January 5, 1943
The sea was calm, the sky was clear-
The ships were ready in case,
The word was out that this ship
Shelled a Japanese Naval Base
The HELENA like the rest-
Is good and can't be better
There isn't a Jap that flies the sky
That isn't out to get her.
They manned the guns that morning
And are ready for the kill
When the word came over the telephone-
They were going to have a drill.
A frown came over the Gunner's face-
You could tell that he was wishing,
When word was passed around the guns,
DRILL ACTION: WITH DUMMY AMMUNITION.
They followed the planes around the sky-
Oh Boy what a sap
They didn't know the guys up there,
Were dirty little Japs.
But when they started to peal off
The crew really got alive
There isn't a Jap that can tell about
The success of his power dive.
The bombs came whistling through the air-
But missed us by a mile,
MISTAKES: Hell no, there wasn't none,
It's the Helena style. |
May 13, 1943
As she proudly plows her way along-
And leaves Guadalcanal behind,
The U.S.S. HELENA and her fighting crew
Are crossing the enemy's line.
There are lots of things on a sailor's mind-
As she plows her way through the foam,
But the dearest thing in the world to him-
Is the folks he left back home.
It's true we have a debt to pay-
And it wasn't any fun,
But now we're in the lead, thank God-
With a score of thirteen to one.
The old ship's a veteran now
And the crew will pull her through'
So when we hit those Japs tonight-
I'll tell you what let's do.
When every salvo hits the beach-
Lets do the honor right,
For your Mother is sitting at home,
Praying for you tonight.
When the Honors are given out-
After the battle is through,
Let's give the credit to Mom and Dad-
Because they were with us too. |
