\. ,' ·•. uss E~§kx· (~v9) c/o Fleet Post Office · San Francisco, Calif.
Fr0m: Commanding-Officer To: Chief of Naval Operations Via: (1) Coffimander Carrier Division ONE (2) Commander SEVENTH Fleet (3) Corrmander Naval Forces, Far East (4) Commander in Chief, U~S. Pacific Fleet
Subj: Action Report fnr the period 4 February 1952 to 7 Ma·U==~~~~~~-=-~·•;er:.,.J 022849 1952 t~ 7 March Encl: (1) Carrier Air Group FIVE Action Report; 4 February 1952 ~ .. ~:g the period 4 1. In accordance with reference (a), the action repr"~rt for February 1952 to 7 March 1952 is hereby su~mitted. - PART I COMPOSITION OF O:"!'N FORCES n1TD HISSION: Force 77 was a. At various times during the period of this report , Task ONE, RlillN J.- PERhY, composed of the following units: USS ESSEX (CV9), ComCarDiv F. H. McHAHON, USN~ USN, embarked, USS VAllEY FORGE (CV45), ComCarDiv FIVE, .t:WJM WISCONSIN (BB64), embarked, USS ANTIETAM (CV36), USS PHILIPPINE SEA (CV47), USS by VJ.illH R, P. Com SEVENTH Fleet, VADM H. H. IJI'.ARTIN, USN, embarked, (Relieved E. E. STONE, USN, BRISCOE 3 Y.srcb 1952), USS ST PAUL (CA73), ComCruDiv ONE, RADM 52, 71, 72, embarked, USS .~OCHESTER (CA124), and Jnits of Destroyer Division 92, and 111, off the East coast b. During the subject ~riod, -thet.Jss ESSEX (CV9) operated revision), plus of Korea in accordance with CTF 77 Operations Order 22-51 (2nd supplemental plans and orders issued during the _period. Nations The mission of Task Force 77 was primarily to support .the United support missions included deep support, armed and ground forces in Korea; the eoaey photograPhic reconnaissance, interdiction, NGF spot·'7' interdintion':df _ aup~lines and atrik~s against ene6y instal~ations.
PART II CHRONOIDGY: I Hoored t0 Piedmont Pier, Yokosuka, Japan for yard availability, 4 February . · ' 17' February rest and recreation. ·
Yokosuka, Japan for o.peratin~ ·area .in accordance ~th _ 18 February 0557nnd.erway . _ . ComCarDiv ONE 1400222 Feb. USS WISCONSIN (BB64), USS AJTIETJill·· ( CV36) and Desbiv 72 in company. Conducted training exercises. Air Operations. :t-3 February Proceeding to Operating Area. Conducted Refresher I " ·~ .j
1. ' ...
20 February Crmducted ·refresher Air Operations. 1100 arrived nperating area and joined-Task Force 77• _ USN as 1300 l1ADM J •. ~RRY, USN,_ relieved HJ-illM F •. vf. McMAHON,· 1 CTF 77. - ·
21 F.'ebruary Conducted Air Operaticms •. . 1037 AD, BUNn. 123933, ditched at EA 4509 due enemy AA fire, Pilot (LTJG F. S. JUTR~) picked up by USS THOMnSON (DD760) Pilot sustained minor 1nJuries. K-50. 1630 F4~ BUNR. 97475 crashed at sea in the vicinity of snow Probable c~•use, p:lo-'~ (LTJG' F-~: G; GERGEN) disoriented in storm. Not recovered; listed as killed in line of duty.
22 February C0nducted Air Operations. cause 1433 AD,_BUNR. 123947,_ditched inside llSW screen. Probable ships loss nf nil pr-essure. Pil0t (LT VI. B. 1vilJ1'lCIE) recovered by helicopter; no injuries sustained,.
23 February Cnnducted Air Oper&tinns •.
. 24 February Task Force replenished, / cancelled in 25 February Crmducted Air Operations forenonn. Air Operations afternoon due to weather,
26 February Task Force replenished.
27 February Conducted Air Operatinns,
28 February Conducted Air Operations.
~- ··- ·- 29 February Cnnducted Air Operations,
l March Task Force replenished,.
2 March Conducted Air Operations
3 Harch . Air dpere_tions cancelled due to Weather,._. aircraft 4 March Conducted Air Operations •. Tr3!1sferred replacement to USS ANTIETAM (CV36) .
. Transferr$d replacement ~ircraft to USS VALLEY FORGE ( CV45).- 5 Harch as _.. 1'. 1105 lliillM F. W. MCMiJ!ON, USN, relieved itJ.illM J • PERRY, USN', . . _· . _:: . CTF 77. Task Element 77~04 CTE Captain W•. F. RODEE, USN, ComCar Cr.mrnanding Officer USS ESSEX (CV<;) with RJ..DH J. PERRY,, USN,. ,-· '' . Div ONE embarked~ USS TAUSSIG (DD746) ·and USS HANSON (DD832) with departed Operating Area: for Yoknsuka, Japan in accordance CTF 77-0207102 Harch.
