Randolph (CV 15) - Naval Cruise Book

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GUNNERY DEPARTMENT Everybody was unhappy a+ Newporl, harrassed by an endless rouline of processing , drills, muslers, happy hours , classes, chils, divisional reassignmenls, saluling, and a+'l'emp+s 'ro find somefhing inleresling 'lo do on liber+y. Bur in every one of Those bolhersome ifems we were learning 'ro be sailors. Ou'r of 'l'he bewildering mass of brand-new bools, survivors, and ve'l'erans of a hundred kinds of duly, moslly on shore, 'lhere emerged 'Phe ouflines of deparimenls and divisions. One faint, skelch in parlicular began 'lo look like The embryo of an anfi-aircrafl ballery. Loading drill for lhe 5 38 men, ma'l'hema'lics for fireconlrolmen, shooling a+ Price's Neck for auiomafic weapon crews, and seamanship, from square knofs fo paravane rigging for everyone-all fhis we endured, siudied, and more or less absorbed. On Sepfember lb, 'rhere shoved off, in a hurry +ha+ was nol' as snafu as il looked, a parfy of l3O men under BM lfc Cogburn lwho always lhoughl a liberly was worlh a ra'l'e any dayl and 8 olilicers, for a 3 weeks' cruise on 'lhe USS Wyom- ing's Floaling 5 school. Aboul lhe same 'lime fhe direclor-compulor leams began 'lhe firecon+rolman's never ending elilori 'ro know as much 'rrigonomelry as 'lheir machines do. Down a+ +he ship +here were fhe people who knew ihe score bes+. Ll. Cdr. Lasall had come from being Fire Con+rol Oliicer of lhe Essex's firsf and 'lhe old York- +own's lasl cruises. Wi+h Chief Bolling and Ens. Sechrisf, bo+h old York+own fireconfrolmen, and wilh Gunners 'LI'

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'AX T513- 'Y-4. i 54-v . x ' l 3 L .PHE 1 E- 1 -,, , 1-', . 2' fd- 1 fir Y lub I ik L 1955. 0 -f ,iw S f' fs

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Green and Winburg, and some 50 o+her fechnicians, he had spenl' 'lhe summer direcling +he inslallalion of +he --Rand0lPh'5 weapons. Jusl' before commissioning The depar+men+ go+ +o- geiher for fhe firsl' fime. Cap+. Barry, once of +he Guadalcanal Firsi Division, broughi his seagoing Marines aboard. L+. Cdr. Jordan lformerly Ordnance Officer a+ NAS, and now Gunnery Officer of lhe USS Essex l, broughi ihe Wyoming deiail aboard and look over as Assisfani Gunboss and conscience of ihe depar+- ment Few of 'lhe men of fhis defail had ever heard gun- fire when 'ihey boarded The Chesapeake Raider g aboard her +hey learned +heir +rade and gol' +heir firs+ drone and sleeve. They were now +he Firsi, Second, and Third Divisions. Enihusiasm among ihe Newporl' lasi' difchers was low afier Their nighi in +he aisles on The way down, bu'I' L+. Rosen a+ leasi' fell' ihai' his Hrs? view of 'I'he Randy was wor'rh il. Called P T by us for his Mediferranean service, and FlaH'op by his old mos- quifo flee? ma+es, he had shared ihe honor of being our firsl' casually wifh Breauf, 2 I,'c, when a 20mm shell lxx in-Q