Bataan (CVL 29) - Naval Cruise Book

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10 February 1953 12 Februory 1953 15 February 1953 26 February 1953 6 March 1953: 7Mar.-16Mar., 1953: 16 March 1953: 25 March 1953: 4 April 1953: 11 April 1953: 20 April 1953: 27 April 1953: 8 May 1953: 10 May 1953: 19 May 1953: 20 May 1953: 26 May 1953: Underway for Sasebo, Japan. Korea next! Buoy 18, old faithful still, awaits us in Sasebo Harbor. Underway for combat area. We buckle down. Back in Sasebo after first operating period on the line. Liberty deserved (and taken advantage of) by all hands. Sightseeing tours are held and rest leaves depart. The hero returneth ... Operating in Korean waters. Our planes fly combat oir patrols. Target Combat Air Patrol, Armed Reconnaissance, Pre-Briefed Strikes, Photo Reconnaissance, and Air Spot for naval gun firing missions. 282 sorties were launched during this period. An average of 31 planes left our decks per day. Moored to buoy 1 8, Sasebo Harbor. Where have we seen fhat before- ' .Liberty in Sasebo over. We noted the changes made since our lost visit and departed again for the line. Steaming toward Sasebo. Gunnery exercises. Jet tracking exer- cises. Moor to fuel dock in Sasebo. No rest for the weary. Back again. Home is the sailor, home from the sea ... Even buoy 18 looks good at this stage of the game. Red sails in the sun-uh-rise. The open sea again becomes a port of us. The enemy awaits. Operations have ended. At long lost the moment we hove awaited has arrived. Two days of liberty in Yokosuka and a tired warrior and her crew will sail for home. VMA-312 says goodbye to us. UNDERWAY FOR UNITED STATES VIA PEARL HARBOR. Soyonara, Tokyo — you know who I mean. Arrive in Pearl Harbor again. Hula girls await. The crew breaks out the lawn mowers. The lines leave the docks. No stops this time. Point Loma dead ahead. California here I come. SAN DIEGO ' I like it, I like it. Thus the third tour has been completed.

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The Log 28 October 1952: 3 November 1952: 5 November 1952: 15 November 1952: 23 NOV.-29 Nov. 1952: The well-known harbor of Son Diego disappeared over the horizon The sea had called BATAAN to duty for her third Far East tour. Again the hula-hula girls awaited the BATAAN, Palm trees and beautiful Hawaiian music bade us a fond hello. Liberty. The last stateside fun before the Far East. The beautiful islands of Hawaii faded into the distance with the strum of melodic native guitars still ringing in our ears. Okinawa bound. Okinawa. Another island on the BATAAN ' S menu. Not as beautiful but nothing most of us hadn ' t tasted before. The anchor slid into the blue waters of Buckner Bay. Conducting ASW exercises while en route from Buckner Bay to Yokosuko, Japan. Gunnery exercises. Jet intercept practice. Refresher landings day and night in preparation for the big job to come. 29 November 1952: Moored to Fing er Pier, Berth 1 1, Yokosuka, Japan. Long time no see. 17 December 1952: 23 December 1952: 31 December 1952: 9 Januory 1953: 27 Jonuory 1953: 28 Jan.-3 Feb. 1953: 3 February 1953: 7 February 1953: 9 February 1953: Liberty in Yokosuka over for a while. Back to sea. Buckner Bay again. Christmas with no snow. Almost nice enough to go swimming. A little rain. Dreaming of a White Christmas. End of year. Few lights blink at us from the island. Very com- fortable for New Year ' s Eve, Return to Yokosuka. After long rest, back to the deep. Buckner Bay bound. More ASW. Anchor in Buckner Bay, Okinawa. Once again BATAAN leaves for Yokosuka, Japan, conducting ASW on the way. Arrive in Yokosuka End of ASW. VS-871 debarks, VMA- 312, the famous Marine Checkerboard Squadron embarks.

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JAPAN The mysterious Orient of story-book fame turns out to be a real place after all. Japan presents many beautiful sights and interesting places for any visitor to her soil. On the following pages we have tried to present the beauty and life of Japan as seen through the camera.