Bunker Hill (CV 17) - Naval Cruise Book

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rug -rv-,vm E e 9 ii ,. ,. Q. a 5 fi if ci i Q 9. A fl S .enter Hight training in the summer of '43. Ensigns K. K. Hall and W. J. Nolan made up the supporting cast on the division oHicer's roster. Two Lieutenants, E. F. Brissie and K. C. Somers, who were Fourth Divisioners at the outset stepped up as Sixth and Second Division oliicers, respectively. Leading petty officer for the division was Ernie Laurent, BM1c, while P. McFarlane, GM2c, took care of the guns. . if N 'iff ,M THE FIFTH DIVISION LOOKGUTS Although its division ofiicer-Lieutenant Robert E. Thum-comes from the land of yawning canyons and singing cowboys, the Fifth Division doesn't particularly remind one of the West. Seeing the lookout experts lined up at quarters for muster is more likely to remind you of an Armistice Day parade in Brooklyn or an election day on Journal square in Jersey City. By and large they are Easterners-New York, New Jersey, New England, with a sprinkling of Pennsylvanians, Ohioans, Chicagoans and a few Southerners. They looked after the ship's boats, tended liferafts and helped rig transfer lines, but their main job was that of serving as sky and surface lookouts, As lookouts, they drew frequent praise for their excellence in air- craft recognition, taught by Lieutenant Cjgj Charles Simmer. The Division leader, Lieutenant Thum, was a veteran of 1942's Pacific battles, in which he participated while on board the original U.S.S. Hornet, and told occasional stories of Midway and Santa Cruz, the latter of which spelled the Hornet's death. During the period between duty on the Hornet and the Bunker Hill, Lieutenant Thum served on Admiral Halsey's staff at the famous commander's South Pacific headquarters. He hails from Rock Springs, Missouri. The division's two junior ofiicers were Lieu- tenant Cjgj Charles Simmer and Ensign C. C. Crandall. H. P. Vaughan, BMlc, was the division's leading petty officer. Fire Controlmen, the Gunner's Mates and Torpedomen comprised the Sixth Division personnel, not to mention a couple of Gun- nery Oflicer yeomen. It was their job to take care of and operate all the ship's fire control equipment, to maintain and take care of tor- pedoes, and to keep under strict surveillance the ship's magazines, which, for a fact, do not include Saturday Evening Post. When you brought these three units together, you had duties strung out from bow to stern, port to starboard, double bottoms to masttop. When you got the personnel of these units strung out, you were likely to have riots, tornadoes, horse races, rummage sales and some work done, too. Normal complement of the divi- sion was seventy-five men, most of whom were rated. Lieutenant Eugene Field Brissie, one of the first water-bound poets since John Masefield, who went down to the sea in ships, headed f ga . V 1 if -,V . xi. , V . , 1 Y' ' 1:-T if ' .-2 r f. ' . ' 2:33 f - .ef ..f .1 ' ,mf L 1 -3,131+-a, .-if . ff xy. ...-s,,...... . .I -we.. the list of Sixth Division officers. Coming to the Bunker Hill from the U.S.S. Arkan- sas-a ship whose fame flared up after he left, Lieutenant Brissie had behind him over a year of North Atlantic duty, including stays in the United Kingdom and Africa. He suc- ceeded Lieutenant W. H. Mack, USN, as division officer, Lieutenant Mack left the ship in 1944's mid-summer for further assignment. Also leading the Sixth Division were Lieu- tenants James Burgess, and Harry Hamm, Lieutenants Cjgjr A. M. Spore Qtorpedo ollicerj, and Charles G. Rodman, Ensigns A. L. Hage, and YV. L. Clary, Chief Gunner R. L.

