|
Who Am I? | Site Map | Music | FAQ | Contact Me |
|
The Battle of the Coral Sea The U.S.S. Henley (DD-391)
On the afternoon of May 11, 1942, three days after the U.S. and Japanese fleets had withdrawn from the Coral Sea, the destroyer U.S.S. Henley discovered the disabled tanker, U.S.S. Neosho, listing at 30 degrees and drifting aimlessly with 123 weary survivors on board. The Neosho had been attacked four days earlier by Japanese dive-bombers and was severely damaged, but because the crew had transmitted the wrong coordinates to the main American fleet, over a hundred miles away, they weren't found until May 11.
The filthy and sunburned men on the Neosho, many of whom were covered with diesel oil, were elated to see the Henley approach, since they had figured they would never be found. That included my uncle, Bill Leu. The men had been preparing to abandon their stricken tanker later that day, board four wooden whale boats and try to make it to Australia, 500 miles away across the open ocean.
After expediting the transfer of survivors, the Henley tried to sink the Neosho to prevent it from being discovered by the Japanese. In war, knowledge is power and the U.S. Navy didn't want the Japanese to know their planes had sunk a precious American tanker. The Henley fired a torpedo – which was a dud. The second torpedo found its mark but it failed to sink the battered tanker. The Henley then opened fire with its 5-inch guns. After the Henley fired 146 rounds, the Neosho sank into the Coral Sea, stern first. Many of the Neosho survivors openly wept as they watched the ordeal from the railing of the Henley. As the Neosho slipped under the waves, they said a final farewell to their beloved friend.
After sinking the Neosho, the Henley searched for additional survivors of the tanker but failing to find any, it sped for the nearest hospital, at Brisbane, Australia.
Here are more photos of the destroyer U.S.S. Henley:
_-_19-N-18032-2000w.jpg)
The current page is shown with a >
|
||||||||||||||||||
