Randolph (CV 15) - Naval Cruise Book

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U. S. S. RANDOLPH CV-T5 ACTION REPORT I0 February through 28 February T945 FIRST WAR CRUISE TOKIO AND IWO JIMA

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f' ... ' -lf'-'-'-aH- - M. has operafed on a 24 hour per day basis in order fo per- form ifs fask. The Laundry deserves a lof of credif for doing a big iob, doing if while many of us slepf, and doing if well. Pay Clerk Sears will accepf fhe services of all complainers who feel fhey would like fo confribufe 'rheir bif fo improving fhe laundry, and Lane can always use addi- fional man power fo advanfage, in laundrying his 2500 fo 3000 fons of laundry per year. Jusf as we fhoughf fhe work had seffled down fo a , we were hif af Ulifhi and our complefe sfock in A.R.l.R. was wiped ouf and we sfarfed all over again. We were sfill lucky fhough when we gof hif. Only fwo men were in Ready lssue, Baker, SKVlc and Brewer, SKV2c. They bofh gof ouf of if wifhouf a scrafch. Our Peaf, SKV2c. He was walking back from fhe movie and was knocked down by fhree pieces of shrapnel. He sfayed down +iIl fhe shrapnel sfopped fly- ing around and suffered no fafal hifs, and was up and around in a few days fo fhe relief of everyone in fhe gang. The boys all furned fo wifh a will and fhe big job of cleaning up and re-sfocking fhe Ready Issue was com- plefed by fhe fime we sfarfed fhe nexf sfrike. Since commissioning fhe Pay Office has disbursed a fofal of Four Million Eighf Hundred Thousand Dollars lS4,800,000.l, in pay and allowances fo fhe officers and men of fhis ship and has handled fhe regisfrafion of Three Million Two Hundred Ten Thousand Dollars lS3,2l0,000.l, roufine iob only casualfy was in savings and dependency allofrnenfs. Cash sale of War Bonds have fofaled Fiffy Three Thousand Five Hun- I dred Dollars lS53,500.l, and allofmenfs for fhe purchase of War Bonds have fofaled One Million Fiffy-Three Thou. sand Seven Hundred Fiffy Dollars lSl,053,750.l. During fhe war cruise of fhe Randolph fhe personnel of fhe Pay Office were also required af various baffle sfafions. Lieufenanf Huffman was baffery officer of 3 40 MM anfi-aircraff mounf. Barfh and Shaw were re- sponsible for fhe preservafion of all Pay Records and funds. Fields and Bedell were phone falkers af Air De- fense Aff, Weber and Craff were members of damage confrol parfies. Kemp and Berock were gunners on 20 MM anfi-aircraff guns. The General Sfores Secfion of fhe Supply Deparfmenf was sef up under fhe Supervision of Lf. M. M. Simmer, USN, assisfed by Chief Nichols. Affer fhousands of differenf ifems were sfowed below, fhe fremendous fask of sysfemafic sfowage began. This is fhe real fesf of a sforekeeper, and such men as, Price, SK3c, and Huie, SK3c showed fhaf fhey really qualified. Some of fhe sforekeeper sfrikers-Lewis, Leahy, Groppe, Hines, also did an excellenf job and learned a lof abouf fhe iob fhey would be doing fhe nexf year. Chief Nichols leff fhe Randolph iusf before fhe shake- down and Chief Chrisfman fook over fhe GSK. Chris had a four of dufy in fhe Navy back fhere when and really knows all fhe angles. His success in procuring supplies is one of brighfesf spofs in fhe hisfory of Supply on fhe Randolph. If has been reporfed lnof officiallyl fhaf Chris had broughf aboard fhe Randolph one of fhe finesf supplies of foilef fissue in fhe enfire Pacific Fleef. ,Jim ..-A

