Bataan (CVL 29) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 15 text:

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.

Page 14 text:

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

Page 16 text:

The aircraft of VS-25 carried out searches, made attacks on identified submarines, vectored surface forces to contacts and assisted them in gaining contact, and functioned as the investi- gator and attack member of the group. Accompanying destroyers furnished sonar protection to BATAAN while a Okinawa from the air. AF hunter-killer teams on deck before start- ing ASW. part of the screen. Upon making con- tact with a submarine, they were de- tached and formed into units to search for and engage the contact. World War II developed the concept of the hunter-killer group and successful operation confirmed its effec- tiveness against enemy submarines. Continual improvement in submarine capabilities necessitates a corresponding improvement in the ability of the hunter-killer group. BATAAN was The first AF is launched, starting our ASW exercises. primarily engaged in operational train- ing in the employment of available proven equipments and techniques in order that maximum effectiveness could be realized against enemy forces. Though no one had told her, BATAAN felt that her new job was itally important to the war effort. She was training men, an essential element in any kind of war. Several nights she did not sleep. She continued to ride the seas, launching her aircraft into the moonlit sky.