THE STORY OF THE U.S.S. NICHOLAS (page 3 of 4)

chutes, and as the troops began searching out Japs, still more silky puffs floated earthward.
   At 10:30 the amphibious forces moved in slowly to the center of the island as destroyers, cruisers and rocket firing craft moved to within 500 yards of the beach, laying down a shattering barrage. Aircraft bombed and strafed, and troops poured from landing barges. Our beachheads were soon established and “Old Glory” flew over Corregidor.
   The war was moving at an accelerated pace now, and the Pacific forces ready for new fields to conquer made plans for occupation of the southern and central Philippine Islands which had been by passed. The first of these bases was Zamboanga located on the southwestern peninsula of Mindanao which juts out into the Sulu Sea. Its harbor facilities and airfields provide excellent bases for the isolation of Borneo and other East Indies islands.
   The plan of attack was typical of preceding Pacific operations. The Nicholas with other destroyers, cruisers and minesweeps carried out their bombardments and backed up the landing forces against little opposition. However, every operation seems to be marked by some unusual spectacle and the loss of one of our aircraft provided such for this operation. A group of army Liberators moved in to unload their cargos. One plane, apparently out of formation flying at a lower level was hit with the bomb load from a plane higher up. In a matter of seconds the plane exploded and fell in pieces. It was a horrible sight to see it falling in flames and we watched, holding our breath and giving a silent prayer that parachutes would soon open. At the last moment one parachute opened and came down near the beach. A cruiser plane landed under enemy fire and made a daring rescue.
   After Zamboanga the Nicholas participated in the landing on Cebu in the Visayan Group. As we lay off shore the retreating Japanese burned Cebu City, second largest in the Philippines. It was here that we could see the sort of enemy we were fighting; an enemy who when he can no longer wage war against an army must turn and spend his hate and violence upon the civilian population.
   When the Seventh Fleet moved into East Indies waters in May, the Nicholas was once again in the fight as she participated in the first landings on Borneo at Tarakan Island. With the occupation completed the Nicholas returned to Subic Bay, Luzon, with hopes of a journey home. Days dragged by. The fighting at Okinawa, the most furious the navy had ever encountered, was slackening. Finally orders came through and the Nicholas joined the Third Fleet. She became part of an escort carrier force operating off Okinawa making air strikes against the Sakishima Group. The absence of enemy aircraft made the operation uneventful. Before long the battling on Okinawa was over and we were back in port once again. But there was still work to do, as the Third Fleet was preparing for an all-out assault on the Japanese homeland.
   Early in July, the “Nick” joined a group of destroyers who together with tankers, ammunition ships, and cargo vessels would act as a replenishing force for Task Force 38. For forty days we steamed through the waters of the western Pacific some 300 miles from the Japanese homeland while the powerful task force shattered Jap installations and destroyed the remnants of a once powerful navy. On August eleventh the Nicholas with two other ships of her squadron received orders to join the fleet carriers.
   The Nicholas made her first strike with Task Force 38 on the thirteenth of August. The carrier planes took off just after dawn and roared in toward Japan. Our fighter cover kept vigilant watch and during the day broke up concentrated attacks of enemy planes. By the morning of the fifteenth we heard that the Japanese radio had broadcast their surrender but as no official word had reached us, our strikes prepared to carry out their assignments. Several hours after our planes had taken off, we received word of the surrender, and our aircraft were recalled. However, the Japs were still fighting and we remained alert as our planes were shooting down snoopers most of the day.
   The following days were long and filled with suspense. We spent much of our time dodging typhoons while waiting for the surrender plans to be put into effect. Marines and sailors were taken from the task force to make up a landing party, and the Nicholas was assigned to escort the Missouri into Japanese home waters and receive emissaries from a Japanese destroyer.
   On August twenty-seventh, the “Nick” went to general quarters just before daybreak and steamed in   (continued)