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Groseclose William Preston

On joining the service: I did not want to be left out of action.

On the Navy food: I was lucky, I loved beans, and we had plenty of them.

On “chow” time: We had to eat fast and move out so the next group of sailors could eat.

On time at sea: For one stretch during the Pacific Island campaigns, we went 75 days

without being in port. We were steaming and shelling islands and picking up

pilots.

On his locker: We only had the clothes we were wearing and, in our locker, a set of the

clothes we were going to wear plus shaving gear and a picture of family. Too

little room!

On the heat: We frequently slept on deck for relief from stifling heat below deck.

On his job: I had to help keep the ship functioning electrically. Every hit the ship

took caused an electrical problem of some sort. We slept when we could.

Showers: Occasionally we were able to take freshwater showers. Fresh water was

precious. We could use all the salt water we wanted for showers.

In battle: There were hundreds of planes in the sky! At first, I wanted to watch

everything that was happening, but I had a job to do too.

In the typhoons: The most frightening moments of my life.

Reflecting on his service: I was glad to serve my country.

 

Bill Groseclose had experienced storms while on the Destroyer USS Brush but nothing to compare to the ferocious typhoon that struck on December 14, 1944. During the storm his ship rolled so violently that Groseclose literally stood on the bulkheads (walls) of his compartment and was concerned that each roll might go past the point of no return and the ship capsize. “The most frightening moments of my life,” says Groseclose. USS Brush was in imminent danger of capsizing, but the skillful handling of her skipper saved the ship and the lives of her crew. This is but one event in a three-year Navy experience that will live in Groseclose’ memory forever.

Groseclose was born in Pulaski Virginia in 1925 and after graduating from high school joined the US Navy in April of 1943 at the age of 17. Several of Groseclose’ friends had already joined, and he did not want to be left out of a shooting war. After enlisting, he was assigned to the University of North Carolina in the V12 program, which essentially was college training for potential officer personnel. Groseclose felt if he stayed in that program, he would not see active duty during the war, so he volunteered to enter Navy boot camp at Bainbridge, Maryland. Boot camp trained him generally for shipboard duty. After further training as an Electrician’s Mate, he reported to another destroyer for duty. However, the USS Brush, in process of being commissioned, needed this skill so he was transferred to the Brush in January 1944, where he stayed until April of 1946.

The Brush was commissioned for active duty with the fleet on April 17, 1944. Prophetically, during the commissioning ceremony, the new captain said “this ship will take you to Tokyo Bay”. After her shake-down cruise, 18-year-old Bill Groseclose went to war in the Pacific on the USS Brush. The Brush participated in every naval strike against Japanese held islands after she reported to Admiral Nimitz’s Pacific fleet command in mid-1944. The primary duties of the Brush were to shell the Japanese held islands during invasions, protect the aircraft carriers, and act as an airplane guard, picking up downed pilots. In many cases, the Brush had the sad experience of picking up pilots, dead in their life rafts.

Groseclose reported several kamikaze planes targeting the Brush, with one crashing just 50 feet away. The gun crew successfully shot down many attackers. Kamikazes heavily damaged and sank major ships; four Brush crewmembers died in Pacific combat.

On December 14, 1944, the first of what became known as “Halsey’s hurricanes” struck and while the Brush survived, three destroyers foundered or capsized, going down with all crewmembers. This was a tragic loss of over 900 men. Another typhoon struck on June 5, 1945, of such intensity that it took the bow off the USS Pittsburgh, a heavy cruiser, and like sardine cans, rolled back the flight decks of some aircraft carriers. The Brush later found the bow of the USS Pittsburgh floating in the water and it was retrieved.

On July 21, 1945, Groseclose participated in one of the most daring raids to take place in World War II. Destroyer Squadron 61 including the Brush, and eight other destroyers were detached from Admiral Halsey’s famous Task Force 38 to conduct anti shipping action against the Japanese inside Tokyo Bay. This was the first and only surface raid during WWII inside Tokyo Bay. The group of nine destroyers steamed behind the aftermath of a raging typhoon and at dusk, near the mouth of Tokyo Bay, began a 31-knot run into the bay. It was 11:30 PM when Brush’s radar showed four Japanese vessels close to shore and heading out to sea. The squadron maneuvered to attack, closing to 2500 yards. At midnight, the Brush fired two torpedoes, and the other ships fired two torpedoes. There were 18 torpedoes streaking toward the Japanese vessels. The Japanese had been under air attack earlier in the evening so when the torpedoes struck, the Japanese began firing their anti-aircraft guns at what they thought could only be aircraft. It did not occur to the Japanese defenders that The US Navy would be so audacious as to make a naval surface strike at the very doorstep of Japan. Two cargo ships were sunk, one heavily damaged and one patrol vessel badly damaged. There was no damage to the destroyers. The attack over, the destroyers made a high-speed run back to Task Force 38.

The Brush later returned to Tokyo Bay on September 14 after the signing of the official surrender documents on September 2. After an additional eight months on Brush, Groseclose was discharged and returned home and continued his education under the G.I. GI Bill, graduating from Hampden Sydney College. His career was in retailing and was, for many years, the manager of the Fieldcrest Mills Retail stores. Groseclose and his wife Ellen have three daughters and three grandchildren. He says his time in the Navy was well spent during a very historic and defining period in the 20^th century. As expressed by so many other WWII veterans, Groseclose says he was proud to have served his country in her time of need.

Interviewed 11/1/1997