2nd US Cav

John R. Radford-Machinist Mate


         John R. Radford 8-2-1919/9-18-2004

John R. Radford was a Machinist's Mate on the USS New Orleans during WW2. He was a Watchstander and Repairman on the Vessel, primarily with the main propultion turbines, turbo-generators and pumps. His is one of many untold stories from WW2, of those who fought for God and Country, doing their duty, and then returning home. Like many who fought in WW2, he didn't talk much about the war afterwards. However, there is a paper-trail, and those that remember him. This Story will be told.

Pearle Harbor: The USS New Orleans joined the Hawaiian Detachment on 12 October 1939 for exercises, training, and, as war drew close, vigilant patrol. Moored in Pearl Harbor 7 December 1941, John R. Radford was working on the engines of the USS New Orleans when the Japanese Attacked. He fought to raise steam, whereby the vessel could make it out to deep water, where it survived the attack.

Battle of Coral Sea: The cruiser convoyed troops to Palmyra and Johnston, she then returned to San Francisco 13 January 1942 for engineering repairs and installation of new search radar and 20mm guns. She sailed 12 February 1942 commanding the escort for a troop convoy to Brisbane, From Australia she screened a convoy to Noumea, and returned to Pearl Harbor to join TF 11. TF 11 sortied 15 April 1942 to join the Yorktown task force southwest of the New Hebrides. It was this joint force, together with a cruiser-destroyer group, which won the great Battle of the Coral Sea 7-8 May 1942, driving back a southward thrust of the Japanese which threatened Australia and New Zealand and their seaborne life lines. This mighty duel of carrier aircraft was not without price, Lexington was mortally wounded and New Orleans stood by, her men diving overboard to rescue survivors and her boat crews closing the burning carrier, oblivious to the dangers of flying debris and exploding ordnance as they saved 580 of Lexington's crew who were landed at Noumea. New Orleans then patrolled the eastern Solomons until sailing to replenish at Pearl Harbor.


              Shore Leave-Hawaii, J.Radford-Left

The Battle of Midway: New Orleans sailed 28 May 1942 screening Enterprise, to surprise the Japanese in the Battle of Midway. On 2 June she made rendezvous with the Yorktown force, and two days later joined battle. Three of the 4 Japanese carriers were sunk by hits scored in the dive bomber attacks, the fourth went down later, but not before her dive bombers had damaged Yorktown so badly she had to be abandoned. New Orleans veteran of the battle that halted Japanese expansion southward, had now played a significant role protecting her carrier in the great victory that turned back Japan's eastward movement and heavily crippled her naval air arm in a decisive battle.

The Solomons: Again New Orleans replenished at Pearl Harbor, sailing 7 July to rendezvous off Fiji for the invasion of the Solomons during which she screened Saratoga. Fighting off vicious enemy air attacks 24-25 August, New Orleans aided the Marines holding the precious toehold on Guadalcanal, as a Japanese landing expedition was turned back in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons. When Saratoga was torpedoed 31 August, New Orleans guarded her passage to Pearl Harbor, arriving 21 September.

Torpedoed in the Battle of Tassafaronga: With the repaired carrier, New Orleans sailed to Fiji early in November, then proceeded to Espiritu Santo, arriving 27 November to return to action in the Solomons. With four other cruisers and six destroyers she fought in the Battle of Tassafaronga on the night of 30 November, engaging a Japanese destroyer transport force. When flagship Minneapolis was struck by two torpedoes, New Orleans, next astern, was forced to sheer away to avoid collision, and ran into the track of a torpedo which ripped off her bow. Bumping down the ship's port side, the severed bow punched several holes in New Orleans' hull. A fifth of her length gone, slowed to 2 knots, and blazing forward, the ship fought for survival. Individual acts of heroism and self-sacrifice along with skillful seamanship kept her afloat, and under her own power she entered Tulagi Harbor near daybreak 1 December. Camouflaging their ship from air attack, the crew jury-rigged a bow of coconut logs, and 11 days later New Orleans sailed to replace a damaged propeller and make other repairs in Sydney, Australia, arriving 24 December. On 7 March 1943, she was underway for Puget Sound Navy Yard, where a new bow was fitted and all battle damage repaired.

