Bunker Hill (CV 17) - Naval Cruise Book

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1 I'91lNy 'ft ,- ? .isxsqnwt 5 ufwffiyi -2 , if saggy. if wafers-ge:-emimi: 5 etewmen, trailing their long hoses from risers, were the first to board amrning planes. Freeman's constant pres- gee on the deck, and his fierce exasperation dill inefficiency, characterized by as blast- kg a choice of expletives as the ship could bout, made good his frequent claim to other Bight deck ofiicers: We never held you up a damned minute! Berchtold, in charge on the hangar deck, did a similarly good job consistently, managing to have every plane glssed as soon as it was put into commission. I. F. Baumann, the magic metalsmith of the crew and boss of its Repair VII headquarters, made ACM in Gctober, 1944, in recognition of his ability. Backstage manager of defensive and offen- sive operations of the squadrons--and of the ship-in five critical fields, is the V-3 divi- sion, comprised of Aerology, Air Intelligence, Air Plot, Fighter Direction, and the Photo- graphic Lab. In a war the size of the one conducted in the Pacific, the aerologist can do as much for a strike against the Jap-if not more-as a screen of battleships. All that Flag Plot ever asked for was a nice, cozy storm to use as cover for the force while marching within striking distance. Successful master of this was Lieutenant W. A. Haviland, who suc- ceeded Lieutenant Commander R. A. Chand- ler, USN, in January. As Aerology Oliicer, his pride and joy was the week-long front he found for us when we first hit the Philip- pines. Pilots swore they needed no navigation boards, they merely headed for the biggest storm cloud upon returning from the target, dropped through it to 500 feet, and entered the landing circle! Keeping a constant check on the whims and fancies of the weather and trying to nurse the thermometer from the 85- degree point it held through our first year in the Pacific, was a quintet of plankowners: George Bellino, L. E. May, Clarence Pope and Pete Simonetti, Aerographers First, and Ed Stone, AER3c. First Lieutenant Charles Tenney, then Lieutenant Charles de Bretteville, headed the ship's Air Combat Intelligence oiiiee, that island nook where the prying eyes of visitors are as welcome as bogeys. Both Charlie! were top-Hight men, thorough, painstaking, efficient, and mentally geared for the long hours of briefings that preceded an operation, and the longer grueling hours of interpreting the reports and results of the squadrons. Lieutenant Cjgj R. H. Paschall, photographic interpreter, was added to the staff in July, r -.-1.-.-..-i-.1 5,-,,,. 1944, as photo missions began to assume greater importance. Office manager was the obliging, quiet-spoken Chief Yeoman Herb Reas, who reported aboard as Ylc, and pro- ceeded to win not only the fouled anchor of chief, but a subsequent recommendation for a commission. The ship's control of its aircraft aloft cen- tered in Air Plot, and in the Fighter Director bogey hatch, ofiicially designated as the Combat Information Center. From Air Plot, battle station of the Air Ofiicer and Assistant Air Boss, are issued the Hight schedules, the arming plans and the general direction of the squadron and Air Department operations. By means of telephones of every type, teletypes, Hsquawk boxes and radio, Air Plot stays in constant contact with every unit in its vast and complicated domain, aloft and aboard. Lieutenant Commander Robert Wood, '39 Academy graduate and erstwhile member of VB17, assumed charge of Air Plot as aide to the Air Officer in January, 1944, relieving Commander Major, V-3 division ofiicer until his transfer to the States to become Executive

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Q ' ctig After brief destroyer duty, he was mmm quite safe and sound.. T I Dean of the division was small, dx 1839 l. Tommy Lyons, ACMM, who was another Ol Commander Carson's choices from the AHB- costia roster. A keen student of all things- mechanical, he usually was the court of highest appeal in any discussion or experi- ment revolving about the planes. ARMING CREWS WERE FAST Among a strike-day's more interesting sight was the eflicient, time-defying operations of the V-2-A unit. To its men fell the respon- sibility for putting the slug in the carrie-r's hitting power, hanging bombs and torpedoes, keeping the plane's guns ready for instant action when aloft, and doing it all on the run. The diligent training done while the squadrons were forming in the pre-shakedown period, and the constant improvement of methods in the first days of combat, com bined to produce a topnotch outfit. Starting hours before dawn, the arming and bombing gang put in the longest hours on the Ship during heavy operations. A delay in take0H', H tardy returning flight could Wreck .a strike schedule if V-2-A WaS,unable to' do its rerarming job in unbelievably short minutes. Lieutenant Harry Yoe wry gh featured West Virginian, was the uniii fglipg majoring, with Lieutenant James Pow? Gr re-bombing operations. Powers wa rs, m ferred back to the States in mid s S trans- 1944, and Lieutenant C' T 5 ummm of , , is? . . rocket specialist, assumed his gosljggilgglzsg,

