Lunga Point (CVE 94) - Naval Cruise Book

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sfinnally, it is driven home to us that we have ng pay a price for our achievements, and on i March we paid a big price in the loss of three of our shipmates. Lt. tjgll Delbert M. Cerlach and two air crewmen, Randall W. Brooks, ARMIC, and Kenneth P. Josias, AMM2c, were flying over Iwo Jima, observing Marine artillery fire, when they were shot down by enemy anti-aircraft fire. Lt. Cjgj Cerlach and Brooks were buried in the 3rd Marine Ceme- tary on Iwo Jima on 5 March, and Josias was buried in the same Cemctary on 6 March, all with full Military Honors. Then, the very next day, we had the mis- fortune of losing by death our first and only shipmate from the shipls company during These were Jap planes on Iwo Jima, Mt. Suribachi in background. our first year in commission. On that par- ticular afternoon, Friday, 2 March, Paul Mat- thew Hunt, Sic, came up a ladder from the catwalk to the flight deck and, apparently, had not noticed that they were warming up the engines on several torpedo bombers. He ducked under the wing of one of the Avengers and walked alongside the fuselage to cross the flight deck, walking right into a whirling pro- pellor. He, of course, was killed instantly, never knowing what had hit him. We buried him just before sunset that afternoon with full Military Honors, with eight of his buddies acting as pallbearers. The Marines having the situation well in hand on Iwo Jima, and having completed our mission in the operations, we again turned south with the satisfaction of a job well done, and looked forward with much pleasure to getting on the beach again for a change. HSunday, II March 1945: iii-Qo Steaming as before. 1602 Anchored in Berth 150, Ulithi Atoll, Western Caroline lslandsf' We again found ourselves at Ulithi, but this time it was destined to be a pleasanter though shorter stay than the last. In the Hrst place, we were fortunate enough to get a berth in the northern anchorage, not too far from Mog Mog where there were very good recreational facilities. In addition to this, we had a little better boat service than during our last visit. While our visit to Ulithi this time, on the whole, was pleasant, it didn't start off so pleas- antly. In fact, our welcome was anything but a cordial one, because we went to General Quarters three times during the first twenty- four hours, and itis no fun going to General Quarters either in the dark or at anchor, and we had a combination of both, just sitting there like a bunch of decoys. Things Hnally quieted down, though, and by the end of our first day there we settled down to our normal routine, and looked forward to a little rest after the trying Iwo Jima operation. Consequently, after getting fuel, supplies and other gear aboard, all hands were more than ready for a little rest and recreation. We all enjoyed several visits to Mog Mog Island, which held one treat for us in particular. Throughout our entire travels in the Pacific we had never seen a native village, but the author- ities at Ulithi, when they moved the natives from Mog Mog, retained their entire village in- tact, and it was used as a recreation area for the officer and enlisted personnel of the Fleet. What must have been the Chiefis hut is now being used as a Club for Flag CH5cers and Captains, and it is a tremendous thatched roof affair and very spacious as compared to tae smaller huts that dot the recreation area. All the huts have one thing in common, and tdatls a southwest exposure, because none of tnem have sides extending nearer than three feet from the ground. Despite the intense eaytime heat, they are, apparently, very com- fortable at night. One thing in particular tfnat impressed us on Mog Mog was the fact tdat there were several burial grounds there, and all of them Christian. They had tombs built of large coral slabs above the ground, and, without exception, they had crosses at their heads but with Japanese characters on them. It was at Ulithi that Lt. Cjgj NAP, Weintraub

