Block Island (CVE 106) - Naval Cruise Book

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BLOODHOUN OLP PACK In the Atlantic naval aviators sank 65 Germanusub- marines, more than half the total credited to the entire United States Navy. It is indisputable that carrier avia- tion swung the pendulum to victory in the Battle of the Atlantic. In 1942 U-Boats were sinking one in every 233 ships. That ratio dropped sharply in 1943 when escort carriers began to be used, and continued to drop until by 1944 only one in every 1,000 ships were sunk. In their counter-offensive the wolf packs tried a new trick-they remained submerged during the day and attacked at night. In January and February of 1944 these new tactics were successful. Then the USS BLOCK ISLAND developed new maneuvers. Our escort carriers began flying at night and, from that point on, the shadow of disaster deepened over the German sub- marines. Navy torpedo planes, flying from tl1e deck of the USS BLOCK ISLAND QCVE 21D were the first, also, to attack with airborne rockets. IHP WOII IRIIS I0 SUBNII Rfl A.lvI,M.K Ma UN, -f I r rf ,

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f CVE 21 AT BELFAST When Hitler's hordes began to terrorize Europe, Con- gress encouraged Naval Aviation. 14 .lune 1940, it raised the number of naval planes from 3,000 to 4,500. The next day it jumped the ante to 10,000 and four days later to 15,0001 At last, 19 June, a measure was passed containing the statement that this number could be exceeded wif, in the judgment of the President, it provef' insufficient to meet the needs of national defenses When Pearl Harbor was attacked the President did raif-Q the naval air complement to 27,500 planes. The Navy enlarged its training program, preparing to train 30,000 pilots a year as well as a proportionate num- ber of technicians and other aviation personnel. Seven- teen flight preparatory, 90 war training service, live pre-flight, 13 primary and two intermediate schools were established. The Navy had but seven carriers: SARATOGA, LEX- INGTON, YORKTOWN, ENTERPRISE, RANGER, WASP and HORNET. It was fortunate that the Japa- nese attack on Pearl Harbor was against battleships, not so essential in the early days of the war as carriers. After that malicious attack 7 December 1941, plans were made at once to build more carriers. The Japanese already outnumbered us in this class of ship. The Navy had experimented with a smaller type of carrier for escort purposes and had already built some which it loaned to the United Kingdom. I These small escort ci refs. ilu:-1 first wi 10,000 tons, could be built quick? , operate small air group, anzl be lost with-'J R lt viendous expense in man or air Q CVE is one cf the great stories we 1 .'..scLs- xl vsrs me quickly- realized. Before -1 12,c1f:.5y or Q 1 .Jfcit were ,flying our flag an . 3-13. -f'f- '- iff 1 l'iTll,l'iii1 Comm incl. Tizsjg pw' aut Elazif,-E-3.4. 231.1 sunk in heroic fi-me fist- 1,535 'Sfil..if3iill1i .'iiiQ,,'f1ND was the first 4111.13 -malty . . fifavg carrier lest in the Atlantic. Subse- iiiiex-.tiy G' l..lf5QIfQlWflB BAY, ST. LQ, 5-AMli.lER BAYQ 93'f'v'i7fYi.ln1 if' RAY, and iH.?9Mf2 SFA., met the enemj 'si 1'-:cf-ivcd a mcrtal wound in the Pacific. finite me .7f'i:,nyi's -4-se:-art carriers proved their ability to -iperate as ills: 'igxzcisical air support of ground forces, .Le big c:.1'rEfwn's '-Vere left free to ,comb the seas on inde- pendent strategic missions. Acting as spotters, support carrier pilots directed the bombardment of surface ships and of shore-ba:-ed artillery. They made uncount- able low-level attacks --an lapanese pill-boxes, machine- gun nests, and other targets beyond the range of other fcvring, of artillery. They ilew in low, hitting over hills and around corners. Escort carrier pilots also flew countless reconnaissance and observation hops, local combat air patrols, anti-submarine patrols and air-sea rescue missions. They laid smoke screens, dropped food. water, ammunition and first-aid equipment to isolated patrols, and even reduced malaria and typhus casualties by actually spraying the beaches with the DDT on or before every D-Day.

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The Navy developed what is technically known as the HF-'IJF or high frequency radio direction finders. This electronic equipment was housed in stations dotting the coastline on both sides ol' the Atlantic. on mid-ocean islands. such as Ascension Island. and on ships at sea. A typical action was the sinking of U-Boat U-06 near the Cape Verde Islands. In May 1944. U-66, operating off the west coast of Africa, wanted to refuel off Cape Verde Islands and de- cided to notify the home base of his location. His radio- graln was very brief. It was sent in less than 15 seconds. But 26 Allied DF stations of the Atlantic net obtained bearings on it. From these the position was plotted nearly 18 degrees North and 34 degrees 30 minutes West. This was passed to the Commander-imChief. who dispatched the USS BLOCK ISLAND and her escorts to the scene. This group cruised in the area for five days. sending up squadrons of search planes each hour of daylight. Finally the surfaced submarine picked up ai night by radar. was followed by a patrol plane. The USS BUCKLEY was coached to the scene by the pilot over- head, who held tl1e U-boatis attention by making passes and firing his .45 calibre automatic into the conning tower. The BUCKLEY closed in on the German, en- gaged him in a running gun duel and then rammed the U-boat. The desperate Nazis leaped from their sinking submarine to the forecastle of the little destroyer and grappled with her crew. This was the first time in over 100 years that a United States warship had been boarded in a battle at sea. The Nazis were quickly subdued and the doomed submarine was finished off by gunfire. Fifty German prisoners were taken and the FBI rode victoriously into port with the skipper's pants. The USS CORBY was guided to another submarine by the B.I. dusk patrol. At dawn the ships and planes attacked in force, impelled the wounded vessel to sur- face, and there it was blown to pieces by gunfire. Most of the crew survived and were taken captive. A Nazi sub captain who had lost his ship. tried to commit suicide. He was picked up out of the Atlantic with other members of his crew. The FBI medical officer removed the shell from his neck and he was given a new lease on life which continued in a U. S. prison camp. Frequently the planes got the submarines. One aircraft team surprised a surfaced sub-wolf at dawn, completely destroying it in the first blazing sweep of fire. One of the planes was lost. The sole survivor, a young pilot- observer, managed to launch his little yellow life raft and as he sat there awaiting rescue he encountered the Captain of the Submarine with two of its crew. He held the Germans captive until he was rescued. Twenty-four hours a day the planes from the flight deck of the FBI searched for submarines in the Atlantic. Twelve WILDCATS, and nine AVENGEBS kept up a constant vigil. 45 pilots readily ventured out in the hunt. These men were skilled and fearless flyers anxious to be in at the kill. One aviator who bragged in the Ready Room that he'd get a Hsubw on his next mission, achieved his goal but became so excited that he spun in. A passenger ensign lived to tell the story but the gallant pilot was lost. Each night at sunset an AVENGER, having a 301 gallon belly tank, would be launched for patrol duty. This plane, flying on a beam search of 50-75 miles from the moving carrier travelling at 16 knots. sought to discover wolves as they surfaced for an evening breather. One submarine was literally caught with its pants down. The crew was in swimming. Each hunting expedition lasted about three weeks. The adventurers ranged between the Equator and Latitude 300, from the Azores to within a few hundred miles of Europe. Each safari ended with recreation and rehabili- tation at Casablanca. THE NAZI SURFACES THE DEATH DIVE