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Robert Drinan: We were hit today by a suicide plane. What a mess. A lot of guys I know were
killed. I sure which I was out of this. Narrator: You don't expect a man with a second-hand
Ford to polish the windshield. But the man with a new Packard you expect to strive on
every minute detail of cleanliness and upkeep. We believe our ship is a Packard. You can
stand by and watch your ship steadily decline or you can get in there and strive to make
her the ship you'd be proud of. Untidiness and negligence are contagious but so are cleanliness
and pride. --The Salvo, 1926. Nicknamed "The Queen" and "Wondership", the
USS New Mexico was one of the most technologically advanced ships of her time. Because there
was hardly a device on board her that did not operate electrically she was often called
the 100% electric ship and was the marvel of her day. Launched on April 23, 1917, for
more than a quarter century the battleship and its crew garnered numerous accolades for
gunnery, engineering, and battle efficiency. It was also the flag ship for two different
US navy battleship fleets. On board "The Queen", excellence was a way
of life. Last night the New Mexico TSL members won
the enormous the 4-decker chocolate cake given as a prize for the largest attendance from
any ship at the Fleet Triangle Service League banquet. -- The Salvo, 1929
The loose use of obscenity throughout the service is well known. There are a lot of
men in the Navy, at least 90%, who do not care to listen to filth. The next time you
hear a man indulging in rotten language, size him up. -- The Salvo, 1926
It was often said that good men with poor ships are better than poor men with good ships.
-- The Salvo, 1926 "The Queen's" stateliness was one of the reasons
why it was promoted away from the pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor. Only months before
the December 7, 1941 attack, the New Mexico was reassigned to the Atlantic fleet to guard
the convoy routes to Britain. "The Queen" dodged the Pearl Harbor bullet; however another
was headed directly for her. On the morning of January 6th, 1945, the New Mexico arrived
in the Philippines for the invasion of Luzon, the biggest and most prized of the Philippine
islands. While fighting off Japanese suicide planes, one kamikaze struck "The Queen" and
exploded. 30 men were killed and 87 wounded. Among the dead was time magazine war correspondent,
William Henry Chickering. In his last dispatch from the New Mexico Chickering ironically
wrote, "It is my hunch that the Japanese at Little Gion won't react very favorably. May
even retreat to the hills and make out initial success easy." Despite the damage, "The Queen"
bravely defended herself and continued to battle. Among the targets were two bridges
believed almost impossible to hit. They were only 16 feet wide and 7 and a half miles away
yet both bridges were struck repeatedly. The damage the USS New Mexico sustained was severe.
"The Queen" would soon see much worse. One month later she was ready for battle and
life on the ship resumed. It was the ships very own publications, the Salvo of the USS
New Mexico and later The Queens Daily News that brought the crew their daily dose of
news, sports and humor. Feeding "The Queens" men required huge amounts of work. The men
eat up to 1600 pounds of spuds a day and for a single meal the crew eats 1400 pounds of
turkey. During the battle of Okinawa, wave after wave
of kamikazes attacked. The Japanese lost 1900 aircraft. 30 US ships were sunk and 368 were
damaged, including the USS New Mexico. Robert Drinan: Air attacks all night. What
a night. Sometimes I think I'm nuts. Or at least going.
Narrator: Shortly before sunset, a drove of Japanese kamikazes descended from the clouds.
The New Mexico shot one suicide plane into the sea, but could not fend away another.
With a tremendous roar the plane's bombs exploded on impact. Aviation gasoline sent flames swooshing
skyward 200 feet. One report said 'the top of the stack looked like a gigantic blow torch.
Robert Drinan: Worked hard to put out fires and take care of men. I was never so scared
in all of my life. Narrator: There were 177 casualties including
55 dead and 3 missing. Robert Drinan: I wish we would get out of
this hell hole Narrator: When the atomic bomb brought the
war to a close, "The Queen" was in Ley Te undergoing repairs. They were completed in
time for the New Mexico to participate in the ceremonies marking Japan's surrender.
The New Mexico was decommissioned on June 19th, 1946. For nearly 30 years, "The Queen"
was the pride of the Navy and her crew was the embodiment of valor.