San Jacinto (CVL 30) - Naval Cruise Book

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CHAPTER vm OKINAWA CAMPAIGN N 14 March 1945, the SAN JACINTO sortied from ULITHI with other units of Task Force FIFTY-EIGHT to begin what was up to that time the longest and most arduous of its combat missions, the bloody and costly subjugation of OKINAWA JIMA, where American forces were no longer only breaking through the outer and inner defense rings, but were seizing a part of the Empire itself. OKINAWA was the strategic key to the whole Pacific tactical situation. Japanese resistance was determined and fanatic and for a while the Navy's price in casualties exceeded that of the Army and Marine Corps combined. With its fall V-J Day was advanced by an incalculable number of months. . Task Force FIFTY-EIGI-IT was to inaugurate the campaign with a two-day smash at airfields on KYUSHU and combatant naval units in the INLAND SEA. Course was set for the Empire after refueling in an area north and west of SAIPAN on I6 March. On the 17th, our forces were temporarily bolstered by the voluntary attachment of a large whale, who took up a position about six hundred yards on the port beam of the SAN JACINTO and maintained station for about ten minutes, making good the course and seventeen-knot speed of the forma- tion. We were deserted soon after, however. Perhaps it was the mating season and we failed to pass inspection? On the morning of I8 March, Task Force FIFTY-EIGHT was deployed off the Southeast coast of KYUSHU. Attacks in force were launched at dawn and continued throughout the day. SAN JACINTO planes destroyed fourteen grounded enemy aircraft at MIYAKANOJO and damaged many more. Numerous buildings were bombed and rocketed and a large section of an aircraft assembly plant at KAGOSHIMA was destroyed. Successful photographic missions were flown and several small luggers destroyed. Our Air Group Commander, Commander Gordon E. SCHECTER, USN, was declared miss- ing in action when his fighter was shot down on the first sweep. One Avenger made a water landing but the pilot and crew were rescued. Throughout the day, enemy aircraft snooped and attacked the Task Force. Although enemy planes could be seen making numerous attacks on the other Task Groups fthe INTREPID being grazed by a suicider within easy sight distance from usj and the Combat Air Patrols shot down many planes in our hvicinity, our own Task Group was not actually attacked. On the 19th, Task Force FIFTY-EIGHT launched strikes against naval shipping at KURE HARBOR from waters South of SHIKOKU. SAN JACINTO aircraft damaged a large carrier, and an escort carrier with 500-pound bomb hits, also scoring bomb and rocket hits on four cargo vessels. From early morning until nightfall, enemy planes snooped the vicinity of the forces. Shortly after daybreak, an enemy bomber dropped out of the clouds directly overhead, dived over the SAN JACINTO, and loosed its bomb on the FRANK- LIN with disastrous results. The stricken ship was a mass of smoke and flame within secondsg it was repeatedly racked by terrific explosions and soon was listing heavily. Several of our support units moved to cover her and render aid while the re- mainder of our Task Group maneuvered in close vicinity, less than fifty miles from the SHIKOKU coast. In midmorning, the ENTERPRISE joined our Task Group as reinforcement to replace the FRANKLIN. Additional enemy planes attempting attack- were intercepted and destroyed by the Combat Air Patrols, SAN JACINTO planes shooting down five. The order of the day for Task Force FIFTY-EIGHT was the successful salvage of the battered FRANKLIN and all else took second place. Our own Task Group remained close by with the other groups of the Task Force in the general area, as the Japs mounted determined attacks against us throughout the daylight hours of the 20th, following all night snooping raids. Over one hundred enemy planes attacked the Force at intervals during thegday. Most of them were shot down by our lighter patrols but many got through to the Force. In midafter- noon, one enemy plane made a suicide run on the HANCOCK. The SAN JACINTO and many other ships threw up so much flak that the aircraft burst into flame and swerved in its course, missing the HANCOCK 'but unfortunately hitting the stern of the destroyer HALSEY POWELL, close aboard the big carrier. Shortly afterward, two dive-bombers made runs on the ENTERPRISE. The first one 'missed his target narrowly with his bomb, but demonstrated some beautiful evasive tactics to elude the intense anti-aircraft fire directed at him and escaped, one of the very few Japanese who have attacked Task Force FIFTY-EIGHT and lived even a short time to think about it. This plane was later intercepted and shot down by the Combat Air Patrol. The second Jap scored a direct hit on the