HomeMy WebLinkAboutLloyd W. "Buddy" Shipman, Brazos Valley HeroesBy Bill Youngkin
Special to The Eagle
Loyd W. Shipman of Bedias believes we have the best
country in the world and he doesn't want to live anywhere
else, or care to go anywhere else. "I'm right where the Lord
wanted me to be and where I want to be, right here in
Bedias"
There was a time in his life when returning to
the United States, much less Bedias, seemed unlikely.
During WWII, Shipman served aboard the battleship USS
Maryland, which would become a target of the Japanese
kamikaze planes.
Shipman's story began April 24, 1925 on the upper
reaches of the Brazos River at Lueders, Texas, a small
community between Stamford and Albany. According to
Shipman: "My Dad was employed in the oil fields so we
moved around a lot. I finished my education at Albany and
worked at variousjobs until turning 18 and being drafted.
I was inducted into the Navy in Houston and was sent to
San Diego for basic where I became a member of class 43-
434. After that, I was sent for training at fire control school
and then went aboard the USS Maryland at Mare Island,
California. The Maryland would be my home until the war
ended.
"The Maryland was a WWI battleship, which meant
we had hammocks instead of bunks. We were also a'flag
ship', which meant we had an admiral aboard. As a result,
we were always out in front. Because of that combination,
being in front and a flagship, we became a target for the
Japanese kamikaze planes," he said.
"My first action was Saipan in June of 1944. From
there it was to Palau, Leyte Gulf, and then Okinawa. But
we and the Maryland came close to ending our war at
Saipan. We were bombarding the island in support of
the invasion when a lone Japanese bomber appeared
just before sunset. He dropped torpedo hitting us in the
bow on the port side, blowing a huge hole in the bow. It
stopped just short of where our aviation gas was stored. If
it hadn't, I wouldn't be here talking about this today.
"We had to limp back to Hawaii at about six knots. If
we went any faster, the ship would have broken up and
would have sunk. We were a sitting duck for Japanese
submarines the whole way. That was the scariest voyage
ever made on the Maryland. Gas vapors kept leaking out
of that storage compartment and the smoking lamp was
turned off until we docked at Hawaii. In Hawaii they had a
new bow waiting for us and we had it repaired and were
back at sea in just a few weeks.
"When we were originally told we would have to
return to the States for repairs everyone cheered. We all
thought we would have a lot of liberty time. We were
especially happy when we learned we were headed to
Hawaii. Hawaii was the most crowded port I had ever
been in. There were so many servicemen in the streets of
Honolulu that a vehicle could not drive down most of the
streets except certain hours each day. Another experience
while in dry dock was a visit by Bob Hope and his troupe"
In September 1944, the Maryland headed to sea and
to Peleliu Island where it again bombarded the island to
support the invasion. The Navy became concerned about
suicide attacks from small boats loaded with explosives.
It would not be long before they had to watch the skies
for those suicide attacks. The next assignment for the
Maryland was to assist with the Philippine invasion
by General MacArthur. It was here that they would be
engaged in what most experts agree to be the greatest
naval battle in history - the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
"We received information over the radio that the
Japanese fleet was headed our way. We received orders
from our captain to stand by at battle stations and we
headed out to meet the Japanese fleet. Our captain told
us to check and re-check all our guns, equipment and
everything else we would need to fight the laps. We
headed out atabout5 p.m. and at approximately midnight
we had them on radar. We were told to track certain ships
on the radar. When we commenced firing, the Japanese
fleet slowed from approximately 20 knots to 15, then 10
and finally to 6. Then we heard over the loudspeaker they
were headed the other way. You could hear cheering all
over the ship. We had just whipped the Japanese fleet and
had sunk the Fuso and the Yamashiro."
This great naval victory would render the Japanese
ineffective for further offensive efforts for the remainder
of the war. Next week part two and the onslaught of the
Japanese kamakazis.
Loyd W. Shipman's name is found on the Brazos Valley
Veterans Memorial. Ifyou want to have a name added to the
Veterans Memorial you must do so before Aug. 15, 2008 in
time for it to be added to the memorial by Veterans Day. For
more information, to make a contribution, or if you know a
World War II veteran whose story needs to be told, contact
the 8VVM at www veteransmemoriaLorg or Bill Youngkin at
(979) 260-7030.
