Essex (CVA 9) - Naval Cruise Book

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i TI-IE SI-IIP QEADIED AT BTQEMEQTGN .... , X ,i xg 21, Xf' f X28 Wi ,xi rf' 'Z X?-1211+ f' r gig V223 2 . Within a matter of hours the Essex seemed a, ghost ship to those orc us who remained aboard after the homecoming .... disembarking squadrons, transmcer orders and leave papers all reduced our once vast complement .... and From this day, began the gradual decline ol: a Fighting ship to the dismembered mass of machinery that was designated a unit orc the Pacific Qeserve Eleet. Beliore a week was up, it was time For Fare- wells again as the. ship got underway For Alameda. San Erancisco, city ol: breathless beauty and im- mense hospitality, welcomed us For one week-end and our men From the Bay area left on well earned leaves .... Underway again, this time For the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard at Bremerton, Washington For a multi-million dollar overhaul and modernization program. We stopped long enough at Bangor to ohicload, in two wearying days, the immense striking Force of explosives stored in our maga- zines and on Eebruary 22, IQ53, the Essex entered Puget Sound and through the towering plumes ol: water rising From the welcoming Fire boats, we saw the grey Framework ol: the ship- yard that we were to call home For six months. The last Fires died out under our boilers and our lines were doubled up to the dock and the Essex was at last at rest .... The extended yard period provided Freedoms that we had hitherto been denied. The daily struggle to meet the schedule was gone. There was time For leave, time For play and, ol: course, time For work . . . The week was scarcely up when the ship took on an entirely new aspect .... yard workmen swarmed up and down the ladders, Familiar bulk- heads began to disappear, a gaping shaict sprung up in the wardroom, sheds replaced aircraict on the Flight deck. Everywhere were visible the signs ot the tremendous improvement and mod- ification program-. Eor many of us it was a chance to really live with our wives and children again and to enjoy a taste ol: shore duty and the novelty orc an eight hour working day. Soon, we had a new Commanding Officer in Captain C. l-l. Duborg and Commander Ben Moore Jr. became our new Executive Olihicer. Together, they guided the Essex through the long overhaul period and back out to duty as a ship oh line .... On the way through we enjoyed ourselves with a spirited intramural softball competition which the ancient senior officers of the wardroom won despite many a creaking arm and weary muscle .... Qur band became a great Favorite in the l l L

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am M41 Tl-IUS, WI- I-ND QNI- CZHAPTEIQ AND BEGIN ANGTI-HER ....

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Bremerton area and played at dances and concerts throughout the state .... Our baseball and soFtball teams took on the best in the Northwest and were a credit to the Essex wherever they played. The ship sponsored tourneys in tennis, golF and Fishing which drew many oF the crew into the Fresh air .... Camp McKean became the site oF many a hilarious divisional party. And then one day, late in July, a Fire was lighted deep in our hold, then another and another and soon all boilers were steaming again. August came and test-dead-loads rocketed From our catapults, elevator horns blared again, the anchor winch was exercised and one Saturday morning we cast oFF all lines and sailed up Puget Sound For our post-repair speed trials .... we were back in commission again. AFter a Final reFit on August 21-L, IQ53, the Essex sailed For Alameda via Bangor where we restowed the tons oF explosive ordnance needed For the days ahead .... The Golden Gate For Labor Day week-end and Finally San Diego again. l-lere began the exhaustive task oF rebuilding a combatant crew .... Through the long days and nights oF Underway Training Exercises Flight deck crews learned again what it means to push planes For eighteen hours a day .... learn-ed to Fight Fires, right upended aircraFt, spot jets on the catapults, bring a plane out oF the arresting gear .... Below decks, damage control parties drilled at shoring bulkheads, rigging casualty power lines and administering emergency First aid .... Gun crews loaded, unloaded, reloaded and unloaded again until they reached a peak oF smooth wor- king eFFiciency .... Deck hands rigged For highline transFers, took cargo on at Burtoning statkons and reFueled From tankers at sea .... ln GC, the brains oF the ship, the vast network oF inFormation began to Function again and plotting boards looked Familiar covered with the cryptic signals oF the modern Task Eorce organization .... And then Air Group ILL came aboard to qualiFy. The First all weather jets landed aboard the Essex and the lonely wail oF VC-13's Banshees in the night became a Familiar sound... Success was not immediate For us. It was a slow, long road back but we did pass UTE and on November II, IQ53, our own Air Group, ATG-2, which had made the second Korean tour with us, reported aboard For duty. Only two weeks were available to integrate them as a member oF the team and during those days we were oFten plagued by bad weather and a pitching deck which made qualiFications impractical and hazardous.l,The sailing date loomed ever closer and as November passed we knew that our training days were oven T