Hollandia (CVE 97) - Naval Cruise Book

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bravery, which probably saved many of us from serious injury, Scott was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal. We were off Honshu when the laps quit. Back to Guam to await further orders. We remained there for three weeks. The Navy didn't seem to know what to do with us. We hit the beach often, but there was little to do on Guam, and we became tired of going ashore. While we were there we lost Comdr. Brown as Skipper, Capt. Calvin E. Wfakeman, USN, taking command. Comdr. Brown was given a new post, chief of staff to ComCarTransRonPac. Again we hated to lose our Skipper, for Comdr. Brown had carried on with the ability and understanding that had characterized Capt. Lee. Capt, Wakeman was born 9 june 1904 in Hornell, New York, and was graduated from the Naval Academy in the class of 1927. After duty aboard U.S.S. Wfyozzzizzg and U.S.S. Brlzre. he entered naval aviation, completing flight training at Norfolk and Pensacola. A series of aviation assignments followed, including service with squadrons aboard the old Langley and Lexington. On several occasions he returned to Pensacola as an instructor. In 1940 he was assigned as Executive Officer of the Carrier Training Squadron at Pensacola, later moving to Miami to open the air station for advanced flight training. He served aboard U.S.S. Sawz- foga from 1941 until 1944, when he was de- tached for duty at BuPers. From BuPers he came to the HOLLANDIA. bringing with him a wealth of experience both at sea and in the air. We finally received our orders and on 8 Sep- tember we left Guam for Pearl and then pro- ceeded to the States, where we received another availability at Terminal Island. There bunks were installed on the hangar deck and in every other available space to prepare us for our new duty, that of transporting personnel back from the Far Pacific. HAT ENDS the actual ships history, or as much of it as will appear in this book. But the story of Old 97 would be far from coma plete without a few of the highlights which had so much to do with making ours a happy ship. ff The Chink Lee brand of humor contributed many a chuckle aboard. There was the time we were approaching San Francisco early in the morning. It was rough and foggy and dark. The Skipper called down to radar and told the watch officer to keep a sharp lookout for the Faiallon Islands, because we won't know where we are until we locate them. Shortly thereafter the radar operator called in a contact, gave its range and bearing, and said he thought it was the Farallons. The watch officer called up to the bridge: We have what looks like the Farallons, range so and so, bearing so and so. The Skipper kept up continual calls for ranges and bearings, and they were passed along to him. After several minutes the man on the plotting machine said, I think that contact is a ship. It seems to be moving now. The watch officer wasted no time in calling the bridge. But before he could flip the switch, the light flashed and a bellowing voice was heard: Hey! Those Farallon Islands are now under- way! Capt. Lee had been doing a bit of fast plotting on the bridge and he detected the error as quickly as did radar. I-Ie turned the 97 around on a dime and hightailed it for the west, out of danger. A short time later he called down again: If you can really get the Farallons on that gear of yours, I'll head the ship back in. Soon radar did pick up the islands-the real Farallons that timefand the Skipper headed to- ward Golden Gate. And when the sun had risen and the fog had cleared, the HOLLANDIA was in perfect position to make the harbor in short order, x 'N 1? 1 , fx a 4 c nap! JVSY X' d 4' ,-N 'E XA! M X C 'Fora .,,, d unvam f. K 5 ' 1 S Ja' ' 'c eccc 1 ' J --

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I wJ f LQ? trouble might come our way. But we went up to the same area, 60 miles off the island, without mishap, fiew off our Marines in near-record time, and retired south. During our four days near Okinawa we con- tacted a number of unidentified planes by radar, and one plane sighted was believed to be a Jap Val. But no enemy plane attacked us. Still, there was plenty of fighting in progress both on and around Okinawa while we were up there, so we were in potential danger. And for that operation all personnel aboard the HOL- LANDIA and the ships with us became entitled to wear a battle star on their Pacific Theatre ribbons. We returned to Guam, then to Pearl and back to the States, where Capt. Lee turned command over to Comdr. Brown, having been given a new and important assignment as chief of staff to Commander Fleet Air Wing 18, based at Tinian. Everyone hated to lose Chink, because he had been an ideal skipper, a boss with ability and understanding. HEN A sHoRT TRIP to Pearl, with jim Leslie filling in as Exec. At Pearl our new perma- nent Executive Officer reported aboard--Comdr. Charles Eastman, USN. Comdr. Eastman, born in Winchester, Indiana, 24 August 1914, was grad- uated from St. johns College, Annapolis, Mary- land, in the class of 1934. Entering the Navy, he completed flight training at Pensacola and was assigned to patrol bomber duty in Panama, followed by two years in fighters aboard the old Warp. During this period, on 28 Decem. ber 1940, he married May Shipley of Savage, Maryland. They have one child, Ellen Elizabeth fcalled judyj, now two years old, After lm duty on the Warp, Comdr. Eastman spent two fx.

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Qau- L - l3lfl.-'IJ V Q! iii- The Skipper was on the receiving end in another incident. One of the landlubbers, Remil- lard, was practicing semaphore on our first trip out. An expert, way up forward on the flight deck, was sending messages to him. Remillard's position for this informal drill was directly under the open bridge. He was doing fairly well, but finally his partner sent a word he couldn't read. He signaled for several repeats but still couldn't figure out what was being sent. Finally he heard a voice from the bridge calling out the troublesome word. By this time he was quite fed up with himself and without glancing up he growled: Aw, shut up! Then, and only then, did he look to see who was bothering him. It was Capt. Lee. It was hard to tell who was more surprised and shocked, Remillard or the Skipper. Capt. Lee stood there for a long moment, a puzzled look on his face, then turned to the officer of the deck and said: I guess I got told off. I'll go below and mind my business. And as an afterthought: I'll mind my business from now onf' Then there was the time Capt. Lee decided to test out one of his officers of the deck. One day he quietly instructed the helmsman to give three degrees right rudder and keep it there until the 0.0.D. noticed the error and ordered the neces- sary correction. Well, the ship kept turning and turning until ,f 'X GN 'Y it was on a reciprocal course--and still kept turning. That 0.0.D. received more than a thorough dressing-down. He received a new name that stuck: 180-Degrees. Another time Brosnahan had the boatswain's mate watch on the bridge. He was talking about the gals back home, and Capt. Lee inquired: uSay, Bros, just what is the secret of your suc- cess with the women? Does Macy's tell Gimbel's? was the re- joinder. Then there was the officer's order: Drill holes in those wooden boxes, men, so they'll be sure to sink. And the 0.0.D. who didn't know whether he should grant permission to secure the third engine. And another O.D. who called the bugler to blow tubes. Comdr. Brown was an enthusiastic bridge player. One day, while he was Skipper, he and Kristofak were opposing Comdr. Eastman and Doc Oliver. The Skipper and Kris were trailing by about 1000 points and doing their best to get back in the game. The Boss bid his favorite three no-trump. He and Kris went down five, doubled, and that wasn't good. Did it bother the Skipper? He merely turned to Kris and said: ' Kris, a turn of a card and we'd have made six. Darn the luck. One day early in the game the radarmen were asking their officers what they did before entering the service. Walsh said he was a newspaperman. And a voice from a far corner popped up with, How many papers did you have on your route ? Opal Burch, one of the radar gang, tells one on Bill Lewis. Bill called on Burch to run an errand, but as Burch stood up, his non-regulation white socks were revealed. Lewis said Burch wasn't in proper uniform to do the job, and sent another man. The boys in V-3 decided then and there that if they continued to wear white socks it would mean less work for them. fNeedless to say they didn't get away with itlj A I r u ,ff