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1 ,,5,l,, 1 , .ji iijf' W .I. p i if -'-zt- i 5 'if i Pi 51 i If H ii ii ' iw: lil J gf:g'3 iiig N i .iiitiii iii, Fiiiii iv fi llfl i lg I l ji' WP 'iii ir, sl g iiiivl Qiiiz' 5 TH! , it H, ,,. i. wi is if iiiii iii 'iii Ebiiiff lifj '1. iifil illgi 1 Hi i l L il li it : .gi :til ' iii: if lg., , .4 iii i. .,, i,.,,, ii- i ,ii iligiiii ijllliili 4 . . 1 ' l lztl 1 :ii ig fi Partners-in-leadership for the division were Lieutenant Dennis A. Wagner, USN, fCOf1tI'0l aft efiicerj, Ensigns W. J. MacGowen, USN , and J. N. Clark. Willie Frank, BM1c, was the leading petty ofhcer for the deck hands, while D. R. Glover, CGM, wielded the divi- sion's big guns. When it came to forty millimeter guns, rugged individualism and ready-service liberty parties, Lieutenant Joseph H. Cahill and his Third Division won hands down. It was the Gunnery Department's largest division. Sev- eral of the Third's more rugged individuals took up weight lifting for a time Cthey were students at the Case Gymnasium in the Sec- ond Division's spacesj, but they were forced to give it up after Lieutenant Willard Healy went on a health campaign and pilferred their ..................,.,,,. -T..-Z.. , ,M,,,,,.M...-...- f H.-4 NL' W' -H'-Lf'-Si -fi'fL-2'--vi-'-----:iv-J.--.f --............----- ' -111 -.-i. 'f-i- i , ' ' xt, . , -1---------g L ki , ,,'., '!V 6 fl- '-F if :Z-,p-v:-2-'ll ' 'ei' 'M - - . 4 lx Xxx-Qllit-qi'-lips-:gg , 5' X -, is WXNVT-NIR A X X-s Ni- Nts . XXX -...Nm 5+-.,,k'w.e?,,oN'-1 -,,K . lik xx, Nsslf-ssl?-QQ-. weights. But they're Hghting men, and more than once their guns sent the Jap down in flames. Division Officer Cahill came to the Bunker Hill from the U.S.S. New York, a ship named after his home state some few years before his Naval career began. He served with the Atlantic Fleet for eighteen months before Coming to his present assignment, and during that time. he spent interesting cruises which ranged from North River's immortal Pier 51 to Scotland's Albert Harbor an Grande Jetee. Lieutenant Cahill's divisional assistants were Lieutenant Healy, Lieutenant Cjgb Ever- ett F ettis and Ensign John Hayes. Lieutenant d Casablanca's figi K. D. Higgins left the division this sum. mer. Key man on the guns was Pi. Clyde, CGMg and ruler of the fantail was D. W, Kauffman, Bhllc, whose sea details included rigging in and out the starboard gangway and tending the stern mooring wire. The next division, referred to in its own circles as the lfighting l ourth, is living proof that sidecleaners are made and not born. A casual observer might easily be led to believe that the entire division was orig- inally recruited from the trapeze tent of Barnum and Baileys-'ethey dangle from stages .............,,.....,...,.. ....,.c.. M-.- . , K. . . . . . .. .L .... .........W.,,..c-.... -W...-.......,,..........---. ,,w.e,,,,. ,,,, .A ,,,,-e. .........-,......-.-m.-....w,.. M . L...-,-..., . .L ...-... ig ii. , .,.. it,sim--e--f1i i'.fq ...... 33-A3737'W ' W ii. i Qi i e'e'r 'r'ft::T? '- ............,. L:::gig , ,ji f - .t v KL Q, , Q ,Nh My -- E M JM 'Q A 1 I -----li-df , it ge- i 2 37.2 ', Vu. 5 .. . I ,- U ..w...,e,fQE'-in in ' i V V Q .H J ' 0 wa wb and lines as they move up and down the ship's side, giving her a cleaning and paint- touching-up each time operations permit. For battle stations, these men man the after twenty millimeter batteriesg the hail of tire they are capable of putting up has frequently discouraged and sometimes stopped the heart- ICSE of Nippon bombers, ,Heading the Fourth Division officers WSIS Llsufenam John J. Hasiiurgh, of Kansas city, Missouri, who came to the Bunker Hill early U? 1943, following almost two years of exten- sive Operations in the Pacific on board the U.S.S. Minneapolis. VVhile serving aboard the latter, he became a veteran of virtually everl' engagement that the fieet had during the first Year of the war. Originally Lieuten- ant Hasbufgh, was Fifth Division ofiicerg 110 imc fo the Fourth after the transfer Qf 'eutemmt hd Epstein, who left the ship E0

