THE STORY OF THE U.S.S. NICHOLAS (page 2 of 4)

landia, just 150 miles further up the coast. It was a bold step which, surprisingly, met with minor opposition and marked the beginning of the end of Japanese power in New Guinea.
   Our duties in the period that followed varied considerably. We bombarded enemy positions in New Guinea and New Ireland, participated in antisubmarine sweeps protecting aircraft carriers in their sweeps along and above the Bismarck Archipelago, and in September the Nicholas helped in the occupation of Morotai Island in the Northern Molukkas.
   We were proud to take part in the return of Americans to the Philippine Islands. On October 24 the Nicholas brought the first resupply echelon into Leyte Gulf. We barely missed getting into the Battle of Surigao Straits, being about thirty miles away. The glow of the gun flashes were clearly visible, and the sky gave the impression that an electrical storm caused by heat lightning was taking place. In Leyte we encountered the Japanese Kamikaze Corps, and our guns took credit for at least one suicidal enemy plane as it attempted to crash into our superstructure.
   In December we made one of the night sweeps up through the Camotes Sea, bombarding enemy held Ormoc Bay. All during this period the Nicholas did her share in destroying enemy air forces who attempted to disrupt our invasion. This was a furious phase of the war, one which we all vividly remember.
   Shortly after Japanese resistance crumpled in the Leyte area, we continued the victorious advance up through the Philippines. The Nicholas was in the covering force as our flag returned to Luzon Island in the landings at Lingayen Gulf. After backing up several additional landings she played an active part in the landing at Mariveles on Bataan and the occupation of Corregidor.
   The recapture of Corregidor was probably the most interesting and spectacular operation of the Philippine campaign. “The Rock,” as the island is known, guards the entrance to Manila Bay, lying between the Bataan peninsula and the southwestern side of Luzon, where our forces had driven to the Cavite naval base. Mariveles, on the southern tip of Bataan, lies directly opposite the northern end of Corregidor. It was here that the first landing was made.
   Corregidor itself, resembling a giant polywog, rises sharply from the water, its sheer rocky cliffs giving it an impregnable appearance. The extreme southern end consists of a single high peak, which is joined to the main fortress by a long, narrow strip of hilly land, heavy with trees and undergrowth. It was on this center strip that the amphibious units would go ashore.
   The cliffs of Corregidor were marked with scores of caves and tunnels bored deep in solid rock. In these caves the Japs had mounted heavy caliber guns ranging from 3 to 8 inch. It was our lob to knock out these emplacements. On top, Corregidor was flat and dotted with buildings, storage tanks, large guns and cave entrances, already in poor condition due to the consistent bombings of the army air forces.
   For two days the Nicholas, with other destroyers and cruisers, went in to point blank range to draw enemy fire so that we could locate and knock out Japanese gun emplacements. Long lines of tiny minesweeps cut loose hundreds of mines in Mariveles and around Corregidor and we were kept quite busy exploding these obstacles.
   On the second day the Japs began to open up and it was necessary to bore in closer and fight it out. The Nicholas knocked out several batteries and escaped without damage. On the third day we landed on Bataan, where, due to accurate firing by our ships and heavy aerial bombardment, there was little opposition.
   The morning of the fourth day saw an all out attack upon the rocky fortress. At 7:50 a. m. heavy bombers came over in waves to unload tons of bombs. This was followed by low level strafing attacks. Our group moved in close and poured shells into the caves, and around the landing beaches. At times the entire rock was hidden behind thick clouds of smoke and dirt. At exactly 8:30 long lines of transport planes appeared and lumbered slowly over the rock. As the smoke from the bombardment cleared away, the huge planes dipped lower, one by one, and army paratroops tumbled into space. The sky was filled with red, white, green and black umbrellas, dropping men, supplies and equipment to the flat surface of Corregidor’s rooftop. Some men missed their target, dropped past the steep cliffs to the water where PT boats quickly came to the rescues Corregidor was soon littered with abandoned para-   (continued)