Commanding Officer
and Division Commander
The USS COOLBAUGH, Destroyer Escort 217, was named in honor of
Lt. (Jg) Walter Wesley Coolbaugh, USNR, who distinguished himself in the air battles of the Coral Sea and was later
killed in training operations on the West Coast of the United States.
The ship was built at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, and Commissioned on 15 October, 1943. Lt. Comdr. L S. Kintberger,
USN, was the Commanding Officer, and Lt.Comdr. S. T. Hotchkiss, the Executive Officer. Both of these Officers were
later decorated for their achievements in the invasion of the Philippine Islands.
This vessel, which was the designated Flag Ship for Escort Division 36, conducted structural tests, firing and
radio direction finder calibration in lower Delaware Bay. During the week's run most of the time was spent working
on the DAK medium frequency direction finder under the cognizance of various BuShips engineers. The DAK was the
first ever to be installed aboard any naval vessel. All previous tests had been conducted in the laboratory.
Looking Forward
On 7 November, 1943, this vessel reported to the Commander-in-Chief U. S. Atlantic Fleet, and the Commander Fleet
Operational Training Command, U. S. Atlantic Fleet, and proceeded to Bermuda for one month ofshakedown exercises.
On 10 December, 1943, the ship left Bermuda for Philadelphia, and during the voyage encountered a violent storm.
On the afternoon of 12 December, the course was changed in order to search for the fishing trawler, "St. Peter,"
in accordance with a radio dispatch from Commander Eastern Sea Frontier. The following day the USS "Scotia"
and an aircraft joined in the search.
Late that afternoon the trawler, "St. Peter," was located and turned over to the USS "Scotia"
for towing into port. As a result of this successful mission this vessel on 14 December, received a dispatch of
commendation from Commander Eastern Sea Frontier.
Upon completion of scheduled availability in Philadelphia, the ship proceeded to Norfolk, Virginia, and then to
Cristobal, Panama Canal Zone, and from there to Balboa, Panama, reporting to the Commander-in-Chief Pacific Fleet
on 14 January, 1944.
Late that afternoon, as a unit of the Pacific Fleet, the COOLBAUGH sailed for Bora Bora, Society Islands, in company
with two other destroyer escorts and the USS "Azalia City," arriving 28 January, 1944, where she was
assigned to Admiral Halsey's Third Fleet.
Amidsbips
A long tour of active duty in the Pacific began, and the COOLBAUGH departed from the lovely Society Islands with
the USS "Lovelace" (DE 198) for Samoa. At Samoa the USS "Manning" (DE 199) joined, and the
group convoyed the USS "General George Squire" to Noumea, New Caledonia. However, thatsame evening, this
vessel was ordered to proceed independently in search of a Japanese submarine. The search continued for three days
without success and the ship at that time was ordered to Havannah Harbor, Efate Island, and from there to proceed
on to Guadalcanal as a patrol vessel.
A period of Amphibious Training was anticlimaxed by assignment to Purvis Bay, Tulagi, in the Solomon Islands. This
was just across the Indispensable Straights, which separated Tulagi from Guadalcanal and where a year ago the Japanese
and American Navies had bitterly battled.
The first change in Command occurred at this time when Lt. Comdr. S. T. Hotchkiss, USNR, relieved Comdr. L. S.
Kintberger, USN. For the ensuing six months Purvis Bay remained the base of operations from which the COOLBAUGH
was frequently called on for convoy duty to New Caledonia, Espiritu Santo, and the Marshall's, Gilbert, and Admiralty
Islands.
The Officers
This brought us to October, 1944, and nearly a year of
commissioned service. We were due for an annual overhaul and consequently on 7 October, left Purvis Bay en-route
for Pearl Harbor. On 10 October, our orders were cancelled and we were, instead, assigned to the Seventh Fleet,
and odered to proceed to Manus Island, Admiralty Islands. Upon arrival at Seeadler Harbor, Manus Island, we realized
that our forthcoming mission would be the initial invasion of the Philippine Islands. The harbor was crowded with
the Navy's newest Battleships, Cruisers and Aircraft Carriers. Thursday 12 October, 1944, at the
brake of dawn, the mighty Seventh Fleet's Task Force 77 consisting of six Battleships, three light Cruisers, three
heavy Cruisers, twelve "Jeep" Carriers, and seventeen Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts, with the USS
COOLBAUGH among them, got underway en-route to Leyte, Panaon, and Samar Islands in the central Philippines. On
17 October, the task force ran into the outer edge of a typhoon, and retired to the southeast to safeguard against
damage to small craft. That day the task force was divided into pre-arranged task groups and task units. This ship
with five other Destroyers and four "Jeep" Carriers was assigned to task unit 77.4.1, which was the southern
Carrier group of the three groups formed. The storm continued to rage, but the initial strike on Leyte began on
schedule.
