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Page 14 text:
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, , , 3 .. , .. .,,,.,,A..,.f.,.Tf,,,.,.,,,.,.,..f,w il. -,,....,...,,,.,-.,T,,.,--,.,T..,. F M .7'ff1sWfi f??'lil??9'!?1?..- ,. -. H '-rf'ef,,,f.,f-A -fea-.iz5i::i2fLfsviii5sasfzas:-v.3Ew4+f1'ff-'-e f --was ' , ,. , . . - S- , 1, ,,--.,L.,.,, , - -sv -vt: - L1 1 .rf ,ra Y- 1:-1.. Y .- . , - ., V ,- . 14 HE..-:iii-ff .A-.!f'f.:.1'?:1s 1. -5-N A -- 1 - - J -- A History of the S S Block slcmd THIS ship bears the name of a previous CVE whose record of enemy action in the Atlantic was proud and glorious. Her job was hunting submarines and she was sunk in the line of duty. Following is an eyewitness account from uThe Story of Two Shipsf' G4At 2013 without warning of any kind a torpedo struck the USS BLOCK ISLAND QCVE-215 approximately at frame 12, near the bow, probably on the port side. Four seconds later another torpedo struck farther aft, travelling through several frames of the ship and exploding in an oil tank through the shaft alley and up through five inch magazinesf, In this disaster six men were lost, only a few injured. The crew left the ship in an orderly manner and kept close together on rafts. To perpetuate the BLOCK ISLAND tradition of valor and courage, a 23,000 ton carrier of the Commencement Bay class was duly commissioned the CVE-106. With an all Marine air group on board, the resurrected BLOCK ISLAND set sail for the Pacific and the war against Japan. For 43 days of the siege of Okinawa the FBI added rockets, bombs, and fire power to the crushing force of America at war. When Okinawa was secured the FBI was called upon to use her Marine support group and night fighters to provide air cover in the Borneo-Celebres operation against Balikpapan. To crown her wartime achievement record, the BLOCK ISLAND performed 140 sorties using 21,700 pounds of bombs, 82 five-inch rockets, and 10,800 pounds of machine gun ammunition. NOT A MAN OR PLANE WAS LOST. After the Japanese surrender, the BLOCK ISLAND ferried American prisoners of war back to the United States. The Fighting BLOCK moved to the East Coast and finally settled at Annapolis, Maryland. As a training ship for midshipmen it provided classrooms for students and quarters for instructors. Reactivated after the outbreak of hostilities in Korea, the ship was towed from the Severn River mud flats to the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Months of hard labor and many taxpayers, dollars helped modernize and ready the ship for sea in lighting condition. Seasoned Navy veterans were astonished upon reporting to a ship shining completely with red lead. Naval reservists, called back to active duty, were equally amazed at their new home. A run on the Delaware River in November, 1951, tested out the main engines. Ready for sea, the ship commenced shakedown training near Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, under the command of Captain Arthur S. Hill, USN. Successful participation i11 TRAEX I tested Marine and heli- copter maneuvers on and around Vieques Island. Captain James H. Flatley assumed command 31 July, 1952, and the old BLOCK took on a new chipper appearance. Visits to Boston and New York, operations from Quonset Point and Norfolk, and a yard period in New York highlighted the latter half of 1952. On 5 January, 1953, with many new faces and new equipment the BLOCK ISLAND set sail for the new year, a year that was to see her colors flying proudly in both the Caribbean and Mediterranean. 4? .-V ri . ,g'4,,,-I-sg-. -1 ' drag-pf.. .I . I 1-f
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Page 13 text:
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.. ..- - -Q.-:,...---.fn.m?1nsl----.-........,, ........, ,WW - .... .-s........,. LIEUT. COMINIANDER PAUL L. RUEHRMUND LCDR Ruehrmund has been the Executive Officer of Air Anti-Submarine Squadron 30 since December 1952. He came to the Squadron from the USS Wright CCVL-491 where he had served as navigator. During World War II he served aboard the USS Savannah and was with this vessel when it was seriously damaged in the land- ings at Salerno. LCDR Ruehrmund was graduated from the Naval Academy in 1942 and was desig- nated a Naval Aviator in 1944. He has served as head of the Aviation Ordnance Inventory Control Section of the Bureau of Ordnance in Washington, D.C. He was born in Richmond, Virginia and is married to the former Miss Marcelle Lash. They have two children, Paul and Shelley. COMMANDER WILLIAM G. PRIVETTE, JR. Commander Privette reported as Executive Officer of the USS Block Island in October 1952. He was graduated from the Univer- sity of North Carolina in 1936 and after completing flight training in 1937 served in VT-5 on the old USS Yorktown. He served two tours as Commanding Officer of VT-6 on the Enterprise, Intrepid and Hancock. After World War II and General Line School, Commander Privette assumed command of VS-23 operating on the USS Mindoro, and from this, went to Cabiniss Field which was his last duty station be- fore reporting to the Block Island. Commander Privette holds campaign ribbons for his service in the Gilbert Islands 1943, the Marshalls and Truk 1944, Okinawa and the Japan assaults 1945. He has the Distinguished Flying Cross and one star, the Air Medal and 4 stars and the Naval Unit Commendation with one star. Commander and Mrs. Privette have two boys, Bill and Mac, and one girl, Janet. He and his family now live at Virginia Beach.
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