6 March Enraute Yok0suka, _Japan,
2. ·.· '' 0 ;, < ..... -·-·-·· ·.· .,: _ _·. ., .. ,, i '--..•" I DECLASStFtED.
7 March Transferred replacement aircraft to .F.&.s~om.ll at NAB, ATSUGI. 0927 anch~red in be~th 138 Yck~suka, Japan •. ·
9 March 0600 shift~d berths portside to Piedomnnt pier (Berth 12).
10 Mnrch USS ESSEX (CV9) chopped to CorrNavFe for 'onward routing CONUS and · s0 ended the first cr.rnbat tour of the USS ESSEX (CV9) (27-A conversion). The work done by the ship and Air Group.can best be toid by the f0llow ing dispatch received fr~m ComNavFe addressed. COMCR.Il.DIV ONE, USS ESSEX, and AIH GROUP FIVE: CON~-jJmER N.r~.VAL FORCES F.ii.R E.hST IS DiiliPLY A:CPRECiil.TIVE OF 'IHE SPLENDID Vlll..11!lmR IN h'HICH ESSEX PILOTS Bil.CKED BY THE ESSEX Crill','/ Hil.VE DOGGEDLY STRUCK Di-!.Y .11.FTiH D.. S J....T TI-lZ COMMUNIST TR,.JJSPOilT.H.TION NET'v·!O:Fl.l( IN NOaTHEiiST KO:mA X THE COMBINED EFFOhTS OF TEE AIH GHOUP AND THE S't:IPS COMPA!"'JY GUIDED ,BY THE D{hGIN.r~.TION .nND ChRE- FUL PLAJ\.'NING OF THE C.M.R.DIV ONE STAFF H.:;.VE BEEN A P~ITME F.~;.CTOR IN THE CAMPAIGN TO KEEP THE ENEHY INEFFECTIVE X iiLL GOD SPEED AND TI-IE BEST ..... OF LUCK JJJih.YS X V:...DM C T JOY
11 March 0600 pursuant ;ldJ:rl.n ColT'NavFe 0900102 the' USS ESSEX (CV9) with ComCar · Div ONE embarked, underway for San Diego via Pearl.
PART III OFi.DNANCE:
1. Expenditure of Air Ordnance.
See enclosure (1)
2. Expcnditure.of Ship's Ordnance fQr training.
a. For the Period 4-29 February:
·- 25~ rounds 5"38 . ·· 107 rounds 3" 50
.b.For the P.eriod 1-7 March:
24 rl"lunds 511 38 121 rl"lunds. 3"50 . . ~· ; . c. 'I'he .following totals of ar:mmni tion were exPended for training while the
USS ESSEX (CV9) opGrated in the Far East Cnmmand.- The period covered was. l ·. from 18 August 1951 to 5\ l•farch 1952, ' ·· · · · · · · ,
1;135 rrnmds 5"38 4:,114 rnunds 3"50 ,. 28,679 rounds 20mm
3. Cnmrnents on Performance of OrdnGnce.
a. The perfnrmance of ship's ordne>..nce. equipnent was satisfactrn-y.
3 ·~.--"" ' .. , I ( >,.5 "t DfCLASS\F\ED ·
PltRT IV BATTLE DAHAGE:.
1. Ship
a. During the peri(")d of.. this report several cracks were found in the welded joints (")f the longitudinal strength manber and web along the overhead of the se~nnd decke_ Repairs were made by ship's force by chipping out the old weld and beveling the crack bsfore rewelding. The locatinns of these cracks wc."s as follows: Frame 67 Stbd. - Compt. A-215-L Fr~.me 101 Port - Com.pt. B-208-L Frame 104 Port -Compt. B-208-1 Fr:une 106 Port - Compt •. B-208-L Frame 124 Port - Cnmpt •. B-212-1 .... Frame 128 Port - Compt. _ B-212-1 Frame 137 Port - Compt. B-214-L 2. Damaged inflicted on the enemyo See enclosure (1). 3. Damage inflicted nn ESSEX aircraft. See enclnsure (1).
PART V Pf,RSQ!\TNEL PEHFORMANCE iJID C.'-ISU.i-iliTIES:
1. Perfnrmance. '· Under the heavy work lo ·d of cnnti!mnus operations/ the·' performance of------· all personnel has been excellent. Morale has been a factor requiring no special attentinn as plans were laid during the ship's training period for a prngram of events outlined below to include maximwn utilization of welfare and recreatinnalfa.cilities. Prior to the ship's deploy1nent to WesPac the fnllcwlng was. instituted: ' . ' a. Recreati0n and hobby-craft materials were purchased and plans ma~e to maintain the interest of and offer diversion to the crew. ''- b. A nightly b:ttOadcast-was conducted by an officer of the,Air Combat keep the crew informed nn the activities of the d~.y. Intelligence Office to ~ ' c. A daily newspaper was published to keep persnnnel informed through the latest wire releases. · ''' ', .
