Saipan (CVL 48) - Naval Cruise Book

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Thiabookwillbe alife lqreminderof peopleand of placeswithlvhomeaeh of ua were associated dm-ingtheperiod28Sepremhe.r 1953 to20 july 1954. Perhapamoatofthoaememodes willbepleaaant,butevenifunpleaaant,thebook willrecordaneducationinperaoaalrelatioaahipa andinworldgeography. The geography involved il of vital im- CAPTAIN' D. G. DONAHO. U. S. NAVY Captain D. G. Donaho graduated from the U. S. Naval Academy in 1927 and completed flight training and was designated a Naval Avia- tor in 1930. Since that time he has served con- tinuously in the Naval Aeronautical Organiza- tion, at sea and ashore. Duties have included aer- vice in cruisers, aircraft carriers and seaplane tenders, both as a ship's officer and as an aviator operating from those ships, Shore duties have included service an a flight instructor and billet! at Coco Solo, Pearl Harbor, Newfoundland, the Navy Department, the Naval War College and the Naval Air Teat Center, Patuxent River, Mary- land. DONAHO relieved Captain W. B. MECHLING aa Commanding Omoer, USS SAIPAN, on I9 February 1954. directresponaibilityofeadaofua-camaladl notnowimportantpieoeaof informationawnd indaebadtofonekmind-mayaomedaybetooll foraavinglivesandevenforehangingtheaotlrln ofhwmehhuory.IamgladwheaparI0flilil cl1:iebook . . , portam:etotheUnitedStameaandehereforea

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A711113 fm y or me - ,rm g'4e.,ttr M N cmd.. ,.,,.-----J-,UVM ' ,a...,,.,.,,,Y, ,- 4 ,Q , - .,..,.- ,.,.,,, I... ...WM N,-...Nm U.S.S. SAIPAN QCVL-481 The USS. SAIPAN QCVL-48, was launched on 8 july 1945 at the Camden, New jersey, yards of the New York Shipbuilding Corporation. Formal commissioning ceremonies took png. an the phnsanpha. Nivy Yard on 14 July 1946. The SAIPAN is a fast, light aircraft car- rier, constructed on a basic heavy cruiser hull, and taking her name from one of the most heroic battles of World War Il . . . the invasion and capture of Saipan in the Marianas Islands of the Pacific. The SAIPAN is 684 feet long and dis- places approximately 19,320 tons. Her flight deck is 617 feet long and 80 feet wide. Her power plant can produce 120,000 shaft horsepower to propel. the ship at speeds above 32 knots with four screws. The electric plant can generate enough electric power to supply a city of 10,000 people. The evaporators provide .t daily water supply of 80,000 gallons for the ship's power plant, per- sonal use of the crew, cooking and the ship's laundry. Under wartime operating conditions the SAIPAN can berth some 2,000 uicers and men. Since the SAIPAN has en- joyed manyandvarieddmies.Her5rstassign- ment was to the Naval Air Ba-sic Training Corn- mandinPensacola, Florida. asrelief forthe U.S.S-RANGER . . .one ofthe Navfsohdeat aircraft carriera.TheSAl.PAN'sduliesinP5a- cola consisted of the carrier of ms- l:ryoNavalAviators whilecmisingintheGnlf ofMexico.She performedthathyhonoily anddepartedPemacolainAprill947svihover 12,000 carrier landings under her belt. From Cllb8,,f0l.'lb8llii ahahedowl'.'I1seSAI- believed to the.tlse Brat and carrier a shakedown nie after living In May 1948 the SAIPAN accomplished what is still considered to be one of her most memorable achievements . . . she was the first United States Navy aircraft carrier to operate with a complete squadron of jet fighters. The FH-1 Phantom . . . piloted by the pilots of Air Development Squadron THREE shared this honor with the SAIPAN. As of the date this book is published, the SAIPAN has steamed over 300,000 milesg has received more than 39,000 landings on her flight deckg and has visited over 25 foreign countries. The SAIPAN is a shellback , having crossed the equator on two separate cruises, and and an honored member of the Realm of the Golden Dragon, having crossed the 180th meridian. On arrival in Norfolk after the completion of her Pacific duty the SAIPAN will also have eom- pleted a circuit of the world. Other duties at which the SAIPAN has served include: anti-submarine warfare, cold- weather evaluation cruises in the North Atlantic, service with the SIXTH Fleet in the Mediter- razman, and service with the Operation!-l Develop- ment For-ca.