Kenneth Wayne Anderson
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Marines
Kenneth Wayne Anderson
WORLD WAR II SERVICE
ENLISTMENT
With World War II raging, Kenneth Wayne Anderson enlisted into the Marine Corps on February 27th, 1943, at the Minneapolis, Minnesota office. Ken had just turned 17 years of age 10 days prior on February 17th. Military records indicate that Ken was 68 inches tall with blue eyes, light red hair and ruddy complexion.
He spent the first 9 months of service stateside with boot camp and other training to prepare him for his upcoming combat assignment. On August 5th 1943, he received a weapons qualification certificate on the rifle and later received specific training and qualifications for heavy anti-aircraft (AA) gun crew operation. He would later use this training helping to man the AA batteries on the USS Louisville as a member of the Marine Corps 2nd Division, 8th Regiment, 4.2 Mortar Company.
ON BOARD THE USS LOUISVILLE
On November 30th 1943, Ken was assigned to sea duty aboard the USS Louisville (CA-28). The USS Louisville was a Northampton-class cruiser that was launched on September 1st 1930, at the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington and commissioned on January 15, 1931. Originally classified as a light cruiser, CL-28, effective July 1st, 1931, Louisville was redesignated a heavy cruiser, CA-28, because of her 8-inch guns in accordance with the provisions of the London Naval Treaty of 1930.
Immediately prior to Ken's arrival, the USS Louisville had participated in the pre-invasion bombardment of Kiska (invasion started August 15, 1943) after which she sailed to the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, for an extensive overhaul. This is where Ken joined the crew as a member of a 45 man Marine detachment to assist with manning the armament aboard the ship. There were approximately 600 Navy personnel on the ship.
In January 1944, with Ken aboard, the Louisville returned to the southern Pacific as the flagship of Rear Admiral J. B. Oldendorf, who was to command the naval gunfire support groups through the amphibious operations ahead. In the Marshalls at the end of the month, she bombarded Wotje Atoll, west of Kwajalein, on the 29th. Then she turned her guns on the airfield and troop concentrations on Roi and Namur on the southern tip of the atoll, contributing to the conquest of those islands by February 3rd. Two weeks later, Louisville led the gunfire support group into action at Eniwetok, which succumbed on the 22nd.
After Eniwetok, Louisville joined TF 58, and with the fast carriers struck Japanese installations in the Palaus, in March, and bombarded Truk and Sawatan in April of 1944. June brought preparations for the invasion of the greater Marianas, and again Louisville was the leading unit in shore bombardment operations; beginning with Saipan, where she fired continuously for the first 11 days of that engagement, through the shelling of Tinian, and ending with the assualt on Guam.
After the Mariana Islands, Louisville retired to the rear area unitl mid-September 1944. Ken's older brother Russell also served on a ship in the Pacific theater as a radioman. Ken told stories of how he would visit his brother when the two ships were traveling together. The two ships would sail side-by-side with a "line" (likely similar to a zip line) between the two. Traversing the line between the ships in rough waters was quite dangerous. On one occasion, Ken told the story of getting ready to return to his ship only to find that the seas had become quite rough. As Ken crossed the gap between the ships, he recalled a strong sergeant from New Orelans had reached down to hold and pull him aboard.
On October 18th, Louisville entered Leyte Gulf and pounded Japanese shore installations. During the evening of October 24-25, when what was left of the Japanese battle fleet tried to stop the American landings at Leyte, Louisville particitpated in the Battle of Surigao Strait, where the United States Navy achieved a major victory over the Japanese Navy. The American battleline, drawn across the strait by Admiral Oldendorf, virtually destroyed the Japanese force as it was harassed through the strait and into their guns by PT boats and destroyers stationed on either side of the narrow body of water.
During the Battle of Surigao Strait, Louisville helped to sink the bow section of the Japanese battleship Fusõ , after she had broken into two from an internal explosion caused by a torpedo from the destroyer USS Melvin (DD-680). After the invasion of Leyte, Louisville was assigned to escort aircraft carriers as part of Task Force 38. She participated in pre-invasion bombardments and air strikes against the island of Luzon in the Philippines.
THE KAMIKAZE ATTACK
By the beginning of January 1945, Louisville was heading toward Lingayen Gulf located on northwestern side of Luzon Island in the Philippines. At the time, Louisville served as the flagship for Rear Admiral Theodore E. Chandler. On January 5th, a Japanese kamikaze aircraft crashed into Louisville, causing extensive damage. The plane hit the Number 2 turret, kiling one man and injuring 59 others. One of the injured crewmembers was the ship's commanding officer, Captain R. L. Hicks, who was badly burned after the plane exploded and started a large fire. The next day, another kamikaze crashed into the starboard side of the bridge structure, causing even more damage.
Standing on the flag bridge at the time was Rear Admiral Chandler, who was badly burned by flaming gasoline after the plane hit the ship. He died the next day. During this second kamikaze attack, Louisville lost 31 crewman killed and 56 wounded.
Ken Anderson experienced these kamikaze attacks and provided the following report of the second kamikaze plane hitting the ship when he was in his mid-80s:
"We were firing the AA guns when all of a sudden, everything went quiet. At that moment, the gunner across from me shouted "DUCK!" I fell down to the deck just in time as the kamikaze hit the ship above the gun position. Most of the gun crew had tried to escape into the bulkhead interior but were killed as a result. I was lucky to have survived."
We believe that Ken lost a very good friend that day.
HEADING HOME
Despite extensive damage, the cruiser shelled the beaches and shot down several enemy planes before withdrawing and proceedig to Mare Island Navy Yard for repairs. At this point, Ken had been on active duty on the USS Louisville for 16 months. His service record indicates that his sea duty ended on March 28th, 1945. Ken spent a few months in the San Diego area until his trander to the Great Lakes, Illinois Naval training center where he was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps on October 23, 1945 at the rank of Private First Class (TW). His monthly pay at time of discharge was $54 but was paid $83.51 upon discharge which included a $.05 per mile travel allowance to Duluth.
