Hamlin (AV 15) - Naval Cruise Book

Text from Pages 1 - 56 of the 1945 volume:

-,f 5-0.1m 1 I0 K U Sai, bww' Uwiii C:,,,4a f gl. ,JIU 2 x A 1 ,I R. sl 1. XA ,QL 'E ,wif fr ,ggzpfbfp if? A PT4'1 ' U. S. S. HAMLIN KAV-152 Tokyo Bay 26 September 1945 From: The C0Ulll1a1'diUg Officer. To z Officers and Men of the U.s.s. H4.h1,.UV. Subject: Excelleit Performance of Duty. ' lf The ending of th its beginning, has Sf on this shi ' V . e war, with the same dramatic Suddeness of forded the first breathing Spell that We have had p since our co ssio , just fifteen months a fhile anchored here in Tolinllfoi B-9,y.E51alJy free .fro crazy Kamikaze, we have been individually changed Situation, and withal t fulness for a sure a t0d . ill the thrift ofagze taking stock of a radically here pervades, a deep feeling of thank- Ili timely return to our homes and lvved on 2. I am also thinking of the War Tacoms to Tolqyo in fifteen months the part of th.is crew signments with base es. cruise of the H in, from of willing and coordinatejmelffort on which has brought us through the toughest of as- flying colors. The Ha-Ihlih proved at Iwo Jima that an air can be established and operated on a mommts notice in practically any sem.i-sheltered Water on the earth' s surface. At Kerema Rnetto in 'fthe most derirg seaplene base operation in history to qu socisted Press, we proved that a seaplane base co enemy territory in support of an amnhib ar::ive.1 of the main assault fo cient operations car seige at W' ote fl-Om As- uld be established , ious operation ev rce. The Uninter rzied out by this -1sel11a.n's Cove was ' the Naval Service you men. in Q1 before the Pupted and 11728111 ship throughout th ln keeping with + and proved the st y effi- e long suicide the highest traditions ot' Grains and unflinching gall-entry of 3. In later years you Will look back on this cruise with a variety of recollections. Few will recall days of ease and comfort, some Elqy remember only the long periods of nervous strain and Burk. Most of us I am sure will remember an epic greenhorns who with the spirit and stuff cans, became dn unbeatable Na war cruise of the H ' lives. You P1196 2 hard story of so cha Vy crew in 8-'Mlm repr my well SY a grou racter' ' a peri esents be pn: p of .zstic of Ameri- Od of three months. The a very worthwhile period in your ud of it as I am of you. - . THEY THAT OO DOWN TO THE SEA IN SHIPS AND OC- CUPY THEIR BUSINESS IN GREAT WATERS, THESE MEN SEE THE WORKS OF THE LORD AND HIS WONDERS OF THE DEEP. ,..x , ,. ,W ,,,, N ........,,..+i-.w..--M.A,.- V yr E l i I i1 ll 1 I ll 'l i '1 ,1 .z1a,1..:1 E.: f. -:Il1rf:2fanrv- fln2315'?iZ'Jx J? f. it 5 si P! is 1 . rs: if E5 if -5 fd 'll -s L1 r 1 - lic ,w 5 u 'si 1. if r 1 it .-1 J 4 1 it '11 ir F K, Q. r H V ,1 4 i f 1 1 1 r CMDR. WILLIAM G. MCKEEL, USNR Squadron Commander of Patrol Bombing Here is Commander ivicKeeI our Executive Officer. All the internal business of the ship came under him. His office kept rec- ords of every man on board, handled the liberty-if and when, got out the plan of the day and scheduled the drills. These same drills which at first wore us out later made us good Navy men. With us from the beginning, the Commander has done much to make thegship what she is. Squadron 208 during their stay aboard the HAMLIN. Respected and admired by men of bcth plane crews and ship, he has work- ed to make the once untried squadron an efficient, fighting air-group. Through their combined skill, he and his men have shown the Martin Mariner to be a versatile weapon beyond the scope of mere search-recon- naissance. We are proud to have served with such a man. CMDR. ANTON J. SINTIC, USNR Chaplain Samuel Hill Ray who is father LT. CMDR. SAMUEL H. RAY, USNR and confessor, advisor and shipmate, but most of all a friend, wanted every man to be happy, to be comfortable and to be a better man today than he was yesterday. To sailors in trouble, in sin, in doubt, or intemperate, the Navy has an answer: See your Chaplain. IIEAII c11fIIEPiIIi'I'M LT. CMDR. CONNOR LT. BREDEHOFT LT. ROACH Supply Communications Medical LT. STIEFVATER LT. KELSEY LT. figl KENNEDY ist Lieutenant Gunnery Navigation LT. iigi BOOKER LT. CMDR. LEWIS iinsetl Engineering Air This Book was published under the direction of CAPTAIN G. A. McLEAN, usN Commanding Officer '- Editor ENSIGN J. P. LeBLANC, USNR Assisted by R. A. BURKE SF Ifc, USNR W. N. BECK AOM 2fc, USNR 1 E. D. DAVIS S Ifc, usNR ART DEPARTMENT , L. D. HUFFAKER AMM 2fc, USNR H. .I. STAPLETON S Ifc, USNR PHOTOGRAPHERS l J. F. DONOVAN PhoM ifc, USNR W. W. LANIER AMM 3fc, USN F. W. MUNKNER PhoM 2fc, USNR IINTRIIIIUCTIUN This is the story of a ship and the men who sailed her, a history created by their travel across the flak-ceilinged Pacific during the greatest conflict the world has ever seen. Here in is their tale, of far-flung islands, of exotic peoples, of actions engaged in and of vast ocean expanses. It is proper and fitting that this book should' be dedicated to the USS HAMLIN and her fighting crew, for had they not been, neither would this. ' Page 4 nit coil llllSSlllllllllll Prior to l944, patrol seaplane operations consisted usually of anti-submarine and search-reconnaissance flights from shore based tending activities, at a considerable distance from the forward areas. The increased tempo of the Pacific war, coupled with the rapid advance of our forces into enemy territory, created a great need for the patrol seaplane in the immediate vicinity of maior invasive actions, before land bases could be established. Only a tender-patrol plane combination should fill such needs. lt was to meet the resulting demand for sea- plane tenders that the U.S.S. HAMLIN was commissioned. llllMMISSlllNllllll. The days of training, the man-power hours of labor, the tons of steel for construction, the weeks of planned organ- ization, all were behind, both in memory and in activity, for the day of trial had arrived. lt was at the Todd Pacific Shipyards in Tacoma, Washington, on the twenty- sixth of June, nineteen hundred and forty-four that this ship was officially granted the privilege of bearing the name HAMLIN, and so christened. The locale was but a minor incidental to the crew which was to man this ship, for their minds were yet turgid with details of the vigorous program of loading and indoctrination which had been inaugurated. No man would have dared conjecture that a ship could hold so much materials of war, so many supplies, or be loaded in so little time. Ton after ton of spare parts, boxes of Title B, crated bombs and truckloads of ammunition were winched into gaping hatches to stowage below. And then the men, the all important crew, under the Commanding Officer, took charge of the l-lAlVlLlN, to link the life of men and ship for the remainder of the war. There were rugged days ahead, time in which to settle into the routine of shipboard life, time in which to test every limit or capability of this vessel of steel, and time in which to test the men who would fight the ship. Shake- down, with its speed runs, endurance trials, maneuver- ability check and hours of drills. General Quarters, Fire, Collision, Stream Paravanes-it was all work and sweat. There were days of pleasant pastimes too, of liberty in Tacoma, Bremerton or 'Frisco, and the Commissioning Dance for all hands and their friends. Yes, June 26 was a big day. There were to be many big days in store for this ship and her crew, and the sixteenth of August was one of them. On this, the fifty- first day after Commissioning, the HAMLIN turned her stern toward San Pedro and set course for Pearl Harbor. The shakedown before was like the first, experimental drops of rain preceding a deluge, for now, error in iudg- ment, unpreparedness or malfunctioning of equipment would be measured in terms of material, of men and of final Victory. L. 2532 4' 5 if ' X 'i' v I X. With seaplane tending the primary reason for the exist- ence of our ship, the Air Department, of necessity, is the core of the ship's organization, about which all other departments are coordinated. The activities which main- tain the planes, schedule flights, control the seadrome and plot the weather are directly supervised by the Air De- partment. As composite groups within this outfit are the V and V-2 Divisions, differing in the type of work attended to but each a part of an efficient aviation team. The V Division claims to have more varied duties than any other division aboard, with divisional rates of Aviation Metalsmiths, Meachnics, Ordnancemen and Radiomen, Photographers, Aerologists, Yecmen, Shipfitters and Boatswains Mates. The important function of the Division in the care and maintenance of the gasoline pumping system. With 400,000 gallons of high-octane aviation gas in our tanks and daily topping off of squadron planes, this function carries a grave responsi- bility. lvlany tasks of lesser responsibility but still important fill the day of operation. Each new base estab- lished required the laying of seaplane buoys and seadrome lights. The seaplane crane, in constant use, demanded cleaning and painting. Photographers were kept busy in and out of the photo lab, with thousands of shipboard and aerial photographs iust waiting to be snapped. Fur- nishing both ship and squadron with advance information on the weather, the aerological group played a singularly essential role in this plane tending activity. The success of bombing and search missions, and the safe return of many planes was often entirely dependent on these weather forecasts. To keep the flying boats of the squadron armed and operating is the first task of the V-2 Division. The Patsu, as they are commonly called, is divided into four units: engineering, radio-radar, ordnance and adminstra- tion. Engineering concerns itself chiefly with the flying ability of the planes, including engine maintenance, metal Page 5 repair, instrument checking and the thousand and one incidentals so important to safe aviating. The men in radio-radar and the ordnancemen are specialists, trained for specific iobs. They must be qualified, for