WARTIME JOURNAL | PART 3
Terrifying Days in the Pacific
Part 3 follows the journal into some of the most dangerous and dramatic months of the war in the Philippines. The entries record kamikaze attacks, invasion landings, repeated general quarters and the presence of General Douglas MacArthur himself as USS *Boise* helped cover the drive back into Luzon. It is a section filled with tension, fatigue and the growing sense that the war, though far from over, is beginning to turn decisively in the Allies’ favor.
By the fall of 1944, Livingston County sailor Charles “Woody” Curry had been in the Navy only a few months, but the war around him had already intensified. Curry, who grew up in Carrsville and graduated from Hampton High School, enlisted in the U.S. Navy at age 18 in May 1944.
Shortly after joining, he began keeping a personal diary. Seaman First Class Curry wrote in the tiny journal book almost daily. Those notes have now become a rare local record of a young Kentuckian serving in the Pacific during World War II. In the first two parts of this series, Curry’s journal followed his long voyage across the Pacific and his early months aboard USS Boise, a Brooklyn-class light cruiser that served as part of the American fleet pushing back Japanese forces across the Pacific.
By the time his journal entries begin in this week’s third in a four-part series, the war has settled into a dangerous rhythm for Curry and the crew of the USS Boise. The ship operates around the Philippines during some of the fiercest fighting of the Pacific campaign, supporting invasion landings and bombarding enemy positions along the coast.
Curry’s entries describe frequent air raid alarms, long stretches at general quarters and the growing threat posed by Japanese suicide pilots. Kamikaze attacks had become one of the most feared dangers for sailors in the Pacific, and the journal captures how regularly those threats appeared. The entries also mention historic events unfolding around the ship. During this period, Gen. Douglas MacArthur came aboard USS Boise as American forces prepared for the invasion of Luzon, part of the campaign to retake the Philippines from Japanese control.
Despite the danger, Curry’s writing remains straightforward and almost understated. One line might describe a tense air attack while the next mentions a movie on deck or letters arriving from home.
The mixture of routine and danger reflects the daily reality of life aboard a warship. The third installment of Curry’s wartime diary follows the crew of USS Boise through invasion operations, kamikaze attacks and the grinding months of combat that carried Allied forces deeper into the Philippines. For the young sailor from Livingston County, the war was far from over, but the balance of the conflict was beginning to shift.
Service Diary Part 3
Nov. 29, 1944 – Feb. 28, 1945
We pick up diary entries from where they left off in last week’s second segment in the four-part series. Although things are pretty calm for a few days, the war comes calling full blast in early December.
We are making it O.K. The ocean has been as smooth as glass all day. I’ve just come from on deck where we heard some records.
We are still continuing on our way without any trouble.
December 1944
I had the noon watch and I’ve got the midnight watch tonight. It is really pretty here tonight. The moon is so bright it is almost like day.
Two ships have been damaged in Leyte Gulf by Jap suicide pilots and several crew members killed. One ship is in bad shape.
It has been quiet all day but we had an attack by a Jap plane a few minutes ago. He dropped the torpedo and just missed diving into the ship. He
passed right over me about 30 feet high.It’s been quiet all day today. We’ve been in close to the beach and almost sitting still, but we have picked up speed and are moving out.
We had an air raid today and the Boise shot down one and helped get
another. One tried to crash into a destroyer but missed it.
We’ve been in close to the beach today with the other ships, cargo and transports. We had just left at sundown when we had a raid. We shot at one plane but they bombed the beach. Several were shot down.
We stayed outside the port last night but came in this morning and will stay in tonight if nothing happens. The Japs missed a hospital ship with two bombs last night as it was leaving the harbor.
We have been cruising all day and nothing has happened. It is quiet because there are many planes here I guess.
They have three kinds of fighter planes here, the P-51, P-38 and P-47. The air is full of them. There is also other planes, transports and Forts and Liberators.
It has been quiet all day until just about 15 minutes ago we had an air raid and our ship got a two-motored bomber. Two more got away.
We have been in port all day and the natives have been around the ship trading: knives, cat eyes and diving into the water for coins.
We are still in port but are going to get underway. We will make a landing about 100 miles south of Manila on the 15th sometime that a.m. We have been at G.Q. all afternoon.
The P-38 got a plane and the Corsairs got one. The ship in front of us got one and two more were shot down by fighters. Two came over our ship and we shot at them but they got away after dropping two bombs. The Nashville was hit on the bridge this afternoon. She was carrying the admiral.
I’m in the compartment again now. We are on our way to make a landing on the west side about 100 miles below Manila.
