Essex (LHD 2) - Naval Cruise Book

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And so it came to pass tha Amenca was yoimg. While struggling to establish economic and political stability under her new constitution, the United States faced continued tlireats from French naval forces against a new and , thnvingmanhmeindustr . To protect these interests. Congress passed several acts to establish a token ; naval force; and on June 30, 1798, the act which enabled ESSEX to be built came into being. This act r allowed the President to accept vessels of war from private citizens on the credit of the United States hTrespoiisetothisaction,23dtizemofSalem,Massachusettsopeneda ' TatrioticSubscripti 17, 1798 to build a vessel of war for the United States of America. On October 25, 1 798, a meeting of the sponsors of the first ESSEX was held to determine the type of vessel to be built. From the Salem Gazette of October 26, 1798 came the following announcement which read in part: At a meeting in this town on Tuesday last, of those gentleman who have subscribed to build a ship for the service of the United States it was voted unanimously to build a frigate of 32 guns, and to loan the same to the government... A month later, the frigate ' s builder, Enoch Briggs, advertised for shipbuilding materials in a ringing appeal: Take Notice! Ye sons of freedom! Step forth and give your assistance in building the frigate to oppose French insolence and piracy! Let I every man in possession of a white oak tree feel ambitious to be foremost in hurrying down the timber to Salem... where noble structure is to be fabricated to maintain your rights upon the seas — and make the name of America respected among nations of the world! Your longest and largest trees are wanted... four trees are wanted for the keel, which altogether will measure 146 feet in length, and hew 16 inches square. Please call on the subscriber, who... will pay the ready cash. TliefrigatewaslaunchedonSeptember30,1799,beforeacrowdofl2,000people.Theexpectedwar with France did not materialize, but in the War of 1812, the fii t ESSEX compiled a record of battle untxiualed by any other man-of-war and by the close of 1813, ESSEX was the only vessel of worth to be operating (aU others liaving been captured, damaged or sunk). Tlie second ESSEX, an ironclad steamer, was built in 1856 for use as a feny. Originally NEW ERA, she was renamed ESSEX following purchase by the War Department on September 20, 1861 . She was assigneddutywiththeWestemFlotilla,anorganiza- tion maintaiiied, operated and controlled by the : Army, but commanded by a Naval officer She participated in action against the Confederate , i forces on the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers, Iailminating in the caph.ire of Fort Henry Tennessee, a battle in which she was seriously damaged. After extensive repairs, she returned to duty and saw - ' -li pSSSi action at Vicksburg and Baton Rouge before being s i3 fSm . .

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4 History of ESSEX 6 The Voyage Begins 10 PHIBRON Five 12 Commanding Officers 15 Executive Officers 17 Command Master Chief 1 8 Wardroom 19 Chief s Mess Ship Company 20 34 50 76 78 90 94 ijadroii Five 110 kJnit Five 118 It Five 124 130 Team One 144 % Five 148 158 i( n Jiil: AIMD Department Air Department C4 Department Combat Cargo Deck Department Dental Department Engineering Department Executive Department Medical Department Navigation Department Operations Department Religious Ministries Repair Department Supply Department

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a legend was horn... decommissionai on July 20, 1 865. Tlie third ESSEX, a wooden-screw steamer, was- built by the United States at East Boston, Massachu- setts, and was commissioned at the Boston Navy Yard on October 3, 1 876. Regarded as one of the finest sliips of the fleet, ESSEX saw action with the North and South Atlantic Squadrons and on tlie Pacific and - .. -r-; Asian stations. She returned to New York via the Suez ■ ' •— ' ' ■ ' ™i ' i ■ ' canal and was placed out of commission in May 1889. She was the designated as a training sliip. ESSEX ■ spent the next 1 4 years at Annapwlis and then was lent to the Naval Militia of Ohio and evenhiaUy was assigned to the Naval Reserve of the State of Minnesota before being stricken from the record in 1930. Most recently, an aircraft carrier (CV 9) carried the name ESSEX into duty as the lead ship in a class of World War II aircraft carriers. Commissioned in December 1942, she reported to the Pacific Fleet following shakedown cruises and embarked on a series of victories that would take her to Tokyo Bay. As flagship of Task Force 1 4, C V 9 struck Wake Island in October 1 943, launched an attack on the Gilbert Islands and participated in her first amphibious assault (against Tarawa) in November, then moved on to the Marshall Islands, Truk and the Marianas, Saipan, Tinian and Guam in early 1944. After her first overhaul, she returned to the Pacific, continuing her frontline action. In late 1 944, for the first time in her far-ranging operations, ESSEX received injury. A kamikaze hit the port edge of her flight deck, landing among planes gassed for takeoff, causing extensive ■. • ' damage, killing 15 and wounding 44. In the closing days of the war, ESSEX took part in the final telling raids against the Japanese home islands. She was decommissioned in 1947, then modernized and recommissioned in 1951, with a new flight deck and streamlined superstructure. As flagship for Carrier Division 1, she was the first carrier to launch twin-engine Banshee jet fightere in support of U.N. troops in Korea. She was reclassified (CVA 9) on October 1, 1952. saw duty in both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets in the late 1950s. In 1960, ESSEX was converted to an ASW support carrier, reclassified (CVS 9) and participated in various NATO exercises. On October 22, 1968 she recovered the Apollo 7 astronauts in the Atlantic. She was decommissioned July 30, 1969. Overher27yearcareer,ESSEXwascreditedwithsinking92anddaniaging217shipsand destroying i 1,564 aircraft. The Navy ' s top ace of World War II, Medal of Honor wiiiner Commander David McCampbell, flew from the deck of ESSEX, shooting down 34 enemy planes. She received the Presidential Unit Citation and 13 battle stars for World war n service and flie Navy Unit Commen- dation and four battle stars for action in Korea.