the lives of others depend on their work and iudgment. vi . lllifi V GUQ RY 6 f , The primary purpose of the gunnery department is to provide for external defense and protection of the ship. On this type of ship from which Patrol Bombers are dis- patched on offensive strikes, the department also furnishes the implements for such action: The bombs, depth charges, incendiary clusters, torpedoes and machine gun ammuni- tion. Our record in fulfilling these requirements can be learned by reading the ship's log covering the lwo Jima, Karama Rhetto and Okinawa operations, where our de- fensive strength was many times tested in actual combat. To carry out more efficiently the varied duties of Ord- nance and Gunnery, the department is divided into five major sub-departments, with qualified officers and enlisted men in charge. These five groups, coordinated into an organized unit, are as follows: ill Ship's guns, l2l Tor- pedoes, C3l Aviation Ordnance, l4l Fire Control, and l5l Special Ordnance. The ship's guns on this vessel, as on the maiority of non-combatant ships, are primarily anti-aircraft weapons. There are long range 5 f38 dual-purpose guns, 4OlVlM twin and quad mounts for intermediate ranges and QOMM machine guns for the planes which get in close. The proiectiles from each of these contain explosives and de- tonate either upon impact or by time fuse. These are capable of inflicting heavy damage on the comparatively fragile construction of aircraft as well as serving effectively against lightly armored surface vessels. Perhaps you cannot visualize a Flying Boat carrying torpedoes, but it has been done. Our Torpedo gang, handling, overhauling and cursing torpedoes can testify to that fact. Consider their superhuman efforts in doing a malor overhaul Iob on forty eIght torpedoes In seven teen hours makIng somethlng of a record and earnIng a Well Done from AdmIral Hoover Later at SaIpan AdmIral Halsey hImself sent congratulanons on a rush Iob of loadIng one of hIs outboard carrIers wIth needed fIsh More concerned wIth offenslve actlon of the seaplane IS the AIrcraft ordnance department Under thIs group comes the bomb type ammunItIon and fuses .lato propulslon unIts small arms ammunItIon as well as aIrcraft arma ment Rush Iobs are the specIalty of thIs unIt and more dIffIcult because of the few men to do the work Smaller yet no less capable IS the FIre Control group whIch has as ITS prIme responsIbIlIty the care of all fIre control equIpment gunsIghts dlrectors hydraullc gun mechanIsms sIght settIng equIpment and communIcatIon between the guns and Control Ask any old Navy man and he wIll tell you that the rate most dIffIcult to make In the Navy IS Flrecontrolman All the maIntenance of the guns and proper handlIng of ammuntIon IS to no avaIl unless the gun whIch fIres the proIectIle IS properly posItIoned In space to hIt the target The functIon of FIre Control IS to so posItIon the gun It IS ImpossIble to say much about SpecIal Ordnance SIDCG theIrs IS a secret work and even wIth the war over no InformatIon can safely be released f i QQ' ww The EngIneers commonly known as the Black Gang IS one of the most vItal departments aboard SIDCS we took on board our TIFST supply of fresh water In Tacoma the department has been self sustaInIng After thIs water was aboard our boIlers were llghted off and there has been a fIre ID at least one of the boIlers slnce From the boIlers the steam IS pIped to all maIn and auxIlIary machInery all the responsIbIlIty of the Englneers Steam after beIng superheated IS used for maIn pro pulsIon Men from A DIVISION are In the steerIng room to make possIble the maneuverIng of the vessel Others of the B DIVISION keep the boIlers In operatlon Elec trIcIans of the E DIvIsIon at the electncal swltchboard dIstrIbute the power throughout the shIp And the motor mechs of the M DIVISION make It posslble for all other UNITS to functlon Work In the A DIVISION IS IHTGTGQTIHQ varted and essentlal DIstIllatIon and supply of fresh water compress Ing aIr operatlon of ICS machInes and scuttlebutts and ventIlatIon for the entIre shIp are dally tasks ln addItIon IS the operatlon of the steerIng engIne and maIntenance for the seaplane crane The Boat Shop provIdes maIn tenance men to enable all hands to have boat transporta ION The Important Iob of receIvIng fuel and keepIng the shIp on an even keel by shIftIng lIqUldS between tanks IS delegated to the B DIVISION The dIrty work of clean Ing the boIler fIresIdes IS theIr lot for they are responsIble for the effIcIent operatlon of all boIlers E DIVISION also has a Wlde range of dUlleS such as the shlps lIghtIng communIcatIons deck wlnches and all other electrIcally operated machInery They maIntaIn and repaIr all ventIlatIons systems and electrIcal systems of boats For maIn propulsIon we depend upon the M DIVISION ThIs unIt stands watches over the maIn turbInes reductlon gears condensers and pumps of every descrIptIon Much PFGISG can be gIven the snIpes for there are few places aboard whIch can compare wIth the engIne room machlnery spaces and bIlges for cleanllness In summarIzIng It can be saId that complete UNITY between offIcers and enlIsted personnel has made possIble the hugh standard of operatung effIcIency under adverse condItIons We of the ArtIfIcer branch have a record to be proud of lfsft '-'NY The ConstructIon and Repalr Department wIth the FIrst Lleutenant IH charge IS responsnble for the general upkeep and repaIr of the shIp If we were lIvIng In the days when Noah buIlt hIs ark there would be no need for Carpenters ShIpfItters Paunters Deck Force and Master At Arms ThIngs were so sImple In those days that Noah was all three rolled Into one The vast complIcated stream lIned shIps of today are a far cry from that old ark Con structlon upkeep and repaur are man SlZed Iobs The Importance of keepIng the shIp In 40 condItIon rates prIorIty over everythIng else Unless the shIp IS able to QIVE her maxImum effIcIency her crew wIll be of llttle value Just as a mans character IS Indlcated by hIs clothes so also IS the organIzatIon of a shIp known by her condItIon Slovenly looklng boats advertIse through out the fleet QIVIHQ the shIp a bad name The HAMLIN S boats have always been outstandIng In every port and harbor IndIcatIng a skIllful and well tranned Carpenters 9009 One of the dutIes of a ShIpfItter IS the maIntenance of watertIght fIttIngs There would be as lIttle sense In wear Ing cheesecloth for foul weather clothIng as In sendung a shIp to sea wIth leaky bulkheads compartments or fIttIngs The world has been at war long enough for everyone to Page 6 know If only by readIng newspaper accounts that any shIp whIch suffers underwater damage can and usually does slnk If watertIght IntegrIty IS not maIntaIned Water tlght IntegrIty sImply means the abIlIty of a bulkhead to keep out water Thus a leak proof compartment or fIttIng IS an example of such IntegrIty You may wonder why a Pamter lS needed aboard The type of paInt used IS of necessIty composed of Ingredlents makIng It heat and flre retardent and Immune to salt water GFOSIOH The mIxIng and colormg of thIs paInt requures skIll lt IS necessary to paInt a shIp to preserve ITS structure prevent foulmg of underwater sectIons, Im prove InterIor IllumInatIon obtaIn camouflage effects Im prove sanltary condItIons and maIntaIn a smart appear ance The Deck DIvIsIons besIdes followIng a daIly FOUTIDG to keep the exterror of the shIp In tIp top condItIon spend many hours worklng cargo of every varIety as well as handlIng boats In the water and aboard For every shIp maneuver of docklng moorIng anchorIng taklng on fuel mannlng boats and a thousand and one other seaman dutIes the FIrst and Second DIVISIOHS relgn supreme No other group of men work harder for less credlt than do the deck force The Master At Arms Force IS an OFQGDIZOTIOH aboard enforce orders that the Commandtng Offlcer may deem necessary to reach the hlgh standard of mIlItary perfec tIon of a well organIzed shIp and crew ses rim OMIIUNIQATIO s CommunIcatIons IS our lInk wIth the outsxde world Whether It IS by letter bllnker radIo WIQ wag or pony express If It leaves the shIp It IS because CommunIcatIons sent It And the press news for your breakfast table or the PIed PIper for more lelsurely evenlngs are Sldellnes of thIs department The men who make posslble our rapld CommunIcatIons system are many RadIomen wIth theIr ceaseless dI dI dI dahs slgnalmen expertly WOVIHQ theIr arms or runnIng colored WISPS of buntlng up a hal yard yeomen gettIng out endless reams of reports sche dules and records Add to them the SeeIng Eye men wIth that marvel of the War Radar radIo technIcIans who have never been found wantlng when electronIc gear acted up prInters who wIll turn out a perfect Iob In 'Ig tIme and maIlmen Theres the team that on or off the Shlp IS Cfedlfed Wllh knowIng Its stuff -'Y R T ' ' ia' . -. 1 , ii ' V -' '1'zsf ' W-W - Y - ' f - V , , ,. 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'sv I' . - 11? . ' . . . . ' ' ' - - - - - . . . . . . . -sr, , . . 1 I . . . . . . . . . , ' ,xy 1 1 ' 1 . fy . ,, ,, . . . . . , . . . . . . I l . D .Lux ' 1 . ' ,ip ,, ,, . . . . . . . . . . , I D D . gtg . . . . . l - - T 7 ' ' 5753 - I-5' ,, ,, ,, ,, . . . . . . . . . . . 'Q ' F 1 I ' .ill . . . . ' ' . . . . . ' 7 . , ' . - ' ' . ff . . . . . . . . . . I .- I I I . . .. . ' 1 1 ' . ' I, . . . . . . ' I H . . H A In Communications is the Executive Officer's Office, under the direct supervision of Commander McKeel. The Exec's office deals primarily with personnel administra- tion. A few definite functions are: Details in connection with leave, liberty and recreation, shore patrol, transfers, service records, operations engaged in with medals and ribbons authorized and quarterly marks of all men. The brief summary of facts and figures below may be of interest: Received on board C-Day ........,..... 522 Received since .,.,,...... . . . 474 Reenlistments ........... . 3 Extensions of enlistments . . . . 1 1 Transfers .....i............. ......., 3 34 Passengers idaily averagel ............. 