David Leroy Hibbs, Sr.
BM 2/c David Leroy Hibbs, Sr.
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On August 28, 1942, David was transferred to Pier 92 Sub Chaser pool in New York, New York. Arriving in the dark with his sea bag, hammock and mattress all in one unit slung over his shoulder, David reported to Pier 92 which rumor had it at the time was run by the Admiral’s wife. On September 14, 1942, David was sent to the SCTC (Submarine Chaser Training Center) in Miami, Florida. There were three piers busy with activity in Miami. One was being used by the Coast Guard, one by the Navy, and the third for commercial purposes. Dave, being with the Navy, was on Pier #2. The Navy took over five hotels in downtown Miami to accommodate this influx of men. Dave’s primary duty with the Seaman Guard was the security of the property taken over by the military. A Marine lieutenant was in charge of this group and drilled them as such. The men slept on the pier, which was infested with cockroaches. The best part of this duty was the “non-typical Navy chow.” Meals were served at Mannings, a high-class restaurant taken over by the Navy, with linen napkins, sterling silver, and excellent food. Finally a directive was issued giving any man who had served in the Guard for six months or more the option to volunteer for sea duty, which David decided to do. In July 1943 he went to Norfolk, Virginia for training to board a ship. He remained in Norfolk until August 13, 1943 when he was sent to the Naval Receiving Station in New Orleans, Louisiana. David was assigned to the USS Bunch DE-694 as a first class seaman. This Destroyer Escort was built by the DeFoe Shipbuilding Company in Bay City, Michigan. The ship was named after Kenneth Cecil Bunch, 1st Class Navy Aviation Radioman. Bunch was attached to the aircraft carrier USS Hornet. He was killed on June 6, 1945 at the Battle of Midway while flying in Scouting Squadron Eight. The USS Bunch was christened in Michigan and commissioning of the ship as DE 694 occurred on August 21, 1943 in New Orleans. Built for convoy duty, it was equipped with radar and sonar, torpedo tubes, hedge hogs, depth charges, one 1.1 gun, three 3-inch fifties and six 20mm guns. The USS Bunch made six round trips to Londonderry, Ireland from October 1943 to July 1944. During the first trip to Ireland, a large crack developed on deck which prompted the captain to announce that the ship was not seaworthy and would never make another trip on the North Atlantic. They made five more trips anyway by welding the crack. Several times the crack became larger, which required additional welding. At the time, Ireland was divided into two sections – a free state which was neutral during World War II and the British state which had control of Londonderry. The sailors were not allowed to go to the free state port of Ireland or they would be interned as a combatant for the duration of the war. At times there were fifty to sixty ships in a convoy with six to twelve escorts such as the USS Bunch in each convoy dropping depth charges on sonar contacts. Serving in the North Atlantic qualified David to receive war pay. During the fifth trip overseas, the USS Bunch was pulled out of convoy duty and sent to Plymouth, England where it was assigned to the invasion fleet. While at Plymouth, barrage balloons were tethered to the ships to avoid strafing by enemy aircraft. Prior to the invasion of Normandy, France in June 1944, the USS Bunch developed an excessive vibration in the screw (propeller shaft) and was sent to dry-dock in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, for inspection and repairs. The USS Rich, DE-695, was sent in to replace the Bunch. Unfortunately, the USS Rich struck three mines and sank. Sixty men were killed, forty were missing in action, and many others suffered serious injuries. As for the USS Bunch in dry-dock, nothing was found that caused the vibration in the screw. The USS Bunch was then assigned to escort a convoy returning to the United States. In the fall of 1944, the USS Bunch was sent to the Staten Island Navy Yard for three months to be converted into an Attack Personnel Destroyer (APD). To convert this ship from a DE to an APD, the torpedo tubes and motor whaleboat were removed to make room for four LCVPs (amphibious vehicles) and an underwater demolition team (UDT) of 84 men and 12 officers. The 1.1 gun was replaced with twin 40 millimeter guns and four 20 millimeter guns were added. The forward 3”/50 was replaced with a closed mount 5”/38. On December 26, 1944 the USS Bunch, now known as APD 79, entered into the Pacific Fleet by way of the Panama