Bairoko (CVE 115) - Naval Cruise Book

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. WW Offiaefz CAPTAIN HARRY B. TEMPLE, U.s.N. CAPTAIN HARRY Bl:ilGl-1AlVl TEMPLE was born April 7, 1901, in Leicester, Massachu- setts. 1-le was graduated from the Naval Academy, Annap- olis, in 19247 has been on ac- tive duty since that date. After graduation from Annapolis, he was assigned to duty in the battleship Pennsylvania. Fol- lowing a year of this duty he was detached and assigned to duty with the Asiatic Fleet where he served for three years, the greater part of which 1 1 i E was in the capacity of Execu- tive Officer of an Aviation Ten- der. Upon return to the United States, he reported to the Avia- ' tion Flight Training School at Pensacola, Florida. Since com- pletion of Flight Training, Captain Temple has served in many of the various Naval Aviation activities, ashore and afloat, including seaduty on cruisers and carriers. ln 'carrier aviation he has flown from the decks of the old U.S.S. Langley and Lexington, both sunk, and from the Ranger, Saratoga and Enterprise. During 1931-1934 he was on duty in the Bureau of Aeronautics of the Navy Department, in the Flight Division. ln 1937 and 1938 he served in connection with fitting out, and on board the carrier Enterprise as Assistant Air Operations Officer when that ship was commissioned. ln late 1938, he was detached from the .Enterprise and ordered to duty with the U. S. Naval Mission to Brazil in which capacity he served as Aviation Advisor to the Brazilian Naval and Air Ministries. Upon completion of this duty, Captain Temple was ordered to duty in connection with fitting out and commissioning the carrier U.S.S. Sangamon. 1-le served with the ship as Executive Officer for one year, during which time the ship was engaged in assault operations upon the coast of Africa in November of 1942 and, subsequently, in escort- support operations with the Commander South Pacific Force, in the New Hebrides-Solomon lslands area. ln September, 1943, Captain Temple was detached from the Sangamon and ordered to duty on the Staff of General MacArthur, Commander-in-Chief of Southwest Pacific area. This duty lasted for a period of four months and involved service in Australia and New Guinea. 1-le was then detached and ordered to report to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Air, as 1-lead of the Aviation Special Development Section and, later, as Director of the Division of Aviation Military Characteristics. Captain Temple was detached from this duty and ordered to report to the Commissioning Detail, Tacoma, for ultimate duty as Commanding Officer of the Bairoko. ln September of 1933, Captain Temple married the former Miss Priscilla Totten of Washington, D. C. They have three children, all boys, who are now 9, 7, and 3 years of age. Captain and Mrs. Temple make their permanent home in Washington, D. C.

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v-nurtuir .- . .1 X l iff lnoxo ng Program . . . w Commissioning Orders and Remarks by Captain I. L. McGuigan, U.S.N. Playing of National Anthem while Colors are raised Transfer of Command to Captain Harry B. Temple, U.S.N. Orders to Command and Remarks by Captain Harry B. Temple, U.s.N. ' Z Setting of the Watch A g Remarks by Flag Officer Retreat langar Deck and in the Crew's Mess n .nm

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4 I f 1 . xecutiae Offdaez COMMANDER FRANK F. GILL. U.S.N.l 1 COMMANDER FRANK F. GILL, U.S.N., whose home is at Livermore, California, was born 14 Ianuary 1907. He was the first of five Gill brothers who made football history at the Uni- versity of California. He was varsity right halfback in the seasons of 1926, 1927 and 1928 for the Golden Bears. Leaving school in 1928, he went to Pensacola where he won his wings as a Naval Reserve pilot in 1.930. He returned to the University in 1931, serving as an assistant freshman football coach that year, and also playing for the Olympic Club in San Francisco in 1932. Following graduation he was connected with the Shell Oil Company in an executive position for seven years. He was commissioned a lieutenant in the U. S. Navy in December, 1940, while chief flight instructor of a reserve air base at Oakland, California. For the first two and a half years of this war, Commander Gill had combat aviation duty which took him into two war theaters. He was aboard the Lexington as arresting gear and gaso- line officer the day Pearl Harbor was attacked and was immediately named Fighter Director of that ship, and served through her engagements until she was lost in the Coral Sea May 8, 1942. lt was for his part in the radio direction of fighters, led by O'Hare and Iimmy Thatch in the high scoring Bougainville battle, that he was awarded a citation by the Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet. ln this engagement 18 out of 20 lapanese bombers attacking the Lexington were shot down. A He reported to the converted carrier Santee in luly, 1942, and was her Assistant Air Officer in the invasion of North Africa. He took over as Air Officer of that ship in April, 1943, and took part in the Central Atlantic anti-submarine war, until his detachment February 1, 1944. Commander Gill reported at Naval Air Station, Miami, as Superintendent of Aviation Training February 1, 1944, and on October 20 he was named Executive Officer of the station. . ln April, 1934, Commander Gill was married to the former Miss Barbara Gross of Oakland, California. They have one daughter, Diana.