Claude Diehl

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Claude Diehl YMC 3rd C (living in Portland, Oregon) Thursday, June 19, 2003

Sinking of the USS Pringle
I REMEMBER ........... April 16,1945 Okinawa.
(Also 4 days after my birthday and the death of President Roosevelt)

I remember the morning the suicide planes attacked the Pringle. One dived into mid ship and the explosion knocked me backwards as I was just handing off a powder shell for the 5-inch gun......... Somehow I crawled thru a hole out to the deck, and quickly realized this was worse than the suicide plane hit we got at Mindoro in the Philippines. At that moment I felt the ship starting to break in two. Not having a lifebelt, since the canvas wraparound seemed inadequate, I gave up carrying it around. At that moment, I spied a rope cargo net fastened to the rail above me. The problem was it had been painted over so many times my knife wouldn't cut it loose. Then fortunately another crew member saw me and rushed up to help cut it loose and we got it overboard. We started swimming away from the middle of the ship pulling the net as fast as we could swim.

I remember a sad part at this time, guys trapped below and knocking on the bulkheads for help that we couldn't do anything about. I remember as the screw is about to disappear, one of the fellows clinging to the screw yelling he couldn't swim. We yelled at him to jump and we would get him to the net. We also picked up four fellows who had been scalded coming up the ladder from the fire-room when the steam lines broke from the explosion. Was difficult to help them to the middle of the cargo net because touching any part of them tore the flesh.., they were scalded so badly.

I remember clinging to the outer ring of the net for a few minutes at a time and then swimming out, treading water for a few minutes before returning grasping the net again. This helped keep the badly burned guys on the top area of the net, although the load was causing the net to sink a foot or two below the waterline. The current in the ocean didn't help.

I remember the time seemed endless. I remember all the objects, trash, etc. floating by

I remember planes still strafing. I remember some of the shouts

I remember gunfire, which later I learned was not only from anti-plane fire from the USS Hobson, but also from 50 caliber machineguns warding off sharks around us.

I remember the USS Hobson DMS coming to pick us up. I remember being hoisted on deck and looking thru a hole in the deck at a Jap engine from the plane that had hit the Hobson.

I remember the guys drying out what currency they pulled out of their dungarees.
Me... I came on board the Hobson with only my dungaree pants, my knife, a bottle opener, and the keys to the engineering log room, strapped to my belt.

The keys and bottle opener are hanging in my den as my only souvenirs.

C. Diehl, YMC 3rd C...........................