Battle of Cape
Esperance
Monument Re-Dedication
Speech read by Bob Swanson, USS Farenholt DD491, on June 17,
2000
The monument
dedicated to DD491 shipmates.
During the first 10 months of the war in the Pacific, our
Navy had been on the defensive since the bombing of Pearl Harbor had struck
the Pacific Fleet a serious blow.
The Japanese were on the offensive. One by one our
territories were conquered. It wasn’t until after the Battle of Midway, when
the enemy was threatening Australia, that our leaders decided to go on the
offensive. This occurred when it
was discovered that the enemy was building a airstrip on a island in a strange
part of the world. Most of us had
never heard of Guadalcanal.
The Allies put together a large fleet of battleships,
cruisers, destroyers, tankers, supply vessels, and troop ships. This operation took some time to
organize and we finally landed on Guadalcanal on 7th August with no
resistance, except for some daylight enemy air raids. However that night, US forces faced
one of their worst losses in history as cruisers Vincennes, Quincy, Astoria,
and Canberra were lost off Guadalcanal in battle with the Japanese Fleet.
After this defeat our forces only supplied and reinforced
the Marines only during the day so as not to have to face the aggressive
Japanese fleet, which was adept to night fighting. With fighter cover from Henderson
field, US forces held their own.
The Japanese replenished their forces on Guadalcanal by
using fast vessels such as cruisers or destroyers earning this supply like the
name, “Tokyo Express”. ComSoPac
instructed Admiral Scott to greet the Tokyo Express with his force of cruisers
--San Francisco, Boise, Helena and Salt Lake City. Backing the cruiser force
was DesRon 12 (Farenholt, McCalla, Duncan, Laffey, and Buchanan).
The force of Japanese
vessels consisted of three heavy cruisers and two destroyers. They were on a
mission to bombard Henderson Field. We were there to meet them and the Battle
of Cape Experience occurred about midnight October 1lth.
The cruiser Helena
opened fire at 2346 October, 11th 1942 and all other US vessels followed suit.
Confusion commonly results during a night surface engagement, and we had to
depend on our night vision, which was wiped out by the gun flashes. Our two
light cruisers had surface radar and were firing at any target that appeared
to be an enemy whereas the Duncan and Farenholt were hit by friendly fire. The
battle ended at 0245 October 12.
Our losses were the
Duncan sunk with the Salt Lake City, Boise and the Farenholt having been
damaged and were required to go back to the Navy Yards for repairs. The
Farenholt and Salt Lake City went to Pearl Harbor
while the Boise went
to Philadelphia for repairs. Our task force lost a total of 163 killed and 125
wounded.
The Japanese losses
were: the cruiser Furutaka, and the destroyer Fubuki sunk with the cruiser
Aoba requiring extensive repairs.
The Japanese casualties were 454 killed, 3 taken prisoner and
unspecified number of wounded.
While the battle
seemed to be a draw, we did succeed in sending their vessels away from
Guadalcanal. This battle was the beginning of many more vicious encounters
between our forces, resulting in over fifty warships being sunk off the shores
of Guadalcanal. The area between Guadalcanal and Salvo Island is called "Iron
Bottom Sound."
It has been nearly
fifty-eight years since we experienced our first taste of battle. We were
young men, then, and more engagements were ahead of us. I was 21 years old, a
Signalman, newly rated second class. Now, we are old, most of us in our
seventies or eighties. Today, we look back on our experiences and remember our
shipmates. We are gathered here today to give them tribute. The monument
erected here serves as a way to let others know that they too, passed through
life and gave their all. So, let us remember these three Farenholt shipmates
who helped give the American people a period of prosperity .
Now, we remember these
three shipmates and honor them for letting us be part of their
life.
Others knew these men
and have memories which they have shared with me. Others never had the
opportunity to know them as they were only remembered as someone who passed on
years ago leaving old pictures, letters and stories and memories.
Buchanan, Mack BM2/c USN KILLED IN ACTION
We remember Mack
Buchanan when he was with us as a good sailor on the deck force who came
aboard the Farenholt with the commissioning crew as a newly rated Bm3/c,
called a “Coxswain." He did his job well and was just promoted to Bm2/c
shortly before the battle. I remember talking with him and found that he was
concerned about his family, back in West Virginia, and sent them a good part
of his pay to help. He never mentioned a girl friend, or wife, so never left
anyone except his parent and family.
Mack was a "pointer”
on the 1.1 “ anti-aircraft gun located close to the secondary control, where
the Executive Officer, phone talker and a quartermaster were stationed. He was
killed by shrapnel just after we commenced firing. (This exploding shell was
responsible for most of the deaths and wounded) . I am sorry that I have no
more information about Mack.
SERAFINI, ROBERT SN, USNR KILLED IN ACTION
ROBERT was a seaman on
the deck force, and was at his battle station on the bridge. Shrapnel killed
him instantly. I did not know him well. Others knew him, but information is
scarce. He enlisted in New York. Came aboard for the commissioning as a SA,
fresh out of boot camp.
NAPIER,
ARBA CTM USN KILLED IN ACTION
Chief Napier was well
liked by all of us that had the privilege to serve with him. As Chief
Torpedoman it was his responsibility to keep his part of the Farenholt's
offensive weapons ready for battle. Many of us, found him to be a good leader,
even though we were much younger, as he was born in 1909! He joined the Navy
in 1927 and was a Chief, when he came aboard.
His great niece,
Carolyn Bryant who is here, with her family, today, represents him. She has
inherited Chief Napier's service records and has much information she shared
about him.
The following
information is quoted from Mrs. Bryant’s letter to us. It gives us a good
background of his life and Navy career
"UNCLE BABE"
Arba Napier was the
youngest of eleven children. Six of his brothers and sisters died at young
ages. Arba's nickname among family members was "Babe" because he was eleven
years younger than his youngest sibling. So we know him as "Uncle Babe."
Arba was born in
Schuyler, Nebraska on Nov. 14, 1909. While still a child, he moved to Scotts
Bluff, Nebraska.
He first enlisted on
Feb. 14, 1927 in Denver, Colorado. He gave his age 18 (he was 17). He was
following in the footsteps of his brother, Lloyd, who had served in the Navy
during World War I. By 1932, he was a Torpedoman 2/c, and he re-enlisted in
San Diego. By 1939 he was a Torpedoman l/c and he re-enlisted aboard the USS
Yorktown in Bremerton, Washington.
Arba was assigned to
the commissioning crew of the USS Farenholt in 1942. The men in "0" division
looked up to him because he was older and an experienced Navy man. By this
time he also had a fiancée waiting for him in San Diego. He served aboard the
following ships:
USS Marcus (WW1 four
stack DD), USS Talbot (WW1 four stack DD), USS Tarbell (WW1 four stack DD),
USS Greer (WW1 four stack DD), USS Whitney (Destroyer Tender), USS Pensacola
(Heavy Cruiser), USS Yorktown (Aircraft Carrier), and USS FARENHOLT, where he
was KIA
Shipmates that
attended the ceremony:
--Carolyn Bryant, her
husband, two children and cousin Jennifer Hartranft (Grand Niece of Alba
Napier)
--Capt Arthur
Fisher
--Thomas Fuller and
wife Erika
--Gal Garcia, wife
Rose, and daughter Margo
--Bob Garwitz and wife
Elly
--Don
Hallam
--E. Stanley Hawkins
and wife Marcia
--E. Kenneth McShane
and daughter Barbara Lindsay
--Ford
Richardson
--Bob Swanson, son
Eric, and granddaughter Dianne Shultz
Related Information
Cape Esperance
Dedication ceremony photo.
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