Randolph (CV 15) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 95 text:

dl On the l71h of April :he Randolphh Gunners received credir for rheir firsl Jap plane. Top Leif-a direcf hi? culs off fail and one wing. Middle Left--Pilof hits fha silk. Tail assembly and falling plane can be seen in The picture. Pilof lands in wafer and is picked up by enofher ship. Lower Righf-Bomb splashes A few hundred feet from Rdndofnh' Cripple-d plane is seen an inshsni before if hils fhe wafer. Upper Righl-Kemiliue makes near miss behind fha Cruiser Pasadena x,- r ' irmffg rl - r e f ' V- ' as .JE ' , . 1 -f if ff? 4' i , r p fm i l , .. p JH .MI 'gf' ' 'Taz A 4 . A K sr i rw .Qi ' '1 f5,Tf-iipiwv if V : my fy- we

Page 94 text:

.r ,I f S 3 ' e i in FTE 29 Q ,gh 5015! 32 5 fy? r r.- 28. 1- Ignung ' i .... 31- ..-. .1 . , 5 0 41 . X A SNIMA H 4 E YAKU SHIMA' I 1592-114'MAY ,.. j Q.fX'?f5 -.1 l U. Q YORON 21' Laing' OISINAWANBSTRIKES - 9' P. ASSOCIATED OPERATIONS ' FH u.s.s. RANDOLPH P+ W -5'4APRlL M314 uAY,l945 o , e 0 S SCALI IN MILES ' D: ' 1 , . U V .:5:.!5?:,: 5, ' ' ...NANA ' .1 . QSEQEZQREBAY 'HQ .AHPA Q- 26- A as . 2 E ' :Q -','- . .. . -.. . ,Ana:xi:L3.Eij,:c-.1 . l wma L The Second War Cruise for lhe Randolph began on lhe Slh of April, when lhe ship sleamed oul from Ulilhi lo sorlie wifh Task Force 58. The primary purpose ol the operaiion was lo assisl our amphi- bious forces in The occupalion of Okinawa. Therefore much air aclivify, parlicularly during lhe early half of The period, was devoled lo Slrikes in direcf supporl' of ground lroops on Soulhern Oki- nawa. Of equal and perhaps greafer imporlance, however, were lhe lighler sweeps and pafrols regularly flown over The island chain, exiending norlhward as far as Kyushu air-lields. These plus sfrikes againsl enemy airhelds, were designed lo prevenl The enemy from compleling successfully his conslanl and aggressive airborne aH'acks againsl our ships and ground forces in lhe Okinawa area. April I7 proved lo be a sample of the many busy and evenfful days fo come. Shorlly before dawn a low-flying enemy plane aflacked lhe ship and was shot down in flames close aboard. Later in fhe day four more aifacks were made, one Jap plane diving direclly af fhe Randolph buf exploded in mid-air as a resull of ship's gunfire and splashed wi+hou+ causing any damage. Meanwhile. fhree combal air palrols were flown over Task Group: N0 WPP9'i missions and four largel combal' palrols saw acfion over Okinawh- During fha early pari of May, slrikes were also made on llll Kikai-Amami area and on May I3 and I4 Kyushu airlields were bombed- lS90 mapl Jap planes again alfacked 'lhe Task Group GMI lhe Randolph gunners 'look par? in fha aclion which knocked several of 'rhem our of fhe air. On May I4+h I99 fake-oHs broke all previous flighl deck records. The USS Randolph became lhe Flagship of Task Force 59- when Vice Admiral M. A. Mifscher, USN, and sfafi 'lransfarred aboard on May l5. The supporl of 'lhe occupalion of Okinawl conlinued unlil May 20 when 'lhe ship relired from fha area Ind se? lhe course for Guam, having lraveled 25,000 miles during ill' 57 d5Y 0Peralion. Before leaving lhe ship Admiral Milscher land' ered a well done 'lo +he Randolph for her parl in 'lhe Baffl' for Okinawa.

Page 96 text:

This picfure of Admiral Mifscher has quife a sforY- Ii has appeared in Time, Life and Newsp6P9 5 wifh, all sorfs of +iiles. Now il' can be fold-ACL miral Milscher is shown coming aboard lhe Ran- dolph -His fhird Flagship in four days- The reasons are graphically shown on fhese, P8905- Upper Lefl'-On fhe morning of M-HY ll- No Kamilcazies hir +he Flight Decl: of lhe Bunker Hill . The nexi day Admiral Mifscher moved hii Flag 'fo 'fhe En'ierprise and we moved norih 90 Slrilre Kyushu. Lower Left-On May I4. off Kyushu, anoflwf Kamikaze crashed on fhe Enl'erprise . The l4lh of May was a big day for our Tasl: Group. JGP planes broke lhrough our Fighfer Cover and closed from all directions. Mosl' of 'lhem were shof down. Upper Right-Two Splashes sfraddll +he Essex , Lower Righl'-A would-be-Kamikaze is sho? down and crashes behind nearby D8S'lf0Y9 ' Anofher flaming Meal Ball sho? down lf' Th' action of I4 May is shown on our froni cover.