Santa Fe (CL 60) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 60 text:

Looking dead ahead from plane seeurea' to fantaillf port catapult, SAN T11 FE present: photo-induced beam worthy fy' largest battleship. V A Qdxl .5-,,'-Em., -4. -,- 5 f- ., -,- 'f v: -f 21 i .Jlgfl-.I1. .w. L fi - I I V' 534 ll' lf' V1 .. 'I' ' ., 'f ' l I 7:1 1 I ' 7 i-J Q -E 't i' 1 l :.,l 3 l I ,lf ,I :Q ,I ' I l H l Nl 1 I l l , ' I -I 2 I 1 gs mr I ma I' ff 7 f 4.4, i F ,.,,,-. .JE 1 ' VLA. 1 P-,VM-5 ,, My ,A-4 1sT BATTLE OF PHILIPPINE SEA, SAIPAN AND GUAM INVASIONS, Bo- NINS' BOMBARDMENT SET FAST PACE T 7' HEN the SANTA FEistood out from Ma-iuro 6 June 5Q,f'fQ.,l 1944, she began her longest period of continuous if Y operation. She was still assigned to a fast carrier task group, one of four composing the powerful Task Force 58. Beginning ll June, daily air strikes were launched against Saipan, Tinian, and Guam to blast Bettys and Zekes on their runways a generally soften the island defenses. On the 15th, DogQDay for Saipan, an attack by low flying enemy torpedgd planes was smothered by the terrific AA barrage thro n iby the U.S. ships. lt was evident on 16 ,f une that a large Japanese surface force wasfapproachingx-.A ',th,d'l'9flT't'lT 'e.,.iriiiiial contact was madehiyxourfearrier'planesfr-in,wh'a't fvijas' to be known as the First Ba-tgle ofitl'le,,jPhilippine.1 Sea. From 1000 throughout the dayffthei .T.Lhl,15S,,.f'l2l.:ll'1Z1tCl1CCl' an all-out air attack on our forces. Byreyeni-ng o r CAP had splashed over 400 planesg t-his,,total,,5thei large it for any one day of the war, earned thefnamfe lVI'a1j.iai1as Turkey Shoot for the action. Afewfdive bombers: .... ped through only to be shot dowrititi' drop their bombs sea. Contact with the enemy, lost the previous night, was again established late in the afternoon of 20 June. It was then that Admiral Mitscher elected to launch a daring air strike against the Jap fleet-a strike from which it was 19 ?une1944 ffapx throw their haymaker at Mitsehez-'J .veaforeex guarding a V ' ' - I pproaeh to znvas h hh d ' ' small percentage is ax .9ucee.f.jul as this fellow trashingozarhilissgl oitcjjriiifiiiii .ftgnfoo-plus drinking ya? aircraft only 5 6 A

Page 59 text:

from ship, the men will spend most ey' their time exploring island, eolleeting shells and tasting a few cans of beer. Burial services on Kwajalein are heldfor three erew members lost by drowning while on recreation. Full naval honors are afforded dead before being laid to rest in military cemetery. Ammunition replenishment is a major reason for returning to port. Gunners Mates remove projeetiles, nose caps, cheek fuses, and separate types before stowing them in 5-inch magazine. Udnehored in Berth 441, Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands in Z0fathoms of water fsand and coral bottoml with 90 fatlzoms ij chain to the starboard anchor . . . reads .Quartermaster Log. S .-...2.., 55 f ' A

Page 61 text:

T ga - . . . QNTA F5 W U U 5 3 5 5o ': 0P5Qf3TsoNs 0 . ' 2 6-2.7 JUNEJIQQ-4 S 0 6 DEPnR'1'ev mmuqo , Q 9 Fueeeo DO'S, C.L's gl' HR srizmes ou snmw Tawau, 19 Ro'rA,nMD quam, cau1'uJo.ua,. I9 Hvraoe ev JGP cnizmeg Puwgg 20 All Mine:-' qqmuyr Jn? FLEET CD ll SGQRCHGD 1-on -me stem- . Z4 fmznci on 95fa9N Q4 'O 11 nnnfveb mm:-reg ua -'mil' iemmcs ii nnqm QD M nmeuhs G3 .9. .sn-vm QD O Q UQQMX Q C? Cf G 'CON .-sulwimg A73 an 111- u In 8 D' 4- ' CZ' IJ O CQ: 0 0 Q5 QQ Q. 4,0 Phuxo 15? 0 Q 0 . Q5 qs Q90 5- 4 00 63 GTEUK 5 in 'lt v 5' ' G U C Q ef' C' sn D all T o J O F L ' 'Nl 6 S Able- 0 ladle inevitable, due to the distance to the target, that most of the planes would return after sunset. On a black, moonless night pilots with no experience at night landings began to return to darkened flattops. The SANTA FE and all the other ships turned on every avail- able light and fired star shells but still plane casualties were high. Destroyers cut rapidly about to places where a plane's running lights had disappeared into the sea and a great majority of the personnel were saved. However, the attack was a tactical success for it had left the Im- perial fleet's carriers severely crippled and no longer a threat to the Marianas' Landings. . i Smoke rises from another Nip pfane downed oelween SANT11 FE and large rarrier. Enemy aircraft ronlinue Io allack all Sunday morning and into earbf afternoon, but score only once-and that on a battlexhip which did not impair her battle efoienfy. -- 5 1 4