Jason (AR 8) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 19 text:

Fleet on Tanker The JAS0N'S first major hull job was the work performed on the U.S.S. MILLICOMA. Damaged in a collision, the MILLICOMA proceeded to Seeadler Harbor, Manus, under her OWU POWBP and WHS t9mP0FaPi1Y repaired by the JASON before proceeding to the rear area fOr final P9P8iPS- The damage extended from just aft of the stack to the stern on the St8Pb0HPd Side- The Steering engine room was sheared in the collision for a distance of forty feet in length and from two to five feet in width. The five and three-inch gun platforms were demolished. Tempo- rary repairs were effected by cutting away the debris, removing the damaged guns, repairing the ship's hull, and sealing the buckled bulk- heads and decks. Tempo- . - AN 1 , r i rary light ing was install- ' ed. The steering engine room was put back in full commission. The vegetable locker on the port side was insulated, new coils installed, and the locker converted into a freeze box to replace the freeze box which was demolished. The job was completed in e . - nine days by working around the clock. After satisfactory tests were made, the vessel pro- - - w Q seeded to Terminal Island, Californiai Close view of damage on starboard side . 4 4 - 'T' ,.-' , T 'T rf'. ' .Z MILLICOMA entering forward area for repair MILLICOMA underway after temporary PeP3iT M ,J U , Revs Yi

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W' 1X JASON vs. KAMIKAZE 6 1 1945 issue of RECOGNIT .v P u Navy g2gagEmgnts with the assistance of Time, Inc., carries t following item: O O t b r t n til CO3 that hate U. S. forces moving agalnat tha Philippin S re g 0 k d ff Leyte by bomb-loaded aircraft which climaxed the' tt O 2:53025 :S jrash-diving our carriers. To the best of our knowledg this was the first time that the Kamikaze Corps struck, the first ti . - d d used as a weapon with a defini 'I 25 1944 a new Jap weapon made its first appearance U ' E e 1 that suicide .was organize an . f h K 'k I lace in ndlitary planning. The first successes o t e ami a P l b t like any other weapon, it can ' Corps were spectacu ar, u , combated....n . n,,,Squadron TEN has speeded up by many months the invasion of Japa f lim in back to Pearl Harbor or the West Coast, most shi Instead o p g J can be repaired or resupplied close to the combat zones and return action that much sooner. This logistic miracle makes the Fifth Fla almost self-contained.H On the same day that the Japanese opened up with the Kamika Corps, the JASON headed for Ulithi Atoll in the Western Carolines. was here that the JASON as a unit of Service Squadron TEN literal pitted her personnel, her machines, and her stores of material again the attacks hurled against our carriers, battleships, and auxiliarie As is stated by NEWSWEEK the JASON along with other repair shipsf Service Squadron TEN made it unnecessary for many ships to limp ba to Pearl Harbor or the West Coast. lf the Japanese felt, which is like they did, that a suicide crash into one of our men-of war would si it, or put it out of commission for a long period, then, they had n reckoned with the strength of the fighting ships, the tenacity of t officers and men in keeping a wounded ship afloat and lastly the abili of Repair Ships to restore the damaged hulls and machinery. Operati on the fringe of or in the combat zone, Repair Ships restored many the crippled, battle-damaged vessels to fighting efficiency in a matt of days. As large as our fleet actually was, it must have appeared ve much larger to the Japanese. Below are listed ships that were damaged by Kamikaze Qsuici corpsl plane attacks and assigned to the JASON for repairs. These shi were Camplataly repaired by the JASON without returning to the re area- In many CHSGS they were repaired in less time than would ha taken them to steam to Pearl Harbor or the West Cgagt, U- S- S- LEXINGTON U. s. s. RANDOLPH U. s. s. Mississii U. S. S. ENTERPRISE U S S CABOT U 3 3 COLQRADO U S S TALUGA I I . Q Q . . Q . . ,X 1 1 ' ' 1 'pf -.QS ai ION vubiishea by the U. s. war m 1 Speaking of Service Squadron TEN, March 5, 1945, NEWSWEEK Say

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MANUS ISLAND S S ESSO BALBOA 0 t b Merchant Oil Tanker C O er 'Sw 111 of Panamanian registry, was severely 1 lth another Vesgel Pte bow of the other vessel penetrated 'msg imaged dnbiwcgf the-:OISSVSO bAlBOA to a maximum depth of thirty feet- The Shelllplati s ar oar m the for-ecggtle deck to about eight feet below the load waterline, The frames, deck beamsil deck plat ing and bulkheads were ruptured and buckled' in a forty-foot area. Thgfpf 40mm mount just aft of the point of collision was torn from its base The degaussing cable anti light and power cables? were cut. A Since this ship swag? built in Germany, no prints were available. Working sketches were made from the opposite side and fabrication was started before the twistedsi beams and deck platingi were cleared. The frames, deck beams, and shelll plat ing were renewed. The 40mm gun platform was rebuilt and the gun repaired. The degaussing cable was repaired by splicing it into a large connection box as shown in the picture on the opposite page. The light ing and power cables were renewed as necessary- The JASON worked for fourteen days OH 3 twenty-four hour basis to complete repairs to the ESSO BALBOA. Fift66n thousand man hours and fifty-five thousand pO11Hd9 of steel were put mm' the job. When repairs were about ninety percent completed the JASON received order? to proceed to Ulithi Harbor. On 25 0Ct0b.9H 1944 the JASUN left M8 the and was relieved by U.s.s. sainssus KAR-13 who completed the repairs to the Esso UAL-BOA.g.