20 October saw this task unit's first encounter with the enemy. An undetected Jap "Zeke", coming in on
the tail of a friendly flight suddenly dove and dropped two bombs on the USS "Santee" (CVE 29), both
of which missed. A few minutes later, two more "Zekes" were spotted off the port bow flying low over
the water. Both commenced strafing runs and this vessel opened fire. One plane burst into flames and fell into
the sea. The other plane continued on and was later engaged and shot down by one of our planes. No damage was suffered
by the task unit, and two jap planes were downed.
The Chiefs
The next four days brought no enemy activity, but Destroyers
were kept busy rescuing our pilots who had crashed into the sea in returning from strikes. On the 25th of October,
our task unit witnessed the first Jap suicide
plane of the War. Early that day Jap planes dove into the USS "Santee" and USS "Suwannee,"
and an hour later the "Santee" was torpedoed. While we were under attack by planes, the northern Carrier
group was being shelled by the enemy fleet. The second battle of the Philippine Sea was under way. The outcome
was the end of the Japanese Fleet as an effective fighting unit. That evening the COOLBAUGH contacted an enemy
submarine. The submarine, whose periscope was plainly visible on this moonlight night, passed along the starboard
side and under our fantail. The COOLBAUGH'S quick attack was successful and the jap sub was blown high in the air.
Whereupon we were temporarily detached from the task unit to obtain oil specimens and rejoined the group the following
morning. It was but moments later that the task group again was under enemy plane attack, and of the three attacking
planes, one successfully completed a suicide dive into the deck of the "Suwannee" (CVE), which immediately
burst into flames. While the "Suwannee" fought to control its raging fires, this ship recovered 91 of
its survivors. With the fires extinguished, the "Suwannee" with the COOLBAUGH departed from the Carrier
group and headed for the Palau Islands. There the wounded survivors were transferred to a hospital ship.
The Crew
The ensuing two months were spent on convoy duty in the New Guinea, Manus, and the Philippine area. Then on 3 January,
1945, the COOLBAUGH departed from Hollandia, New Guinea, en-route to Lingayen Gulf, Luzon Island, Philippine Islands,
on the invasion to liberate Manila and Bataan, as an anti-submarine screening unit for the troop transports. Upon
arrival, this ship remained in the area on antiaircraft and Submarine patrol for two weeks and was then detached
to aid in conveying a flotilla of LST supply ships to Lingayen Gulf. The late afternoon of the seventh day of the
voyage to Lingayen Gulf saw our second encounter with an enemy submarine. It was but seconds after the underwater
contact was reported that this ship proceeded to attack. The first run produced a hit and soon the sea was blackened
from fuel oil seeping upward. Subsequent runs produced more oil flow, and at nightfall the attack was ordered abandoned
and we rejoined the convoy.
Convoy duty in the Philippines ceased on 28 February, at which time we left the area for Ulithi, Caroline Islands,
and from there to proceed with a task group for Iwo Jima. The USS COOLBAUGH arrived at Iwo Jima early in March
and remained in that area the entire month. After the Island was secured it proceeded with a convoy of the victorious
Marines, departing on Easter Sunday, and arriving, in Pearl Harbor, Hawaiian Islands, the day our late President
died.
At Pearl Harbor we were attached to the Submarine Training Command. It was here that we had our second change of'
Command, when Lt. Comdr. Stanley E. Zimmerman, U.S.N.R, relieved Lt.Comdr. Hotchkiss, USNR.
The Band
With the training command this ship participated in the perfection of mail pick-up service at sea by airplane,
and also new methods of warfare to increase the efficiency and safety of our Submarine Fleet.During operations
in this capacity the ship distinguished itself as the most effective of the anti-
submarine units engaged in that work. Several weeks were also spent with various baby flattops providing plane
guard services for the training and safety of new naval aviators.
Twenty-three months after its commissioning, the USS COOLBAUGH returned to the United States of America for a major
overhaul including repairs and alterations, and conversion to five-inch battery, and for subsequent duty in full
commission with the Atlantic Fleet.
