Wasp (CVS 18) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 14 text:

.-- 4 4 '

Page 13 text:

OPERATION TEAMWORK On September 7 and 8, nearly 2l,000 NavY men in fifty-one Atlantic Fleet ships sailed from seven East coast ports for Second Fleet operations in the western Atlantic. Wasp and Destroyer Squadron 24, made up of USS Ingrahom, Keppler, C. 5. Sperry, Barry, S. B. Roberts and Warrington, comprise Iggy Farce 402, which was to participate in Operation Master Stroke off the eastern coast of the United States and then in Operation Team Work in the Norwegian Sea. Along with Task Forge 402 were Task Force 40l, the Attack Force and Task Force 4I9, the underway replenishment force. lnthis exercise, Wasp was supposed to protect the large body of attack ships, from the Orange Forces, a number of our friendly submarines playing enemy. A day-to-day narrative of activity in Task Force 402 follows: I2 - I3 September The past 24-hour period consisted of underway replenish- ment and concentrated ASW Operations. Approximately 34 ships rendezvoused this afternoon to conduct refueling opera- tions. The maiority of the forces were visible from the Wasp as she refueled from the USS Truckee under protection of a large destroyer screein reinforced by fixed-wingand helicopter aircraft. During the period, two orange submarines were at- tacked and placed out of action by Wasp-based S2E and SH3A aircraft. Tho others were held down and prevented from ot- tacking by destroyers, Wasp aircraft and maritime patrol air- cralt operating from Brunswick, Maine, and Argentia, New- foundland. Not forgotten in the tempo of operations was heli- copter landing number 24,000 aboard Wasp. The pilot of the SHJA Sea King, LUG R. W. larson of HS-I I, officiated at the traditional cake cutting. I3 - I4 September IF 402 in company with TF 4l9 began its transit to Eastlant, With Hurricane Ethel posing a threat to the force, all units mode preparations for heavy weather. All loose ob- iects aboard ship were mode fast. Aircraft were tied securely to the deck and partially covered to protect engines and vul- nerable external areas. Prior to tie dawn and heavy weather o high level of readiness was maintained through training flights, shipboard exercises and maneuvers. CVS based air- craft conducted carrier landing qualifications. I4 - I5 September Hurricane Ethel continued to occupy the thoughts and ac- tions of the men of Task Force 402. The Wasp and her host of dlstfayers plied their way through 30-foot seas and winds up to 65 knots as they continued to transit eastward through the restless Atlantic. Heavy rolls and occasional waves throwing sheets of water over the flight deck characterized the Wasp's activities. The destroyers, often engulfed in water, maintained station in their antisubmarine guard. Prior tothe preparations for the onset of Et'hel's fu W i0 and l '5l 'l0 '-'li'19 period, u R. M. Quinn of vsza made the 56,000 fixed wing landing aboard USS Was ry, during yesterday's carrier quali- P. I5 - I6 September Hurricane Ethel moved eastward this morning leaving TF 402 with moderately heavy seas, high winds and consider- able rain and fog in which to conduct an underway replenish- ment. The Wasp and her destroyers rendezvoused with TF 4l9 early today to 'ltop off all units and transfer mail and mes- sages to the Wasp for later delivery ashore. With the weather curtailing helicopter mail transfer operations, it was necessary to bring our destroyers alongside the Wasp to insure comple- tion of our assigned task. lt was rough and it was wet, but Task Force 402 rode the seas, content with the knowledge that the link with friends and relatives at homeis stronger than the forces of Hurricane Ethel. I6 - I7 September Task Force 402 continued to flow through heavy and rest- less seas northeastward into considerably cooler air. The Wasp and her destroyers conducted battle drills and readiness exercises in a never-ending effort to maintain that state of readiness necessary to be an effective ASW Group. With the use of electronic equipment held to a minimum, flag hoists and signal lights have been the medium of communication. Though the activities and exercises conducted during the period were routine, vigilance was not relaxed. I7 - I8 September TF 402 continued its transit to Eastlant, at last beginning to relax its hurricane vigil. Routine training and ship's exer- cises interspersed with a brand of realism provided by numer- ous unidentified airborne targets, all proving to be friendly , characterized the last leg of the long iourney. A WV-2 was detected and identified by the ever-sensitive nerve endings of TF 402, tracked until overhead, and photographed. Alertness and training snapped into readiness, proving the force of ships to be more than equal to the task. Antiaircraft training was emphasized by the force's destroyers as they demonstrated their high proficiency against shiplaunched drones. The long arms of Wasp's mailman, the helicopters, reached out to accompanying ships, compiling close to l,000 pounds ol mail from throughout the force. The total, accumulated between ll September and I8 September, when no mail was flown ashore, left Wasp in the dawning hours ofthe morning, bound for mailboxes scattered throughout the world. T8 - I9 September Wasp and Task Force 402 were in the spotlight today as 45 newsmen got the straight scoop on antisubmarine war- fare. The newsmen embarked early this morning from NAS Keflavik, Iceland, aboard helicopters from Squadron HS-ll. Almost as soon as they were aboard, and warmed up after the shivering transit in north Atlantic winds, the newsmen began asking questions and snapping shutters in an attempt to find out iust what makes this Task Force tick. lt was no difficult iob either. Task Force Commander Rear Admiral W. M. McCor- mldl, USN, Spent an hour this afternoon discussing the sub-

Page 15 text:

marine threat and the means at his disposal to nullify it. The newsmen also saw ASW in action asthey watched flight opera- tions and toured many spaces in the 40,000-ton carrier. Flight operations began early today and continued ata heavy pace as Task Force 402 primed for the final time before the ex- pected onslaught of enemy submarines tomorrow. l9 - 20 September As dusk settled over TF 402, Wasp refueled one of her small boys the USS Cecil. The interval separating the two ships was lit only by the glow of red darken ship lights. Continuous air operations filled the blackness with the roar of mighty engines, the whistle of wind over floredmetol surfaces, and the snap of hydraulic cotapults. A small volcanic eruption near Iceland colored the horizon a fiery scarlet, drawing nu- merous spectators. In the early morning, Vice Admiral Master' son, Commander of Striking Fleet Atlantic, flew aboard Wasp lor a press conference, Shortly thereafter, the three Task Groups rendelvoused lar refueling and replenishment. Con- currently, the screening destroyers began a synthetic reor- ganization ol the protective barrier around the Force, giving the larger ships a flexible and less vulnerable protective screen. Following the press conference, Sea King helicopters of HS-ll transferred 45 newsmen tothe USS Independence to continue their orientation within the NATO Force. The Soviet ship, Aldon, put in an appearance early in the day, remaining in the general vicinity ofTF 402for some time. The ship is an ATR, an ocean-going tug, of a common type in Russian use. 20 - 2l September Two Soviet destroyers made an appearance in the near vicinity of the Task Force as the day turned from black to bright blue, and continued to tag along as TF 402 went about its task of hunting the beast of the sea, the enemy subma- rine. One of the Russian destroyers, ofthe Kotlin Class, fol- lowed closely by the USS Cecil, DD 835, actually entered the screen and passed close aboard the Wasp. Later, two Badgers, twin-iet Soviet medium range bombers, flying over the Independence escorted by American carrier based jet air- craft, were intercepted and photographed by LCDR Jackson, in one of Wasp's VAH 33 single-engine prop-driven Skyraid- ers. One of these Badgers later approached to within l0 ts' tg, ,flaw