We made the landing today and it was a sight. Three planes dived into three LSTs. Two were abandoned, two burned up but one was saved. Another plane was shot down trying to strafe the LSTs. He did strafe two.
We are on our way back to Leyte Bay now. I don’t know what we will do next.
We arrived back here in Leyte Bay early this morning and took on fuel and have been anchored all day.
We are still in the harbor and we’ve not had a single air raid. I saw a show tonight, “Smiling Ghost.”
We are still in Leyte anchored. I wrote some letters today and saw a show tonight in the hangar, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in “Keep ’Em Flying.” Good show.
We are still in the harbor today. Three natives brought a Japanese head they had cut off. He was killed at 10:00 this morning. They brought him alongside the ship. It looked like a boy’s head.
I worked all day in the compartment and sorted clothes. A plane came over and all the guns opened up but he got away. Saw a show tonight, “It All Came True.”
Still in the compartment. Sorted the blues today. It was whites yesterday. We have G.Q. every night regular now at about 6:10. Saw a movie, “Fingers at the Window.”
We cleaned the deck and laid around the rest of the day. The show “It All Came True” is showing again tonight.
Tomorrow is Christmas and today is just like any still Sunday morning in the summertime.
Today was Christmas and it was hot and still until tonight. We’ve had three G.Q.’s since 6 p.m. It is 8 now. I had already seen the show, there goes G.Q. now.
I was in the compartment this morn. and played cards the rest of the evening. We are underway now. We just had G.Q.
We are on our way to Mindoro. The Japs bombarded the troops there last night with a battleship and two cruisers.
We got here at Mindoro this morning. The Japs left fires along the beach. PTs and planes hit the battleship three times and damaged the cruiser, sunk two cans.
We arrived back to Leyte this morning and I sorted clothes all day in the compartment. I saw a show tonight, “So’s Your Uncle.” It was really good. I saw it at home once.
We cleaned the compartment today and I wrote some letters after we were done. I saw a show tonight, “The Canterville Ghost.”
It is still and quiet here today. Makes me think of home in the summer. I will read and write letters today. I saw another show, “Escape to Danger.”
January 1945
It is the start of another year now but just another day here. Sammy Kaye is
really singing out now. It is really pretty music, “White Christmas.”
I’ve read all evening after working in the compartment this morning. I’ve just came from the show. It was about espionage in Berlin.
I worked in the compartment this morning and read this evening. We had mail call and Joe got some pictures of a girl from home. She is really good looking.
General MacArthur and staff came aboard today and we have left port for the invasion of Luzon. The Boise will be flagship.
We have been sorting clothes and holding field day all day. We have two new cruisers with us now.
We will be at Mindoro about 0900 tomorrow. We had two torpedoes fired at us yesterday. They both missed when we turned. A can sunk the sub.
We had an air raid. One plane was hit and tried to dive into the Phoenix and just missed by a few feet. One man saw it coming and jumped overboard.
We got another plane this morning. “Bogies” were all around us all night and have been today. They may be waiting until tonight to attack.
We landed troops this morning. The suicide divers are bad. They have sunk a can, LST and transport, and crashed on three more cruisers, two battleships and two carriers and two or three transports.
We were about 10 miles out last night when a Jap came over. He went on over us and dived on a transport. The transport had already unloaded and was pulling out of the bay.
We’ve been at G.Q. the last few days. Today was the first day we secured since we landed. A Jap plane came over this evening but the gunners drove him away.
We’ve been at G.Q. all day. There was an air raid this morning but they didn’t crash on any ships. They average one a night now. We shot down two.
General MacArthur left the ship today. We have been at G.Q. almost all day. The admiral in charge congratulated us on our shooting today. Thursday a Filipino reported aboard for duty. He was on leave in Manila in 1940 when the ship left him and he was captured by Japs. He still had his official papers.
We refueled last night and we are now patrolling offshore. We have some carriers with us.
We are still patrolling offshore. Nothing happened today. Press news said Jap dive bombers hit Leyte Harbor sinking one ship.
We have four carriers with us. They average losing about two planes a day, I think, when it is rough.
We have 14 carriers with us now, I heard, and six wagons, but they are all over the horizon if they are with us.”
The carriers are back inside the destroyer screen now. There are several with us. I don’t know just how many.
We are back at Mindoro Island. We arrived this morning and fueled, took on some ammunition and a destroyer has just got back with mail, 119 bags from passing convoy.
I’m back on the watch list. I left the compartment today. I got two packages and five or six letters in the mail.
I had the afternoon watch today. I wrote some letters home and one to a friend.
I read most of the day today and wrote some letters. I’ve got the watch tonight.
