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  • Ordnance and Weapons
  • Theater of Operations--Pacific
  • Theater of Operations--American
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  • World War II 1939-1945
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USS Gamble, Report of Pearl Harbor Attack

DM15/A16-3/(0238)

UNITED STATES FLEET

MINE DIVISION TWO

U.S.S. Gamble

Pearl Harbor, T.H.

December 13, 1941

 

From: The Commanding Officer.  
To: Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet.  
   
Subject: Japanese Air Raid on Pearl Harbor, T.H., December 7, 1941, Report of.  
Reference: (a) CinCPac desptach 102102 of December, 1941.  
  1. The following is a chronological list of offensive measures taken and damage inflicted upon enemy during raid, December 7, 1941. Al times are approximate. The ship was nested with Mine Division TWO in berth D-3.

     

    0745 Heard explosions on Ford Island.
    0756 Wave of about 50 Japanese planes attacked battleships and Naval Air Station, Ford Island, planes flying at low altitudes about 500 feet over battleships from direction of Diamond Head, about 700 feet over Ford Island. Five successive waves of the attack of about 10 planes each.
    0758 Went to General Quarters, opened fire with .50 cal. machine guns on planes passing over nest at about 800 feet altitude. Set material condition afirm except for certain protected ammunition passages.
    0759 Opened fire with 3"/23 cal. AA guns, firing as planes came within range, fuses set 3 to 8 secs.
    0805 Mounted and commenced firing with .30 cal. machine guns on galley deck house.
    0810 Commenced making preparations to get underway. Lighted off four boilers.
    0925 One Japanese plane shot down by A.A. fire, falling in water on port beam about 1000 yards away from ship. Believed shot down by ROBERTS, W.L., BM2c, U.S.S. Gamble, port machine gunner (#2 machine gun) .50 cal., and JOOS, H.W., GM3c, U.S.S. Gamble (#1 machine gun) starboard.
    0930 Division commenced getting underway. U.S.S. Breese underway.
    0930 U.S.S. Gamble got underway and cleared mooring buoy.
    0937 Japanese planes attacked near main channel entrance.
    0955 Temporarily anchored, astern of U.S.S. Medusa.
    1005 Underway proceeding out of channel.
    1015 Shifted .30 cal. A.A. machine guns to top of pilot house on fire control platform.
    1021 Cleared channel entrance. Eight depth charges were armed and the ship commenced off-shore anti-submarine patrol off Pearl Harbor entrance.
    1204 Established sound contact with submarine and dropped three depth charges. Position bearing 162° T from Diamond Head Light, distant 2.5 miles.
    1255 Proceeded on course 270° T at 20 knots to join friendly forces upon receipt of orders from CinCPac.
    1412 Sighted sampan bearing 320° T.
    1435 Slowed to investigate but did not search. Sampan position approximately 4 miles south of Barbers point.
    1628 Sighted smoke bomb off port bow.
    1631 Submarine surfaced.
    1632 Fired one shot 4" gun and missed, short and to the left. Submarine displayed U.S. colors, and ceased firing. Submarine submerged and fired recognition red smoke bomb.
    1647 Proceeded west.
    1732 Sighted Enterprise and exchanged calls. Instructed by Commander Aircraft, Battle Force to join Enterprise.
    1744 Joined Enterprise and took station as third ship with two other plane guard destroyers.
  2. Two planes are to be credited to ships of Mine Division TWO. Other A.A. fire may have struck the planes, but .50 cal. and 3"/23 fire from mine Division TWO finished them. There was no distinguished action by any individual, but all men showed courage, zeal and initiative. They did not hesitate in their action in face of strafing attack from planes. Their conduct under fire was commendable. This vessel sustained no losses. Only damage done was broken main radio transmitting antenna and one parted strand in fore stay to foremast. No losses or injuries were sustained.

[signed]
D.A. CRANDELI

Source: Enclosure (E) to CINCPAC action report Serial 0479 of 15 February 1942, World War II action reports, Modern Military Branch, National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740. 

 

Published: Tue Feb 20 10:48:11 EST 2018