Essex (CVS 9) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 18 text:

E Q'5?--- . '-71'-15fW'W' ESSEX FIRSTS ESSEX FIRSTS ESSEX FIRSTS ESSEX FIRSTS

Page 17 text:

,gi If ABOVE: USS ESSEX - UNDERWAY ON HER MAIDEN VOYAGE BELOW: WITH HER SHAKE-DOWN COMPLETE, ESSEX DEPARTS FOR THE SOUTH PACIFIC VIA PANAMA CANAL AND PEARL HARBOR 10 MAY 1943. 154

Page 19 text:

PEARL IN THEIR SUDDEN AND PERFIDIOUS ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR, THE JAPANESE DESTROYED OR DAMAGED ALL OF AMERICA'S MAJOR COMBATANT VESSELSg THE HDOMINANT SHIPS OF THE FLEET. WHAT DID ESCAPE DESTRUCTION WERE ALL SEVEN OF OUR CARRIERS, SOME OF WHICH HAD BEEN ON MANEUVERS DURING THE ATTACK ON 7 DECEMBER 1941. WITHIN TWO HOURS THESE SEVEN CARRIERS BECAME THE SOLE HOPE OF A SHOCKED AND BEWILDERED AMERICA. WITHIN TWO HOURS USEFULNESS, NOT INVULNERABILITY, BECAME THE DETERMINING FACTOR OF THE VALUE OF A WAR- SHIP, AND NO MAN-OF-WAR HAS SHOWN A MORE BRIL- LIANTLY CONSISTENT RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENT THAN HAS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER SINCE THAT DAY OF INFAMY . NEVER BEFORE IN THE HISTORY OF NA- VAL WARFARE HAS THERE BEEN A VESSEL SO LARGE FOR ITS TIME, BOTH IN PHYSICAL SIZE AND THE MIS- SION IT FULFILLS. IF ONE SUCH CARRIER WERE TO BE CHOSEN TO REPRESENT THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF HER COMPATRIOTS, THAT SHIP, IN ALL PROBABILITY, WOULD BE THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER ESSEX. WITHIN THE HISTORY OF THIS GREAT VESSEL CAN BE SEEN THE VERY MARROW OF THE NAVY ITSELFg INDEED, THAT OF HER COUNTRY AND PEOPLE AS WELL. FOR WHEN SHE STEAMED INTO THE SETTING SUN TO DO BATTLE, SHE CARRIED WITH HER THE FLICKERING LIGHT OF FREE- DOM THAT WAS AMERICA. HER STORY HAS BEEN WRIT- TEN UPON THE SANDS OF TIME BUT HER NAME WILL LIVE FOREVER IN THE HEARTS OF MEN. THIS THEN, IS ESSEX ....