180 K tv fx it A lot of water has passed under the bridge since the days of the measure mile runs in Puget Sound up to the recent excursion up the mine swept i?l East Channel of Tokyo Bay, none of which could have been accomplished by any vessel without the Navigator and his right hand men, the Quartermasters. The Navigation gang is at its best when that always anticipated word is passed, Now go to your stations, all of the Special Sea Details. From the Navigator bent over his chart desk in the wheel house to the two .lM's on the port and starboard pelorus, to the Chief at the helm, it is a master display of teamwork. There's the bugle, we're underway, the Navigator hollers. Let's have a cut. The Machine is in motion. The bearings of navigational aids are called in over the phones and plotted on the chart. And there we are! It is not easy in the beginning when the quartermasters are up to their eyeballs in charts, instruments and publi- cations. The HAMLIN went into commission with a na- tional ensign and commission pennant run up by the QM's. From then on, it was a combination of watch standing, sea details and keeping the paint work up to par. The quartermaster of the watch-his duties? Picture yourself in an information booth at Grand Central and you have a fairly accurate picture of ye ship's quarter- master on the quarterdeck. Even had one salt ask us if we knew the name of Riveter No. 747 at Lockheed. When not answering questions, there's that notebook and weather log to keep up to date. Off duty hours find the Navigator and his men of the Chart Table, bringing charts and publications up to date, taking soundings around the anchorage, winding clocks and chronometers, unpainting that just painted pilot house and cutting all hands in on the latest dope. We leave you with a few last remaining thoughts. Quartermasters do not issue clothes, their scuttlebutt is always reliable for about ten minutes and the Navigator has been known to get a pin-point star fix. tHe framed itl. Hey! There goes movie call! 7 1- f 1' X Y ! Q IU, 4 li x f V it : LQ E! 1 , T: 4 2 Y : .. sw X Xxx xXxXxXxX X P4 I If jg WI ' ' On June 26, of 1944, the S Division of the Supply Department was created. But not the work. The pre- commissioning days were hectic, studded with hangovers and invoices, boxes and working parties, blueprints and requisitions. The mad rush to take the gear aboard, allot so much to each division and stow it in the proper storerooms forced us to forget the hours of the day. Moun- tains of airplane parts, toilet paper, oil, line, machinery, anything and everything which would keep a city living came aboard. Ship's stores such as ice cream, coca-cola and candy, barber shop and cobbler supplies, found a home on the HAMLIN. Behind the strong wall of the fortress called the BuSandA Manual, the storekeepers have fought a never-ending battle with the airdales over the problem of chits. For months on end at forward areas, the ship lived and kept a squadron in the air with the items the Supply De- partment had to offer without any extraneous assistance. Before that time, the outside men scurried to supply ships, combat ships, destroyer tender, and tankers to obtain the wants and wishes of each particular division. To demonstrate how much it took the HAMLIN to live on for the past year, here are a few facts and figures. The Disbursing Office gave out 24,000 pay receipts, stopped 285 allotments, started 750 new ones. Since commission- ing, over S937,841.37 has been paid out. Added note. 98 per cent of the crew have insurance. The Supply Office, heart and blood of the division in administration and coordination, was responsible for the availability of all material necessary to properly run the ship. Wing Stowage has on hand ten tons of structural parts while Aviation Engine Stores has issued approximately 500,000 pounds of gear. There are 4,000 parts in that storeroom alone. The Main Issue Room has over 1,000 items, from giant snips to leather rigging. The Soda Fountain turned over 24,000 dollars worth of business, selling a total of Page 7 375,000 cokes and 175,000 cups of ice cream. lt takes 14,000 poundsof soap and half a ton of starch to keep the crew in clean clothes. Page after page of statistics and logistics could be written, about the 27,000 packs of cigarettes or even 150,000 cigars which were chewed, chawed or smoked, or even the 20,000 haircuts which have been given. Untold quantities of food have found their way into the rotund tummies of all hands. From the-figures already quoted, we hope to have given some idea of how big a job falls to the storekeepers and the special service men of the supply department. The background and conduct of the personnel of the Medical Department is typically American. The farm, the city, the factory, the store and school, the mine, are all represented, and with doctor, obstetrician and corpsman, truly a cross-section of life is presented. During the first days at sea, the entire shelf of drugs was tried for sea-sickness, but the only improvement was in the distance they threw it. Soon, however, there was little for any cures. The crew was becoming salty. Sea- sickness was replaced by athlete's foot, trench mouth or heat rash. At Saipan we spent one night picking shrapnel particles out of two men's hides. Always there was the heat rash in warmer climes along with plenty of cuts, bruises, abrasions and confusions. Combat, but not Jap. At lwo, we had the privilege of caring for Marines wounded in the fierce fighting ashore. We saw their superb fighting qualities stand them in good stead on the operating table. ln addition to this, we were able to be of service, receiving, preserving and distributing whole blood Cover 200 quarts from lcyal friends on the West Coastl, caring for downed aviators, ailing small-craft men and wounded Marines. By staying close to Suribachi at night, we were usually the only available ship on occasions. Of the crew themselves: A dozen appendices and an equal number of tonsils were snipped out, and various other appendages were improved by'surgical intervention. Navy cat fever was ever present but never threatened to become epidemic. Fifty or more was the daily average sick call, except in liberty port. Like the rest of the crew we are sweating out that day when the HAMLIN turns her bow eastward and doesn't drop the hook until we are well inside that sign which says, Within the Continental Limits of the U. S. A.. And there we shall be content to lie and lie and lie. X QQ? xx S EM F1 Page 8 N ii .--Am r-DAY It was in Tacoma, Washington, on June 26, i944, that lite was breath- ed into a hulk ot steel, and the USS HAMLIN became a ship ot the United States Navy. Many things have been brought together to produce the unit ot ship and crew, and from that day forward, the existence ot either was to be ccmpletely dependent upon the other. A good ship with a good crew sailed from Tacoma, headed tor Shakedown, and tor the seo. 6 ifxxsvgi N S, . RMA. Q'-Q s , fr it .tfyttw ,cc by MR , 4 JA, 'X .. A , 5 S - 'K i '.-- M - +V x X ' X , N Xe Q x sh -' r Page 9 illllllllllllli illllllllllli Cb I D 1 1-P if Day or night has no meaning to men vvho strive constantly either to improve or to maintain the most vvondertul mechanism upon this earth- the Human Body. At sea, in surroundings tar different from those to which most Americans are exposed, common ailments are aggravated and nevv ills are discovered. lt is ot extreme importance to the Navy that as tevv working hours as possible are lost because ot iniury or dis- ease sustained by personnel. To this end the Medical Department is everlastingly working. Page I0 ABOVE Corpman on duty in sick bay throughout the night DIVI I0 LEFT TO RIGHT, FIRST ROW: McKeever, Brown, Hamilton, Gillis Jackson. SECOND ROW: Hanson, Newberry, McGriff, Policlm Biurling. 3. .. sf, .gi Sift 42 , 5 f 353' ifitilii 1-. 4, cp -v sg -are 'E ,-1-. ' LU -'i' 1 . ,.. A, I ,4 ., , , IIIIII III LEFT TO RIGHT, FIRST ROW: Brown, Cabello, Didonqfo, Arm, Dunklin, Expmq, Robin- Cooks and bukeffhpfepm' fofflwf NQVY Chow son, Abila, Gingrich, Bensen, Brown, Rennich, Beckwith, Casto. SECOND ROW: Sissimi, so f m'l'a lo men of Sec' Renberger, Nolen, Nieman, Harris, Haward, Musielak, Alstott, Arnold, Harrigan, Godwin, Woodard, McCall, Acorne, Wells. Y WW X wax N t ggx wx ., NXXXXSNLQ . 'Iii W ' .. .,r. .. Kg X . Rwiii-X351 I A ' L b:x5N'i-'W4wfA4,xu. -ax Nm. , C X- Vi I 5 emma fs ill- In 4 g LEFT TO RIGHT, FIRST ROW: McDonald, Wood, Michelson, Watka, Taylor, Zurlinden, Cohoon, Smith. SECOND ROW: Pettit, Stogiera, Rose, Bergman, Supernaw, Yaronon, -- Webb, Romaro, Waggner, Scott, Pomeroy. Spqrq parts to keep the P-boats flying. For hours of reading enjoyment--the ship's library. Q. i LEFT TO RIGHT, FIRST ROW: Malveaux, Nevils, Thompson, Keys, Pittard Blume, Borden, Phillips. SECOND ROW: Johnson, Pinkney, Mercer Clean clothes to make Q fiffer Crew, Crew cuts a specialty, and no Wildroot Thomas, Brown, Mitchell Burton. Page II I 1 It was with mixed emotions that the crew watched the coastline of California slowly receding into the distance On each face could be read thoughts of home or of the adventures ahead For the older Navy men it was lust another cruise and like most would unfold many days of depressing monotony patient waiting or fearful anxiety Here was the opportunity to prove the worth of each man for the biggest factor in the success of any operation is the fighting spirit of the individual sailor Our early sea duty was of extreme importance in con ditioning all hands for the inclemencies of sea weather and naval routine before us General Quarters became the by word of the day for we were preparing to defend ourselves against the enemy whether he came in the form of aircraft surface vessel or torpedo Deck watch officers learned the necessity of prompt course changes to avoid submarine encounters and to offer as small a target as possible to latent torpedoes In constant use was the radar gear to spot ships or planes beyond the limits of the human eye In the weeks that followed the