It was early in December in 1944
When our fleet came steaming in to Ormoc Bay
And the Japanese were busy on some other local shore
So we stood along the decks in brave array (brave array)
There were 80 warring vessels in our band that fateful date
And their task it was to to land upon the beach
But before we set our aircraft out we knew we'd have to wait
Until MacArthur made another speech (another speech)
Then the word was quickly flashed for our planes to disembark
And the brass was told to hurry up the crew
For the hour was getting late and the sky might soon grow dark
And the stateside magazines were out of new (out of news)
Things were going pretty well and the beaches all looked swell
Till the Japs decided they might like to stay
So they stabbed us in the back with a sneaky air attack
And it spoiled what could have been a pleasant day (pleasant day)
Then our ship was whirled around till the cans fell off the shelves
And the Mahan and the Ward met with defeat
And their wreckage looked so bad that we sank them both oursleves
Just to keep the little navy looking neat (looking neat)
But with all the noise and fuss we enjoyed that little hop
And its probable we won't forget the day
For hours go slowly by on our harmless old flatops
Save for moments like the fun at Ormoc Bay (Ormoc Bay)