Bataan (CVL 29) - Naval Cruise Book

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OFF MIDWAY-ARRIVAL AT YOKOSUKA A ■■hJf, HMCS NOOTKA comes alongside to refuel. Storm lessened, BATAAN threw out her hoses and refueled her. That was an old experience for BATAAN. She was one of the most efficient replenishing ships in the seas. Days passed slowly on the sea. Finally BATAAN sighted the mountains of Japan breaking the watery horizon. Though she liked the sea BATAAN and her crew but other days were more difficult for her. Huge mountains of water smashed at her and tore holes in weakened seams. Some of her forward compartments filled with water and her seamen worked overtime trying to patch her up. She strained, twisted, wallowed and rocked with the fury of the maddened sea. But she won. She was wounded, but she carried on. The NOOTKA, a Canadian destroyer, had a little trouble in the storm, but she fol- lowed BATAAN through and as soon as the The seas are heavy as fueling crews prepare to send over hoses. Geisha e ' ' s and UtActs Navy Band greet BATAAN at linger Tier. welcomed the Port of Vokosuka. Her wounds were painful and she was ready for first aid. Her burden had become heavy with the long journey and she velcomed the opportunity to disembark the weight. On the morning of 12 February 1952, the crew of BATAAN came alive to unload equip- ment and personnel. No sooner had she light- ened her load, howe ' er, when Rear Admiral Cornwell, Commander Carrier Division 15, and his staff embarked. BATAAN wondered

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SECOND FAR EAST CRUISE The clay was 27 January 952. A new year was just 26 clays old. San Diego. California, grew distant on the horizon as B. TA. N dug her bow into the M-a and steamed toward the Oient once again to help with some unfinished business. She iiad finished a well-earned rest and was again ready to an.swer her country ' s call. The year was new, but the old one had not been forgotten by BATAAN and her crew. Nor would the year forget BATAAN. Her record was enviable. In 1951, during the hardest and most difficult Communist aggressions, she was there to help fight them off. She made a record for herself and added glory to her name. Then things cjuietcd down and she sailed home for a rest after six months of battle. Now she was ready to begin anew. She had a new face and carried herself proudly and erect with the knowledge of her past record of greatness in two terrible wars. But her second war was not yet won and she had to return. Many of her old crew were with her, but there were others she did not know. She knew, though, that she would get acciuainted with them soon enough. Some were fresh from boot camp; kids with eagerness in their eyes and ad cnture in their souls; some were from other ships or stations; old salts, wonder- ing if BATAAN would again live up to her name. BATAAN thought over the situation and breathed deeply of the fresh, salt air. It seemed that cities made her tired, for w hen she hit the open sea, she reared her head and surged eagerly forward. This time she knew her destination. She had been there before. Vokosuka, Japan, had become a common everyday word in her vocabulary. Now she was to commence her second tour of duty in the Land of the Rising Sun since the outbreak of the Korean War. BATAAN carried on her back, as Gangway is removed and placed on Quay Wall. she had in November, 1950, a load of jet planes. This time Marine Panthers. She wondered sometimes if they were not making a cargo ship of her, but her orders were to get them to their destination safely. She would carry out those orders at all costs, for she was a good sailor. It would only be for a little while then she would get into the fight again. Her bur- den was also heavy with tru cks, ma- chinery and other vehciles. But they were all a part of her contribution to the var effort. The journey began calmly enough. BATAAN steams west- ward. Point Loma bids sad farewell.

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ASW PHASE exactly what she was Roing to be doing in the next few months. She began to find out the next day, 14 February 1952. X ' alcntine ' s Day was not a holiday for her and her crew. She made ready to get under- way. With a bright afternoon sun above, .she pulled away from the pier The Geisha girls enlcrtain the crew «iih a traditional Japanese dance. to proceed toward the island of Okinawa. On 16 February, .she eased into sunny Buckner Bay (named after Marine General Buckner who was killed on Okinawa during World War II) and dropped anchor. Sailors scrambled topside to see this new sight. Some had seen Okinawa before during the undesirable sightseeing conditions of World War II. To most of the cre v, however, it w as a new experience, a new land to see. BATAAN, on 24 February 1952, really began to oper- ate again. She smiled with pleasure at the solid thump of aircraft on her decks. During a two-month pe- riod between February and April, 1952, exercises in ad- vanced phases of Anti-Subma- rine Warfare were conducted by BATAAN and Air Anti-Submarine Squadron 25, in company w ith numerous destroy- ers and escort vessels ecjuipiJed for ASW opera- tions. All operations were conducted to and from Vokosuka, Japan, and around Okinawa, using Buckner Bay as a rendezvous. BATAAN was the flagship of this hunter- killer group. She functioned as the coordination center for operations of the group; as the collec- tion and dissemination agency for anti-submarine information and pro ' ided the aircraft from ' S-25 to carry out the air offensi e plan.