Full Naval Honors: The Final Novel of Peter Wake and His Descendants by Robert Macomber

Author:Robert Macomber
Format: epub

45

The Signal

USS Roseate Spoonbill (AMG 57)

Pago Pago, American Samoa

_______

Sunday, 7 December 1941

It was, as usual, raining. The rising sun was a faint and diffused light in the watery sky. Normally, half the crew would be released to attend Sunday services ashore. But this Sunday wasn’t normal.

Everything took longer than Robert had anticipated: last-minute repairs, finding spares, provisioning, refueling, loading ammunition, obtaining medicines and medical equipment, getting charts for the areas they might be ordered, rechecking the gyro-compass, gun maintenance, and myriad other things. Starting at 0500 on Saturday and for twenty-four hours straight, every enlisted man and officer in every department and section was busy.

Fresh beef, pork, fruit, and ice cream filled the refrigerator/freezers. Each of the two 3-inch guns now had 150 rounds in the magazine; each of the two .50-caliber machine guns had 5,000 rounds; and the ship’s twenty ancient M1903 Springfield rifles had 80 rounds each. The ship’s four fuel bunkers were filled to the top.

After loading the supplies, all hands turned in the other direction and began lugging nonessential or flammable items off the ship, adding them to the growing pile on the pier. Finally, at ten o’clock on Sunday morning, every item on the checklist was crossed off.

Wake had just ordered his men to resume routine watches when Lieutenant Gorston pulled up in the supply depot truck. Looking quite pleased with himself, he called up to Wake on Rosie’s bridge, “Sir! I found four depth charges! They’re old but they might still work.”

Before Wake had time to respond, the governor’s car careened down the road from Government House with Governor-Captain Wild at the helm. He skidded to a stop in front of the ship, leapt out, hurried up the gangway, saluted the colors, and climbed the ladder to the bridge. The entire crew stopped where they stood and watched.

A grim Governor Wild informed Wake, “A Pacific-wide war notification in regular code just came into the relay station. The Japs made a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor two hours ago. There are no details yet, but damage is expected to be major. I’ve already mobilized our Fita Fita Home Guard and placed them under Lieutenant Markle.”

The news stunned Wake. Hawaii? Not the Philippines? How did they get so far without being detected? “I was going to do a sea trial today, but this changes everything. Any orders come in for Rosie, sir?”

“None came through. But I’d suggest you get to sea as soon as possible. You’re a sitting duck here if—” He sighed. “No, when the Japs come.”

As the Samoan area station ship, Rosie was officially part of the Pacific Fleet, headquartered in Hawaii. “They’ll probably need us at fleet headquarters, so we’ll head north for Pearl, sir.”

“Good idea,” said Wild, quickly doing the math in his head. “That’s 2,600 miles. If you can keep Rosie at eight to ten knots, you should be there around the eighteenth to twentieth. I’ll send a signal to expect you then. You’ll be in their wireless range by the twelfth or so.

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