Canal. By virtue of crossing the international dateline, Dave became a member of the Royal Order of the Golden Dragon. In the company of one or two other ships, they sailed to Pearl Harbor and Guam. Their mission was to reach Okinawa with the underwater demolition team (UDT-21). In more recent years, the underwater demolition teams were renamed and became the Navy Seals. The UDT-21 was responsible for blowing up underwater obstacles to clear the way for landings. When not involved in demolition work, the Bunch served on the radar picket line to detect enemy planes approaching from Japan. While at Okinawa, all the ships, including Dave’s, were under air attack. During these attacks smoke screens were often used to hide the ships from enemy pilots. Beginning on March 26, 1945 Marine and Army personnel went ashore to assault and capture the island of Iheay Shima, Aguni Shima, Kume Shima, and Okinawa. While at the islands, the sailors were always at battle stations. The Japanese planes flew overhead every hour to prevent the crews of the ships from getting any sleep. A sister ship of the USS Bunch, the USS Bates, was sunk in Okinawa. Since many ships were firing at the same airplanes, there was uncertainty as to who actually hit a plane. To make aiming easier on Dave’s twenty millimeter gun, every third shell in the gun was a tracer. The United States Navy lost more men and ships while in Okinawa than in any other engagement. The Japanese were relentless in their destruction of Allied ships. Their swimmers put bombs with propellers below the waterline. They were attached with suction cups. As the ship got underway and the propeller would turn so many revolutions, the bombs detonated. On April 2, 1945, an old four stack destroyer, the USS Dickerson, was hit by a suicide plane. The USS Bunch pulled up alongside her to put out the fire and rescued sixty-seven survivors. From May 2 to May 22, 1945, the USS Bunch got a reprieve from the action in Okinawa to do convoy duty for merchant ships going to Guam. Then it was back to Okinawa and more kamikaze attacks. Okinawa was declared secured on June 21, 1945. On July 2, 1945 the Bunch sailed for San Pedro, California. The APD 79 stopped in Maui, Hawaii for provisions. The Bunch was credited with four enemy planes and one suicide boat and the rescue of downed RAF airmen. Having accumulated 43.5 points, David was transferred from the USS Bunch to a receiving station at Camp Elliott located in San Diego, California. The date was August 27, 1945. On September 26, 1945 Dave took a train to Philadelphia on leave to expire October 17. To be eligible for discharge a sailor needed to accumulate a total of forty-five points during his military services. Various points were given for being married, having children, and spending time overseas or stateside. He was discharged at the Naval Yard in Philadelphia on October 23, 1945. Dave was a Second Class boatswain mate when his military days were over. For Dave’s service to his country he received medals for Good Conduct, the Asiatic Pacific Campaign with two Battle Stars, the European-African-Middle East Campaign Medal with one Battle Star, the World War II Victory Medal, the American Campaign, and the Philippine Liberation Bar. At the time of his discharge for service during World War II, Dave also received two honorable discharge emblems and a lapel button. Often referred to as a Ruptured Duck. These recollections of the World War II military service of David Hibbs were written as told by him to Joseph Kaehler on June 25, 1999. Postscript: David later learned that if Japan had not surrendered when the atomic bombs were dropped, the USS Bunch was scheduled to engage in Operation Olympic on X-4 Day. November 1, 1945, or X-Day, was to begin the invasion of southern Kyushiu, Japan. Thanks to President Truman’s decision to drop the bombs, David and thousands of others on both sides returned home alive. |
Sitting in a
restaurant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, David Hibbs heard the news
of the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. The date was Sunday,
December 7, 1941. Working for Western Union at the time, this
twenty-one year old native of Rockledge, Pennsylvania, signed up for
the draft. On July 18, 1942, instead of waiting to be drafted, he
joined the Navy. The terms of the enlistment were for two years or
the duration of the war. On July 20, 1942, young David reported to
Newport, Rhode Island for boot camp at the Naval Training Center.
Training at the center normally took three months, but the need for
men to enter the war cut this time down to five or six weeks.