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LAND ONLY 660 MILES FROM TOKYO X THEY WILL ALSO BRING SUCCESS WHEN OUR TROOPS LAND IN JAPAN ITSELF COVERED AND SUPPORTED BY THE EVER INCREASING POWER OF OUR AIR FORCES AND THE GUNS OF THE FLEET X TO THOSE BRAVE MEN WHO HAVE BEEN AND ARE IN COM- BAT AND ALSO TO THOSE WHOSE SUP- Destroyed Jap planes and 'fnghtingi' American planes on Iwo Jima. PORT AND ASSISTANCE IN REAR AREAS ARE ESSENTIAL TO THEIR SUC- CESS CWELL DONE, Xi' We feel it only appropriate to say that every man on board was loud in his praise of our Secretary of the Navy, Mr. Forrestal, when we learned that he had been ashore on Iwo Jima V, 1,2 ,,.. ,W ,,,,k ,..r W, Ht W:,,f,,W,,,..,,,,, ,,.. ,,,, .... ..,, ., ' fr ,aff JNHLWW aw ww -W as -wf f W f f . 1 'f,fm- www fi, w -4 4 , ., , i, .inf is f gs, A , .'W'f.:.-s ',4s'N40K 1 4 W .fswfffwg , X. , --aa yy 4 , ' 'af fm ff? f ff' WW , 4 fffaf g-VW! QQXQX4 WG aff X 5 ftwtff Q ff A , ff ,,,ffV'f ,M ,QW pwf 79,4 , VP H- Wfswff -wwf ,I W- , W 1 J f I w V ,af V! We X X xf W , I f 1 , I 7 K Wrecked Jap plane on Iwo Jima airfield. shortly after the first waves of Marines hit the beach in order to see first-hand just what his Departmenti' was up against on that small island. His gesture was unusual to say the least, and it undoubtedly bolstered the morale of those fighting Marines more than we will ever know. It was, therefore, with peculiar pride that we received from Mr. Forrestal, on 25 February, the following dispatch: HALL HANDS ON THE CVE,S ARE TO BE CONGRATULATED ON THE CON- TINUOUS AND PRECISE SUPPORT GIVEN THE GROUND TROOPS BY THE NAVAL AIR ARM DURING THIS OPERATION X American night-fighters on Iwo Jima shortly after DH day. Naturally, we are always proud to receive One of our faithful little escorts. words of praise on our operations, but, occa-

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f'fi'7iLg ' 6 i ri? i 'H , , . .A,. I ' xg n 4 mi. 1 ,A V Y-, il- 'V , Y ,, ., i . - - -- 3--i-----f-e-ww--+ve-'fm 7- s '1- , 3 .sn .,,. ,, ,mf Q., ee, X , HT X ,RJ :W 1 3 f figs ,g ,V 5 Q 'gg as 9' Rv.-1 1 'I if 3- -2 'inn HM ,Q f -my , Q5 if 5 2 i if his aclroitness at aircraft recognition. Lt. Cjgl Miken Owings were f'Sky- lmfkingu on the forecastle, discussing the prob- aability of ajap attack when, all of a sudden, an CSQU from one of our cruisers came flying overhead. Immediately, Lt. Qjgj Weintraub yelled, Jap Zeke with floats. Aside from recreation, and even more im- portant, we always look forward to going to Ulithi to get mail. The Fleet Post OHice there gives us excellent service, therefore, what spare time we had on board was largely used' in an- awaiting us on our arrival Although by th1s t1me, we were all swering those many welcome le-ttersetltwt 3 . . y b 1.11 ning to wonder when we would be ret to the States, we knew that that was only 1nd1cat1on pointed to the fact that we slated for at least one or two more oper ful thinking for the present, anyway. I a S before being privileged to return to the for availability and leave. While we, naturally, were anxious to get back ant our families, we were also ready to unde any mission assigned us. - Hi' 'Hi Ht' I -- 7-'1+'1s3Q, j-t l 5 . , l l I 3 1-t'L :f' 1 f . .4 f A V' ' F J 1' 'Q I 51: ,,- ,.g- 1.3 if .1 ,- ' '53 1 ' ,r ' J I :fi v 1 I fi Q i . ' fi H-fl 3 J 3 i ' 'iid 1 is 7 . .Y A v? X 'uni'-V .. lf H V, ,rn lv , , . Q' ,ai . .JA '7', 'shi Tiqn - --- W 'f -' 15 . Att smtoas mu Mmoaa, at-f.Mg.5s vs 5, i 4 7 as---sasevif aww. YE f gl r 1- V ESENTS M' me id: , , v . ljx ' , '- ' l mis L nausea QF ca ami, ,-1 f ,t I Nason ZCMMISSUD -L .'f,- a 'UWT Arm -E .5 T-aQ5Fcf-is sw ritz i' I ' :ZLL THE QFGHVE AHL 5F4l'f'LE5E'i, ,Z , I - rfnxrm Owner 3. S . ,Q I N , C-EAR was .v.5-cuueisei. 'fmt il -- SIWLANK in if-5 vici- S sau, cuunauwc . ,X 5 . ,, ' 4- ,,' L A' . . 1-1 .-if 4 f - -.,,h!,ff, 'X 2 f .,., ' , 1 fi' I. 86 - M' - I '-rj, --':f, - , 6 4' it . . , y i -..W .,,.gg-Q.Q. 549 3 11 ., , 3 s. k wi .,,.',f'- .V - f e- sf iifri