Bataan (LHD 5) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 7 text:

USS BATAAN (CVL 29) ike all great United States vessels, BATAAN has — ia unique and illustrious history. BATAAN ' s keel was laid August 3 1 , 1 942 by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation of Camden, New Jersey. 9 The plans were originally intended to be the light cruiser USS BUFFALO, but as the war in the Pacific progressed, the blueprints were altered to meet the requirements for additional carriers in the arena. BATAAN homeported in Pearl Harbor on March 22, 1944. On 4 April of that year, she weighed anchor for the Pacific War zone joining Task Force 58, and later Task Force 38. CVL-29 earned 5 battle stars on her Asiatic-Pacific Service Ribbon for her wartime deployment. After Japan ' s official surrender on September 2, 1 945, BATAAN briefly returned to the United States then served as a transport for U.S. troops homebound from European theaters. On February 1 1 , 1947, CVL-29 was decommissioned into the Philadelphia Group, Atlantic Fleet Reserve. CVL-29 was recommissioned may 1 3, 1950, under command of Captain Edgar T. Heale as tensions again mounted in the Asian Pacific. BATAAN arrived in the Korean Operations Area December 15, 1950. In Korean waters, BATAAN ' s aircraft were constantly engaging, participating in the North Korea Offensive and First United Nations Counter Offensive. CVL-29 operated in the Korean conflict zone until May 10, 1 953, returning twice briefly to the U.S. west coast for overhaul and ■ x ' riSP k i .tii. w 3 K |M| 3 M S s l HpH e - -iig W ,-» c- exercises Upon final return from Korean service, CVL-29 remained in San Diego until she was inactivated on August 26, 1953 On April 26, 1954, following a brief visit to Japan via Pearl Harbor, CVL-29 was decommissioned in San Francisco and later reclassified AVT-3, in June 1959, USS BATAAN (CVL-29) was evenmally reduced to scrap that year. HMAS BATAAN ,uring WWn, the Australian heavy cruiser, HMAS CANBERRA was sunk ' along with American warships by a superior Japanese task force. The United States Government, from this engage- ment with the enemy, had their newest cruiser named USS CANBERRA, which was christened by the wife of the Australian Minister to the United States. ,t- -,. , -i i , Upon this action by the US Government, the Australian Government named their newest Tribal Class Destroyer BATAAN in honor of the gallant stand made by the Americans on Bataan Peninsula. The Australian BATAAN was christened by Mrs. Jean MacArthur, wife of General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander of the Southwest Upon commissioning, HMAS BATAAN joined the American Seventh Fleet in the Philippines and Okinawa and attended the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay, then sailed around Japan picking up POW ' s, including many Ameri- cans. During the Korean War, the Australian BATAAN was once again attached to the American Seventh Fleet. It was during this conflict that the aircraft carrier USS BATAAN (CVL-29) and the HMAS BATAAN built a unique kinship, with the Australian ship providing protection to her American sister through many exchanges of enemy gunfire. The bond that developed between the crews aboard these two ships went well beyond their namesake ties, and became evident to the other ships in the Battle Group.

Page 6 text:

HISTORY JSS BATAAN memorializes the valiant resistance of American and Filipino troops on the Bataan Peninsula in the dawning days of World War II. Fighting on the Philippine islands of Luzon and Corregidor began just 10 short hours after the raid on Pearl Harbor. After weeks of Japanese air raids and beach landings on the north of Luzon, General Douglas Mac Arthur ordered withdrawal from the fortified north to the narrow jungle peninsula December 23, 1941. There, combined Army, Navy, Marine Corps and American-trained Filipino forces opposed teaming Japa- nese aggressors. Despite rampant disease, malnutrition, insuffucient supplies and ammunition, the Battling Bastards of Bataan defended the peninsula until April 16, 1942. Corregidor fell shortly after on May 6, 1942. During combat, some units absorbed as high as 80 percent casualties. Tens of thousands of American service members died either in battle or during the unconscionable Bataan Death March. The 65 mile Death March alone claimed the lives of more than 21 ,000 allies in less than a week and is marked as one of the greatest travesties of World War II. Those who survived [ the march faced starvation and disease aboard hell ships dur- ing transportation, and later in prison camps until Japan ' s formal ' surrender in 1945. Two of every three Americans who defended Bataan and • . - ' W. Corregidor never returned home. Bataan was the last American stronghold in the Pacific the- ater to fall until MacArthur fulfilled his famed prophecy, I shall return, by re-conquering the Philippine Islands two-and-one-half years later. The battle of Bataan was one of the greatest examples of allied courage, endurance and sacrifice in the history of military conflict. LHD-5 is preceded in name by USS Bataan (CVL-29), a light carrier which earned 12 battle stars in service during late World War II, and in the Korean Conflict. CVL-29 was commis- sioned November 17, 1943, in Philidelphia, the first ship named in commemoration of a World War II battle. USS Bataan set to sea charged by Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox with ...a rendezvous with destiny that shall not be denied. During the waning days of World War II, CVL-29 served in the Pacific arena as part of the famed Task Force 58. Some of its major excursions included the Batde of the Philippine Sea in June 1944, and numerous attacks against the Japanese main islands. CVL-29 was decom- T missioned in February, 1 947, and placed in reserve. USS ' • Bataan recieved five battle stars for service in the World ' War II Pacific Campaign. j CVL-29 was re-commisioned May 13,1 950, when conflict in the east again appeard inevitable. USS Bataan ' s pilots flew missions throughout the Korean Conflict, mostly in support of ground forces.

