The USS Oregon was the U.S. battleship George Enos Jr. was assigned to in the second half of 1944.[1] He served aboard for the remainder of the Second Great War and into 1945.
Enos' first operation on the Oregon was when the battleship participated on the shelling of the Confederate town of Morehead City, North Carolina. It was part of a flotilla that consisted of the battleship Maine and two escort carriers. During the shelling, Confederate costal defense guns opened fire but were soon silenced. Then land based divebombers attacked but were downed or driven off by the carrier CAP with little damage to the flotilla.[2]
After the Confederate surrender and Britain suing for peace, the Oregon cruised the Atlantic coastline ensuring the terms were enforced. The ship came across a Confederate submersible on the surface flying a blue flag in token of surrender. A boarding party ensured its weapons, especially its torpedoes, were disabled, and the boat was given instructions to sail for Baltimore. A short time later, the ship came across a British submersible flying a Union Jack. The boat's captain politely declined to follow the Oregon's instructions, pointing out that there was an armistices between the two countries but not a surrender. The officer of the deck consulted with the bridge and reluctantly permitted the boat to proceed back to the UK.[3]
Later in 1944, the Oregon was attacked by an exploding bumboat off the coast of Miami, killing 31 and wounding 150. The U.S. responded by taking and executing 10 hostages for every sailor killed or wounded. Some crewmembers of the Oregon discussed responding by shelling Miami, but discipline held and no action was taken.[4]
Security tightened with supply boats being covered by 40mm guns and even 5-inch guns until ship's crews could board and search them. Nobody relaxed until the stores were transfered to the battleship and the supply boat sailed away from it.[5]
