Okinawa Typhoons, 1944

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The following recollection were, provided to Charles Bernhardt by Mrs.L. Brookfield, written by her husband. He served aboard the "Hotel Ship" APL-14 (Barrack Accomodations Vessel) type N-S-P NON SELF PROPELLED). It was a three story rectangular building with a KEEL! The following site has a photo of the vessel as it is tied between a dock shed and a breakwater.

The RITZ (RITZ CARLTON) was assigned to Service Squadron 103 and we were told we were headed for Sasebo, Japan. We sailed from Leyte on 5 September (1944) , headed for Okinawa. The first night out we ran into a typhoon and during the next 24 hours made a total advance of only seven miles. We had weathered some minor blows at Ulithi, but this was our first introduction to typhoons. We went through it, however, and arrived at Okinawa on 15 September. On 16 September, typhoon condition X-RAY was set again; another storm was headed our way. We were anchored in the open roadstead, and got the full force of the storm, but the old girl could take it. An anchor chain did part, but we hung on with our one hook and rode it out. Many others were not as fortunate. After the storm, the beach was dotted with vessels of all sizes blown ashore. Our orders were changed and SurDiv 103 sailed northward, we were told to stay put. SerDiv 104 was operating in Buckner Bay, so we reported to them for duty. They decided to use us to house the crews of vessels lost or damaged during the typhoon and during the next few days, nearly a hundred men, all survivors, came aboard. We also took aboard 200 men that were later to make up the "guinea pig" outfit formed by ComMinePac to sweep Japanese waters of mines. We were moved farther inside the harbor to a better anchorage and business continued as usual. The main topic of conversation was - When do we go home? We had lef our first eligible crew member back at Leyte for transportation to "Uncle Sugar". Two drafts were detached during the next two weeks and our ship's company was down to about 50 men and our passengers dwindled to about 250.

On Saturday, 6 October, reports of another typhoon making up to the south of us was received. They were getting to be a habit, so we ddn't get unduly excited. Sunday we were scheduled to take on fresh provisions. Reports of the storm were coming in more frequently now and it was a battle against time and weather. The M-boats loaded with stores arrived back alongside just about chow time and all hands turned-to to get them stowed as quickly as possible as the winds and seas were both picking up. At 14:35 (Okinawa time) orders to set typhoon conditions X-RAY were received and we proceeded to button the old girl up as tightly as possible. The winds continued to increase and all day Monday we rode out a storm of growing intensity. By this time, there was no question about us being directly in the path of the typhoon. The larger ships in the harbor had already gone to sea to try to get out of the its path, but there were still several hundred craft anchored in Buckner Bay. There was not a thing we could do but take every precaution for safety and sit tight. As the storm gradually built up to its peak. the Captain ordered all hands to don life jackets and to get to the Chief's quarters on the upper deck. There was not much doubt in anybody's mind that we would land on the beach if we were lucky enough to escape being rammed by one of the many vessels of all types, from landing craft to Liberties, that were trying to maneuver free of the reefs in a visibility that was mostly zero.

Our fate was in the hands of the gods; without power there was not a thing we could do. The old man stuck it out on the Bridge alone. He had alerted the medical department and the damage repair parties were standing by. The generators and boilers were secured and the engine room crew went up to the Chief's quarters with the rest of the fellows, passengers and ship's company together. The old man was his own "talker" and he passed the word below as to what was happening on the "outside". The "old girl" fought hard to keep clear of the beach. She made her last stand only about 500 yards off, but when the port anchor chain parted, the Captain passed the word to stand by to crash, and crash we did. The sea was boiling over the reefs. One of them picked up the ship and dropped her heavily down, straddled over two reefs, stern to the beach.

Deck Log Entries: The following extracts from the ship's log graphically describe conditions during the heights of the typhoon. All times are Okinawa time. .... 01:45 - Veered chain on both anchors, 80 athoms on port, and 95 fathoms on starboard anchor. .... 08:50 - Wind increasing. Changed bite of chain stopper on port, and chain and veered to 105 fathoms with 85 fathoms on stardboard anchor. .... 11:20 - Estimaste wind velocity force - 14. .... 12;15 - Both anchors dragging. .... 13:00 - Heavy rain squalls. Wind velocity estimated 120 knots. Anchors dragging and holding intermittently. Vessel drifting towards Baten Ko. Heavy confused sea. .... 13:30 - Secured boilers and mustered all hands - ship's company and passengers in CPO quarters on upper deck. Most of passengers were survivors of vessels lost or beached in typhoon of 16-18 September 1945. .... 14:15 - Stardboard anchor holding about 500 yards off beach. .... 14:20 - Dragged on to the beach at Baten Ko. Grounded on coral reef off stardboard quarter of USS OCELOT (IX-110) already grounded broadside to beach, port side to. APL-14 grounded stern to with approximately 50 feet of bow over hanging reef, 5 fathoms of water up to reef. Heavy seas breaking over ship. .... 15:45 - USS NESTOR (ARB-6) which had grounded broadside to USS OCELOT swung broadside to us by shift of wind. NESTOR's port quarter rammed our port side, abaft the beam to approximately frame 17. Smashed in weather deck and hull bact to frame 24 and ripped out bulkhead between main deck and upper deck at same point. .... 16:00 - Inspection of ship showed six feet of water in machinery space; all tank decks in four forward hole berthing compartments badly buckled and from several inches to two feet of water in same. Vessel settled on the reef. No buoyancy at all. Pounded by heavy seas. .... 18:55 - Received aboard survivors from USS NESTOR, Lt Cdr Davis, Commanding Officer and 15 officers and 215 enlisted men. Also two officers and 14 enlisted men, who were survivors of the YP-289 came aboard. (End of Log Extract)

We spent the night of the 9th in darkness but everybody was too tired to care. After our survivors had been issued dry clothing from small stores and sandwiches passed out, their first food all day, all hands with the exception of the watch, turned in. With all lower berthing compartments flooded, and nearly 600 persons aboard, men curled up on he deck, mess tables or any place else they could find room. No one was particular, they were all glad to be alive. The strom subsided during the night and the next day was clear. The beaches were strewn with ships and wreckage of all kinds. Food was a big problem for everybody but ourselves. We had plenty; our storerooms and reefers were full, if we could save it. Cold chow was served all hands on the 10th. Food was passed out to other ships and shore based units, whose facilities were destroyed entirely. We found an AC generator, in operating condition, on the NESTOR and in a matter of few hours, a temporary line was run to our reefers and danger of losing our large meat supply was averted. The next day, the question was cooking; that was out of the question on board. It was decided to build a field kitchen on the beach. Scouting parties were sent out and what "LOOT" they brought back. Generating plants, coleman camp ovens, two 2000 gallon distilling units. In the meantime , working parties went to work on two quonset huts washed ashore on a pontoon barge, fitting them up as a galley and mess hall. Someone came back with a bulldozer and cleared the beach of debris, while others built field ovens for heating water to sterilize mess gear. Talk about beavers, our gang made beavers look like sloths, and it was good for us too. It kept us busy and our minds off our close call with death.