Bunker Hill (CV 17) - Naval Cruise Book

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COMMUNICATIGN Through these men we received orders to jig ht - and mail from home What's the garbled word? -the Navy'.s hoary jibe at all communicators, stood as mere gag material aboard the Bunker Hill. ngzmwwwmmum aw, aj..- v. ,L -2. he transmission and reception of all messages that came to, or left, the ship was the major duty of the De- partment, but in addition, the Com- munication Department was entrusted with carrying out many of the administrative de- tails Within the ship's internal organization. A pair of communications-wise officers headed the Communicators through the ship's first year in combat. Commander Porter Lewis, USN, held the post from commis- sioning until May, 1944, when he left for the stali' of Commander, Fifth Amphibious Force. An Academy graduate, he was a vet- eran of that type of duty, coming to the Bunker Hill from Recife, South America, where he had headed Naval Base communica- tions. His successor was Lieutenant Com- mander V. J. Cheek, who came aboard from the U. S. S. Belleau Wood. Prior to that he had logged solid Navy experience in the At- lantic, adding to civilian training and exper- ience in radio and broadcasting. The Communication Department breaks --,.mamvuyww internally into three groups: radio personnel, signalmen, and the yeomen, the latter group including the ship's print shop, and the Ex- ecutive OHicer's and Captain's ofiices. Assistant Communication Officer and Radio Officer, second man to hold the job, was the Pacific veteran, Lieutenant James Veitch, who has a continuous record of sea-duty since his graduation in one of the earliest V-7 re- serve classes. A destroyer sailor of twenty- eight months before reporting to the Bunker Hill, he succeeded Lieutenant L. E. Harrison, who reported to the ship while she still was at Quincy, and whose experience aboard the U. S. S. Ranger contributed much to the or- ganization of the department. He left the ship for new duty in May, 1944, going to Jacksonville, Florida. Lieutenant CjgD Neil Hartley, former as- sistant in the Radio Division, graduated from the Special Communication School at the Naval Academy, and organized and trained the radio gang in a thorough manner. VVhen he left for duty in the commissioning of a

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the . mit to active combat was taken to CON? f hi mate who dee the mortal remains o a S P gavle his life to establish peace on earth, aid as the ship surged westward through if bright night, vainly hunted by an enFmy 1? the air and under the sea, the feelmgsuo many were expressed by 9- mall who Saldf God has his arms about this ship. S , ,, ,, , t, ...p 5 . , , ,,,, ,K , , .., i,T'f'i3i3' Y3l'lY'4Nflil1lllllllllilii lriirfifi' 4 l 32 Eqfygirsmi . 'fl it l P liiliila li tl' ,. .- lQifgfl.: gli V llilllfqlfi ig w fi?T t ' f5f1QSlQLm' ' g , as - , p--rr-I., li 1 lp! i i. ' f d dx I U up l ike .tj .f .1q ' 44,2 iii f ee i emi li oor i fi if i' fElE 1 ,Q e eeli 1 we :A -t .1 -. at Nl W'-l K-4' A i. .1 ' I i ff ' 5 -.--M-1 X f i X x Q ix V li il .I . i f i . Into the hands of two Chaplains, Lieuten- ant Commander Floyd Dreith and Lieu- tenant J. J. Quigley, was thrust the respon- sibility for the spiritual welfare of the ship when it sailed from the States. Chaplain Dreith was with the ship in pre-commissiom ing days, as spiritual leader for personnel des- tined to become part of the ship's company as well as the organizer behind the limited social activities of that period. He came to the Bunker Hill with wide experience, having served on a battleship, a heavy cruiser, a destroyer, a destroyer tender and at a Naval Air Station during his previous six years' ex- perience. He held the pastorate of a Lutheran Church in San Diego before joining the Navy and his knowledge of matters civil as well as Naval have served the crew in excellent stead when men faced problems of general welfare or marital, financial, physical and mm-af troubles. Chaplain Quigley left his Catholic parish at Syracuse, N. Y., in April, 1942, to join the Navy and served his first year at the Naval Air Station, Norfolk, before joining the ship just prior to its shakedown period His enthusiasm for all things worthwhile soon manifested itself in the wholehearted manner 1n which he entered upon his duties. Out- standing among his many contributions to the welfare of the shll' his Nw Q tion of 'lilllfi x1uNl?Mr.NT, which editorship WHS fff7 5n'wd pubhcly 9 3 the l leet's outstamling shirfs Late in Aulwili Ch'l'l'l ' lllh. lieved hy Lieutenant R. li. Delaney, vi of durv at San juan, and I few Yi Q Chaplain Dreith received orders L Executive Uriicer of the Chaplains' TIIQ School at William and Mary Wd, iamsburg, Virginia- T he obvious friendship and close mga.. tion in all things, spiritual and tempmll, between the two Chaplains hu done Q to enhance the cause of true Chfki aboard the Bunker Hill. Chaplain lilelanefs quiet manncr,hix elm- ness to continue the extra,-curricular work af his predecessor with as much interest md: him immediately popular. l..ieutenl.nt Cm- mander H. M. lforgy, a veteran of some ef 2 ' , , . , . .. L ,..,,.a......,-Q-.M-,--N g , .. ,., ,.....,..., Maf--.-..... r . . .1 ...,,,....f-.w--.f-.-.aff-M., X .,.,, ,.,....-..-...,..,-..-to-4-una' Ji WW' t ' l i t is ' sw mn- V 4 V, fa-v-w,1m-uu-auu- ,N -Q f-.. :EXE ,AA 1 ...A li.. 14,44 ' it V . 'r .i.. .ilia-Z' Q C H , ' i .V,, a afjrjeza T itty-gg.. ' if D A Q n Q . , ll i i R K Q 5 5 Q. igqgggss V, . 'f ' a 5 5 Q D I Q ix 5 5 5 5 1 0 A A A E , , , ,,,,.+-iq:-vw f i . .- .mga-neiik 2 , 3 V f ---shi li ii lag . awp... ff,,,.q-wwf' the hot and heavy Pacific actions in part of the war, relieved Chaplain but remained ahoard only 3 ghgn time, Causing his transfer from the ship the hands of men such I8 Alb Splflfllal and moral welfare af tht Hill s personnel Wag aggqrgdl

