When The U.S. Navy Tried
To Kill The President
Everybody makes mistakes. That’s actually a trope referring to our fallen natures. You say that to friends or children in an effort to make them feel better after they mess something up. However, mistakes fall along a spectrum. Some are fairly trivial. Others, not so much.
Have you ever screwed something up so bad you realized there was just no fixing it? We’ve all been there. There’s that horrible moment between when you do the thing and when you appreciate the profound ramifications of your actions. And then there was this guy …
Franklin D. Roosevelt was arguably the most influential Democratic
president in American history. He led the nation through most of
World War II. Photo by Leon Perskie.
Total War
It was November 1943, and President Franklin Roosevelt’s presence was required in Tehran, Iran, to meet with Josef Stalin and Winston Churchill. With war raging around the globe, these “Big Three” had some weighty stuff to hammer out. It was imperative that FDR arrive both on time and safely.
Air travel was not quite the refined art that it is today, and there was a war waging on. Given that failure was simply not an option, FDR entrusted his personal safety to the U.S. Navy. With German U-boats infesting the North Atlantic, the Navy brass decided to send the President across to Europe aboard the USS Iowa.
The USS William D. Porter was a destroyer that served in
the latter years of WWII. She fired a live war shot torpedo at
the president of the United States.
The Players
The USS Iowa was the lead ship in her class of dreadnaughts. With a displacement of more than 58,000 tons and featuring nine 16-inch rifles along with 20 5-inch guns and scads of lesser weapons, the Iowa was the apex predator among American battleships during World War II. The main belt of armor facing seaward was a full 12 inches thick. She seemed an adequate choice when the outcome of the war depended upon the successful delivery of her passengers.
Ships like the Iowa never travel alone, particularly on a mission of such extraordinary import. Amidst a veritable flotilla of support vessels was the USS William D. Porter. Designated DD579, the USS Porter was a destroyer.
With a displacement of a mere 2,050 tons, the Porter was a fast and agile attack ship optimized for counter-submarine and antiaircraft warfare. She carried five 5-inch guns, 10 torpedo tubes, and an array of lesser weapons. Her mission was to help sweep the sea lanes clear of the U-boat menace so that the Iowa might proceed unhindered.
The Problem
The USS Iowa had a top speed of 33 knots, but that burned an astronomical amount of fuel. At typical cruising speeds, it was going to take a good while to cross the Atlantic. To help pass the time, the president asked the task force commander to demonstrate the capabilities of his vessels. As a result, with the president watching closely, the commander ordered anti-aircraft defense drills as well as torpedo evasion maneuvers.
The antiaircraft bit involved shooting down a series of weather balloons. It was noisy but unremarkable. The torpedo evasion drill was a bit more memorable.
The USS William D. Porter was known colloquially as the “Willi Dee.” She had already developed a bit of a reputation. Upon departure from Norfolk, she accidentally tore the railing and lifeboat mounts off of a sister vessel in a maneuvering incident. Later, she inadvertently dropped a live depth charge in rough seas, scaring the bejeebers out of everyone in the convoy.
The Willi Dee got tagged to serve as the aggressor for the torpedo drill. From a range of some 6,000 yards, the destroyer was to launch three live torpedoes. However, each of these fish was to be fired without the primers installed. That way, whether they connected or missed, these three war shots would eventually just sink harmlessly to the ocean floor.
The USS Iowa was the most powerful American battleship of WWII.
She was selected to transport the president to the Tehran Conference in late 1943.
The Mistake
There were a lot of very important eyes locked onto the USS William D. Porter as she began her attack. The torpedo crew felt the pressure. Time was tight, and everyone was terrified they would not be quick enough. The first two shots went off as planned. However, in the rush to fire on schedule, the third shot was released with the primer installed. The USS William D. Porter had just released a live torpedo directed at the flotilla flagship that also happened to be carrying the president of the United States.
They realized their mistake immediately and signaled the Iowa to engage in evasive maneuvers. Meanwhile, the president, who was confined to a wheelchair, asked to be wheeled to the side of the deck so he could get a clear view of the proceedings. In desperation, the Roosevelt’s security detail unlimbered their weapons at the incoming torpedo.
This was a chaotic time, and confusion reigned. The skipper of the Iowa couldn’t be completely sure that the attack was not intentional. He ordered the nine massive 16-inch guns trained on the Porter, now a sitting duck some 6,000 yards distant.
God Smiles Upon the Willi Dee …
Fortunately, the third live shot passed behind the Iowa and exploded harmlessly in her wake. Chief Torpedoman Lawton Dawson was actually court-martialed for the mistake and sentenced to hard labor. However, President Roosevelt intervened and pardoned him. The destroyer’s skipper, Lieutenant Commander Wilfred Walther, retained command and eventually retired as a Rear Admiral.
The Iowa successfully delivered her precious cargo and then steamed into the Pacific, looking for trouble. The Willi Dee also transferred to Pacific. However, news of the unfortunate mistake in the North Atlantic preceded her. FDR was arguably the most famous Democrat of the modern age. Whenever the USS Porter encountered other American ships, she was greeted with the refrain, “Don’t shoot, we’re Republicans.” There would be no living that down.
The Rest of the Story
The Willi Dee went on to serve with distinction in the North Pacific as well as the Philippine campaigns, ultimately earning four battle stars. However, on 10 June 1945, while operating in support of the invasion of Okinawa, the Porter was attacked by a single Aichi D3A Val dive bomber kamikaze. The ship’s gunners peppered the plane, and the skipper successfully evaded.
The explosive-laden aircraft inexplicably exploded as it was sinking, by now directly underneath the keel of the Porter. The force of the explosion broke the back of the destroyer, and she sank three hours later. Miraculously, not a single crewmember was lost.
