UNDERWATER DEMOLITION TEAM HISTORIES
WWII UDT TEAM EIGHT
The history of Underwater Demolition
Team EIGHT covered a period of eighteen months, commencing 2 June 1944 with the departure from Fort Pierce, Florida to the return of the team to Coronado, California, 12 November
1945, where the original group was broken up with the decommissioning of the
team. Seventeen months of this time were spent in the Pacific, where the team
took part in four amphibious operations during the war, and three occupational
landings after the Japanese surrender, traveling more than 70,080 miles, not
counting zigzags, on ships ranging in size from an LCI to an APA and
visiting in the course of their travels, the HAWAIIANS, MARSHALLS, ADMIRALTIES,
PHILIPPINES, NEW GUINEA, NEW CALEDONIA, SOLOMONS, PALAUS, MARIANAS, VOLCANOES,
RYUHYUS, KOREA. and the SHANGTUNG peninsula of CHINA.
The team was organized at the
Amphibious Training Base at Fort Pierce, Florida; being among the first three teams to
be organized there. The enlisted personnel came almost entirely from the Naval Construction Training Center, Camp Peary, Virginia, and the officers from Construction
Battalions, Mine Disposal Work, Army Engineers, Small Boat Units, and from Officer
Training Schools. This Group was assembled at Fort Pierce, Florida, on the first of April, 1944 to undergo a rigorous two months training in Naval
Combat Demolition. The team was officially organized 16 May 1944 by Commander
E.L. BREWSTER, who had come from Naval Combat Demolition Training and
Experimental Base, Maui, T.H., to supervise their organization, and to
correlate their final training with new developments at the forward training
base. At this time, Lt. Commander Donald E. YOUNG became the commanding officer
and selected the crews, which were to make up Team EIGHT. Also assigned to the
team at this time were Captain George F. KROEHL, U.S. Army, as Army Liaison Officer and Ensign Edward J.
STEFFEN as Mine Disposal Officer. Underwater Demolition Team EIGHT, as it left Fort Pierce, consisted of seventeen officers and
seventy-nine enlisted men.
Upon the completion of the training at
Fort Pierce, on the night of 8 June 1844, the team left by train en route to
San Francisco to be embarked by ship for the Demolition Base at MAUI, T.H. Early on the
morning 14 June 1944, the team was loaded aboard a ferry
and transported across the bay, going aboard the U.S.S. MONTEREY the
trip to HONOLULU. The team arrived at MAUI on the morning of 18 June, amid much flashing
of signal lights, small boats were sent out and the team was put ashore. Their
stay at the Naval Combat Demolition Training and Experimental Base at MAUI, T.H. had commenced.
Before leaving MAUI the team made a few personnel
adjustments, and changed from a group of independent crews to a reasonably well
coordinated outfit ready for a combat assignment. So on 8 August 1944, the team and its multitude of
gear was loaded aboard the U.S.S. GEORGE E. BADGER (APD-33) which was to be
their floating home for the next nine months.
Upon leaving KAMEOLE aboard the U.S.S. GEORGE E. BADGER, the
team made a three day stop in PEARL
HARBOR to load
powder and pick up a little additional gear to add to the already extensive
supply.
12
August 1944 marked the advent of Team EIGHT into the boundless Pacific west of
PEARL and their farewell to civilization for many months to come as the U.S.S.
