I just wrote
> [
Houston] was in and out of Darwin in a flash on February 18, 1942, taking time only to refuel there. She overnighted at Tjilatjap on the 21st/22nd. I think she left that port early in the morning, but that would have been the only time or place I can figure. If you have additional information that she had a sufficient window of opportunity at Tjilatjap, and there remained additional and sufficient U.S. 5-inch/25 ammo there, please share. >
In an effort to garner any further details, I went back to
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/logs/CA/ca30.html
and checked both the "official" and Madson's reconstructed logs. The former states simply that
Houston arrived at Tjilatjap at dusk on February 21, 1942, and refueled at the dock, departing the port at about 0800 hours on the following day. Madson adds that she not only fueled, but provisioned at Tjilatjap, which strongly implies to me that she took on only food and perhaps water. Neither reconstructed log mentions the loading of ammunition of any size.
Nelson