Ticonderoga (CVA 14) - Naval Cruise Book

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,,,.....,.-.-C-i.,,......,-. .. ..-.,,-....,.... .... . V 1 ,V 1 V A USS T ICONDEROGA CCVA-145, the 10th of the Essex Class carriers to be biilt for the Navy, slid down the ways at the Newport News Ship-building and drydock Company on 7 February 1944. The fourth U. S. Naval vessel to bear the name, the TICONDEROGA wassponsored by Stephanie Saran Pell, of Pelham Manor, New York, daughter of Robert T. Pell of the United States Department and granddaughter of Stephen H. Pell, through whose efforts Fort T iconderoga was restored to its original status. The ship was placed in commission on the afternoon of 8 May 1944 at the Norfolk Naval Ship Yards, Portsmouth, Virginia and turned over to Captain Dixie Kiefer, Commanding Officer. On1,26 June 1944, the TICONDEROGA got underway from Norfolk for Trinidad, British West Indies, on its shakedown cruise. After four days of flight operations, gunnery drills and battle problems on the trip south, she anchored at Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. The next fifteen days were taken up with intensive exercises and problems by the air group and ship's personnel. On the 16th of July the TICONDEROGA got underway for Norfolk, Virginia, arriving on the 22nd of July. On 30th of August, she stood out from Norfolk for the Panama'Canal Zone, arriving at Cristobal on 3 September 1944, the next day she entered the Panama Canal and late in the afternoon moored at Balboa Har- bor. On the 5th of September she got underway from Balboa to San Diego, exercising flight operations and general drills while enroute. She entered San Diego Harbor and moored at North Island, on 13 September. After liberty in San Diego, the TICONDEROGA set a course for Pearl Harbor. The ship arrived at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, on the 24th of September and three weeks later left for the forward area. On 18 October the TICONDEROGA stood out from Pearl Harbor for the Philippine Sea and her first taste of combat. She became part of Task Group 38. On 5 November four suicide attempts were made on the task group. One Kamikaze hit the LEXINGTON and one narrowly missed the T ICONDEROGA in its dive. The other two were shot down. Q Beginning on the 5th of November, and continuing through the 14th, strikes were launched by the task force against enemy airfields, and shipping in the Manila Area of Luzon and the Visays. Retirement to Ulithi by the Task Force commenced on the 14th of November, and on the TICONDEROGA anchored in Ulithi Lagoon, Caroline Islands. The period of replenishment and recreating at Ulithi was short, however, and on the 22nd of November the ship got under- way for another sortie to the Philippine Sea. On the 25th, planes were launched against Japanese airfields and shipping in Central Luzon, the primary target being a damaged Japanese heavy cruiser anchored in Santa Cruz Harbor. The task group was again attacked by Japanese suicide planes, one diving into the iiight deck of the ESSEX and two being destroyed by TICONDEROGA guns while in their dive. The TICONDEROGA retired on the 26th of November. After one week of rest at beautiful Mog-Mog on Ulithi Atoll, fast moving Task Force 38 was again on the move, this time for attacks against enemy air installations and shipping in northwest Luzon. The ship cleared Ulithi Atoll on the 10th of December and on the 14th was in position to commence the attack. Strikes were launched for three straight days, through the 16th of December, and were in support of the landings on Mindoro Island by Army forces. Retirement to Ulithi was started on the 18th of December and the ship and the Force arrived there on December 24. Christmas was observed by a Midnight Mass, a special dinner, and holiday routine for all hands. On the 30th of December, the TICONDE. ROGA got underway again with other units of Task Force 38, on what proved to be the most profitable series of raids so far conducted by the Air Group and the Ship. On the 21st of January, while operating in the Philippine Sea olf Formosa, the TICONDEROGA was again attacked by the Japanese Special Attack Groups. Three enemy planes were shot down by the ship's guns but her firing failed to stop the two that successfully plunged into the flight deck and island struc- ture.

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Between the security of childhood and the insecurity of second childhood, we find a fascinating group of humanity called, collectively, the sailor. The Sailor comes in assorted sizes, weights, and sobriety. They can be found anywhere on ships, at shore stations, in bars, on leave, in love and always in debt. Girls love them, towns tolerate them, and the government supports them. . . . f The sailor is laziness with a deck of cards, bravery with a tatooed arm and the protector of the high seas with a copy o Playboy l'. The sailor has the energy of a turtle, the slyness of a fox, the brains of an idiot, the stories of a sea captain, the since- ' ' l ll onnected with a liberty card. rity of a liar, the tenderness of a Casanova, and when he wants something, its genera y c The sailor likes women, girls, females, dames, broads, and the opposite sex. He dislikes answering letters, wearing his uniform, his superior officer, the division chief, the chow, and getting up on time. No one else can cram into one jumper pocket, a little black book, a comb, some change, his locker keys, a pack of cigarettes, and his liberty and I. D. cards. The sailor likes to spend some of his pay on gir s, ema on poker and the rest just foolishly, ' l f les, dames, women, and the opposite sex. He likes to spend some l l out of our home but not out of your heart You can scratch him The sailor is the magic creature that you can oct Y i , . h b d our son, or your off your mailing list, but not out of your mind. He's your lover-gone-away-from-home, your us an ,y sweetheart, your blurry-eyed good for nothing bundle of worry. All your shattered dreams become insignificant when your . - A 4 , it 'r H sailor comes home with the tender and loving phrase that has lasted foi yeais, H1 Ya, oney ! 'J U A M Q-f t-1

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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