Ticonderoga (CVA 14) - Naval Cruise Book

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ahigaturs uf the rem Chaplain Spradling These men of the clothhNavy blue cloth-have no easy task in caring for a crew of nearly 3,000 men from every section of the United States, every form of environ- ment. At times they must be stern, at times solace is the answer. But alway they must be understanding. Under- standing of the hidden reefs of temptation and the unchart- ed reaches of the heart and mind. As an ehicient ship must have a good navigator, so too, must its crew have men to help each sailor navigate the perilous channels of life. The Ticonderoga is fortu- nate to have a pair of such spiritual directors-Cdr. David E. Spradling and Lcdr. Victor J. Ivers. Father Ivers 0 , 8 I

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'Me dcamlezaga my February 1944 The United States Ship Ticonderoga was born on Feb. 7, 1944, at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company. She was the 10th of the Essex Class carriers and the fourth U.S. Naval vessel to bear this name. Officially commissioned at Norfolk, Va., on May 8, 1944, the Ticonderoga was turned over to her first com- manding officer, the late Capt. Dixie Kiefer. After three months of strenuous exercises at sea the Ti entered San Diego Harbor by way of the Panama Canal. She was ready for the forward Pacific area. Entering the Philippine Sea on Oct. 18, Ticonderoga became part of Task Group 38 and was soon to get her first taste of combat. On Nov. 5, four suicide attempts were made on the Group. One Kamikaze hit the USS Lexington and one barely missed the Ti. The other two were shot down. For the remainder of the year 1944 the Ti and her em- barked air group rolled up an impressive record in the Philippine fighting. On Dec. 14, Ticonderoga registered a proud mark when eight of her fighters knocked down 20 Japanese planes off the coast of Luzon without receiving as much as a single bullet hole in return. All was not give for the Ti, however. On Jan. 21, 1945, while operating off the island of Formosa, Ticon- deroga was again attacked by Japanese suicide planes. Three of the aircraft were shot down by the ship's guns, but her firing failed to stop two that ripped into the fiight deck and island structure. Despite heavy damages and casualties the valiant crew managed to patch the Ti up enough for her to limp out of the combat zone for emergency repairs. The double strike cost the lives of 143 men and wounded 202, including Capt. Kiefer and the Exec, Cdr. W. O. Burch. Cdr. H. V. Briner, Engineering Officer, took command and steamed south to Ulithi Atoll. After temporary repairs were made at Ulithi, Ticon- deroga sailed for the West Coast and the Puget Sound Shipyard. She arrived in Bremerton, Wash., on Feb. 15, 1945, following a layover in Pearl Harbor where Capt. William Stinton assumed the post of commanding officer. With extensive repairs and alterations to both the ship and her roster, the Ti pulled out of Bremerton on April 21 and headed back to the Philippine area to prove that she may have been knocked down, but certainly not out! In May the ship joined Task Group 38.4, under the command of Rear Admiral Radford, as part of Admiral Halsey's Third Fleet. ' For the remainder of the sununer the Task Group helped put the finishing touches on the Imperial Forces with strikes on Okinawa and Japan. From the 19th of July until the 15th of August the Third Fleet roamed at will off the coast of Japan blasting the remnants of the Japa- nese Navy and Merchant Marine, and hunting down the dwindling enemy air force which was cunningly dispersed and camoufiaged in their many air fields. On Aug. 15, just after the ship's first deck load of planes had dropped their bombs on Tokyo, word was receiv- ed to recall or cancel all strikes. The Empire of Japan had surrendered.