Fanshaw Bay (CVE 70) - Naval Cruise Book

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1.1 'P '! P - . wrzefeffs-:. 1l7455Ei?iiQELHf3if25ai1-Sea !?!Pi??fi.'fQ59 4.., . Ezlllli a 223521934a111'1i25f1!2f1E::::ifa::u:m1::f1511a?Qrffrefiifvf wife Jap Tone class cruiser C visible just to right of splashesj leads CVE with salvo. Early in September the Eanshaw Bay headed for Morotai and commenced patrol of area south of Samar Island to lend support to landings at Tacloban. On the 18th and 19th of October planes from the CVE units destroyed 36 planes and damaged 28 others in the air and on the ground in attacks on Cebu, Panay and N egros. As planes from the OVE's pounded shore installations along Panay and Mindanao in close sup' port -of the ground troops, the tension grew daily. Rumors fscuttlebutt in Navy lingoj as to the wheref abouts of the Japanese fleet raced through the ships. Enemy strikes grew in intensity with a particularly heavy attack on the 24th of October by enemy bomb' ers and fighters. A fourfplane OAP shot down five out of eight enemy fighters that came out of the sun over Leyte. In all some 66 planes were shot down by air groups from the OVE's. A general fleet action appeared imminent. About 0100 on October 25 a force of battleships, cruisers and destroyers under Vice Admiral J. B. Olf dendorf waylaid a strong Japanese force attempting to transit Suriago Strait under cover of darkness. The attempted attack on our unloading area ended in virf tual annihilation for the enemy force as PT boats and destroyers unleashed a spread of torpedoes through a hail of surface ire. Guns from the U. S. battleships and cruisers found the range quickly, routing the enemy force in a mass of confusion and smoking, sink' ing hulks. Attacks on the crippled remnant of the Southern Japanese force were resumed at dawn by air groups from thc OVE's when the Fannie Bee's CIO reported ' i'f5q,41s'4 -ei, CVE survives close one. Egifggg 45' -Wwaa PAGE THIRTEEN X ' dum 9 -Wu 'pt mi 5, 1, 1 rn I :nu n nm W :mmnu rrggg ,y 1-mn:1::1:n:u .sniff 'T::.:.v:---

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detonated as it plunged beneath the waters of the Pacific. In the late afternoon the CIC fCombat Inforf mation Centerj reported unidentified aircraft to the Southeast, distance 40 miles. General Quarters sounded as pilots and crews manned their planes on the double. In a few minutes 14 planes were in the air to join 32 planes from other carriers. An estimated 70 planes at' tacked the carriers from all sides as the 40 millimeters and 20 millimeters salvos joined in the roar of planes. The shipboard AA batteries claimed three shot down, one probable and one damage. Meanwhile one enemy plane was shot down by ighter planes, scrambled by this ship. At 1852 an enemy plane released a bomb at approximately 1,500 feet after making a run on the Fannie Bee. The bomb hit a corner of the after elef vator, crashing through the thin decks, showering fragf ments into shattered compartments as fires broke out from severed electrical cables. The Air Group was forced to seek out another ship as fires raged aboard the Fannie Bee. Two planes were lost after forced water landings but watchful destroyers picked the pilots off their rafts. The ship took on a severe port list while all hands turned to forming a long bucket brigade waist deep in water as the men fought through the night to save their ship. The Fannie Bee lived to ight again but at 1130 on the following morning 14 bodies were committed to the sea victims of the enemy bomb. The Fannie Bee returned to Pearl Harbor for repairs and a well earned rest for the crew. The month of August found the ship underway again Rear Admiral C A F Sprague hoisting his ComCarD1v 25 Sopus at Manus in the Admiralty Islands Jap salvoe land on CVE PAGE TWELVE mE W 'HWFUWWUWNW Near miss by enemy bomber, June 17, 1944.

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ll Jap voice radio transmissions indicating strong Japanese forces in close proximity At 0640 anti aircraft fire was sighted to the Northwest as a patrol plane radioed warning of a Japanese force approaching from San Bernardino Strait distance fifteen miles The force ap peared to consist of four enemy battleships eight heavy and light cruisers and eight or more destroyers There was only one course for Admiral Sprague s outgunned force a hasty retreat The escort carriers commenced retirement at maximum speed as all avail able planes were ordered airborne. At 0656 the valiant destroyer screen of three destroyrs and four DEls dropped astern to lay a smoke screen. Thus began one of the most incredible battles in the history of the U. S. Navy. At 0658 the leading enemy cruisers opened fire at a range of 29,200 yardsg at the same time the PAGE FOURTEEN 4- M ':1:::,1.: -- T--f.:.::' H ,I .1 1 .. , , W. .,... .a . ., ,. . ... i . - .... .- 1. . IllifiQlQlil1l 'g '!1ii' f iil5I i:::!:iiEHf5l!l 1-i2il ' !iilE ' f'l'l'l'i!i !i5' 1f f1v'Ii'5:f' 24 , :? v 'v :' '1'1'1:z1 l-v.r l'lA111! M--v-'1v: l V' fleeing Fannie Bee launched her 12 remaining planes. Enemy salvos commenced to creep up on the stern as Captain Johnson started evasive action. Laying down a heavy smoke screen the CVE's dodged and turned while shell splashes crashed close at hand, the range dropping to 26 000 yards as the fast enemy fleet raced after the vulnerable escort carriers. The enemy force separated at 0703 in a flanking movement designed to bring the CVE s under ire from three separate direcf tions As the enemy continued to close the range a providential rain squall reduced visibility to a half' mile or less. Running out of the squall in all too short a time the destroyer screen was ordered to make a torpedo attack on the enemy battle line. By 0759 the cruisers on the starboard had commenced to straddle the Fannie Bee with their salvos, one 6finch shell passing through the thin plating without exploding. About this um..uu!i:v-15 ,.,,,.,i 'q :1. 1 11f'vr'1v1 my 4.,u.n::::::1: '----r .i ..m.muum'm -u...1u:u1-.ms-:.1'1Vx' BM H Near miss as cruisers commence to straddle