Kenneth Whiting (AV 14) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 7 text:

Bay, Hong Kong on the 14th to begin operations. On 28 November the KENNETH WHITING was relieved by the NORTON SOUND and ordered to report at Pearl Harbor. On 22 December 1945 she sailed under the Golden Gate at San Francisco, and home, after a job v ell done. Earning her battle stars for the assault and occu- pation of Okinawa and for operations against Japan, the KENNETH WHITING also received the Navy Occupation Service Medal, Asia. After various peace time assignments, including operations with the support forces for the atomic bomb tests, she was given a deserved rest in the Reserve Fleet from January, 1947 until September, 1951. Rejoining the Pacific Fleet in October of that year the KENNETH WHITING sailed for line duty in the Far East and is still going strong.

Page 6 text:

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE KENNETH WHITING Built to provide long range reconnaissance by means of her attached sea- planes, the USS KENNETH WHITING AV-14 earned two battle stars for sup- porting action at Okinawa and during the final strikes against Japan by Task Force 38. Built at Tacoma, Washington her keel was laid on 19 June 1943 and was launched on 15 December of the same year. Mrs. Kenneth Whiting, widow of the distinguished naval officer, Captain Kenneth Whiting, for whom the ship was named, christened her. The tender was placed in commission on 8 May 1944, with Commander Raymond R. Lyons, aboard as her first skipper. After shake-down trials she departed from the U. S. 21 July 1944, bound for the Western Pacific. Arriving in Saipan on 30 August, her squadron, VPB 102 began search and reconnaissance flights in the Marianas area. During these first few weeks of operations at Saipan severe storms made it necessary for the seaplanes to operate from Tanapag Harbor. There the squadron made use of the former Japanese facilities. And in spite of the danger from hold-out Japanese troops, maintenance personnel continued their work and got the planes back into the air on schedule. The ship transferred her operations to Kossol Passage, Palau, in November 1944, but remained there only for a two-week period, then sailed for Ulithi, and on back to Saipan. Here, while movies were being shown on the seaplane deck during the evening of 1 1 March ' 45, a sudden air raid flashed, two suicide planes had sneaked through undetected. One crashed on the flight deck of the USS RANDOLPH, anchored only 1000 yards away, and the other screamed over the ship to crash into Sorlen Island. On 20 April the KENNETH WHITING, with VPB 20 aboard, got underway for Kerama Retto and participated in one of the largest amphibious operations ever undertaken — the invasion of Okinawa. Remaining at Kerama Retto she soon became a housing center for aircraft survivors. More than 30 men were brought aboard for hospitalization and quarters. At dusk on 21 June two planes staged a surprise attack on the harbor. One struck the CURTISS, while the ot her was shot down a few yards off the KENNETH WHITING ' s port bow by fire from her guns. The explosion caused slight damage, as the plane ' s engine ricocheted into the ship ' s side. Four men were injured, one of whom later died aboard a hospital ship. In October the ship sailed for China duty and she anchored in Kowloon

Page 8 text:

■ 1 REAR ADMIRAL FREDE- RICK N. KIVETTE, former Commander of Formosa Patrol Force, Commander Fleet Air Wing One. Hold- ing this command from July 1954 until 3 August, 1955 Admiral Kivette was relieved by REAR ADMIR- AL GEORGE W. ANDER- SON at Keelung, Formosa. In the space of a life time, an individual lives from day to day, month to month, year to year in three mediums of time: the observable present, the imaginary future and the memorable past. The pres- ent may be the ball game we are watching today, the port we are visiting this week, this one to two years tour of duty at San Diego, Norfolk, or aboard the Kenneth Whiting. In youth, one ' s life is ahead and one ' s mind and thoughts are most likely to dwell in the future. As we grow older we live less in the future and more in the past. This book is the record of a great adventure for those of us who cruised in the Kenneth Whiting dur- ing the period of the chronicle. The names of far- away mysterious places — Hong Kong, Kao Hsiung, Manila, Taiwan, Boko Ko, Okinawa, Keelung, Buck- ner Bay, the Pescadores — many of which we could not pronounce yesterday, are part and parcel of our every day yarns today and, but for this book, would be lost to failing memories tomorrow. As the years pass, this journal will grow in im- portance to those of us who participated in the trav- els and adventures it recalls. It will restore old lustre and detail to the fading memories of the past. In years to come the narratives it will serve to embel- lish will hold wide-eyed and spellbound our chil- dren of the future, though they may bring smiles to the lips of our Kenneth Whiting shipmates of the past. s F. N. KIVETTE Rear Admiral, U. S. Navy