed into the sea. So after I was rescued by the Henley, I made sure to buy a money belt and the only time I didn’t wear it was in the shower.
The next ship I served on, the USS DeHaven, was attacked by the Japanese 9 months after the sinking of the Sims. During that attack, I forgot to pull down the hatch of my fire control station. One of the exploding bombs blew me out of the open hatch. I came to in the water wearing nothing but my shoes and my moneybelt.”
He was wounded; among his injuries, one of his eyes was blown out of his socket. Marines fished him out of the water, stuck his eye back into the socket and bandaged him up. The DeHaven had just been commissioned 133 days before Japanese dive bombers destroyed it.
The navy never put him on a third destroyer and my grandfather earned a second nickname, Jonah. I guess they figured he was bad luck for everyone but himself. As I said, he was a tough bastard.
And there you have it, my stalker in time, your second chance. It wouldn’t take much, just a well timed, “Hey, make sure and button up Doc!” Do it just right and there is no Sherry Savage and by extension, no Daniel Hero.
When I say that fighting Nazis and their allies are in my blood, I don’t mean that as metaphor.
And you thought I was going to talk about Biff Tannen.