GEORGE E. BADGER, overburdened with men and gear, slipped past the PEARL HARBOR
nets en route to the SOLOMONS. Arriving at the SOLOMONS on the morning of 24
August, the BADGER dropped her hook in the quiet waters of PURVIS BAY, between TULAGI and FLORIDA ISLANDS, where she remained for nearly two weeks. While there the
team participated in a practice operation on CAPE ESPERANCE on GUADALCANAL, which was complete with fire support from the bombardment
group and air strikes by navy planes. The team's part in this operation was to
fire two packs of tetrytol on the beach before daylight, and after the
bombardment, to lead landing craft in to their designated beaches. On 6
September the team left the SOLOMONS in company with the bombardment group for
its first combat assignment, which was to be in support of the landings on ANGUAR ISLAND in the PALAU group. Arriving in the PALAUS on the morning of 12 September under the close fire support
of a battle-ship, two cruisers and three destroyers, following a thirty minute
preliminary bombardment. On this reconnaissance fifteen hundred yards of beach
were covered in thirty minutes by the use of all four platoons of the team, and
no mines or serious obstacles to a landing were discovered. Only sporadic enemy
fire or opposition was encountered and no casualties were received. This
preliminary reconnaissance was mainly a feint to deceive the Japanese, and on
the morning of 15 September a reconnaissance was made of Red Beach on the
Northern shore of ANGUAR, which was to be one of the beaches used in the
landing of the Eighty-first Army Division. After thirty minutes of preliminary
bombardment, platoons one and three made a swimming reconnaissance of Red Beach, under close fire support of the bombardment group,
covering four hundred yards of beach and encountering none but passive Japanese
resistance and suffering no casualties. No mines were found, but jetted rails
were located along the high water mark in a double row at approximately ten
foot intervals on the left side of the beach, the removal of which was deemed
necessary before the landing of troops. On the afternoon of 19 August, members
of the headquarters platoon landed on Red Beach, at three o'clock in the
afternoon, after a thirty minute bombardment, and conducted Team EIGHT's only
combat demolition job of the war, firing 120 pounds of tetrytol, and either
blowing up or normally uprooting the obstacles on the beach.
Fox day on ANGUAR was 17 September, and for the neat week
the team worked for the Beachmaster clearing mines and destroying floating
hazards to navigation while the BADGER was on screening duty between ANGUAR and
PELELIEU. On the afternoon of 26 September, Team EIGHT was called upon to make
a reconnaissance of the channel between PELELIEU and NGESEBUS ISLANDS in conjunction with Team SIX. No fire support was possible
other than air strafing attacks on the beaches of NGESEBUS ISLAND, due to the shallowness, length, and construction of the
channel. This was a rather grueling reconnaissance, entailing a 3000 yard
swim in water no deeper than four feet to a Japanese held causeway, and
necessarily returning the same distance. Heavy machine gun, mortar, and small
arms fire, as well as the approach of darkness, prevented the swimmers from
reaching the causeway, but a suitable route for tanks to cross to NGESEBUS was
plotted and the swimmers returned to the ship exhausted from three hours in the
water. This reconnaissance ended Team EIGHT's operation in the PALAU Group,
this place being to the best knowledge the only reconnaissance of its type in
the annals of Underwater Demolition Team work.
Leaving the PALAUS on 27 September, the team retired to the ADMIRALTY ISLANDS, anchoring in spacious SEADLER BAY at MANUS the afternoon of 1 October; MANUS was to become
the staging area for the LEYTE Operation.
Team EIGHT left SEADLER BAY on the morning of 12 October in
company with the bombardment group en route to LEYTE ISLAND in the PHILIPPINES,
having the misfortune to encounter their first tropical typhoon, on the way,
which lasted until they reached LEYTE GULF and the fifty degree rolls caused a
great deal of misery to those aboard. Arriving in the sheltered waters of LEYTE
GULF on the morning of 18 October, the team arrived off the assigned beaches at
mid-day and promptly at 1430 all platoons were embarked in landing craft and at
1500 shoved off for the beach. Due to the typhoon, mine sweeping operations
close inshore had been held up, so that major units of the bombardment group
could not move into the beach and give close fire support to the operation.
