Sanborn (APA 193) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 39 text:

out the period of troining, interfering with the logistic operotions ond the exer- cises of the boot group ond Morine boot teoms. ln less thon o month the Sonborn hod completed one invosion ond hod be- gun preporotions for onother. The first doy of April found her off Okinowo, Ryukyu lslonds. Shortly before down ,the islonds come within sight. While the troctor ond tronsport groups were joining for the finol opprooch to the tronsport oreo, word wos received thot enemy oircroft were ottocking ves- sels of the gunfire support group neor the beoch. At 0546 o violent explosion wos seen, ond it wos loter leorned thot this wos coused by o suicide plone crosh- ing on on LST neorby. Four minutes loter on explosion vvos seen ot the woter line, port side, of the U.S.S. l-linsdole, Divi- sion Flog ond leoder of the column of which Sonborn wos the third ship. This explosion wos coused by onother suicide plone, coming in so swiftly ond so low in the dorkness thot the explosion wos thought to hove been coused by o tor- pedo. The l-linsdole dropped out of the formotion listing heovily to port with o goping hole in her side, os the Sonborn ond other ships pulled on by ond settled

Page 41 text:

Sa iz Imriz 's Bridge M , ,.,,' it-Z f f ll Sf i f 5 s l Q K Signals by Semaphore it M r ,K g Eg' A l 4 gf? into position for disemborking troops in occordonce with the originol plon. l-l- hour, whch wos set ot 0930, was met on tme. The demonstrotion run wos unevent- ful, everything going ds plonned. Shortly ofter down the next morning, while the ships were returning to the tronsp,ort CIVGG for o repetition of the demonstro- tion, on enemy plone flew over the form- otion. No oir cover wos present ot the time ond the plone wos not sighted until directly over the Sonborn. A few rounds of fire were expended from the Sonborn ond ships close oboord, os the plone with its ominous rising-sun symbols flew rother leisurely through the gunfire ond disoppeored into the clouds before the orrivol of the oir potrol. The demonstro- tion wos conducted ogoin without other incident, the boots feinting runs within Dental Office