Ticonderoga (CVA 14) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 10 text:

World War II. On 21 January 1945, Task Group 38.3, including the Ticonderoga, was passing through the straits between Luzon and Taiwan. The Group had launched air strikes against the island of Taiwan throughout the morning and just when it appeared that the enemy would not attempt retaliation all ships were alerted by the call, many bogeys to the north. Shortly thereafter the Kamekazi, dreaded suicide pilots of the Japanese forces, were beginning to break through our antiaircraft screen. Many were stopped by gunfire from the ships but one succeeded in reaching his traget, the Ticonderoga. From my General Quarters station on the USS MIAMI CCL-895 it appeared that he struck in the vicinity of the forward elevator and the impact was followed by a tremendous explosion. The remaining suicide pilots continued to press the attack and before long a second plane broke through off our port bow, seemingly bent on diving into the Miami. In the last few seconds he pulled the nose of his plane upward, crossed over our mainmast and he, too, smashed into the Ticonderoga, striking somewhere on or near the island. In a matter of minutes the ship was a flaming holocaust. Through the heroic efforts of her crew the Ti fought and won her battle but the victory was a costly one. One the morning of January 22nd, all ships in the group lowered colors to half mast for nearly three hours while the Ticonderoga committed to the deep the bodies of her gallant dead. LTJG E. V. COLEMAN, SC, USN 6

Page 9 text:

KV? mu' IEE '- nn.- '4 DM, . s :I .-P 'vows .uf ir li: E. 1 .1-' Q-p .5 , rf' ,, ,f L . v. ,.. MJ., 5 we Only superb damage control and fire fighting by all hands saved the ship, but the price that was paid was high. Three hundred and forty-five oflicers and men were killed, missing or wounded in action. Captain Dixie Kiefer was injured so severely that he was forced to relinquish his command to Commander H. V. Briner, Engineering Officer. The Executive Officer, Com- mander W. O. Burch, was also badly wounded. On the evening of the 21st, the badly crippled ship retired to the south, arriving at Ulithi on the 24th of January. Captain Kiefer and Commander Burch were removed, along with other wounded men, to a hospital ship. After temporary repairs were effected, the TICONDEROGA got underway on the 28th with Captain Giles E. Short, in temporary command. On the 7th of February they arrived in Pearl Harbor. Upon arrival in Pearl Harbor, Captain Short was relieved by Captain William Sinton, and on the 9th the TICONDEROGA sailed for the West Coast of the United States for shipyard repairs. The TICONDEROGA anchored in Puget Sound, Bremerton, Washington on the 15th of February 1945 and shortly thereafter was nosed into drydock at the Puget Sound Navy Yard. The extensive repairs and alterations needed were completed about the 20th of April and on the 21st, with a large number of new officers and enlisted in the ship's crew, the TICONDEROGA sailed westward again, stopping at Alameda, California, for three days while enroute to Pearl Harbor. The ship arrived at Pearl Harbor on 1 May and on the 3rd got underway for a week's training cruise off the Hawaiian Islands. Extensive flight opera- tions and general drills were held during this time and on the 9th the ship returned to Ford Island. On 11 May, with Commander Carrier Division TWO, Rear Admiral Sprague, embarked, the ship got underway enroute to Ulithi. The ship subjected Maloelap in the Marshall Islands to a full scale strike. The TICONDEROGA arrived in Ulithi Lagoon on the 22nd of May and joined Task Group 38.4 under the com- mand of Rear Admiral Radford and part of Admiral Halsey's THIRD Fleet. On the 24th they sortied from Ulithi for attacks against Okinawa and Southern Kyushu. Strikes were carried out against enemy installations on Okinawa, the majority of which were bombing and strafing missions in support of Allied Ground Troops. After a long period of rest and replenishment at Leyte the ship moved out again on the lst of July, this time as part of Task Group 38.3, Rear Admiral G. D. Bogan, commanding. On the 3rd of July, while enroute toward Japan with the Task Force, a casualty to the Number Two reduction gear forced the ship to leave the fleet and put into Guam for emergency repairs. It was estimated that these repairs could be made in 24 hours but it was not until the 19th of July that the ship was ready, and she got underway to join the Task Force, then operating off the coast of Japan. From the 19th of July until the 15th of August the Third Fleet roamed at will off the coast of Japan, blasting the remaind- er of the Japanese Navy and Merchant Marine, and hunting down the dwindling enemy air force which was cunningly disp- ersed and camouflaged in their many airfields. On the 15th of August, just after the ship's first deck load of planes had dropped their bombs on the Tokyo area, word was received to recall or cancel all strikes. The Empire of Japan had surrendered. Then at dawn on the 6th of September, Fujiyama barely dis- cernible through the morning mist, the TICONDEROGA steamed into Tokyo Bay and anchored off Yokohama. Shortly after, the TICONDEROGA was assigned to the Magic Carpet Fleet transporting veterans to the United States. In March of 1946 she was taken to the Puget Sound Navy Yard and was placed in the inactive reserve fleet. On April 4, 1952, after hostilities started in Korea, the ship was sailed from Bremerton to the New York Naval Shipyard where, during the next 21 months, she was equipped with many of the latest advances in carrier construction. Among the changes were a pair of steam-driven catapults to enable her to launch the Navy's largest and fastest jets, a new nylon net type barricade, higher and stronger, designed to stop planes with minimum damage to pilot and plane, a new deck edge elevator and strengthening of other elevators to accom- modate larger aircraft and loads, an escalator to enable pilots to reach the flight deck, a new streamlined island superstructure with the latest equipment in radar, electronics and fire control, a strengthened flight deck and new arresting gear. Y ,Al L A ' ' W A -5- 'j -gr' ' ,QA--.,.,--. i H nr

