Lunga Point (CVE 94) - Naval Cruise Book

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they marveled at the brilliant colors of the reefs and jungles of Manus, close by. Island life proved pleasant, what with the othcer's Club and the lazy days. The afternoons found pilots and men swimming in the lagoon or paddling rubber boats under the warm Equatorial sun. It was a rest and a welcome one. Two weeks sped past swiftly and then the word came to prepare to embark. Planes were checked, equipment exchanged and replaced, and on I4 December the Squadron returned aboard ready to fight. This time a more am- bitious objective was in store as the pilots learned when they were briefed. South the ship sped to New Guinea, where for two days they helped cover a mock invasion, a prelude to the real thing soon to come. Christmas was spent aboard ship as she lay rocking gently in Seeadler Harbor, Manus. screws of the ship, and ther crew pushed back from whence she had come. Back to the Phil ippincs, but this time there was to be no convoy herding. Instead, VC 85 was to cover the in Nam , f Q-1-V in rr 4 'V' ee -:sys ff WG ff! W f fff ff WQQW .0-A 5' infix.. gg Q K-M WK z The New Year was rung in to the beat of the Top: Avenger bounces high after engaging arresting gear wireg below: Avenger on Hy-away into the sunrise. Midday Tofu Avenger comes in too high and takes a wave-offgfrfcozzrl from lop: Avenger takes cut from L.S.O.3 llzfrdfrom mp: Arresting gear wire brings Avenger to a sudden stopg bollom: With tail hook disengaged from arresting gear wire, Avenger drops wings and taxies forward. E A ,... x 1 w i Y 4 2 Y 1 ll l u 'I la ! f X X Q ffm f vw Q ww: fr f 'sn yayy- . . q 0, 1 1 ,MX M . , iq. X 'g-jf, - .34 wN',X'XXtn - 15,5 va ' mf-5 ., - ji -vgg 4 jff . ,N , N 5 We .tv-.. ,, I .' 1 ' M .. , sq ' -- ' 'sf1.spfe -X,i sa 12.2.4 - w'f.Z ,X SWK .fegfa Q' 2' , ,eff w i '. '51, ' A ,,5ggQi,. 5 ,5 L i 15 sy . 3? 'T 'aff . rl' Qi fe A, . Q X X XsX,,,,..Q,,, 4. mf' MX , . 1 N Xffvg.4XX-ff ,5Q..3..,,w - . Xi: X . 3 as A X .X X Ebhift JffYfX'1 WXSDQ, ' .refs rsggikji Q -N X' XE? 'sci ff X X. X N X SX, fleas.-QQX is X X fl f ' ss as Y X . X WX .1 ' s 1. A Ss- ' f X was X1 g Eel' .f- 1. tX,X as sums 55 1 ' .s 1 X X XX X s . X X X QNX? 1f'sSfYss,b9s,-Q as f:'.1t'f i1'S'5-rg - 1 was.. ,X ff-N X- gs .QNXQ MX QQ.: is X , Q, 2 ,X s:wgsYXsfys,s ss, .uv X. 1 , .X , X XSXQXSXAXXWX 5 :,5.i,:N,:.'g,fsi X N X i f ' -1- ' X . , XSRNNP F- ' ' I I Q4 4 ' ' A Q f ff gi 4, ,, 14, t A ' ' '1.l,,..v ,..4 't Tj.t.Ji..:ij.. .25,j,:.',T,gli5g:t..:1f ...L::4:44,i..:g:11g,g:g.:1::i':'z:,.f.,i . ::1:r- - ':.-:sir:gt::.'1:J:giL::z4' - v ref .- - -i-3 1, ,, We A U A -5 4, , AM 5, ...,, .. . 5. ... . AA- A - ,.,,. .Jgvn U ,, A Mi, ,.Xf A., - AJ.: ,,T,,A,,, M. L.?.-.....Ti:,.T.:.5.T..:......j...............,.... 3 T..i,.., . 4-::i.T..f:n A T.gl.T: ia-.jr ..- ..v-3,6-...L f 5 I ug, ---ggi:-rg. 'Mtv fnmwv

