Bataan (CVL 29) - Naval Cruise Book

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VMA 312 VMA-312 Commanding Officer During our operations in Korean waters, the Marine Checker- board Squadron played a major port in hitting the enemy where it hurts. The famed Checkerboa rd Squadron has a record seldom equaled by any Marine Squadron. They kept this record high in all five trips on the line with us and they ore to be commended. The Checkerboard Squadron was comprised of Corsair fighter planes that were constantly on the move, strafing, bombing, on re- connaisance, and close ground support for our troops on the beach. They kept their loss to a minimum and the enemy ' s to the maximum. We humbly bow to the gallantry of this Squadron and the one who lost his life while over enemy Korea. May their wings never falter and their guns never cease firing until the war in Korea has ended. The Checkerboard Squadron

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VS 871 VS-871 Insignia Air- Anti - Submarine Squadron 871 came aboard the BATAAN just prior to the departure of the ship from San Diego, Equipped with TBMs the pilots flew both night and day during ASW opera- tions. With this set-up the squad- ron had planes in the air almost constantly around the clock. Through the use of sono-buoys as well as by visual spotting the pilots kept the BA- TAAN constantly advised of the positions of the submarines operating with the group. With the submarines striving at all times to deceive and evade the aircraft the task of keeping tab on them was a difficult but well-handled one. The problem of landing the large TBMs on the small deck of the BATAAN was successfully handled by the pilots from this squadron also. Despite the added hazards of night landings there were no serious accidents during the ASW operations and only a very few minor ones. In addition to their flying several of the pilots stood watches on the bridge and one of them qualified as on officer of the deck while aboard. A large portion of the success of the ASW opera- tions can be given to the fine work of this squadron. All Lined Up

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The Start of o Mission This is how it works. Captain Mullins After Being Rescued