There was no preliminary bombardment, and while conducting the reconnaissance
the team had only the three inch fire of the four APD's which moved to within
1800 yards of the beach or closer. All boats received heavy mortar fire as well
as machine gun and sniper fire, many swimmers spotting Jap movements along the
shore. The water was very muddy due to the typhoon, and visibility was nil, but
no obstacles or beach mines were located on the beaches, which were Blue
Beaches ONE and TWO, comprising 1200 yards in all. During this reconnaissance
the team sustained six casualties, one (1) in the water, and five (5) in the
boats as they picked up swimmers. One man, Edward TILTON, subsequently died of
his wounds. All these men received the Purple Heart Award. For its part in this
operation Team EIGHT received this dispatch from Admiral KINCAID: "FOR
EMBARKED UNDERWATER DEMOLITION TEAMS X YOU HAVE REASON TO BE PROUD OF THE PART
YOU PLAYED IN THE LEYTE OPERATION X WELL DONE AND GOOD LUCK X".
This reconnaissance completed the team's work at LEYTE.
The BADGER was on screening duty on 19 October, and on 20 October the army went
ashore after one of the most devastating shore bombardments ever to be
witnessed in the Pacific. While at LEYTE Team EIGHT saw its first Jap planes, one of which torpedoed
the light cruiser U.S.S HONOLULU and another which crash-dived into the HMAS AUSTRALIA. On the night of 21 September the BADGER left the area as
escort for these two crippled ships, just missing the battle of LEYTE GULF,
stopping at KOSSAL PASSAGE on 23 October, and arriving at MANUS on 29 October.
Remaining at MANUS for six (6) days before going to Naval
Combat Demolition Training and Experimental Base for rehabilitation, the team
lost eight officers and men who returned to MAUI.
Due to the bottleneck at MAUI, many of those men were to meet the team on their return
there and some to rejoin the team.
On 4 November the team left on its way to NOUMEA, NEW
CALEDONIA
for rest and rehabilitation, and the BADGER for much needed repairs. After
making a short stop at PURVIS BAY in the SOLOMONS on 7 and 8 November, the team arrived at
the beautiful harbor of NOUMEA on the morning of 11 November. By late that afternoon all
hands were off the ship and quartered in the Receiving Station. After sixteen
restful days the team re-embarked upon the BADGER and left for HOLLANDIA on 26
November.
After an uneventful trip featured by full-scale maneuvers
off the port and coming in at quarters, the BADGER made FINCHHAFFEN, NEW GUINEA
on 30 November. Refueling that evening, and spending a sweltering night in the
narrow harbor, the BADGER left for HUMHOLDT BAY at HOLLANDIA the morning of 1
December, arriving there on 3 December.
The stay at HOLLANDIA prior to the LINGAYEN operation was
one of the most monotonous in the team's history. While there the team made
probably is greatest contribution in the prosecution of the war by the clearing
of a channel to a SEA BEE lumber camp at BOUGANVILLE BAY, twenty miles down the coast from HOLLANDIA. This trip was
made necessarily by small boat, carrying twenty-five tones of rubber hose for
the job. Two shot were laid and fired, one of five and one of twenty tons,
resulting in an efficient clearing of the channel, as well as the complete
subjugation of all self-appointed native superintendents who had gathered while
the work was underway. By ten o'clock
that night all members of the team were back aboard the BADGER, after the first
honest day's work in many months. Christmas of 1944 was of necessity spent at
HOLLANDIA, the day being brightened as much as possible by the fortuitous
arrival of much of the back mail and packages which were very welcome in spite
of the ravages caused by long exposure to the elements.
Leaving NEW GUINEA on 27 December, en route to LINGAYEN GULF
in company with the bombardment group and a dozen jeep carriers, the BADGER
stopped at KOSSOL PASSAGE to refuel. Leaving 1 January 1945
and passing through LEYTE GULF early on the morning of 3 January,
the team began what was to be an odyssey never to be forgotten by all persons.
The evening of 3 January found the force of MINDORO,
where at 1800 the CVE U.S.S. OMANEY BAY was struck without warning by a Kamikaze suicide plane; she
burned fiercely and out of control for three hours before being sunk by our
destroyers. It was a spectacular and disheartening sight. During the next eight
days, the ship went to general quarters fifty-five times, some of which were
for eighteen hours duration, and went through one of the war's first full scale
Kamikaze attacks. The evening of 5 January
the group was off LINGAYEN GULF and was attacked by a group of suicide planes,
as many as three at a time being seen diving at our ship. The bombardment group
steamed into the gulf in a double column, flanked by escort vessels and the
APDs, to be met by vicious suicide plane attacks, and passing the broken hulks
of several mine sweeps which had been hit previously while sweeping the gulf.
