Bataan (CVL 29) - Naval Cruise Book

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1 ill I lj Q,-dv I 4 WilM1liiNf i ' llfili 1'y ,g' llff'i lllfllillullllllllll 1 Z git! Nwiiiiiiu 4 lnQn.n S N,, 7 X! X .2552-izaaaaes I Y. ' iii l:..l.-:mi 15'-:ga - , ' Eqi... isa' 1 'ws . c 1 ,..-f'1f We U- L nf J . 22212225 1' ' N - af ll 1 if a - I- fi 6 ,1 It , ll , 'ill--iiig. 53, ' ' -'W I 'g-T 4' 2 - T L 'R -- N, X? fr , ' 'Z - N fi-v - X if J 4 A S -' ' , ' .L- -,-Tt x T T xr- g W I T- I '- THA-iv ' I 1 July '45--The BATAAN sorties from Leyte as a part of Admiral Ha1sey's Task Force 38. We are assigned to Task Group 38.3, Rear Admiral Bogan, commanding. 2-8 July '45-Underway to attack the Japanese Home Islands. The time is occupied by ' Air Group exercises, gunnery practice+and drills of all kinds. On the 8th, Lt. Cjgj RICHARD STEPHANSKY makes his second water landing, he is rescued by the destroyer SOUTHERLAND. 9 July '45-The ship starts its high speed run in for strikes against the Tokyo Bay Area. 10 July '45-Elying in conjunction with planes from the RANDOLPH, Air Group 47 attacks airfields in the Tokyo Bay Area. Targets attacked include MOBARA, MIYAKAWA, NARUTO, YACHIMATA, and YOKOSUKA. At least 26 parked aircr-aft on these fields are destroyed or damaged by BATAAN planes. Al- though 4l sorties are flown over Japan, not a single Japanese airborne plane is seen: this lack of aerial opposition to our strikes over Japan continues through- out this operation. iii ta-lg. , Q li lj .E ff-.y 1.1. lg Lieutenant ROBERT l. TALBOT, of VE47, is forced to make -a water landing near Tokyo Bay because of engine trouble on the part of his Hellcat. He is picked up by the submarine GABILAN and spends the next few weeks looking at the War from underneath instead of from above. 11-13 July '45-Heading north for attacks on Hokkaido and Northern Honshu. ' 14 July '45-We hit Northern Japan in the first carrier -attack of the war against this area. Aircraft on ground or water and shipping are the primary targets. Ensign Robert Graham of the Torpedo Squadron sinks one of the Hokkaido-Honshu railroad ferries unassisted: these ferries were targets of the highest priority. In addition ships sunk or damaged include 10 merchant vessels, a tug, a sea-going dredge, luggers, launches, sampans, plus a float plane on the water. In addition ferry slips and other installations at Hakodate in Hokkaido and targets of opportunity in Northern Honshu were successfully attacked. The Jap AA guns at Hakodate Harbor give a warm hello to our planes. In the morning strike Lieutenant B. T. DOUGLAS is forced to make a water landing in his Avenger as a result of flak damageg he and his aircrewman, W. L. BREW- ER, ARlVl2c are picked up by the destroyer McNAlR. Two Hellcats are also hit in the morning. Eive of the seven torpedo planes in the afternoon strike come back with flak damage. This was a sad day for the -air group and the ship. A weather reconnaissance flight of one torpedo plane and one fighter was lost in one of the spells of heavy fog, low ceiling and poor visibility so prevalent in this area. In spite of inten- sive searches, the pl-anes could not be found, and the two pilots, an aircrewman and a' chief aerographer's mate were reported missing: these were our only casualties for this operation. 15 July '45-More strikes against Northern Honshu and Hokkaido targets. Merchant vessels are burned, radar installations, a radio station, a lighthouse, oil tanks, an oil refinery, are bombed, rocketed and strafed. Airfields are reconnoitered, and a four motored Emily flying boat on a lake in Northwest Honshu is set ablaze. VE47 develops a new and lucrative pastime -strafing locomotives. Six are blown up by their treatment with very satisfac- tory explosions resulting. Additional searches for the missing weather flight are unsuccessful. 16-17 July '45-Enroute back to Tokyo Bay. Page One Hundred Fifty

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