Oriskany (CVA 34) - Naval Cruise Book

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On August 28, 1952, the 17-year-old King of Iraq, the late Faisal II, came aboard at San Diego, the guest of the State Department and the Navy. The young king, who was assassinated in Iraq's bloody coup d'etat in 1959, spent a day at sea on the ship studying with interest both day and night air operations. On September 15, 1952, ORISKANY headed west with the pilots of Carrier Air Group 12 embarked. After two weeks of combat readiness training off Hawaii, the ship set a course for Korean waters. Operating as a unit of the United Nations Task Force 77 off the eastern coast of Korea, ORISKANY participated in the blockade of the North Korean coast, and her planes systematically pounded enemy supply build-ups and wiped out many manufacturing and railroad centers. In addition, her pilots gave close air support to United Nations ground forces, strafing Communist troops and harassing their lines of supply. Under CAPT SHANDS the ship launched 7,001 sorties during 111 flyable days in the forward area. Of these, 5,040 were offensive combat missions over the heart of enemy-held territory. The statistics suggest the scope of ORISKANY's contribution- her planes dropped 4,600 tons of bombs and expended over a million rounds of ammuni- tion. On November 17, 1952, an alert radar operator in the ships combat information center detected bogies', or un- identified aircraft. While four Panther jets flew to the area to investigate, one of them developed engine trouble and had to lose altitude. His wingman followed him down, as is customary. At a distance of about 40 miles from the task force the bogies were confirmed as MIG 15 jet aircraft. Immediately, four of the MIGS began a firing attack on the remaining Panthers, which were flown by LT Royce WILLIAMS and LTJG David ROWLANDS, They foiled the attack by pulling sharply left, and a tail chasing, tight- turning dog fight ensued. LT WILLIAMS shot down the first MIG. Soon after LT ELWOOD in the crippled Pan- ther detached his wingman, LTJG John MIDDLETON, to join the melee. LT, WILLIAMS' Panther suffered a damaged aileron from a MIG shell, and having limited control, he was forced to head for cover in a distant cloud bank. He was pursued by one MIG which was in turn pursued by LTJG ROWLANDS, who was out of ammunition but bluffing. As LTJG MIDDLETON came upon the aerial parade he got the MIG in his sights, opened fire and enfiamed it. The pilot bailed out and LTJG MIDDLETON orbited him while radioing the task group for his rescue. The remain- ing enemy planes broke off and fled. This action was be- lieved to be the first multi-jet aerial dog-fight in Naval history. A month later these pilots briefed President-elect Eisenhower, on the MIG 15's capabilities, during his Korean tour. On March 6, 1955, an ORISKANY Corsair was return- ing from a strike mission over the supply center of Sang- tong-ni. As the plane landed a bomb dislodged from the wing, bounced twice across the flight deck and exploded. Two men were killed, fifteen wounded. One of the dead was Photographer Thomas L. McGraw, jr., whose job was to photograph unusual landing incidents. As the bomb dislodged, McGraw bravely started his camera. The sal- vaged film revealed he held the camera while it recorded the bombis path and even the explosion in which he died. Following the explosion, Airman Richard Donovan plunged through flames and exploding ammunition to rescue the injured and unconscious pilot. The gravest danger to the ship came when the hangar deck was flooded with gasoline from pierced aircraft tanks. Firefighting teams brought the blazes under control and isolated the hangar bay. With re- pair parties working throughout the night the ship was able to resume combat operations the next morning. That same March former Governor Adlai Stevenson and Lieutenant General Matthew RIDGWAY came aboard the carrier for Navy briefings and reconnaissance flights. During the cruise the old expression give 'em every- thing but the kitchen sink was getting on some of the pilot's nerves. So one morning a Douglas bomber took off with a zink tub strapped to its belly. The deadly sink was dropped with a splat into an enemy position at the front, and thus ORISKANY insured that we had given them ueverythingf' On the last day in the combat area, four ORISKANY Panthers conducted a strike against the famous Hamhung Highway bridge. In spite of its invulnerability and heavy anti-aircraft defenses, the pilots scored six direct hits out of a possible eight, demolishing the center span of the huge bridge and heavily damaging its approaches. The pilots had been allowed to choose their own targets, and on that same day Heartbreak Ridge and other hated targets were struck, with great satisfaction to the allies. On the same day eight Panthers from Fighter Squadron 121 raided a 177 building storage area near Pikchong. They started a dozen fires strategically placed so that high winds fanned and spread them. It was estimated that 50070 or roughly 90 buildings were destroyed. During the night ORISKANY's heckler Corsairs and Skyraiders effectively intercepted major Communist convoys. Close to 900 trucks were either destroyed or damaged. Although the men of ORISKANY had their hands full with the business of war, they found time and money for charity. The ship raised a total of 316,000 for charitable organizations while in the combat zone.