ENTER- PRISE but was shot down by anti-aircraft fire as great fires broke out on the Big Four other Jap planes attacked before dusk, one apiece diving on each of the four carriers of our group. The still burn- ing ENTERPRISE blasted' her attacker apart as his bomb missed. The SAN JACINTO shot her Jap down early in its dive before its bomb had been released. Both of the other planes also missed their marks and were shot down going away, one of them having its tail shot off by our guns as it crossed our bow at close range. A Hellcat fighter which had followed this last plane in its dive was recognized too late and also shot down in flames by the intense anti-aircraft fire of the group. The pilot escaped with minor injuries. Our guns fired l2,924 rounds that day to score two kills and two assists. V The Japs continued their harassment as our forces reached extreme range of the 21st, keeping us at battle stations for most of this fourth consecutive day of intense action. Many planes were shot down by our fighter patrols, but others got through and a carrier fthe WASPJ in another Task Group, was hit and seriously damaged. A twin-eugined bomber dove on the SAN JACINTO shortly after noon. It was shot' down in flames by our guns but released a heavy bomb which fell short by several hundred yards, erupting a huge geyser of water but doing no damage. Five-inch shells- burst all around the SAN JACINTO during this attack and five men received shrapmfl W0UHdSS none proved serious, however. OU the 22I1d, the Task Force had cleared the danger area. Our Task Group was dissolved and our damaged units retired while the SAN JACINTO reported to another Fast Carrier THSIC Group of Task Force FIFTY-EIGHT as replacement fOr 'the damaged WASP, -fv-'-,-.--,v..5J.-.-f.-.f.i. -.-.'.a-f.w-v-.-...-.4-Q-Q-.-H.-.1-.-V--., - . . K -'-Hwifmvmevfffqmwfr. :-.N sf ....- .. 1-3-vt--1m1.,..,,.-. , .. WL .. ,-..... . .., ..-.. -. .. .... 1. . - V - , --.m...v -vm Q...-. . .i

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! I f e On 23 Marchiwe commenced operations against the NAN- SEI SHOTO preliminary to and in support of the invasion of KERAMA RETTO, OKINAVVA, and IE SHIMA, with strikes against grountl 'installations and small shipping at OKINAW'A on that date. The following day, eight of our torpedo-carrying Avengers assisted in the complete destruction of a ship convoy in the EAST CHINA SEA as others of our planes again struck NANSEI SHOTO. We shifted our attack to SAKISHIMA GUNTO on the 25th, SAN JACINTO planes destroying six- teeni grounded enemy aircraft and sinking eight small craft. Attacks on the OKINAIVA area resumed on the 27th, SAN JACINTO planesydestroying two enemy aircraft on the ground at KIKAI and damaging two small cargo ships. Lt. B. PETTIGREW was killed in action when his fighter was shot down over the target. Enemy aircraft attacked in the inorning, four planes being shot down by anti-aircraft fire and fighter patrols as a bomb missed' the BENNINGTON and a torpedo hit the MURRAY, freakishly passing clean through her bow without exploding. We moved northeastward on the 28th to launch a long- range, search and attack mission against Jap fleet units're- ported moving down from KYUSHU. The search proved nega- tive but. SAN JACINTO aircraft sank six coastal cargo vessels on the return trip. The planes were late in returning, many landing after dark. One lighter plane crashed through all three barriers and destroyed fourparked torpedo planes. Several personnel were injured, only one of them seriously. All five planes had to be jettisoned. 4 on 31 March we commenced operations in direct support of the Easter morning Q1 Aprilj landings on OKINAWA, our planes performing specific missions against enemy pillboxes, trenches, boating and installations as requested by the troops. Enemy air opposition until 6 April was confined to single- plane raids easily disposed of by our fighters' patrols. On 2 April Ensign C. L. SHARP and aircrewmen E. BARKER and W, . CORNETT were declared missing in action when their Avenger failed to return from a support mission. On 3 April Lt. fj.g.j C. W. DYSERT-and aircrewmen H. C. BUSH and R. E. HUFFORD were similarly missing in action. A fighter was also lost on 3 April but the pilot was rescued. '6 April saw the Japanese launch an all-out air offensive against American forces in the vicinity of OKINAWA. An estimated five hundred planes, nearly all Kamikazes, attacked Task Force F IFTY-EIGHT andthe Amphibious Forces. Over three hundred of them were shot out of the air by our fighters and anti-aircraft fire. Task Force FIFTY-EIGHT' escaped without serious harm, but many of the amphibious units were hit. ' I Combat Air Patrols successfully warded off all attacks on our own Task 'Group during the morning but shortly after noon a single suicider dove on the