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OH'icer of a new CVE. Woodstransfer Statei side in mid-summer shifted Lieutenant Iffclt S. Speer and running mate, Lieutenant ilgl Ralph L. Burgin, Jr., from CIC to Air Plot. Lieutenant Cjgj Harold A. Fisher, on loan from the Air Group, also was stationed in Alf Plot until his receipt of orders in October, 1944- Original Fighter Director Oflicer WHS the lantern-jawed Southerner, Lieutenant Bay Myers, Wasp and Guadalcanal fighter p1lOt veteran who organized the department, 115' sisted by such others as Lieutenants Speer and A. D. Blue Goose Johnson, Lieutenants Cjgj Burgin, Nick Hammond and Bill LaCroix. As time went by, additions to the roster ar- rived, including Lieutenant Phil Chapman in March, 1944, and Lieutenant Cjgl F. A. Wright and Ensign Hicks two months later. In July, Myers received orders, and turned the job over to his relief, Lieutenant E. Snead, Jr., who took over the post. Snead was a veteran of the old Hornet and of specialized work in the British Isles, and proved cap- able of being able to distinguish between low-flying destroyers and genuine bogeys. Under Lieutenant C. K. Eaton, the Photo- graphic Laboratory was organized, and put on a combat status, and a crew installed to handle the heavy volume of work that poured from the cameras of their own, and squadron, lenfsmen after every hop. Chief Photographer's Mate M. Hitchcock helped set the pace, tak- ing the hops, scheduling the other photogs, and working with them through the night to hustle prints to waiting Intelligence officers. He won promotion to Warrant Photographer at the turn of the year, returning to the States, and was replaced by Photographers O, F. Bowe, briefly, and C. W. Lanz. 1 Quiet, competent R. C. Sharkey, a Ph0M c who had been a CPO but a few days when he was killed, was the Photo Lab's first cas- ualty, as the bomber from which he was shoot- ing pictures was hit in its dive over Kavieng, and never pulled out. Wayne Flint, Pho- Mlc, also received wounds over that hot spdt, which resulted in his transfer. Johnny Keith, PhoM2c, went in at Kwajalein, Ufhgrs of the original gang hmcludd Kubrecht, l'lioM2t', wounded in the the liasterti Pliiltppincai and trtnsfefldgn, 'I-. Rhmiex ami CQ, tl. limi, l'l1lJMlC, K Yoder, l'lioNl2t, and kiliflord liximnc, Sc, who was transferred. The niany tennis ol paper work involvadig the operation til the Mr Department Sell gg Lieutenant llc-nri l'. lNlt'lll1rnriy,ptiised,cu3. tured transfr:rcc lroni thc pre--tonimissimiiq roster of aviation engine-erimz otiiccfs, Wm he made inajor contributions in work to the :ict-eptziiicr .if the llclldivcr as a cutter plane. He sticcvrcdcd l.ic'utc'nant Al O'COB- nor, who had liecoiiic the Executive Ofliicafs Aide and, latter, ai linnncri Department of- ficer, and for ni time was assisted by Lim. tenant Robert Blake prior to Hlakc's nomin- ation to succeed Ufonnor. Mcllhthhfs conscientious attention In the administrative details ofthe Air Department won as mud! admiration as did his collection of phono- graph platters, and his receipt of new books at every mail call. First L'l'Os in the depart- ment were D. C. Snow and li. G. Zum, both of them winning commissions and new duty, leaving to lanky Lake jackson, Ylc, the re- sponsibility of keeping order. Quarters for Muster always presented the knotty problem of finding the proper division in which to include the Landing Signal Officers of the ship's company. First of them were Lieutcnants Hliziilcr R. Cummings Ind Alfred Dewey. The small, cnthusilldf Cummings, a Naval Aviator, originally W9 attached to the sliip's fir:-at Air Group, lad sweated them through qualifications and MM' landing drills mont lis before they came aboard- Dewey .lflluecl him in tliosc arduous drill! I-Bd Came aboard well qualified to split the I-.Shoe duties with Cummings. With the sectlfid 55' GVUUP was l.ieutenant li. li. Rodenwflr former bomlier pilot and holder of A D-F-C' edal for his part in the wly 97' and Air M pf the .P3ClllC War. Qitinymingg W3 erred in April, 1944, rem,-mng gg q f Squadrons llfqiaring to go abound emi and Dewey rc mained to work with R