USS PICKING WORLD WAR II LOG

 

March 5 , 1944                        Zone description plus ten:

Steaming as before.

0800      Position Latitude 49°38.5’ N, Longitude 159°14.6’ E.

1200      Position Latitude 49°35’ N, Longitude 160°25’ E.

1200      Changed base course to 065° T°G, 060° psc.

2000      Position Latitude 50°28’ N, Longitude 162°55’ E.

2124      Changed speed to 12 knots.

2227      Changed speed to 10 knots.

2353      Departed from Task Force 94 in company with DesDiv 97, less WILLIAM D. PORTER, steaming on course 065° T&G, 060° psc, speed 10 knots, enroute

          Attu, Alaska.

 

March 6, 1944                     Zone description plus ten:

         Steaming as before.

0000     Changed speed to 13 knots. DesDiv 97 formed in column, open order, PICKING guide.

0039     Changed base course to 070° T&G, 053° psc.

0050     Changed speed to 15 knots.

0100     Changed speed to 18 knots.

0800     Position 51°45’ N, Longitude 166°30’ E.

1000     Changed base course to 075° T&G, 055° psc. Changed speed to 21 knots.

1025     Changed speed to 24 knots.

1115     Changed base course to 085° T&G, 0600 psc.

1132     Changed base course to 095° T&G, 089° psc.

1200     Position Latitude 52°08 N, Longitude 167°41’ E.

1230     Sustained gyro casualty. U.S.S. YOUNG assumed guide.

1247     Changed base course to 070° T&G, 0600 psc.

1257     Changed speed to 10 knots.

1300     Gyro casualty rectified.

1358     Test fired automatic weapon battery, expending 120 rounds 40mm AA and 100 rounds 20mm AA ammunition.

1744     Changed speed to 15 knots. Changed base course to 0600 T&G, 05l0 psc.

1747     Changed base course to 070° T&G, 06l° psc. Changed speed to 10 knots.

1815     PICKING reassumed formation guide.

2000     Position Latitude 52°38’ N, Longitude 169°40' E. Changed speed to 15 knots.

2230     Formed in division scouting line, PICKING guide. Scouting line on bearing 305°-125° T. Scouting distance 5 miles. Commenced searching for enemy submarine reported in area.

2300     Changed base course to 035° T&G, 022° psc.

2330     Commenced zigzagging.

 

March 7, 1944                         Zone description p~1us ten:

         Steaming as before.

0200     Changed base course to 090° T&G, 083° psc.

0630     Changed base course to 160° T&G, 173° psc.

0730     Sighted Chirikoff Point, Attu Island, bearing 169° T, distant 10 miles.

0850     Changed base course to 180° T&G, 193° psc. Changed speed to 20 knots.

 0916    Sighted Attu channel entrance buoy bearing 217° T, distant 4 miles.

 0920    Entrance buoy abeam, commenced steaming various courses and speeds while proceeding through channel into Massacre Bay, Attu.

 1020    Moored starboard side to U.S.S. RAMAPO in Massacre Bay, Attu, to fuel.

 1050    U.S.S. WICKES moored alongside to port.

 1130    U.S.S. WICKES underway from alongside.

 1430    Completed fueling, underway from alongside U.S.S. RAMAPO in accordance with verbal orders of CDS 49. Steaming various courses and speeds

         while standing out of Massacre Bay and through channel.

 1545    Took station 4000 yards on port beam of U.S.S. SPROSTON. Steaming various courses and speeds while conducting anti-submarine search in

         vicinity of Agattu Island, Alaska.

 1831    Attu channel entrance buoy abeam, entered channel.

 1938    Moored with 15 fathoms of chain to buoy #1, Massacre Bay, Attu. SOPA is CDS 49 in PICKING.

 2115    U.S.S. YOUNG moored alongside to port.

 

March 8, 1944                     Zone description plus ten:

         Moored as before.

 

March 9, 1944                     Zone description plus ten:

         Moored as before.

 

March 10, 1944                    Zone description plus ten:

         Moored as before.

0827     Underway from buoy #1 to anchor in accordance with verbal orders of CDS 49.

0840     Anchored in 16 fathoms of water with 90 fathoms of chain to the port anchor in Massacre Bay, Attu.

1823     Underway in company with DesDiv 97 less U.S.S. WILLIAM D. PORTER in accordance with CDS 49 dispatch 110400 of March. Steaming various

         courses and speeds while standing out of Massacre Bay and through channel.

2045     Formed in division scouting line, scouting bearing 000° - 180° T, scouting distance 4 miles. Order of ships SPROSTON, WICKES, PICKING

         guide, YOUNG. Set base course 270° T&G, 275° psc. Speed 12 knots. Commenced search for enemy submarine north of Attu.

March 11, 1944                       Zone description plus ten:

         Steaming as before, conducting search for enemy submarines in vicinity of Attu.

0300     Changed base course to 000° T&G, 350° psc.

0410      Changed base course to 090° T&G, 090° psc.

0423      Changed base course to 070° T&G, 071° psc.

0800      Position Latitude 53°44’ N, Longitude 172°11’ E.

1005      Changed base course to 210° T&G, 210° psc.

1200      Position Latitude 53°17’ N, Longitude 171°57’ E.

1247      Changed base course to 180° T&G, 173° psc.

1500      Changed base course to 090° T&G, 077° psc.

1555      Changed base course to 045° T&G, 040° psc.

1613      Changed speed to 10 knots.

1730      Changed base course to 225° T&G, 230° psc.

1904      U.S.S. WICKES and U.S.S. SPROSTON investigated surface radar contact bearing 193° T, distant 21000 yards. Changed course to 150° T&G, and

         stood by to assist if necessary.

1929     Contact identified as EDWARD C. DALY (DE17). Resumed base course.

2000     Position Latitude 52°31’ N, Longitude 171°53’ E.