Randolph (CVS 15) - Naval Cruise Book

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i'?i '-il-.Q.5T.i ' On February 21 an enemy aircraft finally did attempt to close the carrier, only to be driven off by gunfire before an attack could be launched. No more threats occurred in the ensuing period, however, as Randofblz received fuel herself, re- fueled her destroyer escorts in turn, and then returned to a position from which Air Group 12 could launch strikes on Hachijo Jima and air- fields in the Tokyo area on the 25th. TG 58.4 was then detached from the Task Force, and on March 1 entered Ulithi once again for ten days of rest and replenishment. March 11, the fortunes of war suddenly changed for her. 'GAt seven minutes past eight, according to the ship's own account, ua twin- engine japanese bomber, of atype called Frances, which had slipped past the radar net and inter- ceptor patrols, roared out ofthe night and crash- ed, loaded with bombs, at the edge ofthe flight deck, starboard side, aft. At this moment one showing of the movie QA Song to Remember- being screened arnidships on the hangar deckj was just over and the other was about to begin. Men were getting up from their seats and others were moving in. The explosion was terrific. A T . F great hole was torn in the flight deck, A column of flame shot into the night air. Smoke billowed. Hot ammunition began to detonate. Planes burned like torches. Wounded, bleeding men lay on the hangar deck. We had never faced an emergency like this before, but somehow we proved equal to it. The fires were put out, the wounded men carried to sick bay. Our casualties that night were 26 killed, 3 missing and 105 wounded. Kamikaze, or suicide plane attacks, had been occurring against allied naval forces since Octo- ber, 1944, with single engine aircraft generally being employed. The Kamikaze CHDivine Windwj Special Attack Corps - who took their name from typhoons that, in 1273 and 1279, saved Japan by scattering Kubli Khangs inva- sion fleets - had proved a dangerous weapon against our ships. In the initial three months of their use, 424 suicide planes had sortied from their Philippine bases to attack the Seventh Fleetg at least fifty U. S. vessels were damaged by them in that period, including two aircraft carriers which were sunk. When the smoke cleared aboard CV-15, it was

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and only 60 from the llonshu coast. Flying weather was had. including rain and snow squalls. but the various air groups scorcdlicavily on the japanese airficlds. and managed to shoot down a major portion of the scattered cneniy fighter units which rose to do coinhat. Aboard Ramlolph. a retaliatory attack was expected from the japanese: the ship reniained at General Quarters all day. with personnel inan- ning stations in full hattle dress - gloves, eye shields. helmets. anti-flash creanr. etc. None came. nor did one the following day, as CVC-12 pilots were striking the Tacliikawa Engine Plant and other targets in the Tokyo area. February 18: CY-15's planes launched a strike against Chichi Jima. and after the carrier received gaso- line and replacement aircraft the next day, her Air Group returned to action, flying three days of strikes in support ofthe Iwo lima occupation campaign. Roaring in over Mt. Suribachi. the pilots daringly fired rockets against thejapanese- held caves in an effort to ease the burden of our ground troops struggling on the island. Two at- tacks were also rnade on Haha lima during this period. All operations remained offensive in natureg the new flattop had still not undergone any hostile attack. T he .shalfeclowii traiiiiizg period was not without its aeeicleiits, as the pilots aizfl airmen of Air Group 87 ana' Randolplfs crew alike gained vitalpre- combat experience. The crew ofSB2C is a.Ssz'steclp'oiiz their daiizagedplaize as men with re 6'A'fZ'71g7lI'Sll67'S Qforegroundj and hose Qrearj prepare to battle a possible blaze. ,Note the planets dam- aged wiizgtzp and bent propeller. wfw-gg, in J'-

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quickly recognized that major repairs were in order. ln addition to the damaged flight deck. the hangar deck was buckled, several workshops and living spaces had been demolished. and there were shrapnel holes and flooding on both the second turd third decks. Repair ship frzsorz, aided materially by personnel of the damaged carrier. managed to accomplish repairs sufficient to ready her for additional combat by Mareh28. Thus spared the necessity of the long return to Pearl Harbor for repairs, as might have been expected. Randolph underwent several days of refresher training and then sailed again, on April 5. for her second war cruise. Designated as flagship of Task Group 58.2, under Rear Admiral Bogan, she moved to the Okinawa campaign area on April 8. For the next fifty-one days - until May 29 -the ship remained off that islandls coast. Such a long siege was possible only because of a new con- cept just developing at that time -underway ammunition transfers and large-scale replenish- ments at sea. Underway refueling had preceded this development. but was still little-known, and in fact was referred to later by Admiral Halsey as his 'secret weaponl' during the Pacific War. In addition to lending direct support to our ground forces on Okinawa, CV-15 and her Air Group sent aloft patrols and combat strikes against the islands of Kikai, Tokuna,Ie,Amami, Yokoate and Kakeroma, as well as against Minami Daito Shima and airfields on Kyushu. Opposition was considerably stiffer than when the ship had been launching her earlier Tokyo raids: enemy planes were constantly Hnosing around looking for trouble. Violent evasive action fand some accurate shooting by her gunners who downed two of two torpedo bombersj in the early evening of April 14, saved Rmzrlolplz from torpedo attack after one of the enemy planes had silhouetted her with a string of flares. Three days later a .lapa- nese plane screamed in off the starboard quarter, tryiii to crash the shipg missing, it flew down the port side, close aboard, about fifty feet above the water, finally crashing 100 feet off the port 'J' 1, ' 4.-:IC At left, lzeaziy flak thrown up against ottaflring japanese kamz'lm.5es by escort zfessels and the carrieris' own batteries brings one dozen. Suz'ez'depla1ze strikes began in October of1944 and scored numerous lzzts on U. S. Fleet unz'ts,' their farzwzory targets were always our flat- tops. Above. A suz'e1'a'e plane which eraslzed into CV-15 on Jllarch 11, 1945 resulteo' in 134 casualties. 19