Princeton (CVA 37) - Naval Cruise Book

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wma saws' ' f X7 fy WW Q,?..:.-f- 5 7 QW X A .1 . mg fy 1 . 1-.f ms, ,Q , '- Q' by Lt. R. L. Bothwell, USN, Air Group 19 HE morning of 15 October l952 will live forever in the minds of men. It was D day for the great amphibious assult on North Korea. It had been planned for rnonths...the Hnal push...the crushing blow. . .a defeated enemy at last. The Princeton left japan on the unexpected last trip to Korea just two weeks before she was to depart for the United States. The morning was bleak, the air heavy. A feeling of mystery and expectation shrouded the ship. Even the rumors were vague and evanescent-the highly classified operation fwell above top secretj might occur in October. Only the most highly informed sources even dared suggest the great movement. One Air Group Lieu- tenant, who attended a closed-door Naval conference in Tokyo, acted suspiciously like he might know its date or place. He carried a grimly smug expression on his face and looked quickly both ways before lighting a cigarette. The night before we left Yokosuka, I had my first suggestion from an unimpeachable source. As I settled myself in a ricksha, the driver smilingly nodded, looked around to see that no unauthorized persons could hear, then whispered, When's the big day? After the first week of our fifth and last tour, the rumors became more concrete. The Princeton will be held on the line for an amphibious operation. All carriers will be there about October l5th. Everyone will be in on the landing-support job. We're going to hit them at Wonsan. Now I do not want you to think that these statements were security violations. They were always made in a low voice, and even then, only after a promise to tell no one else. By October 10, the tension was becoming unbearable. Pilots were no longer interested in their routine bomb- ing and strafing. All they could think about was the super-secret amphibious landing. Rumor and specula- tion had become very specific. Men speculated as to how many divisions would be landed on which beaches. Everyone knew that it was going to be the supreme effort. Everyone, that is, except my room steward, Hankins. This troubled me greatly, for up until then I had the greatest confidence in Hankin's military and naval intelligence. He had accurately predicted the dates of each of our line tours, and had flatly stated that we would have a fifth tour, long before the fourth one ended. Generally speaking, Hankins was a treasure chest of information for us pilots who never got the word until the last minute-sometimes not even then. I hated to see Hankins so wrong about this amphi- bious landing, it might destroy his confidence. But Hankins, I protested, everyone knows about it. Air search planes have even sighted the landing ships. Hankins just shook his head, I know, suh, but you just wait and see. Hankin's skepticism caused me no little concern until the evening of the fourteenth. Then we were told all. Every commander on the ship Qand that is a lot of menj suddenly appeared with a huge sheaf of top secret papers. The papers outlined the complete operation, an amphibious assault and landing, prelimi- nary bombardment, paratroop drops, air support- everything was covered in the most minute details. The Air Group Commander called an immediate meeting of all squadrons. He realized we had been on the line for a long time, yes, too long. But this was an invasion to compare to Salerno and Inchon. The Princeton was held on the-line to support this landing, and the onus to help the little men with the rifles, was on every pilot. CAG's voice was tense as he briefed us on tactical details. Pilots were nervous, taut, but deter- mined. In the movies, John Wayne would have said, This is it! Shortly after this session, the Captain's voice re- sounded from loudspeakers throughout the ship. It is a source of pride fto me, and it must be to you, that our ship and air group have been held over a few days to use its demonstrated power on this critically import- ant invasion. You are trained, and ready. Everyone sensed the intense drama of the situation. That night Hankins came down to pick up the laundry. It just ain't right, Mr. Bothwell, he drawled, shaking his head dolefully, they're even fool- ing the Captain. Hankins could be just plain obstinate. VVell, we all know that nothing happened. It was just a mock operation and no troops landed. Everyone was thoroughly, completely, and shamefully fooled. That is, everyone except Hankins. After I threatened to call the F.B.I., Hankins con- fessed the secret of his intelligence. VVell you know, suh, last time in port I saw Morris, he's the leadin' steward in that Admiral Clark's mess. And he overheard the secret and told you, I accused. No suh, I just ask him how the rations were goin', and he said, 'Oh, lots of chile con carne-a crate of chile last month, plenty of baloney and a lot o' onions-two crates of onions'. You know, suh, those old gentlemen couldn't plan a real operation on all that bilious food. I nodded as if it were perfectly obvious to me. And, suh, they only used fifty pounds of java last month. Did ya ever hear of a staff really plannin' something big on just fifty pounds of java. I never had. Say Hankins, how are things at Pan1nunjom? 5

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, X N 4 I 1 5 i 1 , . ? I I 1 , A SWK ' fy during these last two weeks on the line, the routine was the same as it had been the past seven months . . . the ordnance crews kept the bomb elevators rumbling and the planes always loaded by strike time 1 1 i I I r I I v w I I 1 1 Y 5 1 the atmosphere on board was tense . . . men felt something big looming, but the strikes roared on day after day . . . the iets always first off the bow followed by Corsairs and Skyraiders down the deck . . . time was 1 running short u 1 A n R ! j 250 and finally on the evening of 14 October, after all planes were recovered, the flight deck quiet, the news came . . . tomorrow would be the big day . . . yes, tomorrow, iust another day, will make history l 1 n In N

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