Lunga Point (CVE 94) - Naval Cruise Book

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nouncing system, telling us where we were go- ing and what we had to do. At the same time, he told us that, comparatively speaking, it would not be a strenuous operation, that all hands had done a good job thus far and needed a rest, and that he hoped we would be able to relax in the new area and get some much needed rest. W ' e arrived in our new operating area on 26 April, with all hands looking forward to that relaxation the Captain had promised us. We had hardly gotten there, though, when the Exec left the Old Man out on the short end of a limb. The Executive Officer is second in command and is well protected by Navy Regu- lations, which go on to say that all orders of the Executive Officer shall be considered as emanating from the Commanding Officer. We had hardly taken station in our relax- ation area when we picked up the Plan-of-the- Day, covering our work for the first day there, and what to our weary and sleepy eyes should appear but the following note: Field Day all day throughout the ship! The words Field Day have a number of meanings. To our pilots, it can be a Grand Slam against enemy aircraft: to some of us, it is a day set aside in Prep School and College for a full day of intra-mural track and field events. But to the men of the Litnga Point, it has a more ominous and dreadful interpretation. It sim- ply means to them that all day throughout the ship they will be scrubbing the decks and bulkheads with soap and water, polishing bright work, chipping paint, sweeping down, painting the decks and bulkheads, scraping the ladders with wire brushes, and otherwise relaxing as they carry on their work under the ugly stares of a Petty Officer, in preparation for the flashlight inspection of the First 1 forecastle while dropping hook at Gu 103

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Jap radi lili-s N ' E of Naha. Okii hy our squadron. , bring boml f i cat naps as he lay exhausted on his flash- proof mattress cover on his buni , with his clothes on, and with one ear cocked for the sound of the General Alarm. Some of us have stood many a topside watch in the heaviest rain one can imagine, for hours at a time, getting drenched from head to foot. Some of us have had just the opposite privilege of stand- ing engine room watches in the almost un- bearable heat. It has been hard on all of us, but no harder on any one man aboard than on any other. But our spirits are not down- hearted, because the hardships we have en- dured have been recognized in so many ways by those under whom we fight. On 14 April, we received a di.spatch from Admiral Spruance, Commander Fifth Fleet, reading as follows: ■FOR THE CONTINUED FINE PER- FORMANCE OF OUR PILOTS AND AIR- CREWS IN 0 ER VHELMING ENEMVS HEAMEST AIR EFFORTS AND FOR FORTITUDE AND EFFECTI ENESS OF OUR SURFACE UNITS PARTIC:ULARL ' ON OUTLYING STATIONS IN COMBAT- IING THE SMALL PERCENTAGE OF ENEMY AIRCRAFT THAT C:OULD GET THROUGH OUR AIR DEFENSE I CAN- NOT EXPRESS TOO HIGHLY MY .AD- MIRATION X THIS WILL NOT BUILD UP THE ENEMYS AIR FORC:E NOR HELP HIS MORALE X And, sfjeaking of recognition of good work, we are all mighty proud of those Departments responsible for fueling at sea — Gunnery, Engi- neering and C. R. — because the results of their training in this particular job were well proven on 1 ) . pril. when we received a dis- |)ai h from Admiral Duri in. following a fueling o|) -rati()n. rcadint; as follows: ■WIl.M Is ■( l R 1LI.LI. (, I ' ROCE- !)L RE I 11. VI . 1. KES n POSSIBLE FOR YOU K) ilNISH SO olickly: We were further •energized on the same date when we received a pat on the back by being specifically mentioned in Admiral Blandy ' s dispatch reading as follows: WE C:ANNO ' r TELL YOU HOW HI(;HIA ' WE REGARD IHE PERICJR.MANCE OF THE C ES .AND THEIR PILOIS IN THIS AS WELL AS PREVIOUS OPER.ATIONS X YOU NOT ONLY DO YOUR USUAL DIFFIClULl SUPPORT TASKS WITH- OUT C:OMPLAINT BUT ALSO TAKE ON IMPORIANI OFFENSIVE MISSIONS WITH EAGERNESS AND SUCC:ESS X WELL DONE X Then, on 22 April, we received the following dispatch from Headquarters 77th Infantry Division: ' THE AIR C:0 ER FURNLSHED THE 77TH DIXISION IN THE KERAMA RET- TO OPERATION 2b MARCH TO 31 MARCH 1945 INC:LUSI E WAS SUC:H THAT NOt A MEMBER OF THE DI I- SION WAS LO.ST OR INJURED BY EN- EMY AIR ACTION X THE AIR SUPPORT FURNISHED ON L.ANDING BEACHES .ANT) UPON SUBSEQUENTLY LIMITED TARGETS IN THE ISLAND WAS OUT- STANDING BOTH IN P ROMPTNESS .AND EFFECTI ' ENESS OF MISSIONS C:ONDUCTED X SUC:H SPLENT)ID CO- OPERATION BETWEEN ARMS C:.AN ON- LY RESULT IN FURTHERING THE C:OMPLETE DESTRUCTION OF THE ENEMY RAPIDLY .ANT) WITH MINI MUM LOSS TO OUR OWN FORCES X ' When the end of the Okinawa operations was in sight, the powers that be undoubtedly knew that we were tired and needed a change of scenery, so they sent us off on a special mis- sion where we would be less likely to encounter any Jap aircraft. The night before we took departure from the operating area off Okinawa the Captain talked to us over the general an- 102

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Top: Just before flooding the dry-d dock. bfloif: In dry- lop: Enterine di Lieutenant. The Skipper had told us to relax; so that night, all hands turned in their bunks, relaxed from utter exhaustion. And, though we had soon been in the relaxation area for some days, the Field Day went on and on. Little wonder we were all anxious to get orders to a port where we could really relax, and those orders couldn ' t be coming through too soon for us, because it had been rumored that we would soon be getting underway for our first visit to Guam Nhere we would probably be for ten days or two weeks. Victory L Europe Sure enough, we got those orders on 6 May, and immediately got underway from our op- erating area. Nothing of importance occurred en route to port until we got word of the uncon- ditional surrender of Germany. While we had been more or less expecting Germany ' s com- plete collapse momentarily, it was with a great deal of pleasure and .satisfaction that we re- ceived word that Germany had ollicially gone down in ignominious defeat. Aside from the satisfaction derived from any Allied victory, we knew that Germany ' s surrender meant a quicker termination of the War in the Pacific. We knew that increasing help would soon be coming our way, and that we would all soon be celebrating a real -ictory — a victor - and un- conditional surrender over the most despicable race that ever walked on the face of the earth. With that certain knowledge to console us for all we had been through, we turned again to the business at hand, and on ' Friday, ii May 1945: 12-16 Steaming as before. 1205 passed Orote Point and Buoy No. i abeam to starboard. 1207 All engines stopped. 1208 Pa.ssed Buoy No. 2 abeam to starboard. 12 13 Pa.ssed through anti-submarine nets. 1 2 1 5 Starboard 104