Master the Tempest Is Raging--The Story of Grandpa Simmons in the Battle of the Coral Sea

My father, Wayne Simmons, was a Machinist Mate 2^nd Class on the Oil Tanker USS Neosho after the attack on Pearl Harbor.  His ship was the only oil tanker in the mid-Pacific Ocean and was very important because it carried 140,000 barrels of fuel and it was the only ship that could refuel the warships. 

In May of 1942 the Neosho was in the area of the Battle of the Coral Sea.  She was ordered to a safer area and was given an escort, the destroyer USS Sims, to protect them.

On May 7, 1942 the Neosho and Sims got in trouble even though they were 200 miles from the action of the battle.  Because of her flat top, the Japanese thought the Neosho was an aircraft carrier and that the Sims was a cruiser.  Both ships were attacked by Japanese dive bombers.  The Sims exploded and was sunk and only 15 men out of their crew of 257 men were saved.  The Neosho was hit by seven bombs and a suicide plane crashed into her.  The ship was on fire and listing (or tipping) badly.  Many sailors were killed or wounded onboard, others jumped overboard and were drowned.

Here is an account I found online that tells us something about what Grandpa Simmons did:

http://www.delsjourney.com/uss_neosho/coral_sea/neosho_at_coral_sea/may_07_1942.htm

CHAOS ON A BURNING SHIP

For every coward, there were 20 heroes that day.  Even among those who panicked, the main reason seemed to be the dreadful shock of seeing Sims explode before their eyes.

Machinist’s Mate 2^nd Class, Wayne Simmons, was in the engine room when one bomb exploded nearby, covering the others with oil from head to toe, and blinding them so they could not see.  He helped them out of the engine room, then manned valves that kept the ship going during the dreadful moments before all power was cut off.

From the USS Neosho Action Report of May 25, 1942:

SIMMONS, Wayne, 368 41 71, Machinists Mate Second Class, U.S. Navy: - One of the bombs exploded adjacent to a large fuel oil tank located over the forward part of the engine room. The explosions ruptured the bottom of the fuel oil tank directly over the two main feed pumps covering two men on watch with fuel oil so badly that they could no longer see. They staggered away from the pumps and were assisted out of the engine room [by SIMMONS]. Without orders, SIMMONS shifted from his battle station…, and took over throttle operation of the operating feed pump in order that water supply to boilers would not be impaired. In spite of heavy black oil smoke filling the space, SIMMONS remained at the operating feed pump throttle station until a bomb explosion in the fireroom ruptured steam lines and cut off steam supply to all machinery.

SIMMONS's quick action, fearlessness, courage, and devotion to duty resulted in the maintenance of feed water supply to all of the ship's boilers then steaming under full power conditions right up to the moment when the bomb explosion in the fireroom totally disabled the boilers and main steam lines.

He is recommended for the highest commendation possible, and advancement to Machinists Mate First Class.

Battle of Coral Sea: USS Neosho (AO-23) Action Report

www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/logs/AO/ao23-Coral.html

As I recall from what he told us, Grandpa said that he was covered with oil, too, but when their commander told them to go upstairs to clean up, Grandpa volunteered to stay down in the engine room to keep the boilers going so the engines wouldn’t stop, leaving them dead in the water.  As the report above states, the room was filled with heavy black oil smoke.  Left all alone, you can imagine how scared he was.  He said that he just kept singing Master the Tempest Is Raging over and over again to keep up his courage.

He told us that a bomb went through the shower room and killed everyone in there.  If he had not stayed behind, he would have been killed.

After a bomb exploded in the fireroom, rupturing the steam lines and cutting the electricity so that the engines could no longer run, Grandpa went up on deck.  I don’t know how or if he was able to get cleaned up, but I remember him telling about helping to launch the lifeboats and how hard that was because the ship was leaning so heavily.  He said that a crowbar fell from above him and was a fraction of an inch from hitting him, which would have undoubtedly killed him.

Since the ship was on fire and listing so heavily, it was thought that it could explode at any moment or sink at any time, so all the men were ordered off the ship into what one account says were shark infested waters.  Grandpa didn’t say anything about sharks, but he said that since he wasn’t wounded, he stayed in the water and helped lift the burned and wounded men into the lifeboats and rafts.  Pretty soon they were overloaded, but they put as many men as they could in each boat.

He was in the water for at least 4 or 5 hours before they decided that it would be safe to get back on the ship.  Grandpa told us that they were all hungry, so they went to the galley and found lots and lots of ice cream in the freezers.  Well, they couldn’t just let it melt, could they?  So, of course, they ate it all up!

It was four days before a destroyer, the USS Henley, found and rescued the crew. She fired torpedoes and shells to sink the Neosho and keep the Japanese from getting her.  

During all that time all of the life boars drifted away without water, food or shelter.  After nine days, they were found, but only four men were still alive.  Two of them passed away, so there were only two survivors from the rafts.  Out of 293 crew members, 182 men from the Neosho were killed, most of them dying on the rafts.  Only 111 crew members were saved.  We are all blessed that Grandpa Simmons was one of them!

Wayne Simmons, Machinist Mate 2^nd Class received a Silver Star medal for bravery for doing everything he could under terrifying conditions to keep the engines running after the attack.  We are so proud of him and so thankful that the Lord protected him that day so long ago.

Grandpa Simmons probably saw his ship burn from the deck of the USS Henley.  Reports said that many of the sailors wept as they saw their ship go down.
From:  https://pearlharbor.org/uss-neosho-oiler-pearl-harbor/

Neosho is burning after an attack by Imperial Japanese Navy dive bombers on 7 May 1942 during the Battle of the Coral Sea.