Randolph (CVS 15) - Naval Cruise Book

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1 we rffvk . T-Wg? .Ad JL 'L-. -,w..-f'5 CY-15 were kept advised of the hzittie Situatioii via zhe shipe puhiie address system. easing. or az iezux y,-ei'iodie:d1f.'. hreaking the teiisimi. Mai: 15 zhe Task Force Clommzmden Admirzil Hare A. F.IitSChei'. shihed his Haig to Rflliffflfflfl. 211'T'i'.'iF'1Q hjf bO2U,5v,'2iili-S Chair firrmi si destmyeii He had been fm hfirh kllllkff ffzffauid kN1z!f'2jJ2'1'.sz' 'Nflfffi Liieff had Plffffli hir f :dl he had if.-ft to hung ' ' . 1 . . . . - fibfjflfff Zxliii him mfis hiw hiicgiuisei. .uid ship s i Y . .0I'ifJ2i.I'1'.' r.iqf:Tf1 iii iifmfi ecifgh iii lurk wuiihi not hc' F179 lihf ahf,i:1i'd 1,-iiih him 'lhv whipu:zs1iAIhit. limi Kiev ZW. :dim ihr' 'I ami' CQIVJIEIU had hwii iff':s4q:4:f1f'f' fx?-3 U54 5 :md ?hf':e 383. rhf- .Xfi- 'n,1'11' nf 'Q,f 'ffi fi- 'E lifiifl f,4JIIHliJlllfIl'l'. f?fnff!f,fl,7fi'f ' f swf his xizifi iff f umm tum 'J' 2:31 'f i f l if1 41'.X.f'HI,if2lH,.!lflHi :,.. .4-J -' 'E'-ifin ' lf' ....,,., ..., , -. ,mi-,L Q ff' Y .,. ,..,,., 10 4. 'S A'i'd A ' -,4LeM-- 'sw ZMQW i'11Al'l7'Ilff c'111'1'1'c'1'.v 11fz4'Q1'.s' zz'c'fc'o111cff1' ffzcir C'.N'lYIl'fl'I1kQ Cl,l'.S'fl'fJ.l'l l'S. jfmzzffzvzg 1'f1c'm'c'a In KQIIIUYZ URQIIZ-lI.S'f wzmzxi' mr Ol'.S'ZlbHIKl- mic' flfflllwk. or fo l'C'SC'ZIf' fl fZ1'C'l' zvfzo zvczx fhzxwf fo ffilvfz fzfs j1fr111ci'r1f.sif'f1. 7710 m1'1'2'f'1'. 1fc.vl1'Qi'v1' mmf f'I'l'C1!1'llg rz1'1'cv'rqfi 1'ff11.s'!z'r1ffi f111z1gl1f1'ff'f1111 I'l'fIIK1'!JOI' f1ci'1'z'o11. 21 Crum, ji wry.,

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iw x ' -f H I, Q, h ti V 4 -'Q 1, vt. 71,1 k Y . h J.-' 4' - n V.. 40' 7 av , . -6,1 s' f if ' s ' 2. , , 0- .,. f l - ' QT... .f p..,. - s, 45' 'L-JFUQI. .4 'fd . if V . ,QA if - ' 1 --- ' v wr-N 'sa ' --...wa 4.17 . :iv-1 ' ' v ..- 'f '1:bs.3 - f ' X' W -4 1-1, . . av . -'ff ,..f Q 1' I' V ,. A I ,, . - X: ,fy fy M -4. fa ' 5 K H-J p 0 bf- w I ,Gm ..,,- . .ff -T ff V ' ........4,.- fi--'i'! M--if 'e 'Q' 'J' ' . T. 'T ',..s'l- . ' ' N14 ' ff Liv 'A '41 f - f '? ':5 f 'A,- ,. 4--.... 0 'sr 5 FT'-f . --4, ,T ff... fs :ef 151- -fi-he , 5' bow as the shipas guns blazed away. Later the same morning another pair of hostile aircraft ap- peared, diving from about 6,000 feet. The first was hit by a five-inch shell just as it emerged from a cloud, while the second had a wing blown off by the shipfs alert gun crews, and spun into the water. The pilot of the first aircraft managed to bail out. drifting down under his parachute in full view of those on the flight deck. During the same attack Rcuzcfoljpfzfs gunners splashed a third 'Lbanditf' who had attempted a dive on light cruiser Pasaclczza. On May 11 another carrier only 2,000 yards away in the formation. Bzmlcer Hiff. was hit by a pair of Kamikazes. She fell out of formation. burning fiercely. and Rmzclolpfz fs' crew could sec 20 many of her men in the water. Life jackets and empty fuel Qbellyj tanks were thrown overboard to aid the survivors, and flares float lights were dropped into the water to aid rescue destroyers. Carriers, needless to say. do not stop for rescue work or any other purpose in the battle zone. Three days later. off Kyushu. in the waters lovingly known as i'Kamikaze junction. an- other U. S. carrier in the Task Force was hit by a diving enemy plane. E111'r'1y21'm' took the Kami- kaze on the forward end of her flight deck. suffer- ing an explosion, fire. heavy smoke and a num- ber of casualties. Later that morning. a concentrated attack by enemy aircraft was under- gone by the formation. whose gunners shot four out of the air. Below-decks personnel aboard

