1945 refit at the Brooklyn Navy Shipyard prior to being sent to the Pacific.

Into the Pacific

By 1945 the Mighty "O" had taken care of the Atlantic and its services were sought in the Pacific. She underwent a major refit in New York with the removal of her torpedo tubes and the addition of eight more 40mm guns. This was a result of the hard lessons the fleet was learning in fighting the Kamikaze. For the "O", the journey to the Orient was long and in the end anti-climatic. The atomic bomb had given her a reprieve and accelerated her trip into retirement. Still, she did make it into the theater and get to tangle with the Japanese at Wake Island. The Ordronaux also saw history in the making when the first Japanese envoys arrived in a white "Betty" bomber that over flew the ship while on approach to Ie Shima. All in all, the Pacific was a change in scene for the men of the Ordronaux; letting them see and experience such new places as Panama, Tiajuana, San Diego, Waikiki, and eventually the mainland of Japan.

Related Information:

Two twin 40mm mounts replace 20mm mounts and quad 40mm guns are mounted aft for Pacific duty. Ordronaux in drydock.
Japanese envoy flies overhead in a white Betty bomber enroute to Ie Shima. The desperately needed 40mm quad mount.

Return to the USS Ordronaux Action

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