Purple Heart and Good Conduct Medal to CCS Ernest F. Baca, USS San Francisco (CA 38); USS Ommaney Bay (CVE 79); KIA USS Columbia (CL 56) Kamikaze 1/6/

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CCS Ernie Baca was one of the fortunate survivors of USS Ommaney Bay and was transferred to the Cleveland-class light cruiser, USS Columbia (CL 56) that evening. The cruiser’s nickname was “Gem of the Pacific” after the old ballad, “Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean.” “Gem” was the only Navy ship to fly the Confederate Naval Ensign as a battle flag during combat in the South Pacific, a tribute to her namesake city, the capital of South Carolina, the first state to secede from the Union during the Civil War.

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Ommaney Bay survivors were assigned general quarters (GQ) stations at Columbia’s various mess compartments throughout the ship. Chief Baca was assigned to the CPO mess. Two days later in the Lingayen Gulf, USS Columbia’s task force 77.4 was attacked by “possibly the best kamikaze”, (tr. “divine wind”) Japanese pilots that had been specially trained to inflict severe damage in suicidal crash dives into American warships, while evading AA fire. At 1435, “Gem’s” gunners successfully fought off an onslaught of three Japanese Mitsubishi A-6M “Zeke” fighters, one of which overshot her target and dove between the cruiser’s stacks, crashing into the sea close aboard starboard and spraying gasoline on the cruiser’s superstructure that was quickly extinguished, resulting in minor damage and injury to a single crewman.

 

But USS Columbia and Ernie Baca’s luck did not last a few hours later. For Baca, it was the fifth time in two days, on two ships, that he faced a “Japanese suicide plane”. At 1729, in a lethal display of expert flying, a two-seat, Japanese Aichi D-3A “Val” dive-bomber “kamikaze” carrying a 500 pound bomb, flown by second lieutenant Hirotomo Iwa and radio operator first sergeant Takeshi Ogawa, weaved and swerved through the anti-aircraft batteries, too close and fast for the port-side machine guns to acquire and fire, before plunging into Columbia’s stern at the port side of the number four 6-inch gun turret. Much of the plane, pilot and flaming gasoline penetrated two decks below, killing or severely wounding the men in the CPO mess that was also being used as an after first aid and damage control station. The bomb penetrated into the ship and exploded in the ice making space, blowing holes in the handling room below turret number four and its magazine, igniting the gun powder stored there.

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Fortunately, the powder burned rather than exploded, as had cataclysmically happened on USS Arizona (BB-39) at Pearl Harbor, otherwise the stern would have been blown off and Columbia would have sunk. Her hull was breached, the flooding was severe, electrical power was out to her after turrets and her steering gear was wrecked but “Gem’s” twin engines were unharmed. She could maneuver using them, and her forward turrets and other guns were still fighting. Damage control parties were able to extinguish the fires and keep ahead of the flooding with the pumps.

 

USS Columbia survived the devastation that day and a third kamikaze attack three-days later that killed 24 and wounded 97. She was temporarily patched up in- theater and repaired at the West Coast to return to service in the Pacific by June 1945. But 13 men, including CCS Ernie Baca and two shipmates from Ommaney Bay, Chief Yeoman (CY) Fred Nagorny and Aviation Metalsmith first class (AM1c) Ross M. Sherbocker that had been rescued less than forty-eight hours earlier, were among the dead or dying, with 44 men wounded in the attack on 6 January 1945. Baca was burned over eighty-five percent of his body and heavily sedated with morphine for the unimaginable pain, he succumbed to his wounds two days later. He was buried at sea on 8 January 1945 along with six others that died from their wounds that day. The other seven, including his two shipmates from Ommaney Bay, had been buried at sea the day before. We can be sure that Ernie Baca didn’t let the Reaper take him without a fight. The Navy notified his next of kin by telegram on 22 January 1945.

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Chief Commissary Steward Ernest Faustin Baca earned eleven battle stars on his Asiatic-Pacific campaign ribbon, had he lived to wear it. He also earned a Presidential Unit Citation with blue enamel star for his service on USS San Francisco during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal and a Navy Unit Commendation for his short time aboard USS Columbia, before he was killed.

 

On January 31, 1945, Baca’s widow, Virginia, wrote a letter addressed to “Commanding Officer USS Ommaney Bay” after she had been notified of Ernie’s death:

 

“Dear Sir: I am writing to you to find out about my husband he is Ernest Faustin Baca Chief Commissary Steward on your Ship. I got word from the Government that he died of wounds and I wonder if you can tell me how he died and if he left any word before he died and if you’re there on the Ship will send me his personal belongings as I want them very much. If you can give me any information on his death I would be very thankful.

 

Mrs. E. F. Baca, 454 E. Ellis St., Long Beach, 5, Calif.”

