Randolph (CV 15) - Naval Cruise Book

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hands had goTTen To know and use The Tire TighTing equip, menT. The TirsT acid TesT oT all The Training and working came on I I March, l945, when The Randolph was hiT aT anchor by a kamikaze aircraTT which crashed inTo The aTTer Tlighr deck. ReacTion was quick and eTTiicienT. Fire hose were broken ouT immediaTely and led To The scene oT The Tire on boTh hangar and TlighT decks, and The hangar deck sprinklers were puT inTo operaTion. AbouT Two and one half hours aTTer being hiT, The Tires were ouT excepT for smouldering in The damaged area. The Damage ConTrol Training pracTiced had paid off aT The righT Time! Damage while severe was repaired by The USS Jason and The help Trom our own ship's company, in The Torward area. ATTer Three weeks work, The Randolph was again TiT Tor sea and rejoined The FiTTh FleeT Tor The Okinawa campaign wiTh liTTle losT Time. Damage ConTrol eTTiciency was again demonsTraTed when The ship was hiT by a P-38 while in anchorage in LeyTe. The Tire was puT ouT in minuTes wiTh no spreading oT damage: our Hangar Deck was laden wiTh bombs be- ing broughT Trom a TransporT longside. Again Training in Damage ConTrol paid QTT. While on our Third war cruise, hosTiliTies ended. As parT of The Third FleeT, we prepared landing Torces To occupy The enemy homeland. The Hull DeparTmenT was again busy making machine gun Tripods, gear boxes, ancl oTher equipmenT noT readily available in The Torward area. As iT can be seen, The Hull DeparTmenT's iob on The ship has been a never-ending series of evenTs, and by working long and TaiThTully, The men have conTribuTed a greaT deal To The success oT The USS Randolph as a TighTing ship . . . They did keep her aTloaT. lb-ff '1 Q 42,2 l ARK '12,-..-L '

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fion, checking of valves and liHings, organiza'I'ion of rhe- damage con+rol parries, communica+ions plans, dis+ribu- Hon of personal equipmenl' such as gas masks, gloves and flash clofhing and many ofher problems arose. Every new ship has cer+ain problems, and faulis no+ eviden? al' commissioning. The Randolph was no excep- tion. Valves were insialled backwards. The fire main pressure was +oo low: some diagrams and blueprinis were incorrecfg hydraulic confrols were faulfy in places, and +he damage con'l'rol books and char+s did noi' arrive un+il lafe. In addilion fo Damage Confrol fraining, oiher work had fo be accomplished. Liferafrs and nefs had fo be rigged and provisioned. The deck divisions had ro be 'rrained in such imporlani' irems as fueling al' sea, frans- ierring of passengers and gear, sfreaming of paravanes, and ouffiffing of 'rhe boafswains locker. The shipfiffer and carpen+er shops had fo be organized and frained even while working. The climax fo 'I'he shakedown period came wirh fhe damage con+rol inspecfion and pracfice given by The USS Shangri-La. Affer a hecfic day of bomb hifs, for- pedo hils, smoke bombs, wri'Hen 1'es'rs and equipmenf in- specfions, lhe Randolph was declared Fil' fo join rhe fleef. During +he firsl' combai' cruise, much valuable experi- ence was gained. Fueling al' sea became parl' of fhe daily rourine. Daily drills and problems al' morning gen- eral quariers were ins+i+u+ed. A roufine of daily maferial inspecfions was sfaried, and damage con'rrol pafrols learned more and more abou? +he ship wi+h each wafch. The 'rime for seH'ing condi+ion Zebra was improved. All

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