Bataan (CVL 29) - Naval Cruise Book

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5 t l llllllllilllll e..f7 - I y 2135- .t l f , . f et . lt all . , :Q 1 X it , f M 1 I .. Y I 5+ .2 if ' fif-T' ! 21-23 Apr. '44-Strikes against Sawar, Sarmi and XVakde, New Guinea, in support of landings at I-Iollandia. Lieut. LEIVIIVION scores first two kills for our planes. Z8 Apr. '44-Put into Manus, Admiralty Islands, for U. S. Mail. 30 Apr.-I May '44-Strikes against Truk. Caroline Islands. Comdr. MATTER. CAG 50, and crew of his TBM shot down but res- cued by submarine TANG. 2 May '4-l-Battleships of Task Force 58 bombarded Ponape, Caroline Islands. Quite a sight to View from the flight deck. 5-I3 May '-l-l--Anchored in lagoon at Kwajalein, Marshall Islands. Liberty and a little beer while adjustments are made to forward elevator. Rear Admiral Clark stated that BATAAN had performed all her assigned tasks in a highly satisfactory manner during previous operation. l-ifl8 May '4-I---Back at Majuro. liorward elevator snafu. 22-30 May '44-Pearl Harbor again. To drydock for repairs to forward elevator. 2-5 Jun. '-H-Nlajuro. 58 again ready to hit the Japs. ll-I3 Jun. '44-Strikes against Guam and Rota in the Marianna Islands. Our planes shot down four Nips on the llth and two more on the l2th. I4 Jun. '44-One snooper shot down while we head north. I5-I6 Jun. '44-Strikes against Chichi Jima in the Bonin Islands, 5ll miles from Tokyo. This was the closest any carrier group had been to the Japanese Empire. It's getting warmer. IQ Jun. '44-Air battle with carrier planes from the Japanese fleet, 200 miles west of Saipan. Over 400 Jap planes destroyed by planes from Task Force 58 in lNIarianna's Turkey Shoot. Twelve were knocked down by BATAAN planes. 20 Jun. '44--First Battle of the Philippine Sea. Task Force 58 retaliates. Three Jap carriers sunk and many other units sunk or damaged. Four more kills for Air Group 50. 'Wild melee resulted when returning planes made first mass. night landings in naval history. 23 Jun. '44-Strikes against Pagan, Marianna Islands. 5 more splashes. Page Thirty-two

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FIRST BLOOD. .X ...X A wardroom celebration for our first kill ,as al- ways. it's a cake party. , . and Lt. Lemmon shares it. . N,,p,,. Q X. X Xw ,NNN ML f.,.w . X' W X. X X W K X X Nx XX .X X X. Q-XF AN Xaw NN ' f mf- - -X X - - XX .X X Nfl gwX-XgXX - NWWS vufvf -- 1 W 4-vmff' -.Fw ,fXX.,,,,,2f'v X Bcity is splaslu-:cl by l-L. Rolla S. Lcmm Q X .X X- 'Xxx XX X X , XN'Xf'7a,fQfN5?NX Page 'I-1171-l'llj-fl7I'L'L'