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On 2 March 1945, CAPT Howard L. Young, commanding officer of USS Ommaney Bay replied to Virginia Baca:

 

“My dear Mrs. Baca,

 

It is with deep sorrow, as Commanding Officer of the USS OMMANEY BAY, that I write you concerning your husband, Ernest Faustin Baca, who was wounded in action against the Japanese on 6 January 1945 and died of these injuries on 8 January 1945. He was a survivor of the sinking of our ship but was mortally wounded when the USS Columbia was hit by an enemy bomb.

 

He was manning a battle station on the USS Columbia and was performing his duties in a meritorious manner. The survivors of our ship were taken aboard other ships and every effort was made to send them back out of the battle zone. However, all of us remained in this area for nearly a week.

 

Your husband was given every aid possible in order that he might have a chance of recovery. He performed his duties at all times in a commendable manner and was regarded as a fine shipmate by all aboard. His supervision of the crew’s mess, especially during the long hours of battle conditions, was always carried out with whole-hearted energy and devotion to duty. All hands knew him and appreciated his contribution to the fighting efficiency of the ship.

 

The OMMANEY BAY took part in many actions against the enemy in the last six months and had one of the outstanding records of all the escort carriers. All of us were proud of our accomplishments and I know your husband contributed materially to the ship’s success.

 

I fully realize the inadequacy of anything I can write to you to lighten the grief which must be yours at this time. I do hope that you may receive some comfort and courage in the knowledge of your husband’s brave devotion and service. He was a credit to his family and his country, and you may justly be very proud.

 

With my heartfelt sympathy for your loss, I am

 

Very sincerely yours, H.L. Young, Captain, US Navy”

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Virginia Baca received a hand-engraved, posthumous Purple Heart medal for her husband’s service on October 29, 1945 and later an undated, machine-engraved, posthumous Good Conduct medal, a World War II Victory Medal (Jan. 1947) and a Navy Unit Commendation ribbon.

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She remarried but remained in Southern California until her own death forty-five years later at San Diego in 1990. Chief Baca’s son, Tony, died in 1966, at the age of twenty-six in Long Beach. He was 26, divorced, and had been working for four years as a shipping clerk at North American Aviation in Downey, CA, several miles east of Long Beach. He was taken to Long Beach Memorial Hospital, but couldn’t be saved. The cause of death was “undetermined- acute barbiturate poisoning”. His mother, who was still living in Long Beach, reported his death. Whatever turmoil Tony Baca struggled with, losing the father that he never knew, probably didn’t give him "a hand up on life."

 

Minnesota-born, retired Chief Commissary Steward Richard J. “Chief Johnny” (Jon)Gordon, USN, 95-years young, Bay Area resident, founder of the USS San Francisco Memorial Foundation and called a “national treasure” by the director of the Naval History and Heritage Command, enlisted in the Navy at 17 in December 1940 and reported aboard USS San Francisco the following March. He remembered serving as a cook with “Chief Baca” 76 years later. They were in the same division and each worked his way up from apprentice seaman to chief commissary steward on San Francisco, though a few years apart.

 

“As I boarded the San Francisco in Pearl Harbor in March 1941, a friendly shipmate welcomed me into his division, ‘Chief Baca’, a career sailor, and a highly respected boxer. Some months later (Chief Baca) was transferred to new ship construction and somehow was assigned to the USS Benjamin Franklin CV-13 (see number 13 again) (sic). Baca we learned later, was killed during the engagement of 19-March-1945. (sic) Sad, but do the peace marchers today understand the price that men like Chief Baca paid for their right to march and scream FREEDOM it's free ??????”

 

Another WW II USS San Francisco sailor and naval author, Pharmacist’s Mate third class (PHM3c) Heber A. Holbrook, also remembered Chief Baca, from his service three-quarters of a century earlier.

 

“Shipmate Baca. Yes, I remember him. He was indeed a boxer. One of the best, and one of the Frisco's finest crewmen. I did not know he was killed while later serving aboard the Franklin (sic). What we all learned back then is that truly Freedom is not Free!”

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[bellasilva]

It's people like you who make me proud to be part of this particular collecting community. The amount of research you put into this is incredible. Thank you for sharing it, and rest in peace Chief Baca.

[huntssurplus]

Wow! This has to be one of the best researched and put together thread on this forum. Great job researching and keeping Chief Baca's memory alive. RIP.

 

Thanks for sharing,

Hunt

[Wharfmaster]

Well done AB ! Thank you.

 

Rest in peace Chief. Salute !

 

 

 

 

Wharf

[MWalsh]

Thank you for telling his incredible story!

[kanemono]

Great research and story. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Dick

[Edelweisse]

Wow! This has to be one of the best researched and put together thread on this forum. Great job researching and keeping Chief Baca's memory alive. RIP.

 

Thanks for sharing,

Hunt

I fully agree....WOW....I enjoyed reading this in-depth research and was amazed and enlightened by the info. You brought the history of CCS Ernest F. Baca to life. THANK YOU!!!! I m amazed at the amount of documentation and info...and your dedication to uncover this sailor's service.....WOW.

 

CCS Ernest F. Baca...Rest in Peace...

[KASTAUFFER]

Fabulous research and write up! You have honored his memory in a big way!

 

Kurt