BENNINGTON and missed. About an hour later,'four more attacked the formation, two picking the SAN JACINTO as their target. Our guns shot a wing off one and 'plummeted him into the sea off our starboard quarter. The second dove at us from astern, was repeatedly hit by our anti-aircraft fire and flamed up when about one hundred yards away, crashing out of control in our wake. One dove at the BELLEAU VVOOD and missed, the fourth being knocked down by heavy fire before he was able to pick a definite target. A few minutes later another Jap suicider burst out of low clouds less than four thousand yards away and began diving at our bow from dead ahead. Our guns opened concentrated fire at short range and poured repeated hits into him, but he came on in, finally crashing into the sea less than fifty feet off our starboard bow. The ensuing explosion splattered the flight deck and bridge with pieces of plane, Jap pilot, shrapnel, oil and water. One officer and four men were wounded, one man . ' x-if ' fatally, and miscellaneous superficial damage was done to the ship., J i I - . For services rendered on this violent day, Captain Michael H. KERNODLE and Commander A. MORENO were later awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Lieutenant Commanders G. M. WINNE and L. S. SWEPSTON Gold Stars in lieu of af second Bronze Star Medal. Several members of the gun crews were also recommended for lesser awards. A J I - f Killed in action was Seaman First Class Ray Alonzo HOFF- MAN. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star-Medal' and Purple Heart. Burial services were held on 7 April, Chap-K lain CORDES ofhciatifng. ' V On 7 April, the Japs committed the cardinal blunder of sending out the battleship YAMATO and a screen of support ships without air cover. Task Force FIFTY-EIGHT planes attacked and sank the YAMATO and most of her escorts, only! three destroyers escaping. SAN JACINTO planes sank the large destroyer which was designated as their target. For their parts in leading this attack, Ensign J. L. MASON of the Tor-- pedo Squadron was awarded the Navy Cross and Lt. B. Killer CAIN of the Fighting Squadron, the Silver Star Medal.. Japanese planes were in ourxvicinity the remainder of the day, but only two were able to elude our fighter patrols and' attack the group. The MASSACHUSETTS and SAN JUAN' respectively exhibited some beautiful 5-inch marksmanship and' shot them down before their runs were well started. At this point, the support units and escort carriers of the Amphibious Forces assumed the tactical air support function for the troops -and Task Force FIFTY-EIGHT'S main duty became smothering the violent but spasmodic Jap air counter- attacks. I ' 'A V. The first of these came early on 12 April, three enemy planes being shot down by night fighters before sunrise. During the deep sorrow of the death of their Commander-in-Chief, Presi-1 dent Franklin Delano ROOSEVELTQ their' sorrow was height- ened by the knowledge that his youngest son, Lt. John'Aspin-I wall ROOSEVELT, was attached to the Task Group Com-- mander's Staff. I , The Japs attacked again in greater force on the 14th. The Combat Air Patrol shot down sixteen, including six by SAN JACINTO fighters, and two were shot down within the-forma- tion by anti-aircraft fire. Two of our destroyers on picket duty were hit by suiciders. At noon on the 15th, five minutes of silent prayer were observed during the funeral services for the late President ROOSEVELT and the colors of all ships were half-mastedi Although we were at General Quarters Chaplain CORDES held memorial services for the president over the ship's loud- speaker system. . J I Fighter sweeps were launched against KIKAI in the North- ern NANSEI SHOTO and KANOYA on Southern KYUSHU on the l5th,.our planes destroying twenty grounded enemy aircraft and damaging ground installations. The destroyer TAUSSIG shot down an enemy-plane snooping the formation after nightfall. I I . The Japs reacted to the invasion of IE SHIMA, 16 April, by Staglng heavy raids on the American forces. Combat Air Patrols shot- down scores of enemy planes, SAN JACINTO lighters flestmldfig fourteen, including one twin-engine bomber carry- lng a suicide piloted BAKA flying bomb. Some enemy planes broke through to attack the ships. A dive-bomber made a sur- prise attack from cloud cover on the SAN .JACINTO but its bomb failed to release and we shot it down as it pulled out of 1 1 5 fu k., :t-,T-J.-.-V ..-.-.,...,.,.,..-,.,,,.,-.-...,..,...,.,.,.,.,, . H - ,pi-J-:Z-. A 't'.ffsf'L'TIi.. - hi'1'l1:'f- 252 -'L- l' 2 '145Z'L'W:'1 .rL 34' Q' .'r-yf'::- 'S-45:-.: 'A nn- .. . ..,.,.. . A, Y - .- - --.f -.f-.-4 - ,---.1-Q. day, our patrols shot 'down seven Japsiand anti-aircraft firei, from our Task Group destroyed two others. I . QQ On the m'orning of 13 April the entire ship learned vyithf