Norton Sound (AVM 1) - Naval Cruise Book

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Mile lhiorricecdl Shellback DEDICATION We the staff of THE HORNED SHELLBACK proudly dedicate our book to the newcomers born while we were away. THE STAFF A STAFF ADVISOR PHOTO EDITOR COPY EDITOR CUSTODIAN OF FINANCES SUBSCRIPTION MANAGER DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOGRAPHERS ART DIRECTOR COVER DESIGN, LAYOUT END SHEET COPY WRITER TYPISTS LCDR Carleton Rutledge, Jr. LT Clarence E. Wilson LT James Olds, Jr. LTJ G William N. Lawrie, Jr. ENS Charles E. Hollingsworth Robert A. Harville, PHC Charles L. Stoltz, PH1 John Planey, PH1 Wayne E. Helsel, PH2 John H. Wedgewood, PH2 Wade A. Russell, PH2 Robert R. Simpson, PH3 Clarence C. Calkins, PH3 George Lucas, PH3 Gregg L. Nance, PHAN John O. Lamb, Jr., PHAN William L. Dyer, AN Billy F. Dendy, SN Robert G. Carlton, GSC John O. Bailey, GS3 Richard D. Brown, FN Frederic P. Lamb, GSS Claude W. Kendrick, YN1 Erven D. Martin, Jr., YN3 Francisco C. Contreras, PN3 William J. Ferriegel, SK3

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yf if 3 , W-, L pw W 1 fs Q .W ' K X 1 d........... W 4 X iff 7345 0 .,, ., -iuhamlnbnwpanqaunml .X v X X .ood ship . . . f X I - x The history of the U.SfS. NORTON SOUND, originally designated the AV-11, began one day in 1941, when herkeel was laid at the Los Angeles Shipbuilding and Drydock Corpor- ation. Withlthe bursting of World War II on the doorsteps of the United States, priority for the completion of the seaplane tender was lowered. Thus the ship was finally launched 28 November 1943. At the launching the NORTON SOUND was christened by Mrs. E. L. GUNTHER, wife of RADM E. L. GUNTHER, the Commandant of U. S. Naval Air Station, San Diego, California. Still later, on 8 January, 1945, the ship was commissioned at San Pedro, Cali- fornia, by Captain Knefler MCGINNIS, who was the Commanding Officer, U. S. Naval Air Station, Terminal Island, California., First Commanding Officer of NORTON SOUND was Commander Ben Scott CUSTER, of Bainbridge, Ga. The NORTON SOUND departed 26 February 1945, after a brief shakedown cruise, bound for duty-in the tadvaiiced areas of the Western Pacific with the famous FIFTH Fleet. At Pearl Harbor herlfirst operational aviation unit, VPB-19, reported aboard for transportation. The ship rescued and hoisted aboard a Martin Mariner Patrol Bomber which had been forced down at seas on 25 April 1945, while en route to Okinawa. Upon arrival at Okinawa, this ship became the flagship of RADM J. D. PRICE, the Commander of Fleet Air Wing ONE-, and the home of VPB-26. Although a submarine contact had been made en route to Okinawa, the NORTON SOUND's first real engagementiwith the Japanese' was on 28 April 1945. Then the an- chorage in which she lay came under attabk by bombers and suicide planes. Attacks of this type were repeated a number, of times until the end of the war, but on no occasion did the ship suffer damage or casualty. - Her most intimate and exciting clash with the enemy occurred 12 May 1945. On a small nearby island, Aka Shima, a recreation party from an LST in the anchorage had gone ashore to have a picnic and to play softball. Although the island was supposedly secured, the party was ambushed and two of its members killed by a small detachment