Pine Island (AV 12) - Naval Cruise Book

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A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PINE ISLAND . . . The USS PINE ISLAND was built at the Los Angeles Drydock Ship- building Corporation, San Pedro, California, by the Todd Shipbuilding Company, and was commissioned on the 26th of April, 1945. Shortly after commissioning,- PINE ISLAND headed for WESTPAC where she was destined to serve in advance base seaplane tender opera- tions for the duration of World War II. She was assigned to a task group engaged in air-sea rescue operations. At the end of the war, the PINE ISLAND put in at Tokyo Bay and remained there until the occupation of ,lapan was completed. In April of 194-6, the long awaited and unusual cruise home, the trip around the world , began. Enroute to the U. S. East Coast the PINE ISLAND made calls at Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Colombo, Ceylon, Aden, Egypt, Italy, Algiers, through the Straits of Gibraltar to Praia Terceira in 'he Azores, and finally arrived at Norfolk, Virginia. The USS PINE ISLAND became a unit of Operation HIGITIJUMP in December, 1946, with Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd, USNR, in command. The ship then sailed for the frigid operating area of the Antarctic and remained there for two months conducting extensive experiments with military equipment in the extreme cold. The ship returnedito the States via Rio De Janeiro and the Panama Canal and proceeded to her new home port, San Diego, California. ' From 19447 until she was decommissioned in May of 1950, she was deployed in the Far East off the China mainland. After war broke out in Korea, the PINE ISLAND was put back into commission on 7 October 1950, manned almost entirely by a reserve crew. Almost immediately, she departed for Yokosuka and Iwakuni for seaplane operations under Commander, Fleet Air Wing Six. Later that year, a change df commands switched operational control to Commander, Fleet Air Wing One.. During this time patrol planes were making reconnaissance patrol over heavily infested enemy waters, obtaining valuable data. After a tour of nine months, the PINE ISLAND returned to the States. I During recent cruises, the PINE.. ISLAND has been the flagship of Com- mander, Fleet Air Wing One, who also commands the Taiwan Patrol Force made up of the AV, the VP squadrons, and assigned destroyers. In our duty as flagship, it may seem, at times, that we provide little more than an ofiice and hotel space. Actually, we provide the facilities and ,com- munications by means of which the Flag keeps an intelligent eye on the Taiwan Straits and the China coast. Without the facilities and services which the PINE ISLAND provides, this vast job could not be accomplished successfully. It should be added that the PINE ISLAND serves in a dual capacity when deployed. First, as flagship for the Admiral and his Staff, and secondly, as a seaplane tender, she maintains a seadrome providing air- craft with services such as sealanes, communications, fuel, arms, ifood, JATO, repairs, briefing of pilots, and berthing of personnel. SPECIFICATIONS VERALL LENGTH 541 FEET BREADTH AT FRAME 65 71 FEET DISPLACEMENT qFULL LOADD 14,818 TONS SHAFT HORSE Pow'ER 12,000 FUEL o1L CAPACITY 643,896 cALs CAPACITY OF POTABLE WATER 107,820 cALs CAPACITY, OF RESERVE FEED WATER 51,303 GALE SPEED OVER 17 KNOTS

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myawmuaww wt 0F F ICERS CAPTAIN .ical-IN A. FERGUS , UNITED STATES NAVY 1 nz 1 ff. - 2 3' Captain John A. Ferguson of Watertown, South Dakota, began his Naval .'.h service on September 28, 1936 as a Naval Aviation Cadet. Upon completion of flight training, he was designated a Naval Aviator on September 10, 1937, f and was subsequently advanced to thc rank of Captain. His early naval sea duty experience has been primarily in. multi-engine seaplanes in the Pacific area. In September 1944, he assumed command of Patrol Bombing Squadron 13. A Captain Ferguson has had three tours of duty at the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, Maryland. He served as Executive Officer of the USS ATTU in 1945, and of the USS WASP in 1954-55. He was Executive Officer, and later Commanding Officer of the Mars Squadron VR-2, in 1951 at Alameda, California. He graduated from the U. S. Naval School fGeneral Linej in 1949, and from the Naval War College in 1954. From .1955 to 1957, he served as Commanding Officer of the U. S. Naval CIC Ofhcers School 'at NAS Glynco, Bruns- wick, Georgia. , Prior to reporting to his present assignment as Commanding Officer of the USS PINE ISLAND, he served in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. He reported to the CNO after serving as Operations and Plans Officer on the staff of Commander, Carrier Division Seventeen, then engaged in anti-submarine warfare operations in the Western Pacific. Among the numerous medals and decorations awarded Captain Ferguson 'are the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal, and the Commendation Ribbon. if Captain Ferguson' is married to the former Miss Elizabeth Ann Harris, who lives with their three children in Arlington, Virginia. F