American History

The United States involvement at the early stage of the World War II was only as a support unit to their greatest ally in Europe, Great Britain. They supplied their European ally with the most important resources needed to win war- abundant resources like oil, arms and ammunition, and raw materials needed to make ships and airplanes. In the east, the growing interest of Japan in the Malayan region (Southeast Asia) threatened the US interest in the Far East. The US was in control of the Philippines at that time. And the Japanese invasion of Malayan nations would involve capturing the Philippines and thus forcing the US to enter the war.

On the morning of December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked the US Pacific fleet based in Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. It was a surprise attack and the US forces were unprepared of the events that happened. The air assault came in two waves. The first Japanese attack wave on 183 planes targeted the most powerful weapons of the US Navy fleet, the carriers and battleships. The first wave also targeted the aircrafts stationed at Ford Island, Hickam Field, Wheeler Field and Barbers Point, Kaneohe. The second waves purpose is to finish off whats left of Pearl Harbor. The delaying tactic of Japan was an important part of their conquest of the Malayan peninsula and Southeast Asia in general. This act of Japan forced the United States into formally entering the war.

The story follows the events that happened to the four US Navy ships three destroyers, USS Hull, USS Spence, and USS Monaghan and one destroyer escort, USS Tabberer. The story focused mainly on the ships encounter with the typhoon Cobra that left many a part of history. The first few chapters of the book discussed mainly about the composition of the ships that were the focus of the story.

The first of the three US Navy destroyers was the USS Monaghan. It was named after John Robert Monaghan, the hero who died in 1899 in an attempt to rescue and defend his superior officers against Samoan forces. The ship is a Farragut-class destroyer built by the Boston Navy Yard in Massachusetts, USA. It was the last of its kind built for the US Navy. The ship was commissioned on April 19, 1935, has an extensive use for training purposes and spent most of its time in the Atlantic. Its armament includes five 5-inch guns and eight 21-inch torpedo tubes. On December 7, 1941, the day of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, USS Monaghan was serving as a heavy duty destroyer. It was assigned to join another ship, USS Ward, in an attempt to guard the entrance after Ward fired on a sub that tried to enter the harbour. The Captain and his crews excellent work resulted in the ship being undamaged and continued to do its escape from the harbour. Another destroyer, the USS Spence, was a Fletcher-class ship laid down at Bath Iron Works on May 18, 1942 and was later commissioned by the US Navy on January 8, 1943. Before sinking in the Pacific, the ship has seen action in many of the US campaigns around the world. Its first taste was the Pacific war. It served as a support to the US landings in Baker Island. One month later it helped in destroying 20 Japanese barges in the Solomon Islands. As a part of Task Force 39, USS Spence helped in the bombardment of several airfields such as Buka and Bonis in Bougainville. In Cape St. George, together with USS Converse, they destroyed the Japanese ship Makinami. In November 1944, the ship joined Task Force 38 that will assist Gen. Douglas MacArthur in liberating the Philippines.

USS HULL
The last ship involved was USS Tabberer, a Butler-class destroyer escort acquired by the US Navy during World War II. Its full load of armaments include 2-538, 4 (2x2) 40 mm AA, 10-20 mm AA, 3-21 TT, 1  HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiHedgehog_28weapon29 Hedgehog, 8 DCTs, 2 DC tracks. The enormous firepower of destroyers made it a nightmare for any enemy ship, particularly submarines. The main purpose of the destroyer was to protect ships in convoy, as well as patrol areas of concern and serve as radar picket. The ship has also seen action in many of the United States campaign particularly in the Pacific.

The basic problem faced by the characters in the story was typhoon Cobra, or also known as Halseys typhoon, named after Admiral William Halsey of the US Navy. It started as a low pressure area, formed during the US 3rd Fleets bombing campaign of coastal areas and strategic positions of Japanese forces in the Philippines. Later it developed into a typhoon with winds of over 150 kph and gustiness of 220 kph. The typhoon also produced waves of great heights some reaching 90 ft high. Its eye was spotted a few hundred kilometres from the island of Luzon in the Philippines. In December 17, 1944, Admiral Halsey decided to head straight into the heart of the typhoon in his quest to refuel his army of ships after a long bombing run in Luzon. The Navy officer disregarded several factors which led to one of the most tragic events that happened in any Navys history. Several of the ships just came out of repairs after being damaged during the Japanese attack in Pearl Harbor. USS Monaghan was one of those newly repaired ships. The ships underwent heavy construction and repair, as well as the added war fighting improvements which were also done to the other destroyers. Almost all ships, especially the destroyers, were low on fuel. And many ships had empty ballasts making it lighter. The lesser weight of the ships made them conducive for a tragedy. Those were the factors that defined the fate of the ships. He led his Fleet exactly into the jaws of death.

Admiral Halsey made one of the worst decision ever made by an officer. He was not aware of the threat that the typhoon posed. After being criticized due to his performance at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the admiral wanted to show Gen. MacArthur that he was in full support of his actions. A delay in Halseys unit would mean lack of trust and respect from the General. His aggressive move and wrong intentions resulted in the loss of many lives, alongside the cost of ships, planes, weapons and ammunition. The three destroyers Monaghan, Spence and Hull, all sunk. Other ships suffered damages that needed costly repairs. Almost 800 people were killed. The main cause of death was drowning. Others died of exhaustion and hypothermia. Others who survived the sinking ships were dragged and eaten by circling sharks. Admiral Halseys lack of consideration and a great will to impress led to losses greater than when they faced the Japanese army.

The USS Tabberer, one of the destroyer escorts in the 3rd Fleet, became the hero of the tragedy. The ship was of relatively small size. But its conditions made it more sea-worthy than others. The remaining ships of the 3rd Fleet were ordered of a full-scale evacuation of the area. Instead, USS Tabberer, commanded by the 29-year old Henry L. Plage, executed the daring rescue of the survivors. Page was only a Navy reservist. And only a small percentage of his men have actually been out in the sea. But their strength is more than enough to be able to complete their task. Their efforts did not come to waste. In total, they were able to rescue 55 Navy personnel. Other ships of the 3rd fleet joined the rescue operation. Thirty-seven more people were rescued from the shark-infested waters of the Pacific.

One of the pressing issues that the author focused on is the court hearing about the case. It was very evident that Admiral Halsey was guilty of committing a false decision and his actions during the tragedy were subject to court martial. Several testimonies from the survivors of the sunken ships were heard. Henderson was detailed about the proceedings at the court of inquiry. He raised several questions that were not asked during the court hearing. The authors background as a former Navy meteorologist gave insights on what the real deal is. Admiral Halsey was able to escape the imminent danger to his career. In fact, he was given more awards due to his service to the country, awards that he did not deserve at all.

Henderson was able to imbed in the minds of the readers those specific characteristics of the individuals involved. The story did not only show the clash between man and nature, but also man against man. The personnel on board USS Tabberer, especially the deck crew and the commander, demonstrated great leadership and courage in the face of imminent death. Their selflessness and great determination should serve as an inspiration to the future faces of the military. The story also showed that sometimes, defiance is a good thing to do provided that the acts are defiant.