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it t 2 t ,t A .mae-mr, 2.1.2.1-ssszawt 5,...,W.,a. A tween the l'hilippines and the .Xduiiralties lay an hypothetical line. lt was, to be sure. at mere technicality. yet it could not be avoided. lt was the lfquator. Nor were iuinds assuagcd bythe sight olicanyas billies that all Shellbaclts were industriously liashioning. Still. the Squad- ron reasoned, NN'hat price surrenderE ' So they talked it over and evolved a plan ol' action. The basic theine of this operational routine was this: If one nteinber becatne oyerwlielined he had but to yell HEY RUBEN and help would be fortheoining. 'llo further confuse the Shellbaeks two ol' the more slippery pilots filehed King Neptune's beard and crown at the eleventh hour. This put a definite criinp in the scheduled arrival of the Ruler ol' the Deep. and by way of punishment all Pollywogs were made to run around the llight deck until such time as the sacred vestments were returned. It was during' this lXfIarathon that a billy Iell too heavily and the ery ol' HEY R UBRH was heard. It was a signal for organized chaos as an-lI the Squadron broke lree and inade overwhelm- iug gains against weak delenses. VVhile the Scluatlrou was prone to classify this as 3 major upset, the leading Shellbaclis took a dim View and ordered the initiation to proceed in 3 mme uiilitary iuanuer, zelmlz Il flffl. 'illhq hapless ollicers and iueu were led one by one to the hangar deck and there taught their lesson of never trying to rexolt against the Loyal Shell- baclts. l.ilte tlaclarabbits, they pelted down between the double line ol' waiting Shellbaeks only to be urged to greater efliorts en route, Once ou the liantail the Pollywogs were made to pay obeisance to the Royal Court. After losing the greater part of their hair and being duulted. they. too, becanie Shellbaeks, although it scarcely sniaclted ol' being' an honor then. XN'ith the pounding still smgii-ting, the Squad- ron was launched the morning of Q7 November lor landing' at the sinall island of Ponam in the Adiniralty group. As they eireled the tiny bit ol' coral and sand awaiting' their turn to land, wr Awww sn- M X 0 llama, 'ah . 4 ,nw 'lille lli 'ltlf ls ltclt is alwave H lmu l,l,u.1, V , ' t r H1 tit S tt s , t :fl it , Nl, 1 F A sit , g i 'f , 1 t 2, E w e W s 4 t fi li 'L tl ei M s Po H tt 4 fx s 1 A an P 4 3 ,A

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t i t t i i t il' l t tl lit 1 i t i l 1 . tif lil Hi it: Qi at ,qi ,yi l 1 l tl? tt, Mitt ti i 1 l l , i 1 ix. 'i W, it i , t ul tiff ...,...-,.. t it tl Aviation mechs tune tip 'HSM on liantgat' deck. vasion of Lingayen Gull. 'l'hey did it, too, handling the many duties with skill and linesse. They bombed and strafedg they earried ar- tillery observers and spottersg they photo- graphed the enemy far hehind his lines, and ran long searches and snlnnarine patrols. Tired, often with their planes torn with lnillet and shell holes, they returned to their earrier after every hop as if drawn hy a magnet and set the planes down on the heaving deck with sttrprisinttly lbw at c idents. .Xlter twelve days the t'at'i'iei's pulled ont and returned to Ulithi lor l't'sl and rt-pleiiisliiiieiit. 'lihe lazy port routine was pleasant. Morn- ings were spent i't'atliiit,g or writing a letter or two. ln the aliternoons there was always plenty ol. Nllll to liitsli ill tml' ii lliisliet-lJ21ll 01' volley-hall ganie on the hangar deck. At night one eonltl see the pic'ttn'e show. Liberty eznne lrecltteiitly enough to lie snllieient. One day a group ol high ranking Naval and lXlarine otlieers eaine alioard and all pilots were called to the wzndrooin. It was the lirieting session lor Iwo Qjiina. 'llhe visiting ollieers niade it clear that lwo -lima was eX- peeted to lie a tough lnll to eraekg no alter- native was lelit except for a frontal attack. 'l'he lN1ai'ines were lianlting' on the escort car- riers lor air support. 'I'hei'e was silence in the wardrooni t'Xt't'tJl for the erisp tones of the lirieling' ollieers as they sketched the plan of attack and outlined the duties ofthe pilots. 'they all l'elt the weight of responsilnility that eonies when nien's lives are at stake. It was not long after that that the anchor was weighed and the Division oli carriers steamed out of Ulithi for the next show. lwoljiina tnrned ont to he tough. but not too tonggli for the Squadron. For the first time they ran into an enemy that shot hack in force. 'I'he island itself was a hell on earth. covered with smoke and eonstantly torn by exploSiO11S- Oni' plane Qllilffl l'!'lIll IlS one oil ont' tilt, I ts alta-i' etiit'tt-entry lnntlint in the tl ink il - 4 Q ' l , t Q 150 l