Belleau Wood (CVL 24) - Naval Cruise Book

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As the sun set on BELLEAU WOOD's warftime service, she bowed out as a fighting carrier and departed Tokyo Bay to enter magic carpet duty--returning servicemen to the United States. All her planes, spare parts, and accessories were removed at Pearl Harbor. The arresting gear cables were detached, the hangar deck was stripped, and a forest of bunks in tiers five high was installed. A permanent life line was rigged around the flight deck. CVL24 became a transport. PU T LUG September 10 - 15, 1945 September 19 September 23 - October 7 October 13 - 20 October 28 - November 1 November 6 - 10 November 25 - 26 December 10 - 17 December 23 January 2 - 3, 194-6 January 3 - 15 January 16 Tokyo Bay Saipan Eniwetok Tokyo Bay Ifor passenger load Pearl Harbor SAN PEDRO, CALIFORNIA Guam -ffor passenger load Sfi2l SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA Pearl Harbor Guam Saipan Guam .ffor passenger load 951232 gill Jallllary 31 SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA -ffor decommissioriingl OUR GALLANT LADY fwith apologies to Oliver Wendell Holmesj Aye, fence her rolling flight deck in! XVell did her eagles fly! Her pilots' eyes have danced to see that haven from the sky. Upon her rung the battle shout and burst the Hellcat's roar! The Empress of the Sea and Air shall sweep the clouds no more, Her deck once red with heroes' blood where crashed the diving foe While Kamikazes met the flood of antifaircraft's blow No more shall feel the Cc-rsair's tread or cast Avengers freeg The conqueror's mien has vanished from the Guardian of the Sea! O bitter fate! Her hangar deck once shelter for her flocks Shall harbor now a thousand bunks with troops to dump on docks Weld to her decks these iron sacks: her crew and gear revamp. Reduce her rate for valor great to 'LMagic Carpet Tramp. --Commander W, W. Hollister.

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E! .af any Stmgglevs o TOP ROW: F. L. Costanzo, C. W. VV0bber, E. Johnson, R. D. Morris, J. H. VVolfc, A. G. McInnes, B. Medley, B. E. Wilkins, K. E. Ball, F. W. Ingrham, VV. W. VValter. SECOND ROVV: J. A. Alonzo, J. E. Etchison, G. M. Crammond, J. C. Crisel, H. G. Russell, M. T. Ragsdale, S. Pichurcho, F. B. Walker, E. C. Fick, G. W. Elger, W. B. Rhodes, R. C. Doles. BOTTOM ROW: H. R. Lambert, J. H. Baldwin, A.J.Thompson, J.E.M2fDU..' , J. G.C' s.J.A t o.H . P s h H N B '1 J.L.Nei1, F. H. Dunkin, S.E.Tipton, R. Thompson, J. W. Robertsiin Iuse' ugusus' won' ' CWS' ' ' amy' TR GGLER There was once an oooold lion, King of the jungle. In fact, he was so old that he decided to abdicate in favor of his son, a young and energetic lion. Now the new King of the Jungle was not only young and enerf getic, he was progressive. And as soon as he became King of the jungle he instituted many reforms. Chief among these was the abolition of the old jungle Law. No longer were the jungle folk to battle and eat each other . . . no more survival of the fittest. Instead the birds and beasts were to live and play together like kittens on the kitchen hearth. And indeed, it was a fine new Jungle Law the new King had instituted. It was with happiness and pride that he stalked about in the fields and forests watching all the little birds play- ing with the great big snakes and all the gazelles caper' ing about the great big tigers. All the jungle folk greeted the new King with loud 'hosannahs' wherever he went. Even the hyenas laughed less loudly. But one day as the young King stepped into a jungle 189 clearing, a little mouse squeaked and scampered for his nest . . . just as in the fearful days before the old jungle Law was repealed. The young King was greatly dis' pleased, and when the little mouse cautiously poked his head from his nest, the lion growled, 'What do you mean by running from me? Have you not heard that the old jungle Law has been repealed?', And the mouse answered, 'Well, yes, your majesty, I had heard of the new law. But I served two hitches in the U. S. Navy . . . and there is always some sonofa gun who doesn't get the W'ord '. The smiling faces you see before you on this page are the representatives of that ancient and honored Society of Tail-End-Chai-lies of the U.S. Navy. Some of them, no doubt, had good reasons for not attending when their division pictures were taken. Some might have even gone so far as to have been WORKING at the time. But nevertheless, here they are: . . . they just didn't get the word.

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