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. ,., .. . M.-- ,.Ah - T' v-... Q -3. . ,- f f . . - , H - --- - -- .M.:r'----1-1::.:-- 5-3-L-'::L'.::t:5'i'1 ' I J their guest for the role played in the Okinawa campaign. The ship had traveled 27,000 miles and had not so much as sighted land for fifty- five days when they arrived. Understandably, therefore, the men welcomed even a few hours ashore, where the major attractions were a japa- nese pillbox and a brief glimpse of some Red Cross girls Qnot necessarily in that orderj. Underway again june 2, the ship moved to the San Pedro Bay anchorage in Leyte Gulf where, with the exception of a four-day training cruise, she spent the remainder of the month replenish- ing supplies and resting her battle-weary crew and Air Group. Once again, however, a sup- posedly safe anchorage brought disaster to the carrier. On june 7, a P-38, making 'fplayful runs at the vessel, miscalculated and plunged into the forward part of the flight deck, killing fourteen, wounding eleven, and setting fire to a number of aircraft. Fortunately, the planes on deck had been de-gassed, and the ship alongside - which was loaded with bombs - was not detonated. july 3: Randofblz got underway again, this time as flagship for Task Group 38.3 in Admiral Halsey's Third Fleet. After a week of intensive training, the carrier launched her new Air Group - 16 - in attacks on airfields in the Tokyo area. Strikes were then flown against the Honshu- Hokkaido region, where two vital ferries were sunk in between attacks on other targets. Follow- ing several days ofbad weather, CVG-16 renew- ed their actions against airfields around thejapa- nese capital, and also joined planes from other carriers in strikes against the japanese fleet. july 28 was one of the biggest days for the Task Force's nav al aviators. Attacking at Kure, 22 they scored three hits on carrier Katsuragi, seven on cruiser Aoba, two on cruiser Oyodo and two more on carrier Ise. Converted battle- ship Hyuga was sunk that day Qwith CVG-16 playing a major rolej, as was battleship Haruna. japan was thus left with a lone battleship QNagat0 - which had been severely damaged by Randofbhis planesj, six carriers and five cruisers, all were out of action and without crews aboard. On August 6 came the word that the first atomic bomb had been detonated in anger - dropped over Hiroshima by a B-29 at 9:15 a.m. with catastrophic results for the enemy city. Three- fifths of Hiroshima had been blown off the face of the earth, Lzfe magazine reported. Three days later the japanese high command had not agreed on surrender, and even after the second atomic bomb exploded that morning over Nagasaki, there were several policy-making officers who insisted on holding out for certain conditions before agreeing to end the hostilities. Finally, following an Hlmperial Decisionn by Emperor Hirohito, a message was dispatched to the Allied capitols, signifying japan 's readiness to accept the terms of the Potsdam Declaration. Qjapan's Premier, Prince Higashi-Kuni, in ad- dressing the Diet QParliamentj September 5 ad- mitted the atomic bomb was the immediate in- ducement to surrender, saying, f'This terrific weapon was likely to result in the obliteration of the japanese people. . .nj Following an exchange of official communiques concerning specific surrender terms, President Truman received the final message of agreement from the Emperor on the afternoon of August 14