Lunga Point (CVE 94) - Naval Cruise Book

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l , i is 's i 'z 'e I 4 5: xl 1 If -i 'f r, ,K ll li I I H t I I Lt. Cjgj Ramey has his steak and cake for splashing Jap plane. Ramey shot down a Zeke,w the Hrst enemy plane shot down by our squadron. There was much celebration, because our squadron had proven thereby that they could dish it out. Consequently, that night in the Wardroom, Lt. Cjgj Ramey had the tradional steak and cake for dinner, while the rest of us had our usual Wardroom meal. And another Jap flag was painted on our bridge. This was destined to be a big day in the life of the Lunga Point and her Squadron, because A FIRST JAP SHIP H12-I6 Steaming as before. 1445 Received orders from OTC to arm four VT's with tor- pedoes. 1527 Four VT's ready to fly with torpedoes, and four FM2's with rockets, to intercept reported Japanese destroyersf' Twoenemy destroyers had been sighted just off Luzon about 20 miles away, and our planes, in company with planes from two or three other Squadrons, went in for the attack. The net result was that, with our rockets and tor- pedoes hitting their target, two Nipponese des- troyers reported to their Honorable An- cestors, and a Jap ship is now among the decorations on our bridge. All of our planes returned safely to the ship. That same afternoon, our Task Force was subjected to a rather heavy enemy air attack, and, while a number of our ships were hit, there was no great damage done any of them and their casualties were small. While we aircraft came within range of our guns, al- though we could see the other ships ln our l ask F orcc repelling the attack Although we were attacked a number of times and had many a Snooper coming in to get a look at us, we arrived off Lingayen Gulf on the appointed day, and our planes immedi ately began their bombing and strafing runs on enemy shore installations, while our Battle Wagons,,' cruisers and destroyers stood off- shore right in Lingayen Gulf, giving the enemy beaches a withering gunfire day and night were at General Quarters this time no enemy CC 33 ' S S 5 . W, wah- 'T i N, ,J Y 5 ' K, X Ith- 1 f 1::'::T? v 'V K- , -1- -- g 3 v'.','il 'ii If 5 ww:-.----,-M, , -U . 5 J!! e'7'l'T'AT?fffii .-'f Eff: ,J-filmms T , li? N 5,f'iLg --L roi , S , K .4 . , , - , 2 'J i ' ',: I I l l '25 ' '-pq r T ...-f ,. -.6 F 2 'S , v ,,- A A y. N - ' , 9' wi, . ,' , .ffi ' -'55, , ,Q as-fi ff- '4 ' A .-ASQ- 'L ' -' ' -:1 'W' -5' without let-up, literally pulverizing enemy installations, paving the way for our troops to establish their beach head. CCS!! On CCS Day, 9 January 1945, it was a Lunga Point plane, flying high above the Linga- 1 Direct hit on fuel dump at Aropong, near Baguio, Luzon, S --L

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2 and Crashing about 73 yards AlSlt'l'l1 of the ship. Ship's p11sition liglo 1118 li 11 jg-2.3 N. 1721 eye to ogool and p.g,e., ltlliu p.s.1'. 1111 l'Illt'I'.. geney turn. 1725 St't'Ulltl raid lK'ilI'lllQ 2j511O'l', I-735 U.S.S. 0111111111117 H111' tC1X'l'l 7115, l1t'ill'lllg' 160011, range 111 llllll'S, which was hit, aI1a11- doned ship: destroyers picking 11p Slll'X'lX'Ul'S.H VVe were cruising along, llllllillllg' 11ur 11w11 business, just west of llilllily Island and just south of Mindoro lsland when we went t11 Cien- eral Qluarters. l'll'tJIll the l.og, one 1-1111 easily see that we had hardly lllillllltfl 11ur guns when that Kamikaze came at us. He peeled oll' at about 6000 feet and made his dive from dead ahead. We could hardly see llllfl as he peeled off, but as he came nearer a11d nearer at sueh terrific speed, his plane grew rapidly in size u11- til it looked like a multi-motored transport. Fortunately, however, our forward QLIHS hit him fatally and at 1716 he was a dead duck, having crashed with a tremendous explosion just astern of us. There was no damage to the ship, however, one otlicer and one enlisted man were f'nicked by flying shrapnel from the ex- ploding plane. Chalk up one Jap flag on our bridge! Our first, but by no means our last. There were Jap planes all around, and we, naturally, remained at General Qluarters, al- though no more got through to us, thanks to our Combat Air Patrol and the lesson we had already taught the one that did get through. At 1735, one of our Sister ships, the U.S.S. Ommaney Bay QCVE 795, was hit by a Kami- kaze, necessitating abandoning ship, but with comparatively few casualties. She was later sunk by torpedoes from our own destroyers. Finally, tired from so long at our Battle Stations, we secured from General Quarters at 1902. We had had our first real test, not just a test of the gun batteries and those on the bridge, but a test ofthe nerve, ability and fight- ing spirit of every single man in the Lzmga Point, and we had come through with flying colors. Yes, we had had our first taste of ac- tual combat with the enemy and we had met the test deliberately and with the determination that was to sustain us and bring us successfully through every engagement confronting us in the future. Our long period of intensive train- ing had produced the desired results, and it was a proud and happy Skipper that addressed the men of the Lunga ljfllifll over the general a11- nouncing system that night. Wfhile the Clap- tain told us of his gratitude to all hands, he also gi J ...-s 'l'11f1.' First Jap plane we splashed exploded just astern of us in Sulu Sea: before: OIIIIIIIIIZIZQ' B111 burning following Kamikaze hit. .lI11k1'11 Ixlmzfz' right center. warned us that we had to continue at the peak from there on out, because that was just the beginning of our contacts with the enemy, and that we must be prepared for anything, any- time. SQU.-xDR0N,s FIRST JAP FLAG HFriday, 5january 1945: 08-12 Steaming as before. 0817 Dog fight re- ported bearing 0230511 Q7 miles. 0818 lN1anned all gun stations. 0820 General Quarters sounded. 0824 One enemy plane shot down by our CAPM Although our Squadron had done an ex- eellent job of flying Combat Air Patrol and Anti-submarine Patrol over our Task Force, they had not, up to now, been able to get in close contact with the enemy. 011 this partie- ular day, however, o11r CAP Tally H0'd en- emy aireraft about 27 miles away, and Lt. ' '-mare fef- A-

