Fanshaw Bay (CVE 70) - Naval Cruise Book

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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

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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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Enemy torpedo planes under fire June 18. same time a little cheer was heard as one of our planes landed a 500fpound bomb on the stern of a Kongo class battleship. The damage control party of the Fannie Bee was struggling to control fires as shells crashed through the ship. Meanwhile, the destroyers completed their heroic atf tack on the enemy battle line. The U.S.S. Johnston was last seen making a torpedo run between two cruisers while a plane reported the sinking of the U.S.S. Samuel S. Roberts. The U.S.S. Hoel reported a sixffoot hole forward, above and below the water line. The U.S.S. Gambier Bay dropped back from forf mation as water poured into the forward engine room. Planes continued their attacks on the enemy as the range closed to 11,000 yards. Fortunately the battle' ship Hre was inaccurate and spasmodic but the cruisers again scored with a hit on the flight deck as two ' Splash one Bogey! f