William Ritchie
7 October 1944
Embarked more troops. This is it. We are all for it, this time it will be worth while for we are getting set for the
8-11 October 1944
Drilled troops at debarkation etc. and held several AA practices.
15 October 1944
Joined Task Force 78. What a sight. Stretched out over 40 miles of ocean and the mighty F. leading the right hand column. All kinds
20 October 1944
Another memorable day in the life of the great Ritchie. At midnight we passed Dinogat [Dinagat] Island and entered Surigao Strait and Leyte Gulf. Tight
24 October 1944
A day to remember for the storm broke. The Jap air force really came out of hiding. From 5:30AM up until 11:PM it was one
25 October 1944
Same thing as yesterday with little variation. Things started at 5:05AM and continued on and off all day, up till midnight. To say we were
26 October 1944
Started at 4:40AM today and worked through until 11:30PM. Had a close one when a plane made a run on us off our bow. Every
27 October 1944
Just another day of GQs and again we were lucky, as a crippled Jap missed us and hit the ship on our starboard beam exploding
28-29 October 1944
More GQs but caught some sleep on top of an ammunition box. Devil may care.
30 October 1944
The barometer dropped drastically and the wind rose to 71 knots. Quite an experience for I was on watch (12AM – 4AM) when it came
1-7 November 1944
Much the same as before with Japs becoming scarcer each day but still making nightly appearances one at a time. This was more or less
18 November 1944
The good word has come. We’re off for Humboldt Bay, Hollandia, New Guinea. Goodbye San Pedro Bay.