Intrepid (CVS 11) - Naval Cruise Book

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CAPT Sprague aT commissioning ceremonies. Asst Sec. NAV ArTemis L. Gafes in dark suit CDR Gaines ffl. la Aug -l-he final deTails were compleTed by The lXl.lXl.S.SAD.U. Co., and four monThs laTer, on lo AugusT WAS, liSiT?f3lS was up To Navy sTandards and ready for commissioning. Capfain Thomas Lamson Sprague, fnoiff Vice-Admiral, re- Tiredl assumed command. l'laving waTched The air arm of The Navy grow from infancy while aboard earlier carrie. s, and having served as superinTendenT of aviaTion Training aT Pensacola, iT was wiTh a greaT deal of knowledge, background and pride ThaT Capfain Sprague Took The conn of one of The newesT and biggesT carriers as she ,'.' as i Tw 4' abouT To commence warTime operaTions. Speaking To The crew afTer The commissioning ceremony The new skipper said: EnTrusTed To us Today is a fine ship. She has been honesTly and skillfully builT. lT is now up To us. There is much work ahead and There are many problems To solve before lhl-l'REl3lD will be ready. WiTh your coopercTEon, loyalTy, and aTTenTion To duTy, we will geT on wiTh ThaT iobf' CapTain Sprague knew ThaT he had noT only Taken command of a ship, buT also of a TradiTion, and wenT on To explain To The crew ThaT ...only in The cool cocrage and fearless bravery of The presenT crew, will The spiriT of The heroic and undaunTed crews of The pasT five :- gain. The waTch having been seT by The ExecuTive Officer, Commander Richard Kenna Gaines, The USS lN'fREPlf, CCV-l ll, ioined The Unifed STaTes l:leeT. T'2T T': if , T sw--as '5YlR rr T T , 16 .Ollly iii llii: ii ' .win Lmtxufx .T hw A T Q,

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la ...wgxwy CAPTAIN THOMAS L. SPRAGUE Thomas Lamson Sprague was born in Lima, Ohio, on OcTober 2, 1894. He was appoinied To The U.S. Naval Academy in 19111. GraduaTed and commissioned Ensign wiTh The Class oT 1918, he subsequenTly advanced To The rank of Vice Admiral, To dare Trom AugusT 15, 19119. He was Transicerred To The ReTired LisT aT The U.S. Navy on April 1, 1952, and advanced To The rank oT Admiral on The basis oT CombaT Awards. A His TirsT duTy was aboard The USS CLEVELAND. ln April 1918 he reporTed Tor duTy aT SixTh Naval DisTricT headquarTers aT Char1esTon, S.C. He was derached in July oT ThaT year To assisT in TiTTing ouT The USS MONTGOMERY aT The NewporT News Ship- building and Dry Dock Company, NewporT News, Virginia, and was Engineer oTiThaT desiroyer Trom her commissioning, July 26, 1918, unTil January 1, 1920, when he became her Commanding Oiificer. A DeTached from The MONTGOMERY in November 1920, he re- porTed To The Naval Air STaTion, Rensacola, Florida, Tor TlighT Training, and was designaTed Naval AviaTor on AugusT 11, 1921. Serving brieTly aT The Naval Air STaTion, AnacosTia, D.C., he re- porTed in November, ThaT year, Tor duTy on The sTaTT oT Commander AircraTT, Racific l:leeT 1laTer redesignaTed Commander AircraTT Squadrons, BaTTle Eorcei. ln 1922 he was assigned To AircraTT Squadron SROT 41 TaTTached To The aircraTT Tender AROOSTOOK, airplane Tender1, which laTer became ObservaTion Squadron 2 be- Tore his deTachmenT in June 1923. For Three years he had duTy aT The Naval Air STaTion, Rensaf cola, and in July 1926 reporTed To AircraTT Squadrons, 8aTTle 1:leeT, serving wiTh ObservaTion Squadron ONE, based on The aircraTT carrier LANGLEY, and laTer wiTh The aviaTion uniT oT The USS MARYLAND. DeTached Trom The laTTer in July 1928, he had a Three year Tour oi duTy aT The Naval Air STaTion, San Diego CaliTornia. ln July 1931 he assumed command oT Scouring Squad-1 ron 6, and while so serving had addiTional duTy as Aide To Com- mander Cruiser Division THREE, The USS CONCORD, Tlagship. ln June 1932 he was Transierred To command oi Scouiing Squadron 