Essex (CVA 9) - Naval Cruise Book

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Commander Carrier Division Five. Carrier Division Five Since the outbreak of Korean hostilities. Carrier Division Five has completed five tours of duty in the Far East, with nine admirals serving in command. The division ' s first cruise took place aboard the USS Princeton from September of 1950 to August of 1951, with RADM (now VADMi Ralph A. Oftsie in command. Admiral Oftsie commanded one of the first carrier task forces to participate in the Korean conflict. In ceremonies on board the USS Philippine Sea, RADM George R. Henderson assumed command in May of 1951. RADM (now VADM) Frederick W. McMahon relieved RADM Henderson prior to the second tour of duty from September of 1951 to May of 1952 aboard the USS Valley Forge. Before the end of that cruise, RADM John Perry assumed command of CarDiv Five. Aboard the USS Kearsarge on the division ' s third tour of duty, RADM Robert F. Hickey relieved RADM Perry. During this cruise RADM Hickey changed his flagship to the USS Oriskany. The USS Yorktown served as the next flagship for CarDiv Five from September of 1953 to February of 1954. Shortly after RADM John P. Whitney assumed command, the Oriskany was again designated as flagship. The unit spent the four and one half months from April to September of 1954 at NAS, San Diego. During this time. Captain Frank Turner, Commanding Ofiicer of the USS Essex, assumed temporary additional duty as ComCarDiv Five. On October 6, 1954, RADM R. W. Ruble, Commander Carrier Division Three, assumed temporary additional duty as ComCarDiv Five. He was relieved by RADM James S. Russell, who assumed command on October 31. RADM William V. Davis, Jr., assumed command on February 11 and the flag shifted from the USS Wasp to the USS Essex. 10

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Officers . . . nil • Captain Raymond N. Sharp, USN llli After the evacuation of the Tachen Islands was completed. Captain Raymond N. Sharp, USN, relieved Captain Frank Turner, USN, as Commanding Officer of the USS Essex on February 13, 1955. Captain Sharp is from Johnson City, Tennessee. Upon graduation from the Naval Academy in June of 1930, the newly commissioned Ensign reported to the USS New York. In June of 1931 he under- went flight training at NAS, Pensacola, and was designated a Naval Aviator upon graduation. From July of 1932 until June of 1935 Captain Sharp was Material and Radio Officer with VF-2, then assigned to the USS Lexington. After two years as Assistant Gunnery Officer with VP-2, he spent four years aboard the USS Brooklyn as Senior Naval Aviator and aboard the USS Enterprise. His next assignment was Training Officer at NAS, Miami, until February of 1943, followed by a year as Air Officer and Navigator of the USS Yorktown. During 1944 and 1945 he was Operations Officer for Admiral J. J. (Jocko) Clark. In August of 1945 Captain Sharp became Executive Officer of NAS, Patuxent River, Maryland, and a year later he became Director of Armament Tests for two years on the same station. He next served as Executive Officer of the USS Midway from April of 1948 to July of 1949 and was promoted to Captain upon completion of this duty. Thereafter followed eleven months at the Naval War College. Captain Sharp commanded the Naval Air Reserve Training Unit, Jacksonville, until October of 1951. He then recommissioned and commanded the USS Tripoli until September of 1952. Prior to assuming command of the USS Essex, Captain Sharp served in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington, D. C. His decorations include the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Com- mendation Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation with two stars, and a Secretary of the Navy commendation.

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■I Rear Admiral William V. Davis, Jr., USN ♦ || Rear Admiral William V. Davis Jr., was born on January 28, 1902, in Savanah, Georgia, where he attended primary and high schools. Upon graduation from the Naval Academy in June of 1914, he was commissioned Ensign and sent to the USS Idaho. In January of 1926 he reported to NAS, Pensacola, for flight training and was desig- nated a Naval Aviator a year later. He was assigned to duty with Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet, attached to the USS Langley and later to the USS Saratoga. As a result of his participation in the Dole Air Races from Oakland to Honolulu, in August of 1927, RADM Davis was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for navigating the winning aircraft and becoming the first naval officer to reach the Hawaiian Islands by air. In July of 1929 he reported to NAS, Pensacola, for three years of duty as an instructor. With the exception of two years at NAS, Anacostia, Washington, D.C., RADM Davis served at sea from June of 1932 to June of 1941 with aircraft squadrons aboard the USS Saratoga, USS Concord, USS Idaho, and USS Yorktown. He was Commanding Officer of Torpedo Squadron Five aboard the Yorktown. He was then ordered to NAS, Norfolk, as Officer-in-Charge of the Aircraft Armament Unit until July of 1943. In August RADM Davis reported for duty with the Air Force, Pacific Fleet, and in October he was appointed to the Staff, Commander Aircraft Central Pacific Force. From May until December of 1944 he was Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Commander Shore- Based Air Force, Forward Area, Central Pacific; and then he was Chief of Staff, Headquarters Strategic Air Force Pacific Ocean Area until Feburary of 1945. For outstanding service in those assignments, RADM Davis was awarded the Legion of Merit with Combat V. In May of 1945 he assumed command of the USS Tulagi, which was supporting operations at Okinawa. He then reported to the Operational Development Force, Atlantic Fleet, at Norfolk as Project Coordinator. From June of 1947 until July of 1950 he was Director of Flight Tests at the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, Maryland, where he flew a Douglas Skyrocket faster than the speed of sound. RADM Davis assumed command of the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt in July of 1950. A year later he was ordered as Commander Naval Test Center, Patuxent River, and on October 1, 1951, was appointed to his present rank. In April of 1952 he was ordered as Navy Deputy Commander, Field Command, Armed Forces Special Weapons Project, Sandia Base, New Mexico, where he remained until assuming command of Carrier Division Five on February 11, 1955.