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- f Q . .W 34' 1 , ii' 1-,, CIIICIII .mm 1 27'- L,m.k.mm HAHA Jim WJ Q 365 ,S 26'- S 5 O -+- W 25'- - O N I 1 U10 J I!-U1 ' JRIB THRU ZZ FEB. l945 SUPPORT STRIKES 0 SQ S C0 scn-Ls IN MILE 35'-I - 4 0'0 0' ' 0 9 N. o'0 ..:.:'.., Q ,gt,,zz,fs05QQi 0'000 0'00 ,0, ,090 0 1 0 :' as 5' T .290 0 0 0'0': 1 fy, ' '0'0'0'0 0'0'0'0 0'0'0 0 4 0 0:81 I v v 1 Q , v ' 'Q Q ' . Q 5 Q Q' S 0 Q 5 5 159' '0 0 0 'O '99 '0 0'0 5,9 go! '0, 0 0 0 0 , ,QQ , , ,Ob5Q 30' 0 0,0 0 0,0 zz' . 0,0 tc ' 0 999' 9 04 OPERATING AREA 'QQ Q Q Q Q 0'0'0'0'0'0'0 U O F T H E 0'0'0 0'0'0'4 0000000,9 000000 ,0,0,0,0,0,0, ,0,0,0,0,04 mm' ANDOLPH ww . 00 009999 999000 0 0 . 0 0 0'0 0 0.0.0.5 19,0 0 00 !'f':'z ' '0'0'0'0 0 0 0 0 0 0'0 03' 'P' p,0,0,0'0'0'0'0'0'0 0 0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0 0,0-9 0 0 0 0'0'0'0'0's'4'0'0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00'- N0000 00000000.01 ,0,0,0,0,0,020:0:010f0.0,0,0,0,0,0,0 qv Q'. . ' I4'32'I'2'2'2 v'0'0'Z'2'I'2'Z'2'I'Z+!0'f'-''' !.0.gg..,f,Q.9.QQO.Q5.0 ' X 0.905555 960, o ' ' ',0.0,0.0.0gg'Q'q N1 Q0:0I0'020?:'7 3'- TO BONIN ISLANDS go ri moo JILR 0 SCALE l: Mn-Es pigment AA J' . Sevenleen days afler passing fhrough lhe Golden Gale fhe 'ma nfhe night Randolph anchored al Ulnlhl Islands and reporled fo Ihe Com mander of fhe Fuffh Fleer for duly Only one slop had been made enrouie-Ihree days af Pearl Harbor Io fake on addnhonal supplies Leaving lhe anchorage ai Uliihu on lhe morning of Feb IOIh in company wnlh ofher ships making up Task Force 58 fhe Rawdolph sieamed norlh for her lirsf combaf operahon. This as fo be ihe les? for Ihe unlried crew alier long weeks of arduous training and Ihe air of suspense and exciiemenf was heighlened when Capfaun Baker announced Thai The ship would invade Japan s home wafers and slrike Tokyo. The firsf combai acfion commenced on February I6 and I7 when a series of aflacks were successfully launched againsi' Tokyo air-Iielcls and on Ihe Tachikawa engine planf. The 'Following day a sfrike was made on fha island of Chichi Jima. Three missions were launched on February 20 in supporf of ground forces invading Bloody Iwo Jima, and Iwo aerial sweeps were made againsf Haha The ship's gun crews had fheir Hrs? Iasfe of combaf o . of ihe 2Is'r when enemy planes made 'Iwo aHempI's fo close Ill Of' fhe formaiion buf were driven off, wifhoul' afiacking. hx f heavy barrage of AA fire. During ihe nexf 3 days anofher mission wa: launched againsl' Iwo Jima and combaf air pafrols were TIOWV' 9' mosf coniinuously. Three sweeps againsi' airfields in Area and one sweep againsi Hachiio Jima were made or ruary 25+h. By March I 'the Randolph had refurned 'IO I . uF,n. first war cruise, having parficipaied in the his+orY'mak'ng, ,I and Second Tokyo Carrier Raids and Iwo Jima SUPP . nd The new ship acquiired herself well 'lhroughoui' rho 0P9f'I n a emerged wilhoul' a scrafch. The cover pic+ure shows fhei Randolph 'I'alrin9 5 9 any the flighr deck during heavy wealher encounierecl Ofl our war cruise. fha TokY' Feb- UI Ihi from li off mission!- bi wiv' 'I'