Sanborn (APA 193) - Naval Cruise Book

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wounded in action novv wear the Purple l-leart award. William D. Maroney, who took charge after the officers were lost, has subsequently been awarded the Silver Star Medal for distinguishing himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepi- dity in action from February l9, to Feb- ruary 27, l94'5, as a member of a beach party during the assault and capture of Iwo Jima Island. The Beach Party doctor, Lt. ligl George E. Collentine, MC, has been awarded a letter of com- mendation from Commander Sth Fleet for excellent service in the line of his profession as the Medical Officer of a beach party from i8 February to 20 Feb- ruary l94'5, during the assault and cap-A ture of lwo Jima, Except for two nights the ship retired to avoid possible enemy bombers and suicide planes. After the first day boat crews and ship's crew alike fought with the weather. Craft coming alongside suf- fered damage, fenders were lost, mooring lines reduced to rope ends. But in spite of the difficulty all calls for equipment were met, and fuel, water and provisions were furnished to all the landing craft Mwuaaagu,

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jf l i ,ff 5 I ,if ,154 fi Ry X f I 9 ,V f , ,' , 12 44, 1, f ,f r X 1 1 A f.4,,-4,1-vm' ft, y V 5 ,f X!! 9 1 ' f , f ff' f f 1 Ze f ' f f if -W , f f. f-, f. ,fi-..-ww . - f M, ,- Aifichorerl iii, LST Ron- that got alongside. On the twenty-eighth day of February the Sanborn was ordered to be completely unloaded and ready to proceed to Saipan, She finished unload- ing in less than nine hours and left for Saipan carrying 232 of the 376 casual- ties handled during the entire period. At Saipan she was ordered to Guam, where the casualties were transfered to Army and Navy hospitals. She departed Guam that evening for Saipan, arriving there on the seventh of March. There was no time to relax. Within two days time she had become a part of Task Group 5l.2 under Rear Admiral Jerrauld Wright and had embarked per- sonnel and equipment of the First Bat- talion, Second Marines. ln less than two weeks she was conducting rehearsals off the coast of Tinian in preparation for the invasion of Okinawa. The primary mission of this transport group was to conduct a demonstration landing off the southern beaches of Okinawa coin- cident vvith the main landing on the western beaches. The group, however, was to be prepared to make an assault on any of a considerable number of beaches on the main island or smaller islands of Okinawa Gunto, or to land in reserve on any of the Okinawa beaches. High winds and seas persisted through-