At least thirty-five planes either crashed in or were shot down within a
one-half hour period that day. On 7 January
the team made a reconnaissance of White Beaches, I and II, comprising
approximately 2000 yards. For the first time in the team's operations it was
given close fire sup-port by two LCI(G)s which moved to within 500 yards of the
beach and covered the dune line with their forty millimeter fire. The operation
was carried out suc-cessfully with no enemy opposition, and no beach mines or
obstacles were found.
After the reconnaissance the BADGER
anchored in the gulf. On 9 January the Army troops landed and on 12 January
the BADGER was ordered to return to LEYTE as escort for a group of LSTs.
On 19 January the team was bound for ULITHI atoll, arriving 23 January
where it was to stay for a month in the waters of this beautiful but barren
lagoon. After spending twenty days aboard ship, broken by daily trips to the
fleet recreation island of MOG-MOG, the team took matters into its own hands
and moved ashore to the island of ASOR, through the courtesy of Com-modore
KESSING, and spent two very pleasant weeks of swimming, exercise and
recreation.
Upon being notified at 2200 the previous night of the
BADGER's departure for IWO JIMA, Team EIGHT got aboard ship with its gear in a
mad scramble at five o'clock the morning of 1 March, and by 0800 had left
ULITHI and was work in many months. Christmas of 1944 was of necessity spent at
HOLLANDIA, the day being brightened as much as possible by the fortuitous
arrival of much of the back mail and packages which were very welcome in spite
of the ravages caused by long exposure to the elements.
Leaving NEW GUINEA on 27 December, en route to LINGAYEN GULF
in company with the bombardment group and a dozen jeep carriers, the BADGER
stopped at KOSSOL PASSAGE to refuel. Leaving 1 January 1945
and passing through LEYTE GULF early on the morning of 3 January,
the team began what was to be an odyssey never to be forgotten by all persons.
The evening of 3 January found the force of MINDORO,
where at 1800 the CVE U.S.S. OMANEY BAY was struck without warning by a Kamikaze suicide plane; she
burned fiercely and out of control for three hours before being sunk by our
destroyers. It was a spectacular and disheartening sight. During the next eight
days, the ship went to general quarters fifty-five times, some of which were
for eighteen hours duration, and went through one of the war's first full scale
Kamikaze attacks. The evening of 5 January
the group was off LINGAYEN GULF and was attacked by a group of suicide planes,
as many as three at a time being seen diving at our ship. The bombardment group
steamed into the gulf in a double column, flanked by escort vessels and the
APDs, to be met by vicious suicide plane attacks, and passing the broken hulks
of several mine sweeps which had been hit previously while sweeping the gulf.
At least thirty-five planes either crashed in or were shot down within a
one-half hour period that day. On 7 January
the team made a reconnaissance of White Beaches, I and II, comprising
approximately 2000 yards. For the first time in the team's operations it was
given close fire sup-port by two LCI(G)s which moved to within 500 yards of the
beach and covered the dune line with their forty millimeter fire. The operation
was carried out successfully with no enemy opposition, and no beach mines or
obstacles were found.
After the reconnaissance the BADGER
anchored in the gulf. On 9 January the Army troops landed and on 12 January
the BADGER was ordered to return to LEYTE as escort for a group of LSTs.
On 19 January the team was bound for ULITHI atoll, arriving 23 January
where it was to stay for a month in the waters of this beautiful but barren
lagoon. After spending twenty days aboard ship, broken by daily trips to the
fleet recreation island of MOG-MOG, the team took matters into its own hands
and moved ashore to the island of ASOR, through the courtesy of Commodore
KESSING, and spent two very pleasant weeks of swimming, exercise and
recreation.
