I recently got on the web and looked up the references to the USS Hazelwood. I was an Rt 3/c on the Atlanta class Cruiser USS Flint CL97 during the later part of World War ll. It brought back all the old memories of that night back in April of 1945. I downloaded the pictures of the plaque in memory of the crew, the views of the terribly damaged ship and your account of your grandfather, Hyman a crewman aboard. I was there that fateful night and to see the photo of the destruction brought tears to my eyes. This is what I saw from the deck of the Flint at early dawn as we approached on our rescue mission.

I had been on watch in CIC ( combat information center ) at 2:00 AM when word came through from fleet command that one of our destroyers was not reporting back fom it’s radar picket position away from the fleet. There was immediate concern and for a period of perhaps an hour or two, we monitored all radio channels hoping for information. Then finally word came back that they had been hit and were on fire and were dead in the water. Fleet command made the immediate decision to send us to their rescue; we had fire fighting equipment and we were about as fast as any ship in the fleet. We could pour on the coal and get there as fast as possible. The Hazelwood was 35 to 40 miles from us. We went to flank speed, left the fleet group and steamed directly toward the disabled ship. I waited and watched the surface radar during the next almost two hours and as I was due to go off watch the echo of the Hazelwood came on the scope. We were now rapidly approaching, concerned about reports that many of the crew had abandoned ship and some crewmen were still aboard fighting the terrible fire. I left watch and went down on the starboard deck and the eastern horizon was just showing the early dawn. And there it was; the Hazelwood listing badly blackened and dead in the water. Suddenly my shipmates and I saw several men in lifejackets in the water. The Flint was traveling too fast and we raised quite a commotion. Apparently they saw the delema on the bridge and the ship went into reverse to slow us right down. Several men in the water came dangerously close to our churning screws. Fortunately we stopped in time. The crew aboard the Hazelwood had pretty much put the fire out. It was then we learned that most of the senior officers aboard had been killed n the explosion and fire. We, on deck, went to the immediate aid of the men in the water. They were pretty tired and waterlogged. While our gangway was being rigged by the deck crew, we threw rope nets over the side and one by one helped bring them aboard. Boy, were they happy to see us. They were a very exhausted bunch. Then a whaleboat from the Hazelwood came around from the obscured side of the blackened bow and approached us. I’ll never forget the sight. There were some sailors kneeling in the bilge of the whaleboat and they were supporting two badly burned fellow sailor lying horizontally across the gunnels face up. We transported the injured to our sick bay and our doctor and corpsmen treated them. It was decided to get those who were ok back to their ship and we brought out a heavy steel braided hawser and hooked it to the bow of the Hazelwood to tow it back to Iwo Jima. During the next several hours we got the severely injured off to a hospital ship or ship that was to take them there. We towed the stricken ship all afternoon, through the night and the next morning we left it at Iwo Jima which now had been secured from the terrible fighting there. We returned to our Fifth Fleet position, as I remember, later that afternoon or evening to thanks from fleet command for the help we had given to the Hazelwood. We learned later that one of the Hazelwood’s boilers was started up and it could proceed under its own power and had returned to Ulithi, the fleet’s anchorage and from there it was to return to Pearl Harbor. I went aboard the USS Flint after finishing radio school in late August of 1944 as a brand new ship and stayed with her until we returned to Bremerton Washington in February of 1946 at which time I returned to Connecticut and was discharged. The Flint was put in the mothball fleet and never went to sea again. In the 1960’s she was sold for scrap.

I returned home to Connecticut, married, worked for Pratt and Whitney Aircraft building aircraft engines for 35 years. I have been retired now for sixteen years and am in good health and 76 years old. I have four children, four step children and 10 grandchildren.

I would correspond with you. I’ll answer all e-mail msgs. Your grandfather might well have been one of the men we pulled out of the water that fateful dawn. I assure you, the memory of that morning is very clear in my mind.

Very best regards,