10, ariached To Cruiser Division EIVE, wiTh additional duTy ns Commander oi The Cruiser Wing of The Cruiser Coinrnand, l1.S. EleeT, and an The sTaTT ol Commander Cruisers, l,1.S. Fleer, I 'X A r' , T - lJiiTy as DIJDGT inTondenT aT The Aer'oriaiiTiigai lnrigiiie lsaiiioiiiilurv, v, , - Y ' ' i - , 'j 1 , I llU'fUl A-lrfrflii' l11f'Tlor'y, 131'lI1C14,l'.?l1'J1i1fi, 1 nnmylvnriin, pi'-riciailorl a .lT1'if1rr,: wif, ri qrfffii 'lf-fir of ff The ship and her Crew bor! ir, The Tasr carrier Task lorcfs, oi f'f C1 become a parT. As early as 1930 LieuTenar:T Corfffari-s T ff, iwho was To become Chiei oi lla ffl Orff' fi 1 advocaTed a TleeT Torrnaiion Thar arirbfsaref' ' 'fxf e Task Torce oT World War ll, ln 1939 lfAD5f' , ' T 'Mi , Carrier Division ll, The Then i'T6T!!YCJp1ZTrJi'1i'1l5 TERHT' 'fn ioined VADM ErnesT J. liingls Carrier D 1 ,T f- A J A and LEXINGTON, To experirnenT fflihl soon 'G f 4 , C 3 ,, J +,,-f- ff-4 .,-f +,, Y, These new and powerTul ships in Tne nee f e- e ,,, - Tleships Tor The posiTion aT capiTal ship, if We C'2'e'e ze-- Tled The baTTleship-carrier dispuien, as ir was ci ei - TirsT day oT The war. The carrier became The cas 'C sr ically, Through The sinking, by carrier-bases Jsssfese 2 'Q oi several U.S. baTTleships. lT was noff up To fl e cc '-rf Their recenTly acquired permanenT escorrs, To eifne 'ic TasT carrier warTare, prove Their worrh, and cords? 're sc' lndicarive oT The 'tnewnessu oT The TasT carre is em: offer' in The TleeT Too, was The TacT ThaT There had rweyer see' efcsg' planes or piloTs in The pre-war years, To de-fe'ss C sns'e 33' The roTaTion oT carrier air groups, a sysTen which f:'e etc e: The carriers To operaTe almosT conTinually. Tnis as c e -'Q noT so obvious obsTacles To overcome. year1s1duTy,1as.AirOTTicer oi The USS SARATOGA, and second year qs N,avfigaTor1oT The USS LANGLEY. ln June 1937 he re- Turned ToThe7Naval Air STaTion, Rensacola, where he served Tor Threeiyears as SuperinTendenT of AviaTion Training. He was a- gainordered To sea, and from June 19110 unTil Juiy 1911? served as ExecuTive sOTTicer oT The USS RANGER. He assisTed in The conversion of The USS ROCOMOKE, and was commanding Thaf vessel aT The ouTbrea14 oT World War ll. , He ne-XT TiTTed ouT and placed in commission The USS CHARG- ER, ggqjgnd QSCQF1' Cgrrier TQ be COmmlSS101'iSCl OFT i1r1CVC1'T 3, He commanded The CHARGER unTil December 19412, Then served successively as Chief of STaTT and Aide To Commander EleeT Air, OuonseT, aT OuonseT RoinT, Rhode island, and To Commander Air Force, ATlanTic 1:leeT. ATTer TiTTing ouT lNTRERlD aT The NewporT News Shipbuildfng and Dry Doclq Company, he commanded ThaT aircraTT carrier Tram her commissioning, AugusT 16, 19:13, unTil March 194141. ReTurning To The Uniied STaTes in March 19411, he had briei duTy as Commander l:leeT Air, Alameda 1CaliTornia1, and in July assumed command oi Carrier Division 22, Thar division, undef his command, Toolq parT in The capTure oi Saipan and Guam in The Marianas and oi MoroTai in The New Guinea Campaign. When deTached Trom command oT Carrier Division 11, he as sumed command oi Carrier DivisionS and Taslx Group 38.1, engaged in TasT carrier pre-invasion opermions againsT The Jar. anese homeland unril The enemyds capirularion in Augusi 19-15. ATTer his reTurn To The UniTed STaTes he reporTed on ..1a:w,rTw 10, 1946, as Depuiy Chiei oi Naval Rersonnel, Tdureas oi Nora Rersonnel, Navy Deparrmeni, liliasloiingron, D.C. On February .11 19417, he became Chiai oT The Roseau oT Naxal Person'-A served in ThaT riapaciiy unTil Sepioinhei 19:19, and if: Ofih surned COi11I1lLi11Cl aT Air Force, Racilris Eileen isle nas sigriorl addiTional duly as Coniinancloi Tigris? Task 1:19a 11C3Uk,li'lLlCii'lE?iS ai San Diego, Caliiornia. 110 ii s fdiexsd active iliiiv, anil li'Lll'lb1lU1ii i.'il 1 To The Rniizolgl L Tri Apr T 1 1