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Odell, Torpedoman J. F. Ditzek, and Gunner Michael Dorn. Leading the petty 0f'f1CC1'S were Chief Fire Controlmen Al Boyce and Purcell Claunch, Chief Gunner's Mate L. O. Boles and Chief Torpedoman's Mate A. Dickens. Better known as the Marine Detachment, the Seventh Division was a forest-green ag- gregation of seventy-five men and three of- ficers, most of whom have frequently been accused of being refugees from Guadacanal, Tarawa, Guam, and, more recently Philippine foxholes. In spite of the fact that every sailor on the ship at one time or another characterizes them as the men with size sev- enteen collars and size four hats, the sea- going lads from the Halls of Montezuma gave a vigorous account of themselves, whether it was in hangar deck athletics or loading am- munition at some odd God-forsaken coral atoll. As the twenty millimeter gunners on the forward batteries, they formed a rather valuable part of the ship's defense plan. CaptainpRobert E. Brown, USMC, a grad- uate of Syracuse and adequately innoculated with the leatherneck potion, commanded the Marine Detachment aboard the Bunker Hill, succeeding Major W. S. CBattle Billj Mc- Laughlin early in 1944. Captain Brown first Went to sea in 1942, joining the U.S.S. Hornet which had already taken up a Pacihc Fleet mailing address, and he remained with her through her gallant, mortal stand at Santa Cruz Islands in October of that year. The Bunker Hill's Marine Detachment was first formed in March, 1943, at Portsmouth Virginia. Personnel was transferred to the Fargo Barracks, Boston, in April, where they remained until the ship went into commis- sion. Major McLaughlin, commandant at the time, was assisted by First Lieutenant Brown Qwho later became commandantj and First Lieutenant Gordon Stallings. Second Lieutenant Harry F eehan came aboard in jan- uary as the Major departed, and Second Lieutenant Frank Ponick was ordered to the ship in mid-summer, to fill the vacancy left by Lieutenant Stallings' death. Lieutenant 3 Stallings was killed in action in the air battle off Guam last june. Heading the list of non-commissioned offi- cers were hard-working Spencer P. judkins, first sergeant, D. DOHUCHY, .Irv SUUHCFY sergeant, Walter R. Hart, Jr., and Joe M. Stratton, platoon sergeants. Transferred earlier in the year were Francis J. Quinn, first sergeant, Jere L. Atchison, first sergeant, Mays Cox and Charles Hlinka, platoon ser- geants. .gr 95 THIS IS HGW IT LOOKED You're sitting there taking it easy and half- waiting, for you hear they may be out to get you today. The thing that impresses you most is the apparent impossibility of it all- the purest blue sky you ever saw, the Warm- est sun, the whitest clouds, and silence-the fiight has taken off and now rendezvous on the horizon to the West . . . and you're lazy enough not to think, but just to permit your stream of consciousness to course slowly , -iz 9094 tiff and freely over easy thoughts . . . Languor- ous air, you would call it . . . About all you know of the present are the voices over the flight deck-they're thin and far away, and the indigo waters just roll back ln a bitter-sweet monotony . . . Nothing can happen here . . . not this time . . . And YOU look at the sky again and squint,