US Marine Corps - The Black Vault

560 Amphibians Came To Conquer
was struck by three torpedoes fired by enemy submarine and sank stern lirst
in thirty seconds in 340 fathoms of water. . . .28
This report is dated 4 July 1943. Commander Rodgers reported:
If requisitioned damage control materiel had been delivered, damage control
might have been accomplished. However, due to low priority, delay up to 18
months has been experienced.
In the last sentence of this report, “Speed” Rodgers added a spirited plea
that there be:
Full realization that attack transports are combat ships and they should be
so classified.
A senior Army observer of the torpedoing of the McCawley, Lieutenant
General M. F. Harmon, oilicially reported his observances to COMSOPAC
as follows:
1 was standing on the port wing of the bridge and at about this time
( 1555-1600) observed torpedo release against the AP just astern of McCuwley
in our column. It looked like a perfect attack and I was anxiously awaiting
the subsequent detonation when someone said ‘Here it comes.’ I glanced out to
port, saw the approaching track and soon realized that it was going to be a
hit—I thought just aft of the bridge. Glancing back at the next ship in line,
I saw she had apparently not been hit, ducked away from the rail, crouched
down with a yeoman-like grip on a stanchion and awaited the explosion. It
came after a longer interval than I had anticipated; the ship gave quite a
lurch, something big went over the port side from high above (maybe the
top of the funnel) together with some odd bits and pieces and we listed
quickly and sharply to port, Instinctively I moved starboard direction and
heard the command ‘Trim Ship.’ On reaching the starboard rail a torpedo
track was running about forty feet out at a slight converging angle to our
bow and across our bow. It cleared us handily and missed the ship ahead
though it looked bad for a moment or two.2g
On the day before the McCawley report was written, Rear Admiral
Wilkinson submitted his oficial report to COMPHIBFOR, Third Fleet:
At 1900 I concluded that the chances of McCawley surviving the night
were slim, that I would remove the remaining personnel, but that I would
tow until she actually sank. . . . Unfortunately the Pmvzee lost the tow at
2000. . . . At 2023 the McCawley was struck by two torpedoes. . . . She was
seen to sink by the stern shortly thereafter.
The source of the torpedoes was not seen, but within a few seconds after
McCawley was struck, two torpedo wakes were seen approaching McCaila.
* McCuwley Action Report, Ser 002a of 4 Jul. 1943.
a COMGENSOPAC to COMSOPAC, memorandum, 11 Jul. 1943.