Tennessee (BB 43) - Naval Cruise Book

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5 N u n S- f'f . y

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Everyone breaThed a liTTle easier as Army AirTorce TighTers sTarTed buzzing around. Jap air aTTacks decreased To a greaT exTenT. Previously There had been as many as 4l air aTTacl4s a day, sTrilcing aT combaT ships The beach- head, and The Troops inland. Red l.eTTer Day Tor TENNESSEE FYEGPT -'.' Gcroper 29 when Rear Admiral Chandler TransTerreo his Tlag To The USS CALIFORNIA and announced on 'ne ouarweredeck ThaT The TENNESSEE was going back TO 9 ge' Sound Navy Yard Tor a much neeoed overhai . me o'a'eo ve crew Tor Their gallanT acTEon ara ' nappy leaves in The STaTes. While Tlag personnel wffrf air aTTack developed and rain Tanlcer, Tho Calf and The Bra T. wr-r Too big a TargeT Tor a Jap To miss. Lines were casT oTT and The TENNESSEE sTeamed ouT oT The gulT. PugeT Sound bound. When The Tennessee sTopped Tor one day in Pearl T-larbor aT Ford lsland, where Three years beTore The TirsT Japanese aTTacl4 had soughT To end her career, EleeT Admiral ChesTer NimiTz, Commander-in-Chief oT The PaciTic EleeT, boarded The ship. WiTh all hands rnusTered aTT he inTormed Them ThaT he and The enTire Navy lcnew and were proud oT The record which The TENNESSEE, her ohficersy and men had esTablished. RugeT Sound was The STaTes, The STaTes were home, and home was wonderTul. There was leave Tor everyone. and in every STaTe oT The TorTy-eighT men oT The TEN- NESSEE were wiTh Their Tamilies, Tor The TirsT Time in over cighTeen monThs. LX The Flrsi' Leave Was Welcome

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The navy unit commenclcltion CreaTed on I8 December I944, The Navy UniT CommendaTion is an award junior To The PresidenTial UniT CiTaTion. The IaTTer has never been awarded To a baTTleship. The CommendaTion is granTed by The SecreTary oT The Navy To any ship, aircraTT, deTachmenT, or oTher uniT in The Naval service oT The UniTed STaTes which has dis- Tinguished iTseI'F by ouTsTanding heroism in acTion wi+h The enemy since The declaraTion oT war on Pearl Harbor day, I 94I 3 iT can also be awarded To a uniT Tor exTremely meri- Torious service noT involving combaT if ThaT uniT renders such service in supporl' oT auxiliary operaTions. To iusTiTy This CommendaTion The uniT musT have performed serv- ices oT a characTer comparable To +ha+ which would meriT The award oT a Silver STar Medal or a Legion of MeriT To an individual. The U.S.S. TENNESSEE can iusTIy be proud ThaT iT received This CommendaTion Tor heroism in acTion againsT The enemy. ConsequenTIy all personnel serving on The TENNESSEE aT any Time during The period 3l January I944 To 2I June I945 are en- TiTIed To wear The blue, yellow, red and green Navy UniT CommendaTion Ribbon per- manenTly regardless of TuTure duTy sTaTions. A bronze sTar upon The ribbon is worn Tor addlhonal commendahons of The umT The U S S TENNESSEE and The U S S PENNSYLVANIA are The only Two baT-Tle ships ThaT have been awarded This Commendahon The U S S TENNESSEE proudly displays her coveTed award ln memory oT her numerous unsung heroes Those who have perpeTuaTed her name in The HisTory oT World War ll by Their courage bravery and self sacrlTTce Long may They live in The spiriT for which The reward was achieved lives oT These Tighhng men and which won Tor Them The cherished reward The Navy UmT Commendahon The pages in This war hisTory will help To depicT The spiriT which characTerized The fi 414