Some veribage consistent for Leon Grabowsky WW2

Hi Folks - I'm shooting a film reenacting my book on a battleship in July 2018 (got the green light). One my the scenes I want to portray was when the current captain gave the helm to Leon Grabowsky after being injured by a kaiten by a sub.

Grabowsky took command of the Leutze in a harrowing battle at Okinawa and managed to keep the Leutze and its badly damaged sister ship, the Newcomb, afloat, despite an intense kamikaze attack.

I'm looking for what lines Leon may have said from the bridge like drop depth charges or telling folks to move to heading xyz, anybody have any advice on veribage if a destroyer / battleship was being attacked to what lines may have been used to keep such a ship a float.

Or at the same time if anyone wants to serve as a technical expert and is or around MA/ CT area that would be helpful.

Thanks all

 

Well first of all there's a big difference between a battleship and a destroyer. About 52,390 tons (Fletcher class vs Iowa class full load). I assume that your ship is a Fletcher Class destroyer since both Leutze DD-481 and Newcomb DD-586 were Fletcher's. What's got me confused, and I haven't read your book, but from the description it appears several incidents are intermingled, the wounding of it's CO and Grabowsky assuming command took place at Iwo Jima on 16-17 February, the mini-sub depth charging happened later while escorting the USS Texas during the Okinawa pre-invasion bombardment and the Kamikaze attack took place on 6 April. One would need to have a better understanding of the actual situation at the time you're trying to portray in order to give yo accurate dialogue.

 

My mistake I'm filming on a battleship but reenacting the scene as if we were on a DD (Destroyer). I'm wondering what one would do to keep a Destroyer a-float after it was struck by a kaiten. What would he be doing - telling his all hands on deck or maybe what a radar hit would look like when a sub is detected. Doesnt have to be 100 spot on. But just the protocol when a ship is under a attack. Based on what I read was the current captain got injured and let Leon become in command and he had to avoid ship from sinking. If these occurred on different days then my focus generically would be what would a captain due under attack

 

Usually, something along the line of "take the conn" which means the control of the ship passes from the officer with "the conn" to the officer to whom the "the conn" is transferred. The response would be "Aye, Aye, I have the conn." The officer with the conn is responsible not only for the helm (the actual act of "conning" the ship), but all other activities, such as in your case, damage control, until relieved. There should be a designated damage control officer with several teams to respond to whatever emergency. The DCO would report to whomever has the conn what actions have been taken or are being taken, recommendations for further actions, or receive instructions for same.

 

And one might hear in the background a quartermaster or other worthy announce, in case anyone missed it, "Mr. Gish has the conn" and perhaps a phonetalker announce the same . . . this we call "passing the word."

 

Sound like the USS Leutz is getting the Memphis Belle(1990) treatment...The name is the same, but the film is a composite of factual and fictional experiences.

Given that the, then Captain of the Leutz was seriously wounded by the shell hit on her forward stack , I do not think it was a matter of Captain Robbins giving the helm to the XO, Lt. Grabowski, so much as it was the XO taking charge. Further, Grabowski was not given the helm, but assumed command of the Leutz. Big Difference.
For those interested a 1991 interview with Leon Grabowsky.
Digital Collections » Text

As to what one would do to keep a destroyer afloat after being struck by a Kaiten...Not much...3,000 pounds of explosive is going to do a lot of damage. The ship will either sink outright or possibly break in half - like the USS Underhill. If she breaks in half, possibly one half may be kept afloat, but then again, maybe not.
Excellent site on the USS Underhill's encounter with Kaiten, lots of material.
USS Underhill DE-682

 

In a case like that if you weren't needed below decks then you might be ordered on deck. Sealing any watertight compartments and pumping what water out you could would also be recommended. Whether you had power or not would make a difference and if you were trying to stay afloat restoring power if it were out would be important.

Isn't there at least one Fletcher that's a museum ship?

 

Right, as R. Leonard states above, it's "Take the Con." Then that phrase is repeated by the man taking the Con. "I have the Con." Then by others so everyone on the bridge knows who has the Con. "Mr. Grabowski has the Con." Mr. Grabowski has the Con."

You have standard battle orders to set readiness (Condition X-Ray, Condition Zebra) which tells damage control crews to move into action, and to seal first hatches and then air exchanges and so on as conditions worsen. A well-drilled ship is like a ballet of activity with various readiness conditions, and everyone has a different job depending on which condition is set. The Engineering Officer (EO) is really in charge - damage reports are passed to the bridge and then relayed to EO, who gives more specific directives to fight fires, shore up this or that bulkhead and so on.

.

 

In his area, the USS CASSIN YOUNG is in Boston. Since he is shooting on a.battleship, the only one near him is the USS MASSACHUSETTS at Fall River...But they also have a FRAMmed Gearing there, the USS JOESPH P KENNEDY.