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akcn new carrier of this class, his job Was f C. W. Pete FlYnnv ommunication course at over by Lieutenant Cjgl graduate of the c Harvard. n . V. h Although the work is closely allied wt! the Air Department, the group that kept the plane radios functioning also was part of the t, Lieutenant Communication Departmen . Q ' William Yeagley and Chief Radio Electrician Waters spent many a night before a strike at the enemy climbing in and out of the air- craft, testing and approving their radio facil- ilities. ,Radio,1 Electrician Davis and Chiefs Gawlik, Mesher and Scott did top duty in keeping plane radios operating efficiently as well as assisting the maintenance .of other radio equipment. Originally, the ship went to sea with Radio Electricians Max VVebb and F. Kelly, who both won promotions to Ensign, and subsequent new duty. One of the nucleus of old Navy men who contributed much toward getting the Bunker Hill well started on its way was the original radio material oHicer, Lieutenant Miller, who supervised the installation of much of our equipment and ably answered so many of the questions in the early days. His years in the Navy qualified him for a new billet in early 1944 and he left for Statesside duty. Those who have the impression that to keep the vast amount of visual messages whigh the ship sends and receives moving is a life of ease are advised to strike for the rate of -signalmanl That's what they do, the men technically known as the K-2 Division. Signal officer through most of 1944 was Lieutenant J. I. Slattery, who, on taking over his duties found a group of signalmen who had first been trained, and then polished in the language of the flashing light and semaphore in a manner which left little to accomplish., Lieutenant George Webber wa the ship's first Signal Officer and his efforts in the days prior to commissioning built as adept signal force from a combination ii' recruits and men with the theory but HUT or no practical experience. The man ' - C responsible for so much of the skill Jointly that Was 3 40 demonstratetl was Chief mgkcr, a man of lung experience in and his buys can the ivfkilt rdacsd Lieutenant Slattery was the otiicer, succeeding to the your Dfw ant li. P. Kmart! and lacuteaam H, Berry. junior tltvtumn u5irtrl in ig Division were Lieutenant thigh! and lrnsigtt ll. A. Mihtttlicf, the of the Shglfs planknvmcri and Mcvighil more recent atltlitnm to the dqmrtznmg, The yeumcti, along with the formed the third internal section cmtfthelfq. munication llcpartttacnt, known gg :ht Division. 'liltr minute tifllil Ind mtg required in at murtntartial pnx'eadil'lg, supervision nc-ccssary for snmuth OQJCTIQM di the Captains and thc lixerutive Oioefz oliices fell to these men. Chief Yeomln . 113' if was the nrst mar of the Executive 0555. Ofiice, and always seemed to know how wb thmkls when no one else did. Hi! yilflu the work for the Navy were helpful B GW- lng the men who for the mo-pt part the Personnel tif the office. The Ch-if l-011 WCW construction, to lic followd Hl'renCh5 ' l-C lim-uf, Chief Yuan!! mOVec'l up from first class since abfmffl H! Quincy. .fhc central nfiice on the ship, 68 tamis Umm- WHS llivcn a sur-restful another ciqicrienced man If H A ln? .Clerk Koster saw that till legal fm this oliicc stayed unnvidr s 3 TCT being promoted to Plain turned to the States and his