Lunga Point (CVE 94) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 56 text:

with the number of such crashes customarily expected. Likewise, our Flight Deck Crews were already operating like veterans as they re-spotted the deck in record time, while our V-2 Division on the hangar deck was nursing', our planes so well that we were destined to have a plane availability of not less than 99.2 per cent at any time during our first year, whether in actual combat or just routine operations. In short, we felt ready. Finally, after a comfortable and uneventful cruise, on 'CWednesday, 1 November 1944: o4-o8 Steaming as before. o43o Sighted land on horizon. O457 Ceased zig-zagging. Re- surned base course 245011. o5oo Sounded Gen- eral Quarters. o525 Made preparations to enter Eniwetok Atoll. 0551 U.S.S. Yorktown passed on opposite course to port, 2500 yards. O556 Stationed all special sea details. 0701 Secured from. General Quarters. o732 axe Berth K-9, with no fathoms of ehain out to port anehor at water's edge in 27 fathoms of water stopped. o7j54 s e haek 2 rtjg. Anehored in ' ! in liniwetok Atoll, Marshall lslands. 075i Seeured speeiztl sea details. Set regular Sea watches. Since we were to he there only one day very few got on the heaehg however, it was an in- teresting stop, since it was our first call on a small Pacific atoll, and we did enjoy the View from the forecastle and fantail. Eniwetok, too, had been torn and burned by the ravages of war, resulting from our having taken the island a few months before, but, from the ship, it presented a rather pretty and typical picture of a small Pacific isle. The entire length of the island was only about two miles and it averaged about a half mile in width. Its highest point of elevation was probably not more than ten feet above sea level, but it was pretty, with its remaining palms swinging gently in the warm E l t 1 Eniwetok as seen from our ship.

Page 55 text:

I,.EY'l'li C U I .F Layte Gulf uvlx ht'f.ffl'.S'f nfu'rf1l1'ur1, In herjighifar our gym! nalmn, With her Squadron, triwl mul haue, Flying awrni, over the blur. There she proved IIFIINt'ff1fllU-IQIAIIIY'11, Tkoumndx of fllliltkl' .vhfffl .w11'le'rl llllIlffUIl'll. Shortly after getting underway from Pearl Harbor we acquired a strange new word for our Vocabulary--- Eniwetokf' because we were told that we were en route there. After fran- tic scanning of large scale charts we found a pin point atoll in the Nlarshall Islands bearing that name. It was not thc last island or atoll we were to visit bearing an unfamiliar name, though. In fact, we have visited so many places perfectly strange and unfamiliar to us that we have long since lost confidence in our old brown 'fGeography of the Worldf' Now that we were on the outskirts of the combat zone our duties became heavier and the everyday routine was accomplished in a more serious and determined manner. Frivolity was on the wane, and seriousness of purpose was the order of the day. Everyone went about his duties in a grim sort of manner, know- ing that we might contact enemy undersea craft at any moment, and that we would soon be within striking range of enemy aircraft. Lookouts were constantly alerted and the Captain spent more and more time on the bridge, because he wanted to be there ready for any emergency. At this point, however, our training had reached such a degree that all hands had been more or less permanently settled in the job where they could serve best. The Captain had selected O0D,s in whom he had sufiicient confidence to turn over the bridge to a good part of the time. The Chief Engi- neer had whipped the Black Gang into a smooth operating organization, and the Gun- HCFY Officer seemed content with his gun batteries. In fact, we had practically finished our indoctrination, and were eager to get into combat to see the actual results of our long period of training, which had, quite frankly, reached the point of monotony at times, par- ticularly, as we on the guns stood out in the broiling hot sun at gunnery exercises, hour after hour, preparing ourselves to repel any- PA R' 1' II thing the ,laps might throw at us. Our Air Uflieer had built up a most efficient Air De- partment, and we could already see that we Welt' going to have a record in air operations seeond to none. Yes, our indoctrination pe- riod was virtually over, although we did con- tinue to have classes in aircraft identification, and they continue to this day, so that we can keep up with the latest models of enemy planes. lt was, therefore, with a feeling of mutual con- fidence existing between the Skipper and the entire Ship's Company that we sailed into the West, determined to do our utmost to bring glory to our Country, to the Lunga Point, and to VC 85. Our Squadron had long since sold them- selves to the Ship's Company, and, from here on out, VC 85 and CVE 94 were one and the same. We couldn't have desired a finer and better qualified group in any Squadron than we found in VC 85. The sole and primary purpose of an aircraft carrier being to serve its Squadron, we feel that, with pardonable pride, we can safely say that we had already achieved our purpose in that respect. The spirit of co- operation existing between our Squadron and the Ship's Company was certain indication of the joint success we were to achieve in action in the months to come. The only sign of friction ever existing between the Squadron and the Shipls Company resulted from the fact that the Squadron had better ffcard playersw than we had. Even so, it was all forgotten before breakfast the next morning, and plans were again being made for that eveningss wrec- reationf' Later on, even this friction was to be alleviated by the Execjs clamping down on HTen 0lClock Lightsfl Already, our planes had taken to the air, and were doing an admirable job in providing us LCAP fLocal Combat Air Patrolj, and LASP fLocal Anti-Submarine Patroll coverage, and to say that our planes overhead gave us a corn- fortable feeling is putting it mildly. Enough of our planes had already been launched and recovered by us to convince us that our pilots were able to handle any mission assigned them. We had also seen them operate enough to know that our LSO, Lt. fjgl Hatcher, and his As- sistant, Lt. Cjgj Whitehouse, were to be large- ly responsible for the very small number of flight deck crashes on our ship as compared

