Bataan (CVL 29) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 30 text:

FOURTH OF JULY One of our aircraft rclurns dirty, and as it touches the deck a white phosphorous rocket breaks loose. As the rocket shoots forward the spinning prop cuts it in half, sending streamers of phosphorous skyward. This one comes back really hot, and the deck crew loses no time in giving it plenty of room.

Page 29 text:

a flip;ht ■as latr. Only a few hours after droppini[ the hook in Inchon Harbor, BATAAN set out again for Sasebo, the City by the Sea. On the 31st of July she left Buoy 18 in Sasebo with all boats on deck and all ehiclcs secured. Sasebo faded into distant specks that would not be seen again for a long time to come. Stateside liberty was not far away. A lot of room had been made for a company of combat Marines to come aboard. BATAAN was to take part in some kind of helicopter operation. But upon arrival again at Inchon on the 1st of August, she found that it had been cancelled. Past the L.SO and another landing is chalked up. The second day of August found BATAAN in the open sea again, this time bound for Kobe. She arrived in Kobe on 4 August, in the early evening. Two days of liberty in Kobe and then at 1200 on the 7th she left, completing another leg of her journey toward the states. Yokosuka was next. On the 8th of August at approxi- mately 0840, BATAAN anchored out in a rather stormy Yokosuka Bay. The storm subsided enough for her to tie up on the next day, which made liberty more pleasant. On 11 August .she left Yokosuka, watching Mt. Fujiyama disappear slowly into the sea. She sailed into sunny Pearl Harbor on 19 August and remained there for two days. Then BATAAN sailed away from the land of hula-hula toward the hub-bub, the land of confusion and beauty never to be equaled. She had completed another job, a great and important job, and even though tired, she sped homeward eagerly with the knowledge of another job well done. Yes, again she had proved herself. BATAAN, as her name- sake, stands monumental in her fight for a free world. Her record in World War II and during her tw o operations in Korea prove that. And she knows that as long as the world is on the verge of crisis she will stand alert, ready to answer her country ' s call to the front line again, doing her all to bring the world to a lasting peace. Two pilots from HMS Ocean describe their air adventures for some of our pilots. They were presented with famous C heck- erboard scarves.

Page 31 text:

ON THE FLIGHT DECK A rotkcl briak Ioom- as the airrrafi lands, and bounces down ihi- flighl deck. It lumblis over twice and then explodes, sending shrapnel flying every which way. Personnel, equipment and flight deck suffer damages. Those injured were Major Bredesen, «ho suffered chest wounds; Chief Hargreaves, AFC, a member of a combat photography team, who was severely injured in the left arm and chest. Thanks to quick thinking and action by our C. O., Captain Horney, who applied pressure to the chief ' s wounds, Hargreaves managed to pull through. Lt. Goddard, flight deck officer, suffered a rupture of the traumatic liver, and was removed to a front line hospital by heli- copter. Bovino, QMSN, who was stationed in the flag bag, suffered head lacerations as he ducked the flying shrapnel.