Ault (DD 698) - Naval Cruise Book

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fa- wx 1 Max. 1, -I K , 6 og -A pl 7 . me ef . , .,, .4 ,Q 4 ., .. fy, , - ' 'W strategic situation brought the Phiiippines into focus. Leyte had Q A nredg thenext landingwastohenadeazthe Ld.nga,yenGu1f, onl-uson.. famary operations were to support that landing. To that effect, ied on Decenber 30, l9lJ., with Task Force 38 under Vice Admiral lc- . part of Task Group 38.2 under Rear Amiral Hogan. A tes days later, 1 3rd, the first strike against Formosa was made, and the AULT took he carrier operations that were to becane so familiar as to be almost CHINA su f strike was made against Luton, and then cane the exciting passage Iaehi Channel. AULT, with WALDRON, SDERRY and WEEKS, swept the chan- L of the task force. There was no enemy contact, but we were the pe to enter the South China Sea einoe the early days of the war. It d aotiong anything might have happenedg we were ready for it. e follared exciting days - exciting becmse of our proximity to ritory on all sides, and because of the foul weather which hampered f tions' and made refueling difficult and sometimes impossible. Heavy ght some damage to ships and made life uncomfortable , but in the as the ninth to the twentieth of January the force swept the French a coast and made .strikes against the Camranh Bay area, Hong Kong, 2 natal, and the Formosa Straits area. On one day alone, January 12th, s' sank 1.1 shi' wean 127 ooo tons. Tren on me zour Auur . Psa 18 OVW' a 9 1 Q t arcs, out through Balintang Channel. The next day Formosa was the W f m - , atfthe task force also became the target for Jap a:Lr attacks: 'hvo 'Q 4 .?,, Q ' ' -e G--. 'Lf 1 1 , ,3 , destroyer were damaged. Undaunted, the. force struck Okinawa? 5 iv -, Q ,tif . A I Vx , 4 1 tool if at - e n e o Y .AIw, .g X 4 ,. A he ' f ' e , .. h ' . , 1. .aa Ae sn A . V I A? wt, Y ,. 'u ,lf W - . , , ' - , l ,P 1,, ','ff--4' 1, YW, i. 'ff' . . ' . , - 1 L' A' ' mir' ', . 1 . if, err.: e I' megan ' ' 1 -is' eg. .Q f 'i5gq'7,wG'5 l 1, - V 'a ' fl- iLl Af' : 515.3 , .21 s-33 ,- +4 Q' -+ ,Q 5, .Q ' 'A ,d nf . , .f V 'ff' 'Y-i' ',.'- ' V1 I - J? ,e-ifsfl' f 313, Typ. ,V J y Q ' X twin?-. K2 -'-G3 as , jg, 4 ' Q ,, X 45 if A . U F if QP w ,, K 1 wsu -' ow. 1 , f f rf 'L X E 5 x,'w,L? .e if , Mx -H j 1l,j.,igg::2 -z gy kv 1 N ' pm! if J-qu qv YF 3 A g Y t 7. ' - f ,ag ' ,gr fa f U ' of fLi..i,. ?Lh.w:L'f 1, A -.ff-'fwQ3 '4'. fy

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