Tarawa (CV 40) - Naval Cruise Book

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General Protestant Church Service Chaplain Frea'D. Bennett, Commander, USNR ' ' ' ,f 1 ,ff Q ,J 4 . ' X ff fn 1 , ' ,fff ma, -1 gm , , N' 'WA' 'Nr Roman Catholic Mass Chaplain Matthew' F Connolly, Lieut. Cj.g.j USJVR

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LT, COMDR' W, T, HUNT, USN LT. COMDR. E. H. STELTS, USN Gmmgm, 05956, Communications Ofcer Hgmg gown: Vallejg, Calif. Dugjw 537156 the way, Home town: Palatka, Florida. Duties sznce the war Served On the cruiser PENSACOLA, the destroyer Officer in Charge Naval Radio Statlon Thlfd WASMUTH, and the battleships ARKANSAS, IOWA, Naval DiSU'iCf, NCW York CIW! SCDi01' Communl and NEW MEXICQ. cation Watch Officer, Third Naval District New ENS ENS ENS ENS ENS. ENS. ENS. DEPARTMENT OFFICERS LT. COMDR. J. W. ALEXANDER LT. J. W. LOGAN LT. H. V. M. RICHARDSON LT. H. T. BARRETT LT. L. WOHLER LT. R. LT. R. LT. N. LT. Cj.g.j O. LT. Cj.g.j A. K. E. BEAN H. R. JOY R. H. MCMICKIJE J. A. TAOIIE H. GIBBS W. B. HAMILTON K. H. LIARDY H. HENRY W. STEVENS C. E. BRINKMAN L. ORR S. MANNE ENS ENS. ENS ENS ENS. ENS ENS R. E. TJILLE F. J. ANASTASIO A. ABRAMS P. D. BIRKI-IAHN D. M. STUBBS L. M. PEASE K. D. TOEIN I. T. BARTI,.ET'I' CII. CTUN. D. V. HOLLAND York Cityg U.S.S. COWPENS QCVL-255 DEPARTMENT OFFICERS LT. LT. LT. LT. LT. LT. ENS ENS. ENS E. I. FORTENBERRY' VV. O. CARPENTER Qj.g.j U. B. PITTS Cj.g.j W. D. KEARNS Cj.g.J L. P. RUSSELL Qj.g.D L. BUHLER R. I. P. NEEL E. H. HOLAHAN M. A. ABATUNO ENS. F. FITZGERALD ENS. ENS. ENS. ENS. ENS ENS ENS ENS J. T. DUNNE B. M. ATKINSON C. BAIIREIITHER L. J. ADDR B. AlTI.IDE S. V. BELI.. E. V. FROST E. R. I'IAX'VKINS

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l l 1 Bomber Headsfof the Circle ir Group Four A veteran of four months of Pacific action, including strikes against Tokyo itself, Air Group FOUR now joins the new aircraft carrier, U.S.S. TARAWA. Air Group FOUR's Helldiver-bombers did tremendous damage to Japanese aircraft factories in and around Tokyo. Thirteen Avengers, taking in a massive raid against a Nakajima factory, landed all their bombs in the target area, and did serious damage to the plant. In a similar coordinated raid on another Nakajima engine factory, eight Corsairs all loosed their big bombs on the target. Shooting down Jap planes over Tokyo, battling them while attacking Jap airfields, skimming over the powerlines and rooftops in the capital cityas outskirts while in pursuit ofJap fighter planes-all were in a day's work for the victorious pilots in Air Group FOUR during some of their hotter moments. The group, in company with Marine fighter planes aboard the same carrier, participated in strikes against Leyte, Manila Bay, Formosa, the Pescadores Islands, Hainan Islands, Nansei Shoto, and Japan itself. In a strike against French Indo-China, the planes penetrated up the Saigon River to attack shipping. The total Jap planes shot down by Air Group FOUR and their Marine partners was 83, and with a possible additional 13 destroyed. On the ground the Navy-Marine combination destroyed an estimated total of 137 enemy aircraft, and dam- aged or destroyed another 160 planes. Included were some single and twin engine Jap aircraft of new types. Air Group FOUR's record of surface craft was impressive. It sank two Japanese destroyers and two destroyer escorts, probably sank a light cruiser and three more destroyers, and damaged 11 destroyer escorts. Its total was brought to 361,530 tons by the sinking of 13 merchant ships, the probable sinking of 14 more and the damaging of 70.