Jason (AR 8) - Naval Cruise Book

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, Light U-S-5 COWHJNU Was damaged by a typhoon in mid-December 1944. On 24 De B10H5SidS the JASON in Ulithi Harbor for repairs. The most severe tv the triple 20mm Sun sponson on the forward port side. The supporting and sixteen feet of the sponson deck was ripped from the shell of the s ,In addition to the damage to the 20mm gun sponson, No. 5 director sponson was The force of the sea had pushed the deck of the Sponson upward damaging the beyond repair. The heavy seas damaged the webb supports of all the gun and or sponsons. The shield of the 4Omm gun located at frame 8 on the forecastle and 3 stack were dished in. The covering of the expansion joint at frame 85 was out of shape. The heavy winds and high seas had carried away the HSC-Zn radar antenna array. antenna was mounted on a cast-aluminum support which snapped during the storm the antenna to be carried overboard. Salt water spray damaged the amplidyne of N radar. At the height of the storm, several planes broke loose from their in the after end of the hangar deck and damaged the port and starboard hangar ains before they were secured. A plane landing during the storm caught the ship on port list and was thrown into No. l radio antenna mast and knocked it down. n In making repairs to the forward port triple 20mm gun sponson, three long beams bolted to the flight deck so as to extend over the gun tub. The gun tub was then d from these beams by chain falls and the broken supports were cut away. New s were installed and the torn deck plating repaired. Only minor repairs were to put the three 20mm guns in operating condition. The deck of No. 5 director was renewed and a new Mark 51 director installed and ed. The strength members, the webb supports of the other sponsons which were were out away and replaced to conform to the original construction. In ion to these repairs, the shield of the 40mm gun on the forecastle was repaired, covering of the expansion joint at frame 85 was renewed, and the dished in stack straightened. O A complete NSC-2U radar antenna array was installed. The NSKN radar amplidyne overhauled and reinstalled. Numerous other essential jobs such as engineering and ht deck repairs were also accomplished during the availability which ended 50 r 1944. The COWPENS was only one of several carriers of Task Force 38 which the JASON ired during the period 24 December to ISO December. Storm-damage repairs were accomplished on the following carriers: U.S.S. HANCOCK5 U.S.S. LANGLEYg U.S.S. ON: U.S.S. WASP, U.S.S. YORKTOWN5 U.S.S. CABOTg and U.S.S. TICONDEROGA. 1 Upon completion of this turnabout, the Commander Service Squadron TEN Sent the ing despatch to the repair forces concerned: A : COMSERON TEN 3025l4 DECEMBER 1944 'f JASON, DIXIE, PRAIRIE, CASCADE, VESTAL, AJAX, EECTOR, NESTOR ,ON 24 DECEMBER TASK EORCE Sa RETURNED BATTERED BY TYPHOON AND .ON so DECEMBER THIS FORCE DEPARTED READY TO FIGHT X COMMANDER ICE SQUADRON TEN CONSIDERS THIS AN OUTSTANDING ACCOMPLISH ENT THE PART OF THE REPElR FORCES X WELL DONE X up

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u.s.s. FRANKLIN icv-may U'-'TH' HARBOR Essex Class Aircraft Carrier NOVQWCY i944 d hen a suicide dive-bomber crashed into the flight deck The FRANKLIN was damage W about ten feet forward of number two elevator making a rectangular hole about twenty., five by fifty feet and putt ing out of commission number two elevator. A large fire followed causing additional damage. In early November, 1944, the JASGN moored along.. Side the FRANKLIN in Ulithi Harbor and commenced clearing the debris and investigating the damage. As can be seen from the pictures, the explosion of the bomb load and the resultant fire completely wrecked a large area. The JASON could have repaired the flight deck and accompanying compartments, and had started to do so. It became apparent h b r two elevator was beyond the capacity of for-ces this elevator out of however that the repair of t e num e afloat. Since the FRANKLIN could not operate efficiently with o cannibalize her to effect repairs on the newly arrived battle-damaged U.S.S. LEXINGTON. After being cannibalized and the necessary voyage repairs accomplished, the FRANKLIN was ordered to the West Coast for complete repairs. Such equipment as the SK and SC antennas, several 20-NM and 40-NIM guns, and interior communication instruments were removed. Note: The term cannibalizat ion as used in Naval l of items not required in its return to the commission, it was decided t parlance means to remove or strip a vesse States and which are needed in the forward area. 'QQET !g' ' QL fa: J, JASUN moored alongside clearing the debris Damage on the overhead of hangar deck . ' : Vkxx K YHA, 'M 'vs . LE :sg .P nv. N E .- xii--.Q . S' X 0 i 3' I My .L , .X V. ,Mlm an-gg S. Q .4-. T ct , - K W Qjgaygigm my L '-we ,lwr-N lIuEHHEE!iEl:::!ghh . is -Q Close view of the fli Qht deck damage , e' Clearlingi' of the debris new-5 cgmplei-im.

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u.s.s. Lsxnnerou Kcv Essex Class Carrier Y 1 L. --fzylhwrzwug --Q j X A 1 1 ll -I -L. il A7-fE.Aw1fNNA RADAKT TL X 5-G. R PAK -.-.i-1.. , V ---T'- ltlglllllv Q 1 ' .A. o x' Suxrnca - N25 -':-- C 4 M, . 1:1 DIR: QON.Ff. .A.. s au . A' nun an ' nuns. K rH.H. CBN Ca xoru-1 L 50847 1Y H num. IDI OOO f of fir o rol nd 1 run through thls trunk w s damag' d is ge lhcig j-1'ld1C8.'tOI' , StG6I' lng is :q::F:: repaired as necessary 1n pr P repeater, and alidade palm ' I 1 1 I v X Y 1 . I A v v y A A A NN5ff - xx 5 A I ncroq I- ll Looxovfsxx E 0 I4 ilvog 4 e.N'5' I 1 R 4 -1 ADA! fi' R v Jfcgnflzugr CONTROL I 5 A N Koopq f P , ' L. E , 'S W FLAG 4 A -1.ml wake I 5 2 homo 1 Af- T3 orncg M - Q , . A Koo Y I Q , , v 1 X 'Y'1 f - 'x,nl, 1 3,3 SET. .ecnt 8 .C. bewc 8 e 3- a e . g e L - T- A af? U been starboard s e o y bomb and the crash of a suicide pl 'y approache e p l T bomb struck the secondary conn and Q crashed n l y Structure aft The explosion h pilot's body and parts of the plane the QK antenna array p the spl1nter shield, a three quar H T S bulkhead and the explos1on c d c s the bulkhead of the radar control r GXp1OS1On an all of the 1Dt8T1OT communicat navlga o and all the interlor commun1cation control cables 1n the area The thls page shows the area of the b I e flre The hatched 1D sectlons 1Dd1Ca most severe y ag on 10 December 1944 to accompllsh repalrs to the battle damage D cut away, whlch COHS1St8d in the r several balkheads, sectlons of th Rig manufactured by the JASON in use during and No 5 4 mm guns le e replacement of the SK antenna array ruptured cables were take