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yen bggch, that radioed the signal for our Mt-n 9' War to lift their gunfire inland, and at ex- actly 0930 the first wave of troops hit tht- bt'zu'h followfd at perioflit' iittervnls by other waves. Our forces of surface craft and plant-s had nn- doubtedly left the eneniy clam-tl by their so heavily conCentl'aitecl attack, bt't':iiist', nnieh to our surprise, the actual landings wt-re niade with practically no i'esistant't-, and, const'- quently, with hardly any castialties. VVt- were, therefore, able to put ashore literally thousands of troops, vehicles and other tnaterial that lirst day, and OLII' troops aclvancetl on S Day to the point that they had hoped to reaeli on S plus three. In any event, the hardest part of the Battle of Luzon had been won. On SS plus two, I 1 january, we were par- ticularly pleasecl to receive from Admiral Durgin the following dispatch: V 'CI AM MORE THAN PLEASED WITH THE WAY OUR SHARE OF THIS SHOW IS BEING ACCOMPLISHED X WE UN- DERSTAND THE REASONS FOR MOST OF YOUR DIFFICULTIES AND ARE TRYING TO CORRECT THEM X YOUR LOCAL COOPERATION HAS EASED THE PAIN OF MANY HEADACHES X SHIP HANDLING IS GOOD X OUR LIT- TLE FRIENDS HAVE RESCUED EVERY PILOT AND ARE TURNING IN THEIR USUAL TOP FLIGHT PERFORMANCE X OUR AVIATORS ARE EXECUTING THEIR MISSIONS LIKE VETERANS AND ARE MAKING THEIR PRESENCE Assault echelon en route to Lingayen l'eaclit-s on SS Day. ricixi' AT 'rnia 'rA1toIf3'r X FLIGHT AND IIANGAR ntaczk cziuaws ARE nomo A wonniaiufui, ,lolz X IQLVEKYONE HAS vi rcznicn nvro A D11+'FieUL'r TASK wi rn Sl'I,l'1NDID SPIRIT X WELL DONE X77 l,t. fjgj ciII,KI'1Y 'LAKES A 'TRIP We hung around for some time after USU Day, with our planes continuing to cover our troops as they advanced South toward Manila, and they did a bang-up job of it, too. We were fortunate, however, in losing only one torpedo bomber in the entire operation, but thereon hangs a long storyg too long for Lt. fjgj Arthur W. Gilkey of Front Royal, Va. and his two air crewmen. CHis story will be found at the baek of the book.j Lt. tjgj REILLY CRACKS THE WHIP Like all other aircraft carriers, we occasion- ally have a barrier crash on the flight deck with usually nothing more than superficial damage to the plane,s propellor or engine cowling. On l7J21f1U21I'y, however, we had a barrier crash that is undoubtedly unique in the annals of Naval aviation. Lt. Cjgj R. C. Reilly was bringing his torpedo bomber in for a landing. The China Sea was rough that day, and the Lzmga Point was pitching and rolling to beat the band. Lt. Reillyas approach was satisfactory and the LSO CLanding Signal Ofhcerj gave him a 'ccutf' Apparently, he held off too long, and, as he flewjust a few feet Lingayen Gnlfbeaehhead on SS Day, 30 minutes after H hour. Air strip in centerg Alligators in foreground.