Smokestack, that had to be a serious thrill. That is a memory you'll have the rest of your life.
It really was as I was able to get lots of photos of Pop onboard.
He traced all the details of the battle as well as he could recall.
He was just 19 years old at the time. He told me when the task force weighed anchors and starting steaming for the 'Pogada' style masts over the horizon, he thought their rudder was broken.
About 10 minutes into the battle, the Hoel was ordered to 'make smoke' to sheild the baby flat tops and troop carriers so they turned broadside to the Japanese Capital Ships and began being straddled with yellow, red and green salvo's from Kongo's 17" guns.
The Hoel survived over 30 direct hits mainly because the Kongo's armor piercing shells passed through the Hoel w/o detonating.
Pop was blown off his gun mount (twin 20 MM AA), came to on the deck, took shelter from a strafing aircraft in the radio shack then tried to go below to help his shipmates but couldn't get through because of the dead and dying.
He helped several of his shipmates over the side and to his dying day, recalling that memory made him mist up.
Pop often said the only reason he survived was because his battle station was above 5" gun mount #5, way above the water line. All personell below the water line died that day. 258 shipmates lost, 84 survivors.
Pop said the hardest part of the battle for him became surviving on the floater net for 3 days w/o sleep because of sharks. The net started w/18 survivors, 4 passing before rescue.
Pop was laid to rest at Arlington in 2010, so he's in real good company.
