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The
personal experience and account of
Louis Vilmer, Jr.
(AIR CREWMAN
VC-10)
When the second General Quarters of the morning was sounded, Pilot
Shroyer, Gunner Britt and I, radioman Vilmer, were fortunate to
occupy one of the two TBM Avengers that were prepared for the early
morning anti-submarine hop. We had a full load of fuel and were
armed with eight solid-head rockets and two 500 pound general purpose
bombs with both contact and dept-charge fuses.
We were launched by catapult and as we cleared the flightdeck
the first Japanese salvo landed in front of the Gambier Bay. One
splash to Port and three to Starboard. We flew right between them.
When we reached altitude, Skipper Huxtable was already there and
gave us a hand signal to head to the Japanese Fleet on our own.
When we approached the enemy fleet, Shroyer picked a target and
as we broke through the heavy overcast he fired the rockets and
his 50 caliber wing guns. Britt fired the 50 caliber in the ball
turret. Shroyer was unable to open the bomb bay doors with the control
in the cockpit and as a result of his trying we were very low and
he did not have the power to pull away quickly. We skimmed the water
along side of much of the enemy battle line just a few feet from
the ships. We were so low that I, as a radioman in the belly of
the plane, had to look up to see the Japanese sailors on their ship’s
deck.
Finally we regained power and were able to pull away and up to
altitude. Shroyer informed me over the intercom that the bomb bay
door control in the cockpit was not responding and asked me to try
the one in the radio compartment. It worked. He told me that we
would make another run and he would tell me when to open the bomb
bay doors. Shroyer chose a target and made his run flying from the
cruiser’s stern toward its bow. I opened the doors on his cue
and when the bombs cleared he was able to close the doors with his
control. I then observed the results through the bottom rear window
and reported to Shroyer.
The bombs did not hit the cruiser directly. They hit
just a few feet behind the stern and went off underwater –
probably as dept charges. Fighter pilots following us in on
the run reported that the cruiser slowed and lost steering.
At a Gambier Bay/VC10 reunion years later in Oklahoma City, Skipper
Hustable and Shroyer asked me to recall the happenings of that fateful
day. Hux surmised that the direction and momentum of the bombs carried
them below the waterline to the most vulnerable part of the ship
and that would explain why the Japanese Captain was puzzled by what
appeared to be a torpedo hit when no launch by plane was observed
and no US Submarines were present.
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