Norton Sound (AVM 1) - Naval Cruise Book

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55 :user ,IN T 'age l .. O : 1 Elil 1 stil l O o 1 1 Egg!! 'g g ..1.., ..., 1SFtsEIH. . T 3: -. I Y 2? . -' ' Sli v f ' .Qiifi I .. .5 1-:-5:15233 f f qifiggu: ,-.. w14kZgEgQ: 'f Ughhliifiin. - gagmi U 3211125323212 ni 3 qi l LI3i Q , a 'Q W Originally built to tend seaplanes, NORTON SOUND carried out this duty during the closing months of world Nar ll by operating in support of Her nflying Boatu squadron at Kerama Retto, Okinawa, Japan. During this time NORTON SOUND and her sister ships fought off attacking enemy aircraft llncludlng Kamikaze suicide planesl during 150 air raids. while all of this was going on, Patrol Bombing Squadron 26 CVPB-267, assigned to NORTON SOUND was conducting some 412 missions consisting of: ,anti-ship and submarine, and long range reconnaisance patrolsp mounting attacks against enemy shipping and shore facilities: and conducting alrlsea rescue missions. The final combined tally for NORTON SOUND and VPB-26 was: 16 ships sunk and 31 ships damagedg 1 aircraft destroyed and 2 damagedg 2 docks and facilities destroyed: and 3 radio stations damaged. For much of Her time at Okinawa. NORTON SOUND served as flagship for Commander, Fleet Air Ning 1 CPAN-17, who had the re- sponsibility for supporting and operating 17 squadrons of landbased and seaplanes fr0m various air stations and up to 15 seaplane tenders, which were assigned to FAN-1 for oper- ational control. FAN-1's area of responsibility extended over millions of square miles of the pacific theater of operations. lu time, her activity stretched from Pearl Harbor Iwhere Her units were badly mauled during the attackl through final victory lVJ Dayl- Unlts of FAH-1 sunk or damaged over 1,009 enemy ships and craft, destroyed or damaged well over 213 enemy aircraft, and imflicted lncalculable damage on enemy shore installations during 39,179 patrol and combat missions. - NORTON SUUNU D6FtiCiDated in the liberation of Japanese occupied cities and areas and in the occupation of Japan for several months. before being rotated back to the United States for peacetime duty on 9 April 1946. She arrived at Norfolk, Virginia on 22 May 1946. Following ww II. NORTON SOUND was selected to support the Navy's infant guided missile and rvcket development program. She was modified fer these duties an the Philadelphia Naval 5hlDyard. Provisions were made for handling, storing, fueling lliquid fuell. SEFYI' cing, launching, and operational monitoring of rockets and guided missiles. Conversion work resulted in a major change in Her external appearance. This was the first of manY times thV0U9hout Her career in scientific and weapons research, development, test and 2V61U6tl0O lRDTGEl that-her internal and external configuration would be radically dl' tered-W Suit new l155l0'l and Df'0Qram requirements. She was designated AVM-1 on 8 August. 1951-

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In Her new mission, She served and continues to serve as a floating laboratory and laun- ching platform for an incredible number of high priority projects and programsg including many of prime historical significance. To name the most important of these: Operation Nanook lArtic exploration and researchlg Projects SKYHDOK lfree balloonl, AERDBEE lRocketl, REACH lVlKlNG Rocketl, ARGUS iX17A three stage rockets fitted with low yield nuclear devices and P060 sounding rocketsl, NIKE-HYDAK, HYDRA-IRIS and HYDRA-SANDHANK, lcosmlc ray and upper atmosphere researchl: Operations REDNING, DOMINIC and others lAtmo- spheric testing of nuclear weaponsl: LODN, LARK, REGULUS l, TERRIER, TARTAR, TALDS, SEASPARRDH QBPDSMSJ, Navy REDEYE, STANDARD QMRJ, and TOMAHAHK surface launched guided missile development projects and entire programs: SN 54 Caliber Gun Mount Mk 45 Mod 0: Rocket and Guided missile launchers lGMLl and launching systems lGMLSl including TERRIERITARTAR experimental GNL X-5 and GML MK 5, SEASPARROH Prototype launcher and GMLS Mk 25, prototype CHAFFROC Launcher, the mixed missile capability systems GMLS Mk 26 and the current Vertical Launching System GMLS EX-413 Weapon and fire control systems and auxiliary equipments associated with these and other weapons and systems up to today's AEGIS Combat system, which is light years ahead of the jury-rigged modification of the Gun Fire Control System Mk 37's Mk 25 Mod 2 Radar, used in the early days of the LARKILOON Programs, and the SPO-2 and -5 used in the TERRIERITARTAR Programs. ln fact, She has had some level of participation in virtually every surface launched guided missile development program of the US Navy, from the first experiments and launches of guided missiles lwhlch now seem quite primitive,. but were then on the leading edge of the state of the artl. She logged the first launch of a tactical guided missile from the deck of any ship in the world on 26 January 1949, when an engineering model LTV-N-2 LO0N Guided Missile was laun- ched off the coast of Point Mugu, California. There has also been involvement in the RDTSE of any number of minor systems and equipments development programs: which perhaps. if not spectacular in their contribution to fleet readiness, provide an essential contribution to the fundamental strength of the more glamorous systems. Her RDTXE career ln the late 405 and through the 50s and early 60s was primarily, but Cefidlflll' D0t 9XCUSiVGly. involved with the development and refinement of the TERRIER. TARTARuand TALDS Guided Missile Systems, which resulted in the 3T Surface Missile Systems 'Fleet - ,The SDUJS C0mPf'1SlDQ.thls fleet have been a major component ln the defensive 3uiEldUwhlC? has increasingly guarded our fleet and helped to protect our Nation, starting ie ' ID PGUUCUOD lvecommigssionlngl of USS BOSTON CAG-1 1 N b 1955 d U55 GYATT KDDG-ll on 31 December i956g a period of 31 years. J on Ovem er an