Bennington (CVA 20) - Naval Cruise Book

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4 Z 7 The USS BENNINGTON was named for a Revolutionary Wqr Battle fought on August 16, 1777 near BENNINGTON Vermont. In commemoration of the battle the first BENNINGTON was commissioned in 1891 and served both the Atlantic and Pacific area. The original BENNINGTON is noted for taking Wake Island in January 1899. The keel of the present was laid at the New York Naval Shipyard on Decembiwi 5, 1942 and the ship was commissioned on August 6, 1944. From February 1945M,t,olthe Japanese surrender in August of the BENJSIINGTQN, served with the Fifth Fleet, in damaging raids on Tokyo, Okinawa and other vital assfwell as assisting in the destruction of the Battleship Japan s largest war- ship. At the end of WW II was decommissioned and ioined the mothball fleet at Virginia. In 1950 her reconversion began at the site of keel laying and two years later her modernization was complgted. With up to date inno- vations, the BENNINGTON left east coast in September 1955 and headed for her new port of San Diego. From November to April of she joined the Seventh Fleet, the first carrier with the deck and mirror landing system to operate in the Far East. ' In October of 1956 she agaiifipointed her bow west for another cruise. The highlight cruise ,came when the BENNINGTON was ordered to Ce'ebI '0 15111 f 1iVe'S9rY Ofrthe , , . 4, , 4 ...er 99 Pon I USUQ .30 IU 1 Une, 0 it Fifi J X744 Q -asf Q4 sr 5 2f2 so - , Jsissefesseessesassr , 9: . ,, . K, , 7 fe 4 , 1 1 . K fwf , , f 4 fy,-A . . . en 'Tue . . . Sm' I '.,. f W . period of rest, repairs, and alteraftironrsrfrlnrrthe to. San Diego intfinsive urlderway and refresher tminingy Air Task Group O-ne then ioingd theiishildiand from Decembeir 195.7 until May 1958, BENNINGTON operated off the Southern California Coast. l On MUY 26, 1958 the ship steamed westward to the Hawaiian Islands where she was giveny,,qg3f..Operational Readi- I It it ff41r.,,, . ,,, , ,. , c, .,, .. , O 1 I if TQ s , , f ,,f, mf'f,y2'1gfxvL'fff2f'Qt'+2i,3?f,f-If P!0ve , t atfs . e, ' ness Inspection which., a dy, jv, any task she might be called upofnfto perform. I W M W X f, A 4 2 1 V , ff .f,,,yx4'fkZ'F7 'J' 'f V' v,ff,f ' f W' .4

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,E i i i. L 4 i , l 1 4, 0 -W Q Y4 fr, , ,fy ,fry ,l i. Q. ii This is the story of attack aircraft carrier 20, the USS BEN- NINGTON, from July 1957 to July 1958. BENNINGTON did not travel far and wide during this period, however, she accom- gi plished a year of seemingly routine operation with the spark l, and vigor of a destroyer. This story could be called that of the Ready Carrier, for l she was ready at short notice to sweep quickly into troubled ll waters-to meet any challenge. Her officers and men knew y not when the call might come. ll In addition to this, there is a story to be told ofa crew, who, Q perhaps more than any other, made their home port of San , Diego ,yfy a apart of themselves. Q ' l X W y,,c rsrftt Throughout the following pages their story in, pic- T i i tures, from shipyard life to a shakedown cruise, refresher train- . ing to the final test called an Operational Readinegs fisl' Inspection. li From screaming iet engines and sea spray to hoiine and rest l with loved ones, from routine local cruising to tropical isles. i These are the things that a carrier does when she? stays on the West Coast. g of BENNINGTON, operating in the coastal waters off South- ern California, trained and qualified more menigand pilots in a year's time than any other carrier in the Pacific Fleet. She workedas hard as if she were deployed. A corriplete air task group became familiar to BENN-ATG-l. The groomed her air group for action and deployment. BENNINQTON'S value T if gggyg a inning ship was well recognized . Whetheiz in or aiiii r..r spent preparing, c, tioflirslii if i 'S if 5 if iiiri T S' if T T it H - s -g,..- r c . .. l . . ,., ,,,,,,.... . . t,. ,. ii -i --rt X ..... i c c i l f 1212 ' l 'l il 3 ,