Page 11 text:

On September 11, 1954, the T ICONDEROGA was recom- missioned. Captain William A. Schoech, assumed command during recommissioning. On January 6, the TICONDEROGA steamed into Hampton Roads to pay her first visit to her home port of Norfolk since 1949. In February, the ship sailed for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba on a two-month shakedown cruise. In April the ship went into the Norfolk Naval Shipyard at Portsmouth, Va. for six weeks of post-shakedown availability. During the period August 18-22, the TICONDEROGA visited New York, to take part in the city's Summer Festival. Over 18,000 visitors toured the ship during the T ICONDEROGA's three day openhouse period. In September, the TICONDEROGA participated in the National Aircraft Show in Philadelphia. With crew members lined up on the carrier's flight deck spelling out the ships name, she entered the Delaware River and moored to a pier near the International Airport. The voyage marked the first time a carrier had navigated the Delaware since World War II. Although visiting hours at Philadelphia were shorter than those in New York, 24,315 visitors fiocked aboard to see the TICON DE- ROGA's aircraft display. Some 289,000 visitors massed at the city's International Airport as the TICONDEROGA launched her jets. It was the first time a U. S. carrier catapulted jets from dockside for the American public. Captain Andrew Jackson, relieved Captain Schoech as com- manding ofiicer in brief ceremonies held aboard the ship Sept. 9, I955. When the ship sailed out of Norfolk later in September, she carried with her observers from the Bureau of Aeronautics, engineers from the Douglas Aircraft Corporation and three surprise packages-A4D-1 Skyhawk the F4D-1 Skyray and the F3He2N Demon The new Skyhawk and the first produc- tion models of the Skyray and the Demon were initiated into the fleet aboard the TICONDEROGA. The TICONDEROGA arrived at Gibraltar, B. C. C., 14 November 1955, relieved the carrier USS INTREPID, and officially began its tour of duty with the U. S. SIXTH Fleet. On June 8, 1956, Rear Admiral Harris, Commander, Carrier Division FOUR, hauled down his fiag on the TICONDEROGA. Being relieved by the USS RANDOLPH, the BIG T headed for her home port, Norfolk, Va., arriving August 2. The nine month cruise for the TICONDEROGA was the longest training deployment recorded for an Atlantic Fleet carrier operating with the U.S. SIXTH Fleet. The TICONDEROGA entered the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Port- smouth, Va. late August to start construction of a 3510 million angled-deck and enclosed hurricane bow. CAPT W. A, Stuart became Commanding Officer in October 1956, upon relieving Commander Harold Miller, Executive Ofiicer, who was acting as Commanding Officer. The six month moderniza- tion ended with a two day post-repair trial run off the Virginia Capes, March 5-6. Some 75-tons were added to the original ship's weight. The newest feature added to the carrier was a landing mirror system Cfixed and portableh on the flight deck. The 40,000-ton warship departed the Norfolk area and the Atlantic Fleet April 15 for her new home port Alameda, Calif., arriving there May 30. . After underway training and fiight operations off the California Coast, the TICONDEROGA deployed on September 16 to West Pac. for seven months. While in Hawaii, Captain Irwin Chase, Jr., relieved Captain Stuart as Commanding Officer. The ship returned to Alameda April 1958. After a yard availability, she operated off the California coast. In August she again entered the shipyard where she remained until October. On September 20, Captain W. M. Coleman relieved Captain Chase as Commanding Officer. On October 4, the TICONDEROGA again deployed to West Pac. ' 'i' ' -' - . ' ..-Q,-3 I