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JE' 7 Schatzie had adapted well to the noisy and busy life of an attack carrier. And she handled 3,000 masters as no woman ever did. When she would encounter a hatch 'comb- ing too high for her sausage frame, sheld merely look cute and wait for a passing sailor to lift her over. During the Korean War Schatzie had aroused quite a few rumors when it was noticed that she was expecting. Grave suspicions among the crew ended only when it was learned that, the Chaplain had Schatzie mated before the cruise. With her superb sense of timing she delivered a litter of four puppies in the midst of intense combat opera- tions. Eyes were on radar screens and instrument panels, but hearts were with Schatzie that day. The four pups were given the names Ike, Marilyn, Annie and Debbie. They were raffled off to the members of the crew. With increasing nonchalance Schatzie brought forth two more litters. Through puppy raffles she raised over 322,000 for charities, a generosity to which few mothers aspire. At the farewell ceremonies Captain Simpler lauded her gentle-heartedness, perseverance, uncommon sacrifices and exemplary conduct. He noted that she had always re- turned to the ship on time, traversing the gangway under her own power and in a seamanlike maner. Having served her country well, the proud dachshund left for dry ground and green pastures. ORISKANY completed her yard overhaul in February 1955. The ship made a third cruise to the Western Pacific from March through September. Although a less eventful cruise, it was a more enjoyable one, for the ship visited widely throughout the Far East, including Hong Kong and Manila, as well as Japan and Okinawa. And it was a reward- ing cruise, for ORISKANY won the Big E that year- the Naval Air Force's QPacific Fleetj Battle Efficiency Award. In October of 1956 ORISKANY entered San Francisco Naval Shipyard to begin an extensive angled deck conver- sion and modernization. She was decommissioned on janu- ary 2, 1957. During the next two years the workmen of San Francisco Naval Shipyard made a new ship of ORIS- KANY. The most striking change was her new silhouette: the angled flight deck for safer landings, and the stream- lined hurricane resistant bow. The old hydraulic catapults were replaced by steam driven ones capable of launching much heavier aircraft. The cramped combat information cen- ter was relocated in a safer area of the ship and enlarged into an electronic suite. Writing tables were placed in the crew's berthing compartments and the decks in the mess- ing, living and office spaces were tiled. ORISKANY is the last of the Essex Class carriers to be modernized. On March 7, 1959, ORISKANY was recom- missioned in a ceremony held on the ships hangar deck. Vice Admiral Alfred M. PRIDE delivered the principal address. CAPT james Mahan WRIGHT, who served aboard ORISKANY as Executive Officer in 1951-1952, assumed command upon recommissioning. CDR Vincent A. DAHL- STROM became the shipis Executive Officer. After commissioning the ship underwent extensive build- ers trials and bureau tests. She reported to her new home- port of San Diego on june 11, 1959, and immediately started underway shakedown training. At the start of Fiscal Year 1960, ORISKANY was just three months out of San Francisco Naval Shipyard. The first air operations since her recommissioning were con- ducted in August, with the skipper himself, CAPT james Mahan WRIGHT, flying the first aircraft launched and recovered. In September of that year, Vice Admiral Alfred M. PRIDE retired as Commander, Naval Air Force, Pacific Fleet, in a ceremony on ORISKANY's flight deck. His suc- cessor was Vice Admiral C. E. EKSTROM. Upon completion of the shakedown period the carrier passed her first post-conversion administrative inspection with flying colors, receiving an excellent and praise from the inspectors for having started from scratch only eight months earlier.