Randolph (CV 15) - Naval Cruise Book

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haw fhe Kimona boys liked fo approach fheir fargefs. To gee fhe gesficulafing hands on a gun deck you mighf have fhoughf our gunners were a bunch of fighfer pilofs ghowing how fhaf nexf Jap was going fo be shof down. Ulifhi, fhe firsf fime, was a speck of green affer fhousands of miles of Pacific blue, a swim on blazing coral beaches, fhen a quick shove off fo fhe Firsf Car- rier Raid on Tokyo. We were ready. We were now a fully frained and prepared anfi-aircraff baffery, eager for combaf. Buf nofhing happened fo us. We were gunners, and we sfayed af our guns all day on Febru- ary I6, and fhe nexf day, and fhe nexf and so on, wafch- ing and fracking our own planes as fhey fook off and landed affer sfriking fhe enemy. The roufine is familiar now: we have spenf hundreds of days like fhaf. Af nighf fhe wafch mighf gef a liffle news from Combaf-per- haps fhe disfance from enemy coasfs-buf if offen seemed as if we were spare gear. On fhe nighf of fhe Zlsf, we did shoof af a bogey, and we puf up some preffy fireworks. Perhaps we damaged him, and af any rafe we drove him away, buf fhaf was all. Ofherwise we sfood our I6 hour wafch per day af G.Q., plus our one-in-four nighfly condifion wafch. Affer a week of fhis, we had a break-or was if merely a change? Fueling and replenishing af sea! In fhe middle of Dawn G.Q., fhe word came over fhe 5JP Send rigging defails fo all fueling sfa+ions. Reddick fook some hands fo forward fueling, Sfevens fo affer fueling. Swinharf gof his fowline ready on fhe focsle. Womble collecfed a few from Mfs. 6 and 8 40mm for : but

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Page 68 text:

sf' -. -j K L X fhe whip af Frame 70. Evenfually, long affer fhe rigging was done, as a rule, fhe I JV phones gof manned and fhe anxious Bridge was able fo relax. For fhe resf of fhe ship Secure from General Quarfers meanf an hour of sack before breakfasf: for fhe Gunnery Deparfmenf if meanf seffing fhe wafch, geffing a quic bafches, and manning fhe fueling sfafions, all af once. The hearfbreaking parf was fhaf fhe fanker or can fre- ur or fwo affer k breakfasf in small quenfly was nof alongside for an ho breakfasf, fhaf hour when ofhers afe and snoozed and we sfood by. Back af Ulithi, we were proud of fhe sfrikes our pilofs had made. The Randolph had delivered ifs firsf blow af fhe enemy. His refaliafion came soon. March ll, fhere was a boafswain's mafe gang in fhe Fiffh Division Gear Locker. Warren, MacDonald, Swinharf and ofhers were whooping if up wifh fheir joe pof when all hell broke loose pracfically on fop of fhem. Nof more fhan 25 feef away fhe Jap hif, with his plane, gasoline, and bombs all exploding fogefher. The boafswain's mafes were fough and lucky, and fhey all gof away unhurf. Ofhers did nof. Chief Gunner's Mafe Laws of fhe 5 inch singles, compefenf, fespecfed, and beloved, mef fhe concussion and flame face on af fhe fop of fhe ladder fo Chief's Quarfers and was insfanfly killed. Three men from fhe Fiffh and one in L Division, handling sfores af fhe affer Crane, were also killed. ln fhe fire from sprayed gasoline, all fhe ammunifion in fanfail shields cooked off, making if impossible fo work fhere and very dangerous even af some disfance. Twenfy fhousand rounds of ZOMM wenf off in Group I2 clipping room. The fires in 'rhe Aviafion issue room heafed fhrough fo fhe ready ammunifion for fhe affer 5 inch singles. raising fhem fo a dangerous poinf. Fiffh F and Second Div. men risked fheir lives fo ieffison i board fwo hundred proiecfiles and powder cases while 'che hof ammunifion burned fheir hands and fhe Paini smoked on 'rhe bulkheads. Lfs. Rollins an Chief MacDonald, and I3 Gunnery Depf. men received cifafions for fhis work and for fighfing fhe fires. nd fhe Viv f, fhrowing over- d Brazzell. Throughouf fhe bloody Okinawa campaign a fory Cruise againsf fhe Japanese homeland, fhe GUHFWVY Deparfmenf was on The iob. Our gunners shof f0Uf enemy planes info 'rhe sea and assisfed in manY more GCHOHS. and are hearfily deserving of credif for fhe Pm fhey played in fhe war.