stops at Pearl Harbor and Emwetok were preludes to our entry into the forward aviation supplies and ammunition as well as the hoisting aboard of a Martin MARINER for the first time under actual wartime circumstances At Eniwetok we unloaded both passengers and cargo then started on the last leg of our tourney into a combat theatre It was in the first week of September in i944 that the HAMLIN dropped anchor in the outer harbor of Saipan in the Marianas Islands Shortly after Patrol Bombing Squadron I7 our first came aboard and seaplane activi ties began with a rush Rcugh water made such work 38440 I exceedingly difficult but gave our plane handling details needed experience At Saipan the HAMLIN became the flagship of Fleet Air Wing One with Commodore Dixwell Ketcham USN and staff directing operations On October II we left Saipan and headed south for the Caroline Islands dropping anchor a day and a half later in Ulithi Atoll which was to be our home for almost three months Normal routine was resumed with the squadron flying anti submarine patrol to protect the Fleet and our supply line Hunter killer missions were carried out successfully in which our planes spotted submarines and stayed with them until destroyers were able to reach that location and dispose of the plgboat Always there were flights ready for Dumbos to rescue downed pilots or and vessels in distress Planes of the Wing were operat ing south and north and west in the Philippines It was in this harbor that the war was brought close to us We had arrived at the tail end of the Saipan invasion which had begun in June Evidence of the bitter struggle which had taken place was everywhere visible It became commonplace yet no less appalling to see bodies of Japanese soldiers floating out with the tide To make the at night these water borne corpses became targets for our sentries Liberties ashore were made unpleasant by the muck into which tropical rain had converted most of the island and the unburned dead which littered the beaches were sickening to men unaccustomed to wholesale slaughter During our stay the islands which formed the atoll furnished shore recreation for our ship as well as for other units of the Third Fleet At times we found the weather to be unendurably hot and heat rash afflicted everyone Page I2 I ' I F . I I ' . . I 1 I ' I L I I - I - I . .s . . V U I - - - - ll ll - I I u I ' , . I area. Those days saw the unloading of more stores, situation worse, we were alerted for suicide swimmers and . . . I .. I . . . I - I I . y . I s V . . 1 I . . 1 ' I I I , X . r.. , '-. 1.4 I ' , . A ,M It fi, , Q-Z-L, 1 l .a 3 The naTlves were friendly and rellgrous possessed of an abnormal appeTlTe Tor candy or gum A chocoloTe bar broughT more Than an equal vvelghT of sllver for our souvennr searching BluerackeTs The TreoTmenT of American servrcemen oTTer sublugcmon by The Japanese was balsom To The wounded prlde and enforced humrluanon of The naTlves To our ge-sTures of genlallTy They responded whole hearTeolv 1 Q - I 1 ' ' , - VW, Page 14 l N ,XXXXC T O94 W- - E L 0 88TH NCB i 11, W, f lf -f-+-r+ l f CAMP AREA mm 5 K l 1ff:YfMP Q 'S X 'sito PARK as Orriceas Coumnv , 'fs JTf,',.!F 'x v -.vli-1 J W1 ,ANo'NG'flSLE or MOGMOG Tr FLEET REC.REATiON CENTER Island Paradise of the South Seas with its tropical vegetation, towering trees, stretches of sandy beach and coral bottomed ocean, suggested a venture and romance-all we got was heat rash and shell necklaces. Keeping in mind the appearance ot the atoll today, it is easy to visualize how it might have been betcre the invasion of both yellow and white men. All the setting depicted by Hollwood idealism is here except for the background of sway-some music. Bring back the native populace of stalwart youth and dusky maid, and Ulithi could truthfully be called an emerald isle. Page i5 I With the return of Christian people to the South Pacific the native populace openly displayed their religious inclination attending Divine Services whenever possible. On this Night of Nights the vvar seemed remote almost forgotten and the only reality was the ceremony before us and the thought of those we left behind. For the short duration of this Midnight Mass under the stars there vvas a feeling of peace. I UHR TMA Anon in HLMT Page I6 LEFT TO RIGHT, KNEELING: Obrochta, Martin. FIRST ROW: Nelson, Grebin Martilla, Minor, Hibberd, Macdaniels, Marotta, Develin, Lt. Trester, Drake Gibbs, Shaw, Kennedy, Clark, Gute, Drake, Turner. SECOND ROW: Strehlow Williamson, Ready, Sanchez, Ripple, Riemuth, Monk, Mason, Adams, Davis, Rielly, Ward, Smith, Jacobs, Shraluka. THIRD ROW: Potter, Briemer, Hiller, Bennett, Cassels, Strohmeyer, Samaniggo, Alfassa, Aubin, Mack, Capps, Mewhirter, Stong, Clark, Berg. HMM.. .arms 1 r ClllIl0 Mail from home was the greatest help of all. Toio the pup, S lfc, ship's mascot since she came aboard at Saipan Page I7 To keep cull honds from becoming ocutely bcrecl or depressed during periods of little octivity os vvell os eosing the stroin imposed by combot, vvos the oim ot our progrom ot otbletics, octivities, ond entertoinment. Ivlony times vve were oppreciotive ot the spoce provided by tl'1e size ot the seoplone deck, spoce tor movies, smokers, entertoinments, ond even tost gomes ot bosketboll lolso Soturdoy lnspectionl. Contributing much to the success ot the pro- grom vvos the guontity ond guoility ot otlwletic geor oboord. How- ever, tlwe greotest incentive come trcm the typicol Americon dislike of inoctivity ond love ot sports. Page I8 li Tiiiil if gf 7? LEFT TO RIGHT, FIRST ROW: Phaneuf, Lusk, Lt. Cigl Rountree, Lt. figj Kennedy, Lemkey, Hackett, Kellogg. SECOND ROW: Guide, McConaughy, Haag, Slaven, Woods, Stapleton. LEFT TO RIGHT, FIRST ROW: Toth, Whalen, McKinley, Hale, Lauzon, Chambers 'Carpentry and repair are full time iobs. Kennison, Bermeier, Alstott, Bowling, Blankenship, Rose, Weber, Carter, Tireyi SECOND ROW: Johnson, Buikema, Hanke, Scott, Glen, Fitzgerald, Harriot, Brooks, Therkelson, Trevino, Kasik, Welch, Pugh, Rummel. THIRD ROW: Smith, Dutt, Newman. LEFT TO RIGHT: Freeman, DeMore, Grotenhuis, Jacobs, C Shiptitters keep the ship in top Condition.. bergson, Buss, Dobrovolny, Mazur, Casey, Lauri, Edwards SECOND ROW: Cooke, Books, McCartney, Kuiala, Hurley, arroll, Helm. Page 20 Boorn, Folks, Davis, Taylor, Burke. LEFT TO RIGHT, FIRST ROW: Mines, Teunder, Weber, Tor- A new phase in our life at sea was beginning. It could be sensed in the faster tempo of activity which pervaded the entire ship. The supplies and ammunition which we were lcading were not items of cargo essential to sea- plane operations in quiet harbors. Rumors that a big invasion was in the offing reached us and soon it became the most talked of subject aboard that the HAMLIN was slated for combat with a large task force. Life at Saipan was getting a bit monotonous and the prospect of excite- ment was stimulating. Not for long were we kept in doubt as to our next assignment. After a short trip to Guam for aviation spare parts, we headed north beyond the Marianas. A day out of Guam, the Captain confirmed our hopes. In an announcement to the entire crew, he told us of our desti- nation, of what we could expect there. Our day to meet the enemy had come. We were on course for Iwo Jima. It was early morning of February 20 when the HAMLIN and her escort swung out of convoy. The dawn, cold and gray, found us proceeding cautiously toward our desti- nation. Not far ahead, dimly visible on the horizon were warships of the Fifth Fleet, and the dull roar of heavy guns carried to us. Throughout the hours before morning twilight, the skies had flared with the flame of naval batteries. lt would have been unnecessary to sound the general alarm, for the weather decks and life lines were crowded with early risers, eagerly watching for a first view of the battleground. An atmosphere of tense excite- ment seemed part of the dampness which hung in the air. Then, out of the mist, appeared an island, a very small island with a hump at one end and flat everywhere else, packing more fury in its seven square miles of mud, clay and volcanic ash than any other battlefield of the war. For this was Iwo Jima of the Volcanoes. The time was D-Day plus one. Our purpose in this invasion was to set up a seadrome at the base of Mt. Suribachi and from there to fly in blood plasma, medical supplies, important dispatches, air freight and mail. On outgoing flights, our planes would carry press and military dispatches, critical hospital cases and mail. VPB I9 was to be our squadron, replacing VPB I7. .Though our intended operations were delayed by the unexpectedly stubborn defenses on Suri- bachi, it was only a short time before the seadrome was laid out and actual flying begun. During our seventeen days at Iwo, we witnessed a display of air and sea power which would have stunned an observer unfamiliar with invasion warfare. On each side of us were ships of every class, and overhead the planes from carriers beyond the horizon filled the sky. Illl BAT IF YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN COMBAT, YOU CANNOT KNOW WHAT IT IS LIKE, AND IF YOU HAVE, YOU CAN'T DESCRIBE IT. It was evident that the Japanese needed more soften- ing up and the Naval Air Corps was on hand to do iust that. Helldivers plunged from the clouds, dropping their payload of bombs on Hot Rocks at the foot of Suribachi where enemy batteries were firmly entrenched. Rocket- carrying Wildcats sent their fiery missles into concrete blockhouses and anti-aircraft emplacements. Circling slowly at low altitude, where tiny Piper Cubs and Avengers, the pregnant sharks of the fleet, spotting the locations of men and weapons. Using these spots, the bombarding ships were able to drop ton after ton of high explosive proiectiles on positions invisible to ship-board gun crews. At point blank range, battleships and cruisers maintained steady fire with deadly accuracy. Close inshore, destroyers moved, aiding the ground troops with anti-aircraft bat- teries, as effective on tanks or troops as on airplanes. All through the night, the