Upon being notified at 2200 the previous night of the
BADGER's departure for IWO JIMA, Team EIGHT got aboard ship with its gear in a
mad scramble at five o'clock the morning of 1 March, and by 0800 had left
ULITHI and was underway for IWO at twenty
knots over a rough sea. When five hours at sea, a dispatch was received to
disembark the team at ULITHI, but as it was too late to turn back, it was
forced to stay aboard and pay for the stay ashore by three insufferable days of
rough weather. Arriving at IWO on 3 March, 8 remained long enough to
undergo an air raid, pick up a battle star, and head for GUAM on 6 March as escort for a group of
attack transports. Arriving in GUAM on 8 March, the team was detached from the U.S.S. BADGER
after seven trying months aboard and quartered temporarily in the Receiving
Station there with orders to build its own camp.
We now come to a subject dear to the
hears of all members of Team EIGHT present at the time, the building of its own
camp at GUAM. Permission to build was received from Captain GRAYSON of
AdComPhibsPac, later to be revoked by the Marine Island Commander, but during the confusion,
and by many devious means and the help of CBs on the island, the camp was
built.
Probably the outstanding event of the
stay on GUAM was the inspection of the camp and personnel by Admiral of the Fleet, Chester W. NIMITZ, Commander in
Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet. Only the night before had a coral surface
been laid to the rear of the camp to serve as a road, and the camp scrubbed to
nearly dazzling cleanliness. At 1000 the Admiral and Captain GRAYSON drove up,
walked to where Teams EIGHT and TEN were formed, gave a short informal talk,
shook the hands of all officers during inspection and talked to many of the men.
He then made a tour of the camp and on his return commended UD on the camp and
"One of the finest groups of men it has been my pleasure to inspect:'
After spending over an hour in camp he left, leaving all personnel elated over
this compliment from such a fine gentleman and outstanding officer. Later we
received a letter from Captain GRAYSON, which follows;
ADMINISTRATIVE COMMAND
AMPHIBIOUS FORCES, U.S. PACIFIC FLEET
P4 SUBORDINATE
COMMAND A/AHG/Dr
FLEET POST OFFICE
Serial: 67 SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 4 April 1945
RESTRICTED
From: Officer
in Charge, Administrative Command,
Amphibious
Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet, SUBORDINATE COMMAND.
To: Commanding
Officer, Underwater Demolition Team
No. 8.
Subject: Underwater
Demolition Team No. 8, - inspection of.
1. On
the occasion of his inspection this date, the Commander in Chief,
U.S. Pacific Fleet, expressed himself as being highly pleased with the
appearance and morale of subject team and with the immaculate condition of
their camp and surroundings.
2. The
Officer in Charge wishes to congratulate the Commanding Officer, officers and
men of Team 8 on the splendid showing they made and to express his plea-sure in
having been associated with a very fine unit.
/s/ R. W. GRAYSON.
The camp was nearly completed and all hands prepared to reap
the fruits of labor in a pleasant warm GUAM
when orders came to move out. Consequently, on the morning of 5 April, all the
team personal gear was loaded in trucks, taken to the landing, and put aboard
the U.S.S. ARENAC (APA-128). All demolition gear was left at the camp by orders
of Captain GRAYSON. Leaving APRA
HARBOR the team
traveled to PEARL, arriving on 14 April, there being transferred to the USS.
TATUM (APD-81) and leaving for MAUI the evening of 15 April. Getting ashore at MAUI on 16
April, it felt practically on the way to the States, but after a ten day island
leave and two weeks of semi-organized athletics, Team EIGHT found it was not to
be among those chosen, taking over the training program at the Naval Combat
Demolition Training and Experimental Base while teams FOUR, NINE, TEN,
FOURTEEN, and FIFTEEN went home. The Team took over the training in short
order. While there, Lieutenant Commander YOUNG was awarded the Bronze Star
Medal for his outstanding leadership of Team EIGHT in the operation in the
PALAU GROUP. Finally, with the advent of cold water training at Ocean side
California, the Team's turn came, and a happy bunch of men and officers turned
loose the reins of the training program and loaded aboard the U.S.S. JEFFERY
(APD-44) for the trip to San Pedro, California.