There isn’t much happening now. The news sounds good. The Russians were only 195 miles from Berlin and the German troops are being killed by them.
The Russians are now 165 miles from Berlin. That is really moving. One of
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our ships picked up four Japs in a life raft today. I heard it might not be so.
I’ve had all evening to read and lay around. I’ve got the mid watch tonight. A destroyer was supposed to come alongside with mail, but didn’t.
I’ve had all day to read and sleep. I’ve got the watch tonight. The destroyer came alongside but didn’t leave any mail.
I was on watch this afternoon. A plane had motor trouble and fell short of the carrier a few hundred feet. All three men were rescued.
Today has been a quiet, sunny day. I read a good book when I got off watch. There is a song on the radio now, “I Heard You Cried Last Night.” First time I’ve heard it for a long time. It makes me think of old times.
I’ve had all day off today. We have made another landing and our planes are support.
A sub sank a destroyer this morning over with the force on the beach and we sent four planes and four destroyers to sink it. It was a large one.
We arrived back at Mindoro this morning and refueled. It is quiet here now (despite) so many planes around.
February 1945
We took on four rounds of ammunition today. We’ve not had a single air raid. We had mail call today and a show tonight but I was on watch.
There was a recreation party, went ashore today and will continue until we leave. I saw a show tonight, “Whistling in Dixie,” starring Red Skelton.
We are on a four-section watch now and I’ve been off all day and won’t go until tomorrow evening. We had some rain this evening.
The bay has been quiet today and it reminded me of home for some reason.
I was on watch this morning and practiced code this evening. I saw a show tonight, “True to Life.” I saw it in the States too.
We’ve not got any mail for about a week and we’ve been here at Mindoro all the time, but I heard today that we were going to get some.
A convoy came in tonight so maybe we’ll get some mail now. I saw the best show tonight I’ve seen in a long time, “Buy Me That Town.”
We got underway today and I think we are going to Subic Bay. There are three other cruisers with us.
We arrived here in Subic Bay. It is the prettiest place I’ve seen. There are bare hills on one side. It reminds me of Utah.
I was on a working party the other day and there were so many cans of chicken stole by the guys on the working party that they are searching all the lockers on the ship.
I’ve had the day to sleep and read. I wrote three letters, the first ones since we left Leyte the last time with Gen. MacArthur for Luzon.
We had a movie tonight on the stern and also had mail call. I received a letter and a postcard. We are supposed to get underway tomorrow.
We left Subic Bay this morning and bombarded Corregidor. There were planes bombing it, too.
We bombarded Corregidor again today. The Japs laid new mines last night while we were at Subic Bay so we will stay here tonight.
We arrived back here at Corregidor this morning and have been bombarding all day. The Army has been bombing too. They are going to land paratroopers tomorrow morning.
The Army landed paratroops today on Corregidor. They landed on the point next to the open sea about a mile from where we were lying offshore.
Some C-47s dropped a lot of colored chutes this evening close to the point. Fighter planes strafed the far end of the island causing a lot of smoke.
We took on ammunition and refueled today. I heard we might go to Guam. I don’t know where our destination is.
Marines landed on two islands today. I saw a good show tonight, “North Star.” I’ve just finished washing my first clothes since I left the States.
It has been quiet today. I had the afternoon watch and will have the
midnight. We didn’t have any movie because of a working party.
I’ve had the day off watch so I wrote some letters. I’ve decided to make S1/c so I’ve been studying the book.
It has been quiet here today. I helped paint the captain’s passage up by the radio shack.
I painted all evening and saw a show tonight, “Lady, Let’s Dance.” I’ve seen it once before at home. It was really good. We got 127 bags of mail onboard.
I’ve not done much today. I saw a show tonight, “Pin Up Girl” with Betty Grable. I had seen it before in Oakland, Calif.
We left Subic Bay this evening and I think we are headed for Lingayen Gulf. There is only one cruiser with us.
We arrived in Lingayen Gulf this morning and had a movie tonight but I was on watch and didn’t see it.
We are still here in Lingayen but I heard we would get underway tomorrow. I saw a western tonight, the first for a long time.
We arrived back here in Subic Bay this morning. We had target practice on the end.
Epilogue
By the end of February 1945, Woody Curry had seen Corregidor bombarded and retaken, moved repeatedly between Subic Bay, Lingayen Gulf and Mindoro, and settled into the exhausting rhythm of war at sea. The journal closes this section with the ship back at Subic Bay on Feb. 28, 1945 poised for the next round of operations as the liberation of the Philippines continued. Stay tuned for next week’s final segment in this four-part series.
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