Bunker Hill (CG 52) - Naval Cruise Book

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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)

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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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WARDROOM CDR R.W. Durham, Executive Officer D E T E R M I N A T I O N WARDROOM In sailing siiips the room where the officers dined served as the hospital during battle. The tables served as sick beds for the injured. From the concept of a hospital ward came the term wardroom. Today, officers collectively are refered to as the wardroom. m-m fv% D E T E R R E N C E LJ S S n( H I L» L« LJSS BUNKER HILL (GGr52) 9