Battle of Wake Island: Returning to Pearl Harbor 31 August for combat training New Orleans next joined a cruiser-destroyer force to bombard Wake, 5 6 October, repulsing a Japanese torpedo-plane attack. Her next sortie from Pearl Harbor came 10 November when she sailed to fire preinvasion bombardment in the Gilberts 20 November, then to screen carriers striking the eastern Marshalls 4 December. In aerial attacks that day the new Lexington, namesake of the carrier whose men New Orleans had pulled from the Coral Sea, was torpedoed, and New Orleans guarded her successful retirement to repairs at Pearl Harbor, arriving 9 December 1943.

The Marshals, Carolines and Marianas: From 29 January 1944, New Orleans fired on targets in the Marshalls, hitting air installations and shipping as the Navy took Kwajalein. She fueled at Majuro, then sailed 11 February to join the fast carriers in a raid on Truk, Japanese bastion in the Carolines 17-18 February. While air strikes were flown, New Orleans with other warships circled the atoll to catch escaping ships, the task force's combined gunfire sank a light cruiser, a destroyer, a trawler, and a submarine chaser. The force sailed on to hit the Marianas, then returned to Majuro and Pearl Harbor.

New Guinea Invasion: The carriers, with New Orleans in escort, again heaped destruction on targets in the Carolines late in March, then in April sailed south to support Allied landings at Hollandia New Guinea. There 22 April a disabled Yorktown plane flew into New Orleans' mainmast, hitting gun mounts as it fell into the sea. The ship was sprayed with gas as the plane exploded on hitting the water, one crewmember was lost, another badly injured, but New Orleans continued in action, patrolling and plane guarding off New Guinea, then joining in further raids on Truk and Satawan, which she bombarded 30 April. She returned to Majuro 4 May 1944.

Invasion of the Marianas: Preparations were made in the Marshalls for the invasion of the Marianas, for which New Orleans sortied from Kwajelein 10 June. She bombarded Saipan 15 and 16 June, then joined the screen protecting carriers as they prepared to meet the Japanese Mobile Fleet in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. In this last major carrier combat the Japanese were able to mount, American naval aviators and submariners sank three enemy carriers and destroyed almost every aircraft launched against them, 395 in all. The few enemy planes which penetrated to the American carriers were shot down by New Orleans and other escorts. The Marianas operation continued, and Japanese naval aviation was virtually nonexistent after this great victory of 19-20 June 1944.

The Final Assults: New Orleans made patrols and bombardments on Saipan and Tinian into August, returned to Eniwetok the 13th, and sailed the 28th for carrier raids on the Bonins, bombardments of Iwo Jima 1-2 September, and direct air support for the invasion of the Palaus. After reprovisioning at Manus, the task force assaulted Okinawa, Formosa, and Northern Luzon, destroying Japanese land-based aviation which otherwise would have threatened the landings on Leyte 20 October 1944. The carriers continued to send raids aiding troops ashore, as they prepared to meet the Japanese, who were sending almost every surface ship left afloat in one great effort to break up the Philippines operation. New Orleans guarded her carriers as they joined in the great Battle for Leyte Gulf, first attacking the Japanese Southern Force 24 October 1944, then raiding the Center Force in the Sibuyan Sea, and next destroying the Japanese Northern Force of decoy carriers in the Battle off Cape Enga�o. The carriers then sped south to aid the gallant escort carriers holding off the powerful Japanese battleship cruiser force in the Battle off Samar. A stunning American victory was followed by strikes against the retreating Japanese remnant. After replenishing at Ulithi, New Orleans guarded carriers during raids throughout the Philippines in preparation for the invasion of Mindoro, then late in December sailed for a Mare Island overhaul, followed by training in Hawaii. She returned to Ulithi 18 April 1945, and two days later departed to give direct gunfire support at Okinawa, arriving 23 April. Here she dueled with shore batteries and fired directly against the enemy lines. After nearly two months on station, she sailed to replenish and repair in the Philippines, and was at Subic Bay when hostilities ceased.

Mopping Up and Decommissioned: New Orleans sailed 28 August 1945 with a cruiser-destroyer force to ports of China and Korea. She covered the internment of Japanese ships at Tsingtao, the evacuation of liberated Allied prisoners-of-war, and the landing of troops in Korea and China, until sailing 17 November from the mouth of the Peking River, carrying veterans homeward bound. More returning troops came aboard at Sasebo, and all were disembarked at San Francisco 8 December. After similar duty took her to Guam in January 1946 she sailed through the Panama Canal for a 10-day visit to her namesake city, then steamed to Philadelphia Navy Yard, arriving 12 March. There she decommissioned 10 February 1947 and lay in reserve until struck from the Navy List 1 March 1959 and sold for scrapping 22 September 1959 to Boston Metals, Baltimore, Md.