island was bathed in the artificial light of star shells, and the fighting on land con- tinued undiminished. We saw much of this midnight com- bat, for the Japs were not giving in easily. From sunset to sunrise we were prepared to man battle stations to repulse attack by air. It was at Iwo Jima that we learned why so many hours had been spent at Ulithi and Saipan under smoke. Before, we had cursed the smoke because it irritated our eyes and throats and now we cursed be- cause we could not see the raiding planes. With the smoke screen so effective, it was unnecessary for us to fire-a single round of ammunition. Such was not the case on other ships -with radar-controlled guns. Such vessels threw up a terrific barrage of A. A. fire, lacing the sky with tracers. No man topside on one particular night, will forget the sight of a Marine ammunition dump rendered a holocaust of exploding flames by heavy mortar fire. For hours it burned and periodic detonations were of sufficient force to rock the ship. Each huge ball of fire which mushroomed from the conflagration was a signal to cover our ears against the sound of the blast. For over two weeks, we lay off this island of concen- trated death operating with squadron by day and manning guns at night. On shore, living and dying in the dust and grime of volcanic ash, U. S. Marines were fighting as no group of men had ever fought, grasping victory only at the cost of thousands of lives. Many of these men were treated for wounds in our sick bay and while aboard, gave us actual accounts of the bloody conflict. So it pro- gressed, with our aircraft and ships supporting in daylight hours and hand to hand fighting at night. Every known weapon of warfare was used except gas, including rockets, Page 21 mortars, flame-thrcwers and phosphorous bombs. Many times, when shrapnel from our own anti-aircraft fire was dropping to the decks or bursting in the water around us, we longed for the protection of armor plating. But God was with us. Aside from a few shrapnel scratches and a hole in the stack from a stray five inch projectile, we suffered no damage. It was not without relief that we got underway for our return to Saipan. This was March 8, and though the island was not yet secured our usefulness there was at an end. We watched over the fantail as Iwo Jima sank into the sea. Mt. Suribachi, on which two vessels before the Stars and Stripes had been raised, finally faded into the grayness of the sky. Even before our arrival at Saipan on March IO, there was talk of our participation in another invasion. The fact that there was no perceptible lapse between our anchoring and the replenishing of stores, fuel and ammu- nition, lent strength to this bit of scuttlebutt. Our first concern, however, was the reading and answering of letters from home which had accumulated during the seventeen days at Iwo. Little time was lost and before many days we were certain that the HAMLIN was again to be part of a task force moving in on the Japs. It seemed that the ldes of March would lead us to many things. A short cruise to Guam and back again netted us more aviation engines as well as a few members of our new squadron, VPB 208. Last minute details were cared for on our return from Guam. When the last boat had been hoisted aboard and all departments reported ready for sea, we got under- way for the most hazardous of our months in the Pacific. Though we did not know it, the trial ahead was to make Iwo Jima look like a Sunday school picnic as far as ships and sailors were concerned. Perhaps it is as well that we did not know, for it is not good for men to think about dying. . KERAMA RH ETTO A naval bombardment was in progress as our convoy moved past the southern tip of Okinawa. It was during morning twilight on the 28th of March that the men at battle stations obtained their first- look at one of the greatest battlegrounds in the Pacific, less than three hun- dred and fifty miles from Japan. Ahead of us lay Kerama Rhetto, seventeen miles west of Okinawa, and this was our destination. The rising sun had cleared the skies long before we reached the submarine net which protected the inner cove. With the net swung back, the prow of the HAMLIN nosed slowly inTo The blue-green waTers cf The anchorage. On bow and lceam were The islands which formed This group 'and noT sfnce our deparTure from Oahu had iT been our privilege To behold such scenic beauiy. Accusfomed as we had become To The dusf of Saipan, The volcanic ash of Iwo and The heaT of Ulifhi, These lush islands of The Ryukus seerrod a welcome change. l.aTer days were To prove how mis'eading were firsT impressions. We had liTTle Time in which To enioy The view, however, for our planes were urgenfly needed on paTrol duTy. The Okinawa invasion was scheduled for The firsT of April and iT was The sauadron's Task To discover any enemy ThreaT afloaT or submerged. Day afTer day, in all kinds of weaTher and sea condifions, Through flak and hosTile air- craff, The crevvs of 208 searched for The Japanese. ln addifion To reconnaisance, The MARINERS were loaded wiTh fragmenTaTion and incendiary bombs, or Tcrpedoes for larger vessels, and wiTh These implemenfs, carried The war beyond The shores of Japan. Norfh To Korea, Wesf To The China Sea, souTh To Tiawan ranged The P. Boafs, finding and desfroying enemy surface and air crafT. Surprisingly, There were very few submarines encounfered in The area. lT appeared ThaT The Japanese eiTher had less undersea boafs Than esTimaTed by Naval InTelligence or ThaT These vessels were being saved for fuTure use, perhaps To repel an invasion of Japan iTself. lT had been sfrangely quief during our firsT day and nighT aT Karama RheTTo. The gun crews inside Their splinfer shields were aT firsT nervous, Then relapsed as The hours passed wiTh no raiders diving from The clouds or winging inTo The moon. Hours became days, and a week wenT by before The Tranquillify was disTurbed. lT was almosT immediafely afTer The invasion in Okinawa on The firsT of April ThaT we received our inTroducTion To The Kamikaze. For The remainder of our sTay, These suicide planes were To be The ThreaT To The fuTure exisfence of The HAMLIN and her crew. Though There were many hours of similar combaf ahead, ThaT firsT day of acfion will never be forgoTTen by The men who were There. lT was laTe affernoon when The bong of The general alarm called us To baTTle sTaTions on The run. WiTh eyes narrowed againsf The seTTing sun, lookoufs searched The skies from horizon To zeniTh for wings Touched wiTh red. The whine of a sTarTing moTor cuT Through The Tenseness as a LTOMM came To life. WhaT had been confusion a momenT before resolved inTo a fighTing machine, waiTing, ready, almosT eager. We had noT long To waiT. On The oppcsife side of The cove, ships opened up wiTh anTi-aircrafT baTTeries, firing low over The waTer. From behind one of The islands plummeTed a Jap plane. Under The heavy and accurafe fire The plane wavered' for an insTanT, Then dove sTraighT inTo a LST! A ball of flame blossomed upward, searing, burnirg inTo The sky for Two hundred feeT. The decks of The landing ship had been laden wiTh drums of gasoline. For seconds before The explosive-filled air- crafT had sTruck, we could see The small figures of men dropping inTo The waTer. We saw no one afTer The blasT. The LST, underway aT The Time, disappeared behind The island, buT unTil sundown The' pall of smoke hung high inTo The air. We had wifnessed The horribleness of a suicide crash. The sun had yeT anoTher hour when The second plane, a Judy, flying iusT over The waves, made a pass aT The ieep carrier anchored nearby. NOT so successful was This piloT. The crippled Torpedo-bomber made a big splash as iT fell before The hail of hoT sTeel. STill anoTher Judy appeared, coming in high. AircrafT aT Two-zero-zero, elevaTion TwenTy, came The word from ConTrol. Open Fire, repeaTed The voice of The Talker in a monoTone which belied his exciTemenT. This would-be suicider was diving on us! Blam, wenT The five inch afT. Then boTh fore and afT guns were on Targef and leTTing go. Direcfly before The whirling prop of The down-rushing plane, a 32 special bursT inTo a blossom of black smoke. WiTh a quick wingover, The piloT changed course. Tracing a crazy paTh across The sky, The plane plowed inTo The upper works of an ammuniTion ship. Soon The enTire supersTrucTure of This vessel was in flames and a paTrol crafT had gone alongside To render assisTance. We were now seeing red and Too angry To be afraid any longer, buT The day's greaTesT Tragedy was yeT To be seen. Up unTil now, The carrier had been fighTing only wiTh sTaTionary weapons, buT now, like hornefs roused inTo madness, Two F4F fighfers roared off her flighT deck. Info The sky beyond The cove zoomed The Two, and There They were meT by a deadly hail of Tracers. Unwarned of These friendly planes, The ships ouTside The ring of islands leT loose wiTh every Trainable gun. Who could blame Them? WiThin a maTTer of minuTes, Two ships had been blasted inTo fiery 'infernoes and nervous fingers were wrapped around The reassuring hardness of sTeel Triggers, waiTing. WiTh real anguish, we wafched The firsT of The WildcaTs roll over in a vain aTTempT To idenTify iTself by displaying The circled sTar and recTangle. AT ThaT insTanT a wing Tank bursT inTo flames and The plane nosed over, disappearing behind an island. The piloT of The second WildcaT, seeing The faTe of his wing maTe, dropped his plane To wiThin a few feeT of The waTer and Twisfed his way To safeTy. This lasT momenT almosT unnerved us all, and The darkness which closed in afTer a blood-red sunseT could noT blankef The picfure of ThaT burning plane. The nighTs usually broughT us some respife, Though aT The Time we did noT realize iT. Every nighT Time general auarfers was a signal for The laying of a proTecTive smoke- screen over The enTire anchorage. Believing ThaT our besT defense lay in obscuring ourselves from The air, we sTa- Tioned Two mo-Tor launches aT sundown, always ready To sTarT smoke generafors and igniTe smoke floaTs. NOT