Leaving MAUI on 16 July the Team arrived in San Pedro,
California on 22 July to be met on the dock by Lieutenant BROHL who had flown
ahead to arrange our air transportation. In spite of the inevitable confusion
connected with coming ashore and getting underway for leave, within 36 hours
the majority of the team was on its way home for a long anticipated leave.
Returning to Oceanside on or about 11 August, the Team
reassembled and with some deletions and additions prepared for six weeks
training in the States, but with the end of the war, was immediately sent
overseas to assist in the occupational landings in KOREA and CHINA.
Getting aboard the U.S.S. DONALD W. WOLF (APT-129) on 14
August and leaving for PEARL
HARBOR on 16 August,
the Team had little chance or inclination to celebrate V-J Day. Making a mad
dash across the Pacific as part of
ComUDRonTWO, under the command of Captain CLELAND or Chunking TWO, the
team made only short stops for fueling at PEARL HARBOR and ENIWETOK, reaching
BUCKNER BAY, OKINAWA on 4 September. Leaving OKINAWA
on 5 September the WOLF felt her way through the YELLOW SEA mine fields, arriving at JINSEN, KOREA, 1 September, but having no duties assigned in the landing
of occupational troops. Remaining in the river off odiferous JINSEN until
September 15, the WOLF shoved off for OKINAWA
through the outer edge of a typhoon which made for a very uncomfortable trip,
reaching there on 18 September.
Leaving OKINAWA on 25 September, the team was taken to TAKU, CHINA for the landing of occupational troops, but again were
spectators from several miles out to sea. After the landing the team was
assigned a minor demolition job of smoothing a flight of steps on the
waterfront into a ramp for landing marine vehicles. Upon reaching the beach
with explosives, it was found a shot would be hazardous to personnel and
material in the area so it was cancelled.
Leaving TAKU on 8 October the team was transported to CHEFOO, CHINA, arriving on 9 October, where it was to have a job all its
own in the inspection of the harbor area there. A great opportunity for
sightseeing in a most interesting region was lost when the plan to land marines
at CHENFOO was abandoned.
On 10 October the team left CHEFOO, disgruntled at not
getting ashore, and was transported to TSINGTAO, CHINA, arriving on 12 October. The Team took no part in the
operation other than in the morale building factor of presence, but was able to
take part in the liberty here which was very interesting from the point of view
of novelty.
Leaving
TSINGTAO, on 17 October, the team was on its way back to the States,
stopping at OKINAWA, GUAM, and ENIWETOH to fuel before reaching PEARL HARBOR
on 3 November.
Leaving PEARL HARBOR on 5 November, the team arrived in San
Diego on 11 November, leaving the U.S.S. DONALD W. WOLF, where the team had
received more consideration and lived in a nearer semblance of harmony than on
any other ship in its varied travels, and went ashore to the Coronado
Amphibious Training Base. Here the eligible few with enough points were
released for discharge, the majority were made available to the Bureau for
reassignment and the remainder made application to remain in demolition and
join the regular navy.
This
terminated the career and travels of one of the finest groups of Sea Bees ever
gathered together in an Underwater Demolition Team. Though perhaps not as
acclaimed as some, members of Team EIGHT may be proud of a fine outfit, which
retained its original personnel and identity to a greater degree than any other
of the early Underwater Demolition Teams, and finished the war, if with no
awards, at least with a clear conscience and its ideal unprostituted.
(compiled by Robert Allan
King for the UDT-SEAL Museum from public
records at the Operational Archives of the Naval Historical Center)
TEAM ROSTERS - To protect the integrity
of the Teams and the privacy of individual frogmen, Team rosters are not made
public. If you or your relative was a member of UDT Team EIGHT and you would
like further information, we suggest you contact the UDT-SEAL Museum.
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