By Bill Youngkin
Special to The Eagle
Second of Two Parts
Loyd W. "Buddy" Shipman of Bedias was a Navy seaman
si aboard the battleship the USS Maryland forthe Battle of Leyte
Gulf, the greatest naval'battle in history.
t' As Japanese navy ships approached Leyte Gulf they
were attacked by American PT boats and destroyers. The five
remaining battleships protecting the American invasion of
the Philippines waited for the Japanese to sail within range.
The USS Maryland was one of those battleships.
The Japanese had to go through a narrow 12-mile-
wide pass, and when they did, the Maryland and the other
battleships fired all eight of their 16-inch guns, hitting the
Japanese lead ships and causing them to catch fire. When the
Japanese turned and ran, they were harassed by American
air forces. The Japanese navy had been defeated and would
not be a significant factor for the remainder of the war. The
Japanese now turned to a new form of attack, the use of
suicide planes - or kamikazes, as they were to be called.
As recalled by Shipman, "I remember the day the first
kamikaze hit us. It was late November and late in the day, just
before dusk. My duty station that day was on the fifth deck,
where our main computers were located. My quarters were
on the fourth deck and one of my buddies, a fellow named
Goldstein, wasn't able to.go to his duty station that day
because he had a severely sprained ankle.
"I was below deck and remember hearing the attack
described over the loud speakers. The Jap pilot was about
10,000 feet above us, coming out ofthe clouds, straight down
at us. We heard them count off 6,000 feet, 4,000 feet, 2,000
feet, and 1,000 feet and then we heard and felt the impact.
"When he hit ourtdeck there was an awful explosion.
He tore a hole in our deck that went four decks deep into the
ship. It stopped in the compartment where I lived and where
Goldstein was located. Everything I owned was destroyed and
Goldstein was gone. We couldn't find any part of his body.
All we could do was scrub his blood off the bulkhead. When
we held his funeral service, we just filled the body bag with
scrap.-
Thirty-one seamen were buried at sea after that attack,
with another 30 seriously wounded. The USS Maryland had
to return to Hawaii for the second time for repairs, The next
assignment for the Maryland was the invasion of Okinawa.
The assignment called for them to bombard the island
and take out the shore artillery batteries operated by the
war by the Japanese. It would be here that the LISS Maryland
would suffer its second kamikaze attack.
As recalled byShipman,"Itseemed like most of the attacks
would occur in the early evening, just before sundown. While
we were at Okinawa, my battle station was up in the mast.
We had so many raids while at Okinawa, but one I will always
remember was late one afternoon. One of the guys on lookout
said'Japs at 4:00 o'clock; and then he said,'We've had it.
because there was so many Japanese planes. We knew we
couldn't get all of them. About that time we heard a roar from
behind and over us. It was our planes headed fortheJapanese
planes. You could hear the cheers all over the ship. We were
treated to the best dogfight show you could ever hope to see.
There wasn't one Jap plane that made it past our pilots. I've
seen a lot of movies that had dogfight scenes, but none could
compare with the real thing we saw that day.
"A few days after that we had another Japanese plane
with a 500-pound bomb crash on top of Turret II on the
starboard side. The over plate there was about 18 inches thick.
The plane demolished the turret and the men in the battery
were killed and there was a huge flame. We put out the fire,
recovered our dead and wounded. We washed the plane
overboard, scrubbed the area and repainted it in a matter
of hours, Because of the damage to the turret, we sailed to
Bremerton, Washington, for repairs. And that is where the
war ended for me.'
Shipman would be discharged in 1946 and would return
to the Houston area and enter the construction business as
a carpenter. He eventually owned and operated his own
construction company for years before retiring to Bedias.
In 1946, James Forrestal, then secretary of the Navy, sent
Mr. Shipman a personal letter which states in part, "No other
Navy at any time has done so much. For your part in these
achievements you deserve to be proud as long as you live. The
nation which you served at a time of crisis will remember you
with gratitude."
Loyd "Buddy" Shipman is proud of his service to his
country. Let us hope that our country continues to remember
him and men like him with the gratitude they deserve.
Loyd W. "Buddy" Shipman's name is found on the
Brazos Valley Veterans Memorial. If you want to have a
name added to the Veterans Memorial in time for the
Veterans Day program, you must do so before August
15. If you know a World War II veteran whose story
needs to be told, contact the BVVM-at www.bvvm.org