once during The many pracfices aT UliThi and Saipan had anyone realized To whaf exTenT The once irriTaTing smoke would proTecT us. STill, none of us were auife sure of how well covered The ship was and soon iT became a greafer sTrain Than having The brighT moonlighT reflecfing off The decks beneaTh us. T ThaT doesn'T sound raTional perhaps, buT iT is difficulf To be raTional when smcke closes abouT like a smoThering blankef and Then, overhead, comes The sound Page 22 of a low-flying plane. Unseen, buT can he see us? Guns l are useless when no Targef is visible and still above s. smash iTself againsf Suddenly IT is very easy and God, how we did pray! We prayed and The nighT ThaT Val spoTTed us Through .The ,sm ke sTarTed down.. Washing-Machine Charlie We' laughingly dub oufmoded airplanes such dive bomber. No one laughed as we heard iTs engine, close. The quad-4OMM afT pumped rounds upward as The plane was sighfedffor an Again iT was seen as iT rounded our bow, noT fifTy off The waTer. Swinging inTo our sTarboard side, The crafT was meT by a sTream of TeTryl-filled QOMM proiecfiles. In a verfical bank, The Val plunged inTo The wafer direcTly asTern of The HAMLIN. IT had made a compleTe orbiT around The ship. AT ThaT momenT, we were rocked by an underwaTer explosion while a muffled blasT' was heard. The nexT day, The CapTain receiveda dispaToh from The Admiral, commanding our ,FleeT Air Wing. .lt read: ThaT plane, orbiTing, in search of a Thin-hulled ships o CongraTulaTions on your dead-eyed, gunnery in knocking down ThaT Nip lasT nighT and saving The HAlviLlN. All days were noT as fearsome as Those early ones when' The fighTing on and around Okinawa reached iTs peak. Our Two biggesf concerns were The mainTaining. of flyfing schedules and The Kamikaze. Our planes flew regularly and so did The Japanese. There would be sTreTches1of bad weaTher and someTimes of gcod weaTher when. no raids came and we could relax. IT was good forffhe consTanT sTrain and sleepless nighTs were showing in The bloodshoT eyes and unshaven faces. Ships were sTill being hiT and some were sunk, buT The Toll of enemy dead was increasing sfeadily, far cuT of proporficn To The number of successful aTTacks. Two of our sisTer ships and one. gianT seaplane Tender were vicTims cf suicide crashes and came Through, damaged buT afloaT. ' For The presenf exisfence of The HAMLIN and for ou-r own lives, we have Three Things To be Thankful for. The pickeT line of paTrol vessels which formed a proTecTive ring abouT our anchorage, The CombaT Air PaTro,l which worked wiTh These paTrol crafT To keep ouT approaching planes, and The grace of AlmighTy God. WiThouT any oneT of These, This sTory mighf have ended in April of 1945. During The long days and sleepless nighTs of Mayiand June, The Tide of baTTle slowly, almosT impercepfibly, shiffed as more and more enemy planes were shoT down wiThouT reaching a TargeT. One of The search pahgols from our Wing locafed a Japanese Task force, in company wiTh Their newesT baTTleship YamaTo, sfeaming souTh Toward Okinawa. Carrier Torpedo planes and dive bombers were dispaTched To The radioed posifion and proceeded, To sink or damage every uniT of ThaT small naval force. The loss of ThaT baTTleship musT have been sorely felT in Japan. The Taking of Okinawa was a cerTainTy now as our superior weapons and fighTing men repulsed and peneTraTed ,on each fronT an-d flank. ' . ' 5 Page 23 The bloodiesT baTTIefield of all The war whereon U. S. M a ri n e s displayed The sTrengTh and rneTTle of The men of America. MT. Suri- loachi dominaTed The enTire island and vic:Tory seemed assured Us The day The STars and Sfripes was implanTed on The highesT poinT of This vol- canic mounTain. LEFT TO RIGHT, FIRST ROW: von de Maele, Denning, King, Ford, Elliot, Gutierrez, Psaropoulous. SECOND ROW: Welch, Carlson, Tesar, Dalley, Miller, Oglesby, Arcouette, Lt. flgj Selmlnslzl, McCraney, Creech, Winslager, Woods, McKinnis, Caldwell, Williamson, Metcalfe. THIRD ROW: Johnson, Kirk, Fredorlcltson, Choat, Henry, Ridings, Brown, Bongo, Milburn, Kinnison, Cook, Downs, Volenstine, Sullivan, Mitchell, Ybarra. FOURTH ROW: Mitchell, Wood, England, Cominiello, Micheal, Wright, Horvatin, Roberts, Catlett, Mollet, Gallop, Crawford, House, Kurtz, Griffis, Keiser. LEFT TO RIGHT, FIRST ROW: Stone, Edmonds, DeOss, Emery, Hagen, McGinley, Williams, Pendergraft, Sanders, Shepard, SECOND ROW: Kasperak, Kemp, Benavedez, Tltimesch, Van Horn, Willmesherr, Stin- nett, Lt. fig? Williams, Lt. Cigj Kultti, Lutz, Beetz, Palubiak, Stratton, Peterson, Pertosky, Ross. THIRD ROW: Knapp, Bell, Coates, McLoughlin, Cabeza de Baca, Tyler, Wooldridge, Holmes, Rivard, Draper, Blankenship, Winden, Jones, Bottoms. FOURTH ROW: DeMore, Martin, Quizenlaerry, Raker, Prengubar, Lucas, Stevenson, Hodkinson, Burton, Robinston, Andrews, Crawford, Webster, Delih, O'Neal. 'IIIIIIII Ill Page 24 I 5, .J fx-,ra -is .2 43 K Rex ,wr V51 v hy, . FL , Nw f ,,,,Q1N , QQ N: gm- wx? 1 Vafw A f X ffm? H x 2' , f Asif S ,iff fy, W f gs ff 1 w ,, : vi, -gw gg W Mr X ,, 5 Q- X X L,,,wSXSN1' ' ' 'WN1 4 x - N gy ,fy iiwipaf ,xfyffyyvfjgwfqfyfw . M ,ug if Qffzwvg ,XX 'W 5 -fy, Xe gy A h,4?qQ,x-f , 7 , ,V EX XVMNX x . , f- , 5, N xgfxr.. k N h wgw Y f-m M ggkx Q XM M M f-.,,f,..4 35 1' N :-- f X . . . XV0 hour of raft 00 1110111005 0 pea ja' far tile 000 of avi bn Wa at ha 0' Page 25 LEFT TO RIGHT, FIRST ROW: Maxwell, Meek, Clark, Pender, Barker, Schuer- man, Peterson, Lee, Eubanks, Richards, Viator. SECOND ROW: Chestnut Gaskin, Riley, Walker, Moon, Roberts, Reed, Johnson, Abbott, Peterson, Decker, Chellett. ' .Q 5 xx fr '.Z:fi:r:'. ,, is -2 s . 3 M ,A ' XX' f X 5.-P3 ' ',:fs'Yx,,.?a-.:'hI,'f?1, ' f- MN V51 L , fs 'K -53 . ff ss XX! W H X ff ss, ss,.s,,,,,Sgf? 1 R s Q 49 We at X WR ZS? to if N' YW N :af 4-as s- , 4 sv If K ,fs T HN me 0 f' A modern, sea-going, machine shop. LEFT TO RIGHT, GIRST ROW: Tclafek, Williams, Wlreeler, Wilcox, Joiner, Price, Copess, Herrera, Bailey. SECOND ROW: Wolfe, Gor- zynski, Workman, Wilton, Afton, Carter, Wil'iams, Rabatin, Flannagan. llllll III IIIIII Ill Page 26 Standing by for orders from the bridge at the, V' engine-room telegraph. ' I LEFT TO RIGHT, FIRST ROW: McCarthy, Rice, Bischoff, Mefford, Palmeri, Dittmdrm Lee, Young, Kamman, Ingram, Ellison, Ramsauer, Pierce, Rarick, Carlson. SECOND ROW: Brant, McAllister, Nyholm, Olguin, Jenkins, Danforth, Holland, Yarbrough, Grzelewski, Gallup, Birts, Patterson. ' ' Underway, the engineers are at their stations.. L I .1- Kllliillllil lHlll'l l'0l Belying The deaTh which lurked cuT of sighT, The Tranquil waTers and scenic landscape of The islands of Karama appeared as beauTiful as any group in The WesT Pacific. We could noT see The suicide boaTs, Their bows crammed wiTh explosives, lying in shelTered inleTs waiTing for darkness. The heavy foliage hid from us The Japanese who would laTer make human Torpedoes of Themselves, while The land abouT was an ever presenT screen for The approach of lovv flying planes. IT was a greaT advenTure and no man TelT Tear. Page 27 1 On sunny days, recreafion ashore was pleasant, for There were many strange Things To do and see. A Page 28 XJ , Q X , 3sX ' XX.Q Y T ' 3- ., K V ,E u il W X, s .was N ss: c KAMIKAZE The most fearsome weapon used by the Japs was the suicide plane and it was not Y , long before we knew from our own ex- perience why this was so. lt all happened so quickly in much less time than it takes to write it down. One moment there was a low-wing Judy, heading straight in at us. Then a burst of a five inch proiectile in the path of the plane caused it to waver, then to sheer off and dive away in an apparent effort to escape. And there, ahead of the plunging aircraft, lay a ship, an ammunition carrier. Into the super- structure of this vessel crashed the plane and a huge puff of flame and smoke rose into the air. We could see men leaping over the side to avoid the hot fire which soon enveloped the upper decks. At 2200, she blew up. The following morning, there was no wreckage in sight and another score was chalked up for the Kamikaze. x T 4 as .vi X W w l xl NX Page 29 l l l v Il it l l l i UIUIDE il'l I'illlli For a week preceding, there had been almost no raids and no one hurried particularly that Sunday morning as the general alarm brought us to the station. That slight delay came close to costing us our ship. Even before every gun was manned and ready, two planes appeared over the northern end of the cove. There they separated in usual Kamikaze approach and came in tor the attack. One plane darted oft on a westerly course, drawing the tire ot our atter 4Olvllvl while the second plane dove tor the nearest ship, crashing into her port side. That vessel was one ot our sister ships and only 400 yards away from us. Page 30 K, From our posiTion we could see smoke buf very liTTle fire. The plone hdd evidenTly corried cnly lighT bombs ond no oddifionol explosives. IT wos ci reol relieT To woTch The rcxpidify wiTh which The domdge conTrol porTy exTinguished dll Tire ond wiTh The hospiTol corpsmen, core Tor The cc1suolTies. In The mednTime, The oTher oircroTT vvos moneuvering dll over The sky, dodging Tlok ond Trying To geT inTo posiTion Tor dnoTher oTTock. The onTi-c1ircrc1TT Tire incredsed in occurocy ond volume while The Jop circled lower dnd lower over The wdTer. One wing dropped ond The crippled plone plunged inTo The vvoTer beyond The islonds in The some spoT where The c1mmuniTion ship hdd gone dovvn o monTh before. Spldsh one bogiel In ony ocTion, The enTire ship funcTions merely os o ploT- form from which To fire our guns ond The mosT essenTic1l men ond moferiol cxboord ore The gun crews ond Their bofferies. On ouxiliory ships such os This, There is no primory or sec- ondolry boTTery. From modern Worfime experience, iT hos been found ThoT our opponenf will oTTocl4 chiefly by oir. Thus, our guns were consTrucTed ond designoTed os duol- purpose wedpons. More imporTonT Thon The guns, however, ore The Troined men who Trock TorgeT, lood ond fire. Upon Their skill ond couroge under dTTock resTs The lives of