Page 57 text:

And., now that we had seen 9 November 1944: as before. og34 Lit oll' No. 2 4 boilers. 0945 Station:-d all special Made all preparations for getting 1041 Underway from Plertli K-tg, Marshall Islands, on various courses peels conforming to channel. Captain cowl. Executive Ollieer and Navigator the bridge. 1053 Secured all special sea Set Condition of I-leacliness lll. 1059 reduced to mile due to rain squall. cfs to IQ knots. tyc to 1l5O'l' and p.g.c., I' p.s.c. , This was to be a hshort hop, because on wSunday, 5 November 1944: I2-16 Steaming as before. 1234 Sighted land bearing 256oT and 253O'l', distance I5 miles. 1433 Entered swept channel entrance to an- chorage, Ulithi Atoll. 1533 Anchored in Northern anchorage, Ulithi Atoll, Western Caroline Islands, Berth 153, on the following bearings: Beacon NN 322o'I', Temporary Bea- con 336.5oT, Tower on Mangejang Island a57.5 T, left tangent Lolang Island o83.5O'l'.'i Although we were at Ulithi Atoll live days on this stop, only a chosen few were privileged to get ashore due to the shortage of boats to transport liberty parties to and from the many ships present. lt seems that a grave emergency existed in the Captains Cabin, because Port- holefi the Skipperls cat, was in dire need of a fresh supply of sand. Consequently, Boat- swain Luck was given orders to do the needful, and he did. He took, in addition to himself, one BMIC, two BMQC, three Coxswains, four Src and Five Sac, and the Athletic Officer, Lt. DeAngelis fto provide the fishing gearl, not to mention the No. 2 Motcar Whale Boat and its WSW of three, and the 'fBos'n's Gig, to get EBM bag of sand. They were gone all day on M recreation partyi' to Lolang Island, Qooo our starboard beam, and we happened on the foreeastle when they returned that with the Gig just loaded down kinds of coral, sea shells and other sou- witirely obscuring from view thc one bag Mr the Captain's cat. Looking up to- me aviation boom on the flight deck we me Portholeis head looking down at that one bag of sand, with a forlorn expression on INT Iliff-3 HS If to say, It doesnlt look like they got enough to last until we hit port again, bc. cause the Captain has told me where we'rc goingf' As soon as our forces took Ulithi Atoll the natives were all moved to the island of Fassari and some of us on the morning watch had 3 rather interesting experience one morning. We were anchored only about 2000 yards off lfassari, and, with our binoculars, we could get a very good view of the scattered native huts. 9 just as the sun was rising we had our glasses trained on a fairly large hut, and, as we watched closely, wc could see the matted grass curtains pushed aside by a lazy arm, and, there, right before our eyes, was the Fassari counter- part of Dorothy Lamour, stretching and yawn- ing, and, apparently, hating to leave her palm leaf mat just as much as a Park Avenue Debu- tantc hates to leave the percale sheets of her Simmons Beauty Rest mattress. But, being a Ulithi ufrauf, she had her chores to dog so, finally, she got up and made a dash for the surf, splashing water all over her face and body to thoroughly awaken herself. Having com- pleted her toilet, she returned to the hut to awaken HPop.H With no little effort, he finally got up, and, with spear in hand, walked down to the inlet about 200 yards from their place. After several dives into the breakers made by the coral reefs, he walked triumphantly back to the hut with their breakfast, which appeared to be two very nice fish. You could see them building a lirc and cooking, and, soon, we saw no more of them until about sunset when we happened to be on the Hight deck. They came sailing by in their over-sized outrigger canoe, with ffDorothyi' doing most of the work in sailing the craft, and 4'Pop', and the kids lolling in the waning sun. Somehow, there was much to be envied in their way of life. We couldn't help recall the Presidential election taking place in the States the following Tuesday and all the sorrow and disappointment that would accom- pany it, regardless of who won. Such trivial', matters never bothered Dorothyi' and her 'fOld Man',g politics was something they couldn't even read about. Then, we thought of income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, franchise taxes, capital stock taxes, excess prof- its taxes, tax surcharges, poll taxes, cigarette taxes, gasoline taxes, business licenses, auto- mobile licenses, amortizing the mortgage, life insurance premiums and the many other