NAVY'S HUSHED-UP TRAGEDY AT WEST LOCH

Sea Classics, Nov 2005 by Oliver, A Alan

Yet, despite the total confusion, swirling smoke, and horror of the calamity, a few of the LSTs mustered enough crewmen to slip their lines and make a dash to safety from the searing holocaust. Some were aided by rescue tugs; others made it on their own. Still others - ablaze from bow to stern and totally abandoned - now drifted free of their moorings only to run aground or become menaces to other vessels before they sank or capsized in mid-channel. Several LSTs were unable to get their diesels on line before the smoke asphyxiated the men. Trapped, hapless bluejackets could only make the best of it struggling to keep their vessels afloat via bucket brigades, or whatever means could be mustered.

HELP ARRIVES FROM PEARL

With assistance arriving from Pearl Harbor in the form of rescue tugs and salvage ships equipped with gasoline smothering foam or chemical fire-fighting gear, the seesawing battle against the flames slowly began to be won. Yet, despite the massive rescue effort, explosions and fires continued to ravage the scattered ships well past sundown; the last occurring aboard blistered and sinking LST-39 at 2230.

As a mile-long phalanx of ambulances raced from Honolulu and Pearl Harbor bringing doctors, nurses and emergency aid, the awesome toll of the tragedy became apparent. Lying under tarps or blankets were the bodies of 392 dead; 163 sailors, the rest young Marines from the newly formed 2nd and 4th Marine Divisions. Filling hastily rigged shoreside aid stations and the Depot's small sickbay were nearly 400 seriously injured men suffering from burns, shock, broken bones and shrapnel wounds. Another 86 walking wounded were treated and released for duty. In the confusion, casualties to Army personnel unfortunately were not recorded.

With the dawn of a new day, the full loss became evident. In fireravaged West Loch, six LSTs had sunk, two of them carrying already loaded LCTs. Four LSTs were so seriously damaged they could not be repaired in time to participate in the forthcoming invasion. Two had gone aground and five others were superficially damaged but still fit for duty. Tragic as it was, casualties would have been much higher if the LSTs had been fully manned, or had not most of the Marines already departed aboard transports headed for the Marianas.

WHO WAS TO BLAME?: THE INQUIRY BEGINS

With the death toll and casualties still mounting, the unexplained nature of the explosions caused the Navy to clamp an immediate and complete blackout on the incident. No word was leaked to the press; a TOP SECRET stamp affixed to the official inquiry. Survivors and eyewitnesses to the calamity were warned under threat of prosecution not to make any mention of the disaster in letters or calls to family members. To the outside world the tragedy at West Loch simply never happened.

Although first reactions within the military hierarchy considered some form of Japanese submarine attack as the possible cause, the depth of West Loch's waters, anti-submarine nets and West Loch's convoluted entryway soon dismissed this theory as impractical. Yet despite the lid of total secrecy, rumors and gossip ran rampant among eyewitnesses in the quest to determine what had actually happened. Was it sabotage? Had B-17 Army bombers mistakenly dropped bombs on West Loch? Did blame lay with overworked Army stevedores who became careless, or over fatigued in the mid-day heat? Or, may it have been a case of a sailor's grudging revenge against a hated shipmate gone awry? No one knew.