hundreds of men ond quife ofTen, vicfory ifself. Poge .32 LEFT TO RIGHT, FIRST ROW: Sletten, Fine, Gydosh, Savana, McCarthy, Beam, Ensign LeBlanc, Atkins, Stobaugh, Bensen, Eltrich, Lambert. SECOND ROW: Valentine, McKenna, Bernett, Suedel, Repta, Lavely, Benton, Pherigo, Kistner, Woods. THIRD ROW: Olstad, Mortiner, Czatt, Parker, Wood, Schlichter, Field, Couch, Coit, Mulnix, Beers, Danford. Throughout each twenty-four hours of the day, part of the ship's guns were manned by Condition Ill watch standers, Condition Ill being a state of preparedness for possible attack but with no enemy reported in the immediate vicinity. In addition, surface and sky lookouts were stationed at points of vantage about the ship, to see and report suspicious objects on the water or the approach of aircraft. Underway, look- outs also report ships sighted or smoke trails beyond the horizon. Much depends on the ability of lookouts and gun crews when emergencies arise. Those precious minutes be- tween the time an enemy is spotted and the General Quarter's crew take over would be sufficient for a Kamikaze or suicide boat to make a successful attack. llllNlll'l'lll The torpedo gang and a tin fish. Gunner's mates tear down a 20 MM for cleaning Page 33 Ill MANY ARE llllilll THAT WERE YUUNG Pg 34 n emuriam SHIP Marcus F. Taylor, CBM Cornie Van Veldhuizen, Sic: Frank E. Bauer, S2c: SQUADRON Charles A. Turner, LieuT. Wilfred Garber, Lieui. ligl Ernesf H. Kunzler, ARMlc Wilberr C. Massey, Jr., AOMQC Raymond M. Scnilz, ARMQC H Marion M. Zeirouer, ARMQC Ervin E. Casper, AMMSC Cornelius L. Byrne, AOM3C George H. Bullock, Jr., Sic is U.S.N.R U.S.N.R U.S.N.R l.,l.S.N. l .i.s.N.i2 l l.S.N.R lJ.S.N.I2 l lJ.S.N.R lJ.S.N.R J.S.N. u.s.N.i2. u.s.N.ie. 9 TO EVERY MAN UPON THIS EARTH DEATH COMES SOON OR LATE AND HOVV CAN MAN DIE BETTER THAN FACINO FEARFUL ODDS MACAULAY 1 Po e 35 The fine arT of Pacific warfare againsT The Japs was very new To The officers and men of PaTrol Bombing Squadron 208 QVPB-2087. None of us had acTually en- gaged The enemy in baTTIe or for ThaT maTTer, had ever seen him. We were iusT a squadron assigned To a Task, The defails of which we weren'T Too sure. Were being gafhered Togefher in The briefing room of The U. S. S. HAMLIN To geT The IaTesT word on whaT The assignmenf was. As we saT and IisTened To The giganTic plan of acTion ThaT was unfolded before us in The air conference room ThaT day, we agreed ThaT iT had surpassed our wildesf imaginafion. Never before in The hisTory of The P. BoaTs, as The big, lumbering, IvlarTin MARINER, paTroI bombers are called, had such a sTunT been Tried. However Tenders for seaplane bases weren'T new, They had been used before aT Saipan, Iwo Jima, and in The Phillipines. Our plan called for our Tender and Two oThers wiTh squadrons aboard To anchor in one of The proTecTed coves of Kerama RheTTo, a group of small islands abouT fifTeen miles wesT of The souThern end of Okinawa, and To operafe from There. Our primary funcTion along wiTh PaTroI Bomb- ing Squadrons I8, 2l, 27, I3 and Dumbo Squadron VH-3, was To fly anTi-submarine barrier paTroIs around Okinawa and iTs smaller, adiacenT islands, and To provide searches for The Third Fleef, To keep an eye ouT for any possible aTTack on our uniTs by The Japanese FIeeT. The piloTs were soon To learn The merifs of The MARINER. Beside The rouTine paTroIs flown day and nighT, There were many, long searches off The China and Korean CoasT, harassing Jap shipping. LaTer, The searches were around Japan ifself. IT seemed incredible aT The Time To be lllll IIIIIIP FOR THIS WAS A WAR OF SEA AND AIR, AND NEITHER COULD HAVE SURVIVED ALONE. knocking aT Japan's fronT door in a slow seaplane when The B-29's were having such a Tough Time of iT. There were occasions when The PBM proved more Than a maTch for Jap fighTers, Torpedo bombers and heavy bombers. IT was a regular occurrence for The pafrols To aTTack swarms of Kamikaze aTTack planes on Their way To Okinawa and aT Times To shooT some of Them down. Before The monTh of June was over, There were quiTe a few PBM's wiTh a meaT ball or Two painTed on Their fuselage. There were some who were less forTunaTe. ThaT is where The mainfenance crews did Their sTuff. A call would be received from a crippled plane, refurning from a search or Torpedo aTTack of China, Korea, or Japan, and The crews on board The HAMLIN would sTand by in readiness. DespiTe The Tremendous size of The seaplane, The piloT would land close by and before his plane could Taxi To a sTop, small boaTs would be alongside, ready To Tow The plane under The ship's crane To be hoisfed aboard. On one occasion, The procedure was effecTed in less Than six minuTes from The Time The plane landed on The wafer. IT was The producT of Teamwork broughT To perfecTion. Many Times, piIoTs and crews, weary wiTh fatigue from an all-nighT paTroI, had To combaT our oIdesT enemy, The .weaTher. All of us agree ThaT we would raTher face Jap, planes Than The weaTher. IT was, wiThouT a doubT, The worId's worsT. One crew failing To find Their way back To The -base because of weafher ran up a record of sevenTeen and a half hours of fIighT Time on Their firsT mission. Besides The hazards of enemy and weaTher, a 24-hour buoy waTch was sTood by The piloTs and crews when noT flying. This proved To be more gruelling Than flighT. IT was necessary To be on The aIerT for Jap swimmers Page 36 who mighT Take a fancy To Throwing a grenade inTo an open haTch on a dark nighT, There was also The danger of being sTruck by shrapnel from our own ship's guns as The enemy flew overhead. On one occasion, a piece of shrapnel seT a plane afire aT a buoy during an air raid. The fire was quickly exTinguished buT The nexT day, Tokyo Rose reporfed a greaT vicfory aT Kerama RheTTo when a large seaplane was seT afire and sunk. And so iT wenT for almosT five long monThs. Dark nighTs and rainy days, paTroIs and searches and Kamikaze aTTacks. In' July, afTer The HAMLIN had moved To Oki- nawa, our work became a IiTTIe easier. The operaTing area was much larger buT sTiII rough. IT was The afTer- noon of July 28Th ThaT The Squadron IosT iTs firsT crew. LieuT. Charles Turner, aTTempTing To Take off amid high swells, crashed his plane nose firsT inTo The waTer. .The weaTher had Take iTs Toll where The Japs had failed. Nine of The crew died ThaT day. SepTember 2, I945, found The complefe squadron wing- ing in formafion over Tokyo in grim saIuTe To The enemy. Everyone was aT ease for The firsT Time in monThs because we all knew one Thing for sure, our mission was fulfilled. PaTroI Bombing Squadron 208 is noT The only air group which has been aTTached To This ship, buT iT is The squadron which has operaTed wiTh us for The IongesT Time during The mosT dangerous of our missions. ParT of The group ioined The HAMLIN aT Guam while The remainder flpw The planes direcTIy To Kerama RheTTo. IT was from These islands of The Ryukus chain ThaT VPB 208 flew hundreds of hours of search, reconnaisance, sfrikes and Dumbo hops for almost four monThs, under condiTions which would have sTopped men of lesser endurance and courage. CQEW Ea CQEW A CREW 6 CQEW D CREW I CREW E CQEW F Page 37 CREW H xii 'llllllll Radio-radar stations pictured above and at left, were an added menace to the secrecy which must surround the loca- tion and movements of allied shipping. By radar, these stations could pick up our planes or ships many miles out, giving themselves precious minutes in which to man their fighters or dispatch a superior force ot ships. Many of our radio transmissions were intercepted at these advanced posi- tions endangering our security of communications. Such stations were decommissioned by the versatile Martin Mariner using machine-gun tire' or bombs, paving the way for our fleet. Page 38 'H rx si af if qw. .37 wlzfv I f9f iI'E A 1 sw-am wx N W s,44M4YI?Q .1 A YQ j X NASE: cs Qwvgxwmxfz., 42 ,V g X ..,., ..,.sw.a. On constant patrol over enemy waters, the planes of our squadron daily encountered picket boats, luggers and fishing vessels. These srnall craft formed a protective ring about the hcrne islands of Japan. Acting as advance reconnaisance, these vessels could obtain information cf our fleet move- ments and radio warnings of approaching raids. For our own security, they had to be destroyed. Though the fire-control of most of these ships was famous for its inaccuracy, our planes did not al- ways escape unscathed. The PBM is nct speedy nor built for maneuverability. Making a borrber run on a ship Cupper leftl which was ready and able, proved almost disastrous for this plane and crew. After being downed at sea, the crew members were rescued by one of their own Dumbo flights while the loss of the planes was listed under expendable, Page 39 IHIW A'I' EA if CREW K - 43' ,. ' 1 v 1 11 Q1 1 , 'A 'l , w- i r I f .1 4 it 11 .. W I i 1- QE ' N M i X ' ll: 1 qw 3 O N .'l 4 Q 'f L! , fl 3 1 5 sf ! If Q ,: 15- ? N : 'I 1' 15 12 ' '1 I , '4 15' f 2 i , I , u ,I We 1 '4 2 i N. Q! iw kg , ,i 'N H 4 M wi 1 ,A .1 13 il M 2' 1 11 i xx .? I gi A' N' qw .g J V-P Q' ., li CREW O Page 40 CREW P fl -erm l -ma...-' r4....' iid- M PLA ll HA BLING DETAIL, LAY AFT T0 THE EAPLA Ii IIEUK Behind the flying personnel, keeping the plones ofloot ond in the oir, is the Potrol Service Unit, o ship-boord ground crew. Every doy during the gruelling months ot lwo Jimol ond Koromo Rhetto brought heovy work for men of PATSU, Engine overhoul, mode frequent by corrosive solt sproy, repoir of empennoge domoged by heovy seosg ond potchwork on shropnel-riddled fobric were problems confronting the oirdole mechs ond metolsmiths. To give the P. Boots both bite ond bork, the ordnoncemen ond rodiomen serviced mochine guns ond rodio equipment, essentiol items of oeriol worfore. The photogrophs on these two poges depict the first operotionol hoisting of o PBQY CORONADO by o tender of this closs.