The Course to Midway by Clyde Hedges

Author:Clyde Hedges
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Clyde Hedges
Published: 2019-04-23T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

HALSEY RETURNS FROM THE DOOLITTLE RAID

On May 26th, eight days after the American and Japanese fleets sailed in opposite directions ending the Battle for the Coral Sea, Admiral Halsey led Task Force 16 into Pearl Harbor. After the Doolittle Raid, Nimitz sent Halsey and his ships to the South Pacific with orders to remain in the vicinity in case Fletcher needed support. He dared not risk the Enterprise for there was a steady stream of intelligence from Rochefort's division that Yamamoto was preparing to attack closer to Oahu. Learning this, Nimitz ordered Halsey back to Pearl to make ready for this new threat. With the loss of the Lex and the Yorktown damaged, the Enterprise and Hornet were the only two operational carriers in the Pacific. Immediately upon docking, Nimitz sent for Halsey.

“Good afternoon, Chester,” Halsey said as he stuck his head inside the Admiral's door. Nimitz looked up from his paperwork and smiled. They had known each other for years, and were friends, and always worked on an informal basis. At first, Nimitz didn't notice, but when Halsey entered his office completely, he saw that Halsey's khakis, though tailored, hung limply from his shoulders and around his waist. He estimated that his senior carrier commander had lost at least twenty pounds since he last saw him, and he hadn't been over weight then. Halsey tried to smile, but stopped when he reached over his right shoulder and rubbed his upper back.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Bill?” Nimitz asked. Already, his stomach was reacting nervously.

“I've got a terrible rash, Chester. I feel all right, but the itching is driving me crazy. I can't sleep at night, and I find it difficult to concentrate.”

“You're checking into the hospital for an examination,” Nimitz told him as he stood and walked around his desk for a better view of his admiral.

“No, Chester, I can't. I have a war to fight just like you do. The same one, the last time I read in the newspapers. I want to head back out as soon as I put in provisions and refuel.”

“I know about the war and about your fuel and supply needs, but I don't know about your rash and health. It's the hospital for you,” Nimitz told him firmly.

Halsey's eyes dimmed and he frowned sadly. “Well, let me get a checkup first. Let's see if there's if there's something a doctor can prescribe that will give me some relief and keep me on active duty.”

“All right, I'll meet you half way. I'll have a skin specialist sent over, but first you have to recommend your replacement if I have to put you on sick leave.”

“Ray Spruance,” Halsey said without hesitation.

Nimitz considered Spruance, a rear admiral assigned to Halsey's task force, and a first-class destroyer and cruiser man, maybe the best in the navy. Like Halsey, Spruance was an officer Nimitz had known for years. “He's a great navy man, Bill, sharp as a tack and always ready to fight, but his expertise is with cruisers and destroyers.

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