[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 100 (Wednesday, June 30, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1254-E1255]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        HONORING THE USS McCAWLEY (APA 4) SURVIVORS ASSOCIATION

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ADAM H. PUTNAM

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 30, 2010

  Mr. PUTNAM. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the USS McCawley 
(APA 4) Survivors Association as they commemorate the 67th anniversary 
of the sinking of the ``Mighty Wacky Mac.'' Last weekend, these members 
of America's ``greatest generation'' gathered together for a reunion in 
Florida to commemorate a fateful day in their lives.
  Named after the eighth Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, the USS 
McCawley was commissioned in September, 1940 and received five battle 
stars for its service in World War II.
  In the summer of 1942, McCawley sailed from the Atlantic Ocean 
through the Panama Canal and joined the Amphibious Force, South Pacific 
where she became the flagship of the Force commander, Rear Admiral 
Richmond K.

[[Page E1255]]

Turner. On August 7, 1942, McCawley participated in the counterinvasion 
of Guadalcanal, the first Allied amphibious operation of the Pacific 
War. McCawley continued to unload needed cargo even as nearby U.S. and 
Allied ships were lost or damaged and managed to destroy three to four 
enemy aircraft. According to Naval records, ``over the following six 
months, McCawley made several transport voyages into the fiercely 
contested waters near Guadalcanal, taking in personnel and materiel 
that contributed to securing the island in February, 1943.''
  Unfortunately, on the afternoon of June 30, 1943, at the start of a 
campaign to seize the island of New Georgia, McCawley was attacked by 
enemy aircraft. McCawley's gunfire brought down four planes; but an 
aerial torpedo struck McCawley's engineroom, killing 15 of her crew, 
and shut off all power.
  Shortly after the crew was rescued by the USS Ralph Talbot (DD 390), 
McCawley was attacked by dive bombers, but little damage was done after 
the remaining salvage party manned the guns and successfully struck one 
of the three attacking planes. Later that afternoon, the salvage party 
boarded the USS McCalla (DD 488), and pulled away from the damaged ship 
with all remaining hands safely accounted for.
  That night, the final blow came when McCawley was again torpedoed and 
sank 340 fathoms in a matter of seconds. According to the Department of 
the Navy, ``the following day it was learned that six U.S. motor 
torpedo boats had torpedoed an `enemy' transport in Blanche Channel, 
after having been informed there were no friendly forces in the area. 
USS McCawley's loss to `friendly fire' led to the urgent imposition of 
measures to reduce the risk of further such accidents.''
  June 30th, 1943, was an unforgettable day in the lives of these 
sailors, and as the remaining survivors gather in Florida this weekend 
to remember that fateful day, I ask my colleagues in the House of 
Representatives to join me in honoring their service.

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