- The CORO- NADO, though of less spon ond fuseloge length thon the MARINER, weighs in ot o ton ond o holf more even when stripped ond empty. Now, one of our sister ships is utilizing the results of this test hoist in c-perotion of o QY squodron. CREW Q KE 1 GMU TY When The seoplone crdne of one of The Tenders vvos puT ouT of working order by ci suicide oTTo1ck, iT vvcis necessory To devise o rneons oT uTiIizing ThoT ship's PATSU uniT even Though plones could noT be puT on her sedpldne deck. Thus, The seoplone borge vvos born, o TlooTing workshop upcn which vvos ploced o seoplone in need oT repoir ond The men To do The job. Propelled by Two gionT, ouTboord rncTors, This borge enobled The crippled ship To moinToin flighT schedules vviTh good dvo1iIobiliTy of seoplones. The HAMLIN ossisTed by doing The hoisTing of pldnes from vvoTer To borge ond bock oigoin. CREW S sm ysilwffria' :Nw i 1 5 .K Q 4 .1 1 T 2 'E I i . , T . . , f -- --we -f' ,rw .Q H . , A B k Am Wl G' cw IIAVIE Jllill DespiTe The capabiliTies of our plane handling crews and rescue parTies, There were TacTors beyond our abiliTy To conTrol. The weaTher was one of These. During a rough sea aT Chimu Wan, Okinawa, The bow of This flying bcaT was ripped open and waTer rapidly Tilled The forward secTion of The plane. The rescue parTy aTTempTed To Tow The plane under The dangling hook of The seaplane crane buT sTrong cUrrenT and a cross wind made The maneuver impossible. WiTh The weighT cf waTer The Seaplane nosed over unfil The aTTer fuselage made a fcrTy-five degree angle in The air. All crew members had by Then been removed and from The TanTail of Th HAMLIN we waTched The olane gradually seTTle inTo The sea. IT was ThroaT-lumping To see The Tail secTion, poised Tor an insTanT, Then slide quieTly below The waves. Page 43 7? s CJ .O EE' Kerama Rhetto was fast becoming a place of quiet. Daily routine continues as ever but our sleep was less frequently interrupted. It was easier to laugh and live again. No one was sorry, however, when the wing was ordered to proceed to Okinawa proper and to operate from a harbor more sheltered and suitable for seaplane activities. Our new home was in Chimu Wan, iust north of Buckner Bay. lt was a pleasurable feeling to know that the land about us was liberally sprinkled with Army Anti-Aircraft units, equipped with radar screens and searchlights. For an entire month everyone rested easier. Now, however, we were to be victimized by the greatest of all enemies, the weather. This was the season of typhoons and less than four days had been spent at Chimu before a near-gale sent us from the harbor, cruising on a course to avoid the storm. At all times during our operations in the seas of Japan were we to be subjected to these Acts of God. lt was this foul weather and rough sea which resulted in the loss of two of our seaplanes and the deaths of nine squadron personnel. TOKYO BOUND Days followed one another with amazing rapidity and the heat of mid-August was upon us when the first talk of Japanese surrender became the topic of every conversa- tion. The Atomic bomb was a reality and many of us were as unbelieving as were the Japs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but for different reasons. Then through the ether came the message which shocked the whole world into incredible joy. The Japanese had surrendered unconditionally! Surprisingly, there was very little celebration because of this unexpected turn of events, yet everyone seemed to feel years younger and for the first time in months, slept soundly. We had spent a few hectic nights while the Japs were debating on terms. During that time, with talk of peace in the air, the USS Pennsyl- vania was struck by an aerial torpedo, causing severe damage. lt was unfortunate that the luck of Lucky Pennsy ran out so near the end. Following immediately upon the surrender came orders for a tender unit to prepare for entry into Tokyo Bay with the Occupational Forces Afloat. With four other ships of our Wing composing a task group, we were to ioin the Third Fleet units to enter Tokyo Bay in a display of sea power, the likes of which the world had never seen. On the sixteenth of August, our group steamed in single file past the submarine nets at Chimu Wan, joining in formation beyond. The next eleven days were days of waiting, cruising in convoy north of Iwo Jima with other ships of the Third Fleet. The dispatch came on the eleventh day and we moved in. The island of O Shima, a silent sentinel of the outer harbor drifted by on 'our port hand that morning of August 28, 1945. Ahead lay Sagami Bay and off to starboard was the entrance to Tokyo Bay. ln Sagami we anchored, and all about us were battle- ships, cruisers and destroyers of both the U. S. and British Pacific Fleets. For.that day and night, every ship in the harbor was in a condition of readiness with guns manned for instant action. We were not the trusting people which the Japanese had met and killed at Pearl Harbor. Any sign of treachery would have loosed a shore and aerial' bombardment of unprecedented proportions. Just over the horizon, the carriers had planes on deck, poised for flight. The hours passed without incident. 'The following day, the tender group moved into Tokyo Bay and dropped anchor in the seadrome area. We had arrived. It was there in the Bay on September Second, Nineteen Hundred and Forty-Five, that the formal ceremonies were held on the spacious weather decks of the USS Missouri. Overhead, a vast armada of carrier aircraft and Army Superfortresses darkened the sky and nothing could be heard above the roar of their powerful engines. The day of wild combat and the black nights of fear were behind, ahead lay the hope of a world at peace. POSTLOGUE Where is the HAMLIN now? What has become of her Captain and each man of her crew? lt would be easier to sweep the snows from Fiiiyama than to obtain such a record. The life of the USS HAMLIN CAV-T53 began on the 26th of June, l944, and that life will never end as long as there is a piece of the ship, a member of the crew or a duplicate of this book in existence. Page 44 THE lillilll T0 'Pllllllll With the surrender ot the Japanese Empire came orders to move in with the Third Fleet Occupational Forces. Cruis- ing in convoy north ot Iwo Jima, we awaited the signal from Admiral Nimitz. Though delayed by typhoons in the Tokyo area, the time at sea was not void ot excitement. Each day brought new problems of ship handling, maneuvers and station keeping. Passing mail or movies and refueling labove and at rightl while underway became routine, only a little more difficult than the same operation at anchor. Finally the dispatch came, sending our small armada into the seas ot the Nipponese homeland. This was to be our last wartime operation. Page 45 - ' . o IIIP' IIFFICER EMY WATEIR No man could have predicted when the HAMLIN left the States in August of Forty-Four that just over a year later she would be steaming into the seas of Japan, into harbcrs which had given birth to the once powerful Japanese Fleet. Our first anchorage in Sagami Wan and later in Tokyo Bay, gave us a thrill with comparatively few men experience. We remember the Captain's words of' an LEFT TO RIGHT, FIRST ROW: Lt. ligl Enyart, Lt. Bray, Lt. Cigj Williams, Lt. fig, Anderson, Lt. Qgj Hayes, Lt. ligl Kultti, Ch. Mach. Dougherty, Lt. Newbauer, Lt. lnsley, Lt. Prough, Lt. Evarift, Ens. Blank, Ch.P.C Basset, Lt. ligl Riley, Ens. Newton, Lt. Cigj Sieminski. SECOND ROW: Bo's'n Morrison, Ch.Gun. Newman Ch.Carp. Waldron, Ens. Shuman, Lt. Cigj Halcrew, Ch-Mach. Young, Lt. figj Paris, Lt. Carter, A.P.C Meador, Lt. Wheeler, Lt. Cigj Southworth, Ens. Rosen, Lt. Lidfeen, Ens. LeBlanc. Pag 1 ' l earlier day, Many men would give their eye-teeth to be in your place today. . e46 We llilll I llllll Aerial photcgraphs of fleet anchorages and shore installations, as well as the ap- pearance of the Bay area, convinced us that the Japanese were beaten even without the Atomic bomb or the entrance of Russia into the vvar. The destruction wreaked by air and sea bombardment had impoverished The Jap war machine past the stage required to wage even defensive combat. A handful of fighting ships remained, a small task force in comparison with the Allied naval might which filled Tokyo Bay. It was fortu- nate for this yellow race that they sur- rendered in time for they faced complete annihilation. E , f W , of ff f'-.Wa-4 gf X KN Wm-. '4fbTw'Yf1 L If! i 'lf Page 47 K1 0 9613 To the curiosity of Americon servicemen, Tokyo ond suburboin cities were fertile fields for investigoltion. The exotic people, stronge custcrrs, novel oirchitecture ond vvoy of living vvois ci source of keen interest. Liberty whites ond khokis were dug out of seobogs ond lockers. Soilors, soldiers ond nforines desired little more thon to trornp through the streets sightseeing, to pick up ci few souvenirs ond to olttempt converscition with the people. It surprised rnony thot Tokyo ond Yokohcimo were octuolly lorge, modern cities, with toll buildings ond industries much like ony stote-side city of comporoble size. The people soon leorned thot Americon G.I.'s were nct the horsh conquerors they expected and it oippeoired thot the occupotion would function smoothly. 1 l Parkway surrounding lhe palace of The Emperor. It is a question of who is more puzzled. Page 49 1 I e white uniforms overflowed every road and shop. ' l 1 i I Y f 3 v l x i The Dief Building in downtown Tokyo. ' 1 I fi l, l 4, in gl li ik 1 Qi :J ,. ly ii l M I, vl- ll l is I i i. l l l H I x 1 5 Aerologists plot the path of another typhoon A mari and a seaplane-the Spirit of PATSU. Inasmuch as the V-2 Division have already put out their ovvn raster at names and addresses and because ot the size at the Division, no attempt will be made to list the names at each man pictured here. LEFT TO RIGHT, FIRST ROW: Scheer, Helm, Donovan, Jones, Munkner, Kinder. SECOND ROW: McKin- estry, Devries, Guerrero, Rodgers, Mikesall, Burket, Kolander, Ch.Mach. Daugherty, Lt. Carter, Travis, Ryall, Turner, Kems, Smith, Salmon, Hansen, Lewers. THIRD ROW: Brookshire, Woodward, White, Doye, Shaver, Curran, Gish, Harris, Grable, Peterson, Galloway, Peterson, Lanier, Bauman. Page 50 -'U-ids- ' Page 51 DESIGNED ALABAMA BIRMINGHAM PRINTED AND THE P E MONTGOMERY,