Essex (CVS 9) - Naval Cruise Book

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AFTER DIVE RSIONARY ATTACKS ON MARCUS AND WAKE ISLANDS, ESSEX LAUNCHED HER FIRST MAJOR OFFENSIVE ON ARMISTICE DAY MONDAY - 11 NOVEMBER 1943 RABAUL OPPOSITE: TG 12.1 ENROUTE T0 WAKE ISLAND MONDAY - 22 MAY 1944 18 I

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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 ....

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OPERATIONS - SECGND WCRLD WAR MARCUS ISLAND QASSAULTJ WAKE ISLAND IASSAULTJ RABAUL I ASSAULT? GILBERTS - TARAWA IOCCUPATIOND KWAJALEIN ATOLL QASSAULTJ MARSHALL ISLANDS QOCCUPATIONJ TRUK IASSAULTJ SAIPAN - TIN IAN KASSAULTJ MARCUS ISLAND QASSAULTJ WAKE ISLAND QASSAULTJ MAJURO ISLAND CASSAULTJ SAIPAN IOCCUPATIONJ PAGAN QASSAULTJ BATTLE OF PHILIPPINE SEA MARIANAS CASSAULTJ ENIWETOK QASSAULTJ GUAM QOCCUPATIONJ TINIAN QOCCUPATIONJ 31 AUGUST 1943 5 OCTOBER 1943 - 6 OCTOBER 1943 11 NOVEMBER 1943 18 NOVEMBER 1943 - 25 NOVEMBER 1943 4 DECEMBER 1943 29 JANUARY 1944 - 4 FEBRUARY 1944 16 FEBRUARY 1944 - 17 FEBRUARY 1944 21 FEBRUARY 1944 - 22 FEBRUARY 1944 19 MAY 1944 - 20 MAY 1944 23 MAY 1944 26 MAY 1944 - 6 JUNE 1944 11 JUNE 1944 - 13 JUNE 1944 14 JUNE 1944 19 JUNE 1944 20 JUNE 1944 - 3 JULY 1944 6 JULY 1944 - 14 JULY 1944 18 JULY 1944 - 21 JULY 1944 23 JULY 1944 - 24 JULY 1944 1 y , ' 3 .N ,, I W, ' 1 V, , 51951. W,