Bunker Hill (CG 52) - Naval Cruise Book

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THE HOLIDAY EXPRESS USS BUNKER HILL (CV-1 U; [SS BUNKER HILL (CV-1 7) was christened at the Bethleham Steel Company, Quincy, Massa- chusetts on December 7, 1942 (the first anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor). The aircraft carrier was commissioned on May 24 of the following year. Within her three years and seven months of active service, BUNKER HILL established an im- pressive combat record that still remains one of the top carrier achievements of World War II. BUN- KER hill ' s valiant war efforts sent 146,803 tons of enemy shipping to the ocean bottom. BUNKER HILL earned the nickname Holiday Express because she conducted her major strikes against the enemy on holidays. She raided New Britain on Armistice Day 1943; attacked Tarawa and nearby islands on Thanksgiving Day in 1943; attacked Kavieng, New Ireland on Christmas Day 1943; attacked the Marshalls on President Roosevelt ' s birthday — January 30, 1944; assaulted Formosa on Columbus Day 1944; made strikes on Leyte on Armistice Day 1944; and participated in raids on Okinawa on April Fool ' s Day and Easter Sunday 1945. On May 1 1 , 1945. a Japanese kamikaze plane dropped a 500-pound bomb on BUNKER HILL ' s flightdeck before crashing into parked aircraft onboard the carrier. This bomb exploded on the topside gallery deck. Immediately afterward, a second kamikaze plane crashed into BUNKER HILL ' s flightdeck, and the aircraft carrier was soon engulfed in flames and smoke. Before the fires were extinguished, 346 men had been killed, 246 wounded, and 43 men were missing. The severely damaged ship managed to steam under her own power back to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for repairs. In September, BUNKER HILL reported for duty returning veterans from the Pacific until January 1946 when she was ordered to Bremerton for inactivation. BUNKER HILL was decommissioned in January 1947. She remained in the mothball fleet as an aircraft transport vessel until November 1966, when she was stricken from the Navy ' s list of ships. The ex-USS BUNKER HILL served as an antenna radiation test ship for research and development programs until 1973. During her Navy service, BUNKER HILL received the following awards: The Presidential Unit Citation; the Asiatic- Pacific Area Campaign Service Medal with eleven battle stars; the World War II Victory Medal; the Philippine Libera- tion Campaign Ribbon; and the Republic of the Philippines Presiden- tial Unit Citation Badge. USS BUNKER HILL (CG-52)

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SHIP ' S HISTORY. USS BUNKER HILL (CG-52) was built by Ingalls Shipbuilding Division of Litton Industries, Pascagoula, Mississippi. She was commissioned on 20 September 1986, within sight of the historic monument commemorating her namesake battle. After commissioning, BUNKER HILL entered the Pacific Fleet via the Panama Canal, and following a series of Combat Systems Ships Qualification Trials (CSSQT) near Hawaii in early 1987, she began short notice work-ups to deploy to the U.S. Seventh Fleet. BUNKER HILL made her first deployment in July 1987, nearly one year ahead of schedule. During that deployment, she provided an anti-air warfare umbrella for the USS MISSOURI (BB-63) and USS RANGER (CV-61) Battle Groups and U.S. flagged tankers and ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. In August 1988, BUNKER HILL moved to Yokosuka, Japan, joining the USS MIDWAY (CV-41) Battlegroup. Shortly thereafter, she departed with the MIDWAY Battlegroup for a four month deployment in the U.S. Seventh Fleet area and was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation. From November 1990 through March 1991 , BUNKER HILL deployed to the Arabian Gulf in support of Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Serving as Anti-Air War- fare Commander (AAWC) for the Arabian Gulf Battleforce, she directed the tactical em- ployment of 26 ships and over 300 combat aircraft from six nations. BUNKER HILL cor- rectly identified and tracked over 65,000 aircraft without a single blue-on-blue incident. BUNKER HILL also launched a total of 28 Tomahawk cruise missiles against targets in Iraq. She was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation, the Combat Action Ribbon and the Kuwait Liberation Medal for her exceptional performance. After returning to Yokosuka, BUNKER HILL underwent the first overseas Drydock Selected Restrictive Availability, in July 1991 , she escorted MIDWAY to Pearl Harbor, HI, for turnover with USS INDEPEN- DENCE (CV-62). In March of 1992, BUNKER HILL was part of the last Battlegroup to visit the U.S. Naval Base at Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines. In April 1992 BUNKER HILL de- parted Yokosuka for a seven month Arabian Gulf deployment. Again serving as Arabian Gulf Battleforce AAWC, she was instrumental in the planning and execution of Opera- tion Southern Watch, the enforcement of the UN no-fly zone over Southern Iraq. BUN- KER HILL was awarded the Battle Efficiency E for 1992. After conducting a successful missile exercise off the island of Okinawa, BUNKER HILL participated in Exercise TEAM SPIRIT ' 93 and provided AAW coverage for USS INDEPENDENCE and the USS BLUE RIDGE (LCC-19) Amphibious Task Force. In Septem- ber 1993 BUNKER HILL made a historic visit to the Russian city of Vladivostok. Upon leaving Russia she participated in ANNUALEX 93-05 and returned to Yokosuka for a short notice and very successful Operational Propulsion Plant Examination. In November 1993 she deployed from Yokosuka for independent operations in the Sea of Japan before rejoining the INDEPENDENCE Battlegroup for Operation Southern Watch in the Arabian Gulf. BUNKER HILL was awarded the Battle Efficiency E for 1993 and on 1 7 March 1994 she returned to Yokosuka marking the completion of her fifth Arabian Gulf deployment, t 6 USS BUNKER HILL (CG-52)

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USS BUNKER HILL (CG ' 52) AN SLQ-32(V)3 Electronic Warfare Suite AN SPS-49 Radar AN SPG-62 Illuminators Helo Plattorm (2 LAMPS) Mk-32 Torpedo Tubes VLS MK 41 5 Inch Gun n Harpoon Missile -y 71 Phalanx AN SPS-55 Surface Search Radar AN SPQ-9 Radar AN SPG-62 Illuminators AN SPY- 1 A Radar VLSMK41 5 Inch Gun AN SQS-53A Sonar SHIP ' S CHARACTERISTICS LENGTH 567 FEET BEAM 55 FEET SPEED 30 + KNOTS DRAFT (KEEL) 24 FEET DRAFT (NAVIGATION) 33 FEET DISPLACEMENT 9,600 TONS MANNING 33 OFFICERS 30 CHIEF PETTY OFFICERS 324 ENLISTED USS BUNKER HILL (GG-52)