Intrepid (CVS 11) - Naval Cruise Book

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in V? ks? 1. Passage Through The locks of Panama Canal was a cfose job 9 Dec 1943. Cn 3 December, wiTh Air Group 8 again embarked, she was ready Tor her Trip To The l3aciTic and The war. IT was noT To be wiThouT mishap. The Trouble occurred on 9 December while INTREPID C98 TeeT wide and 878 TeeT longT was proceeding under her own sTeam, aT seven knoTs, Through a very narrow secTion oT The Panama Canal C300 TeeT wideT known as Gaillard CuT. VViTh The canal piloT aT The conn, The ship was aTTempTing To negoTiaTe a Turn To The leTT. The piloT noTiced ThaT The bow oT The ship was noT responding To The helm quickly enough and was sheering oTT To The righT. l-le anxiously ordered 20 degrees leTT rudder, The porT engine sTopped and The sTarboard engine ahead Qfd. lT was noT enough. Collision was unavoidable and her porT anchor was ordered dropped. The BoaTswain,s lXlaTe in charge oT The anchor deTail was relucTanT To drop The porT anchor as ordered, however, because oT The danger iT posed To a group oT men gaThered around The anchor chain, looking TascinaTedly aT The near verTical wall iusT ahead. He dropped The sTarboard one insTead. lNTlQElDlD grounded Temporarily, and backed oTT under her own power, buT The damage Trom The grounding was considerable. porT oT The garboard sTrake had been ripped oTT, permiTTing a peak- Tank To be Tlooded, and There was a long diagonal wrinkle in The ship's sTrucTure iusT aTT oT The sTem. lfxperTs explained The diTTiculTy oT handling a ship oT such large displacemenT in such a small amounT aT woTer, and how, under These condiTions bank sucTion becomes a reckonable danger. They also poinTed ouT ThaT 2 hours prior To The mishap, a lock aT anoTher poinT in The canal had been opened and ThaT The resulTanT surge could have aTTecTed a ship navigaTing Through Gaillard CuT.CapTain Sprague was conTidenT ThaT The piloT and They oTTicers and men oT llXlTlQEl3lD had done everyThing possible To prevenT The grounding, and ThaT no one on The ship could be held aT Taulr. The board oT inquiry agreed, no one was Tound Technically aT TaulT. The Navv agreed, no TurTher inquiry was held. Temporary repairs, which consisTed of closing The hole wiTh wooden wedges, Tilling comparTmenT A-l-W above The level oT The hole wiTh concreTe and welding a lighT plaTe on The ouTside over The hole, were compleTed in Tour days while in Balboa, buT-iT was esTimaTed ThaT aT leasT ThirTy days in drydock would be required Ta make The ship combaT ready again. QThis was The TirsT oT several Trips which Tinally resulTed in The nickname The Drvdack l T. To keep The TighTing edge in a Tinely honed condiTion, however, The inronsive Training schedule was rr Tivfaihe. 'ffhile INTQTTPID was enrouTe Trom The Qanal Zone To San Francisco, where The dry dock availed her. ones To Toclayls ouTsTanrling saTeTy record aboard The INTRTT PID, iT is rlllifirirlr To imagine hoxx from aporanr T ' f.lenTs usefl To plague her fond The oThor carriers as welll lQarolx.r ri week al -ma v.vnT lm ii. iThauT al le T 9 . x in The loq recording a losl or rlaniager.l aircrall ariul iniurihs or ilrjmillu To The pilwl or T rollwwioir. lly: in.: r xxas- ' T A 'r T ' T T A X aT This Tranf.iT llXliT'fl Tjlll Q, lair raviwilw i-iii: airi rrlTl lwsl,

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X. X -:tg ff N ,sw 2, Fifsf deck faancb CFEJFQ pifofea' by LT EJ.. Ffigbmer I6 Sep 1943 xi I ij' I M, be . , yd 2 1, ff' f , W f' L-rnapofis 79 Sep 7943 Firsf carapaff faurzctb fF6FQ pifofeaf by LT EL, Fflgbfner 26 Sep 1943. IAV The same fume INTFQEPID was Used To aefermme the sfamd- aras of performance for ESSEX Class sbips in Cold waTer, and bayimg Completed ber Task, sbe was back in Norfolk by 30 November.

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