Page 8 text:

BATAAN LHD-5 I ' SS BATAAN (LHD 5) is the fifth ship in the WASP (LHDl ) Class of United States Navy multipurpose amphibious assault ships. The entire class of seven ships is being produced by Ingalls Shipbuilding division of Litton Industries in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The mission of these ships is to enable the Many Marine Corps team to accomplish a seamless transition ..from the sea to the land battle, primarily as the centerpiece of a Navy Amphibious Ready Group (ARG). A multimission ARG is fully capable of amphibious assault, advance force, and special purpose operations, as well as non-combatant evacuation and other humanitarian missions. LHDs embark, transport, deploy, command and fully support all elements of a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) of 2,000 Marines, inserting forces ashore via helicopters, landing craft and amphibious vehicles. The WASP Class is the first specifically designed to utilize air- cushion landing craft (LCACs) for the assault, and to carry a squadron of Harrier II (AV- B) V STOL (Vertical Short Take-Off and Landing) jets for operational support. LHDs are fully-equipped with command and control (C4I) systems for flagship command duty. For combat support, as well as non-combatant evacuation and other humanitarian missions, LHDs have hospital facilities second only to the Navy ' s hospital Ships, including six fully-equipped medical operating rooms, three dental operating rooms, and hospital facilities capable of caring for as many as 600 patients. ASSAULT SYSTEM Six 1 2,000-pound capacity cargo elevators transport material and supplies from cargo holds throughout the ship to staging areas for loading. Cargo to be loaded aboard waiting landing craft within the well deck is moved via a unique monorail system. This system consists of 2,900 feet of track in a six-track layout directly over the ship ' s vehicle storage area and well deck. Five 32-foot cargo monorail trains. Each with a capacity of 6,000 pounds, carry material at speeds up to 600 feet-per-minute (6.8 miles per hour) from the staging area to landing craft in the well deck. The ship ' s vehicle storage area will typically accommodate five M- 1 tanks, 25 Light Amphibious Vehicles (LAV), eight Howitzer M- 1 98 guns, 68 military trucks (HMM W Vs), 1 logistics vehicles (Dragon Wagons), 1 2 five-ton trucks, two water trailers, a fuel service truck, four rough terrain forklifts and two generator trailers. These vehicles can be loaded aboard landing craft and the majority can be rigged for transportation to the beach by helicopter. Off the beach, landing craft are launched and recovered through a huge gate in the ship ' s stern which open ' s USS BATAAN ' s 13,600 square-foot well deck to the sea. The well deck is 267 feet long and 50 feet wide, and is designed specifically for the fly in fly out capabili- ties of the LCAC. However, the well deck will also accommodate a full range of conventional landing craft. To launch and recover conven- tional landing craft, the ship can ballast over 1 5,000 tons of seawater to allow these craft to float into and out of the well deck. The development of air cushion landing craft technology, as embodied in the LCAC, introduces high speed and long range capabili- ties into surface amphibious assault, significantly enhancing the match between the helicopter and surface borne assault. The LCAC is a high-speed, heavy-lift craft, capable of carrying a 60-ton cargo from ship-to-shore at speeds in excess of 30 knots. The new craft operates on a cushion of pressurized air, and can deliver its cargo well ashore - unaffected by shallow obstacles and surf conditions. LCACs can clear obstacles as high as four feet. FLIGHT OPERATIONS Outfitted for her primary amphibious mission, USS BATAAN carries a mix of assault helicopters, plus six to eight Harriers for close air support. LHD 5 ' s air traffic control capability has been specifically designed to support simultaneous Harrier and helicopter operations on the ship ' s 844-by-105 foot flight deck. Various systems, automated status boards and improved displays monitor air control functions. Shipboard internal and external communications systems, as well as flight deck optical and visual landing aids, meet the landing or take-off requirements of both rotary wing and jet aircraft. LHD 5 has two deck edge aircraft elevators - each 50 feet side and 545 feet long, with lifting capacity of 75,000 pounds. The eleva- tors fold for transit through the Panama Canal, and are the largest folding elevators in the Navy. The ship can also fully maintain all embarked aircraft. ARMAMEOT LHD 5 ' s armament system includes the NATO Sea Sparrow Missile System (NSSMS) for anti-air warfare protection, two Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) Systems and two Phalanx Close-In-Weapons System (CIWS) mounts to counter threats from low flying aircraft and close-in small craft. Six missile decoy launchers augment LHD 5 ' s anti-ship missile defenses. Miscellaneous armament provisions include four 50 caliber machine guns and three 25 mm machine guns for defense against close-in small craft. Miscellaneous armament provisions include lockers for stowage of ordnance, which have been upgraded to the latest high security requirements. C4I LHD 5 ' s Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (C4I) capabilities are greatly enhanced over other amphibi- ous assault ships, with systems to support amphibious operations and secondary mission roles. Large screen displays and automated C4I systems are located in the Combat Information Center (CIC), the Landing Force Operations Center (LFOC) and Flag Plot to monitor and s upport tactical operations. C4I functions are located within the hull, with enhanced ballistic protection surrounding C4I spaces with struc- tural steel bulkheads, decks and shell plates.