Calvin Ward's 1944 Notebook

January 1

Arrived last night in 
San Diego Bay

January 2

Tied up in San Diego Bay

January 27

Left San Diego for Frisco 
this morning

January 28

Arrived Treasure Isle 
this evening

February 1

Left for home of seven 
days leave

February 2

Arrived home this morning

February 5

Tom Cooper and I went 
hunting out at Lancaster

February 6

Rolled Tom Cooper's car 
over on the way home from Lancaster

February 7

Tom Cooper and I went 
down to [indecipherable]

February 8

Left home to go back to ship

February 9

Arrived back at Treasure Isle

February 14

Left the states for Pearl Harbor at 1600

February 15

Really rough today

February 19

Hell of a way to spend birthday at sea

February 20

Arrived Pearl Harbor

February 21

Left for Ellice Islands with troop transport

February 24

Had first GQ - friendly ship

February 25

Crossed equator at 2124 o'clock

February 26

Initiated for crossing equator

February 27

Crossed International 
Date Line - lost this day

February 28

Arrived Funafuti Island at 1400

March 2

Underway this morning for 
Guadalcanal

March 5

Arrived Guadalcanal today.
 Went to Tulai

March 6

Stayed in Tulai - Had 
an air raid alert, no planes

March 7

Back in Guadalcanal - Left 
for Espiritu Santo convoying
 two merchant

March 12

Arrived in Espiritu 
Santo today

March 13

Went over on the beach 
for recreation - fist 
time on land in a month

March 14

Went to C/C school at 
Coconut College

March 17

Went aboard the Dixie DD 
Tender for attack teacher

March 18

Left Espiritu Santo for 
Guadalcanal

March 20

Arrived in Guadalcanal.

March 21

Saw 5 Jap transports being 
attacked. Screened transport
unloading supplies

March 22

Screened the Crescent City

March 23

Screen Crescent City - escorted her 
to Tolugi Harbor. Went aboard and 
saw John E. Rasor [a friend of 
the author on the Crescent City]

March 24

Underway for Noumea escorting 
Crescent City

March 26

Sort of rough today

March 27

Arrived Noumea 0730

March 29

Went of recreation party, 
played baseball, had some beer

March 30

Went of recreation again

March 31

Went on liberty in town 
- bought some souvenirs

April 2

Watch army and marines load 
APA transports

April 3

Left of Guadalcanal convoying 
6 attack transports

April 5

Arrived Guadalcanal

April 6

Screened APA George Clymers

April 7

Left for Espiritu Santo

April 9

Arrived Espiritu Santo

April 10

Left for Guadalcanal

April 12

Arrived Guadalcanal - Left 
For Espiritu Santo

April 13

Dropped depth charges - 
nothing came of it

April 15

Arrived Espiritu Santo

April 16

Went out for AA practice

April 17

Called to help find sub that 
didn't make Cantuct

April 18

Got underway for Guadalcanal

April 20

Arrived Guadalcanal

April 21

Left Guadalcanal - escorting 
two small aircraft carriers

April 23

Passes within 17 miles of Jap 
held territory

April 25

Arrived in Maneso Isle in 
Admiralties

April 28

Underway with carrier for Marshals

April 29

Saw Fleet 7 Battlewagons

May 2

Found out Fleet bombarded Truck

May 3

Arrived in Marshals Mayuro Atoll

May 4

Left for Guadalcanal

May 5

Called back to escort ammunition
ships back to Marshals

May 6

Picked up ammunition ship

May 7

Arrived Mayuro Atoll with ammo ship

May 8

Went on beach - just laid around.
Left for Guadalcanal

May 11

Arrived in Peyia Bay, Flordia 
Island. Getting camouflage job
for ship.

May 16

Went over on Flordia Island. 
Visited native village 
- very hard to trade with

May 17

Complete camouflage job. Left with
 3 other DE hunting subs by Bougainville

May 19

Sank first sub today. 5 runs with 
hedgehogs. Bernhart made contact
- confirmed as definite sunk

May 20

Intelligence reports 3 more subs 
in blockade of Bougainville

May 22

At 5:30 AM picked up surfaced sub on 
radar - hit him with hedgehogs - 
cannot confirm sunk yet

May 23

6:00 AM picked up surfaced sub 
(other DE did). Other DE made 9 runs
- never hit once. England made 3 
and sank it.

May 24

Picked up surfaced sub at 1:30 AM
Sank him in two runs

May 26

Came alongside carriers & DD to 
pass information about subs on 
way to Admiralties

May 27

Got 5th sub last night. Picked
up on surface by radar at 11:15
Sunk by 11:45 with hedgehog pattern

May 28

Got hedge hogs from Spangler 
DE in the Admiralties - left
to marshals with 3 other DE.

May 29

Met aircraft carrier with DD
Also hunt for subs about 200 
miles south of Truck

May 30

Met 2 other DE who had been chasing 
sub for 30 hours. England sank sub 
in 15 minutes after contact

June 1

Got a report on 3 Jap DD. Went 
with DD and carrier looking for them

June 4

Jap DDs reported to be cruisers 
instead

June 5

Had GQ last night - 3 Jap planes 
about 10 miles away

June 6

On patrol with carrier and 4 DD 
and 4 DE

June 13

Pulled into Treasury Island

June 14

Left Treasury Island for Purvis Bay

June 15

Arrived Purvis Bay - 5 days 
availability

June 16

Tied along USS Dixie DD tender

June 18

Went into dry dock

June 20

Left dry dock - tied alongside Dixie

June 29

Left for Treasury Islands

June 30

Arrived Treasury Islands

July 1

Left Treasury islands for Emiaru

July 2

On patrol around Jap held New 
Hanouver Island 3 miles off shore

July 4

Arrived Emiaru Island

July 5

Laying in Hamburg Bay in case Japs
try and evacuate New Hanover

July 30

Left Emiaru for Mauro to get fuel
and supplies

July 31

Arrived Mauro - ran aground after
entering harbor - 5 hours to get pulled off

August 6

Left for New Guinea for repairs
proceeding about 8 knots

August 8

Arrived New Guinea in Milue Bay 
South Eastern End

September 24

Left for Sidney at 1200 from 
Treasury Island

September 25

Rolling like hell - rough weather
Coral Sea

September 29

Arrived in Sydney  Harbor 0700
Liberty 1300

October 10

Left Sydney at 1200 for Treasury Island

October 15

Arrived in Treasury Island this morning.
Left for Hollandia New Guinea

October 18

Arrived in Hollandia this morning in
company with DE633 Foresan

October 19

Tied alongside Dobbin DD tender
to straighten shaft

October 26

Left Hollandia for Leyte Island with
two transports and Foresan

October 29

Arrived in Leyte Philippines

October 31

Trade sheets and services for knife
and guys money

November 1

Left for Hollendia with evacuation
transport

November 4

Arrived in Hollandia

November 7

Left for Leyte with army tankers making
six knots

November 18

Arrived in San Pedro Bay, Leyte Island, 
Philippines - Japs strafed air strip

November 19

3 Jap planes made suicide dives on 
merchant ships 2500 yards on our beam
1 hit, 2 misses