Baltimore (CA 68) - Naval Cruise Book

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THE SCORE BOARD Record .of planes shot down . . . 3 shot down 9 assists Service stars on Asiatic-Pacific Medal rated by Baltimore C95 l Gilbert Islands Leyte 2 Marshall Islands Luzon 3 Asiatic-Pacific raids Iwo Iima 4 New Guinea ' 5 Mqrianas operation i Other decorations I X American Theatre medal Okinawa Gunto Philippine liberation ribbon and star 1-192 f '--if M t ' 32,1 if S 1 1.5. ' if 'pun

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Admiral Wilize U.S.S. BALTIMORE I In August 1944, Rear Admiral Wiltse relieved Rear Ad- miral Thebaud as Commander Cruiser Division TEN. At this time, the division flagship was the BOSTON. Admiral Wiltse took the BOSTON through the Western Caroline operations and the initial attacks on the Philippines, the THIRD Fleet at- tacks in October against Okinawa, the Ryukyu Islnds, For- mosa and Aparri. Heavy Iapanese counter-attacks resulted in torpedoing the CANBERRA and the light cruiser HOUSTON in waters dangerously near the For-mosan coast. Admiral Wiltse commanded the towing and support groups that suc- cessfully fought off savage Iapanese air attacks to bring the two damaged cruisers out to quieter waters. This was followed by service with Task Force 38 through the period of the Sec- ond Battle of the Philippine Sea, the raids on Luzon, and the South China Sea sweep. In Ianuary' 1945, the flag shifted to the BALTIMORE and served with Task Force 58 in the sup- port of the capture of Iwo lima, the first carrier raids on Tokyo Csince the aircraft carrier HORNET's daring raid in April 19423, the raids on Kyushu which culminated in the serious damaging of the group flagship, the aircraft carrier FRANKLIN. Whereupon Rear Admiral Wiltse assumed com- mand of Task Group 58.2 until operations could be initiated to bring the FRANKLIN out of enemy waters.. Then followed the long days of Kamikaze attacks on Task Force 58 as it supported the Okinawa operations, and later raids on South- ern lapan, the Inland Sea, and Kyushu in May and Iune 1945. The scheduled overhaul of the BALTIMORE obliged the flag to shift to the OUINCY in lune 1945. During the next two months, the THIRD Fleet kept at sea continuously while rain- ing trlip-hammer blows against Iapan from Kyushu to Hok- kaido, until the last days in August when Iapan admitted complete and utter defeat. Admiral Wiltse was privileged to represent Cruiser Division TEN by being a witness to the surrender ceremonies held in Tokyo Bay aboard the battle- ship MISSOURI on September 2, 1945. Shortly afterwards, the admiral, the officers and the men were ordered to proceed to Pearl Harbor to rejoin the BALTIMORE for the return trip home. During the latter part of November, Rear Admiral Wiltse was relieved as Commander Cruiser TEN by Rear Admiral E. P. F orrestel who employed the BALTIMORE as his flagship during the tour of occupation duty in Iapan which lasted from November until February. - 4.13:fQ'i??:FT5f?:tIB2iFG2i2'fiQL ' M--- --f---fr -- 1 - W . -, ig 'f ,,-,Ng f-fr-Y - ---H nf ,nn ,, , , , A I .... .... . ., -' .W , Hdmiral Wiltse