~···. ···.:-·I ,. DtCLASSIFJED· ·
. ' . ·..• e 4 Each eveni.rig the Pr~t~stant and Catholic' ·chaplains ulternated in conducting evening prayers immediately following t~ttoo. - ' - - . f. Happy Hours were ;eh~arsed and shown to the crew at the end· of each combat tnur i-.hile erirnute t0. Yokosuka, Japan •. Talent was plentiful,. and the . performances were very well received by the crew, Personnel of the u. s. Naval Hospital, Yoknsuka enthusiastically .received a special showing pefnrmed in December 1951.
g, In port, smokers and basket-ball games were scheduled with other ships and shore activities.
h. Sightseeing and namera tnurs were arranged for the men during each "in port11 period.
i, Japanese Variety Shows were arranged for aboard ship,
j. At.Christmas the ship entertained 100 Japanese Orphans, / k. Cub Scouts from Tokyo and Yokosuka were entertained.
1, At Thanksgiving while in the operating area, the ship entertained six GI's frnm the frnnt lines in Korea as guests,
m, German, Japanese and Spanish classes as well as courses in Bible and r~ligious Instruction were held weekly.
n, Divine services were held regularly for Protestants, Catholics~ LattGr Day Saints and Christian Scientists. ·
_ o, Hemorial Services_ were: cl"'nducted .. at the end of each operational: period,.
p. Hovies were shnwn daily except when combat c'mditions prohibited,~, Two sh0wings we.re usually run each •wening,
q. The. ship 1 s p.per "The Carrier Pigeon" was published semi-monthly. The editorial staff :was c0mposed of all crew members,
r. A Cruise Bn0k was assembled and printed in Japa,n for distribution, . . . s. On reple~isrun'ent 'days, the Ship's Band played on the hangar deck and contributed muchtp morale.
'.1 These various activities outlined above proved great benefit to the crew for they tau.. r,ht us t0 play as well as work and fight • as a team. 2. Casualties,
a. Ship's Conpany
There were no casualties sustnined by ship's company personnel, 5 ,)
~ . OfGLASSlF\EO ._-';:
b., Air Group FIVE.
· See enclosure (1) !'
PA::lT VI C01:-~ffiNTS: l. Engineering Depart~ent casualties during this a. The Engineering Department experienced n~ operatirnal period.
Nnne 21 Aug 1951 c. Stea"!ling·Data 14-29 Feb. 1-7 March 7 March 1952 .6 Hiles Stear.1ed 458Jv3 2404.8 17' 69.3 10,743,02.3 Fuel Oil received 5(0,208 386,442 Fuel Oil Delivered DD's 0 0 1~424,016 (underway) f.96,380 370,270 8,995,795 Fuel C~'"'nsumed 378,950 Fuel G~'"'r.sumed (2r.chored) 42,440 8,480 16.3 16.7 16~2 Average Speed 3684.8 H~urs Underway 281.1 144 the USS ESSEX the period 24 August 1951 through 7 Harch 1952 d. During gallons per hour. The 32 destroyers, at en average rate of· 85,500 fueled this period at an average USS ESSF.X re,fueled frnm tankers .37 times during fueling rate of 175,000.gallons per hour.
2. Air Intelligence a·. Fhot0 Interpret.atirn freight train, got off to Fh0tn Interpret::.tion,. like a heavily loaded of duty in the Korean Theatre., start at the be~inning of the first tour a slow were made and corrected.,· In the first opera ~ing period, many mistakes During 0f the pitfalls these suggestions order tn enable future c,:;.rriers to· avoid some are offered. the importance of K-25 (1) Prior-to ar:rival in the Task.Force stress not experienced in. this type of strike photographs. Since most pilots are run, altitude, scale, und geJ?.eral ccunera work a dlscussi0n regarding type 0f beneficial.. · make-up of camera installation proves nost during camera runs. -.a. Items such as strafing . . •.. b. Starting cn."llera tr;o far away f:;-om target few that should -be emphaoioa.d. .£.!_ Erratic maneuvers during run are a
. '~ ' l' ! ·x:::.i~';:·~'1~~:~r·~];'~:-g~y._?~) ., .. ·-_ ... .. '-~~ >; .. '. ../:- ,;·/- DfClASS\F\ED
Valuable time is lost. trying to pinpOint pictures lmowledg~ oi .. ·· ·l0cation. A photo card readily filled out iri 4 digit coordillates ::;ho'\lld be made available to all pilots of K~25 equipped aircraft.
11 11 (2) An up t0 date file of photographs covering Korean KIN!} airfields ar.d should be maintained with a tickler system showing the last photo coverage be maintained of other ·status of e~ch field. A separate alphabetieal:file should These established phntographs ean be readily located and the Korean fields. · status of the fields quickly determined.
(3) Complete and current 1:500,000 AMS L 751 series maps should be av~il in sufficient numbers in order tqat strike leaders, briefers, phot0 pilots, able of · and film-marking perscnnel have a.r1 adequate supply. A minimum of 10 oopies each chart should be on hand. The Far East Air Force Material command located at Tachikawa AFB has these maps instock,available for distr~buti0n to Naval F0rcest
' (4) All pl:.otography should be marked and checked.by the photo pilots prior to its delivery t0 the Ph0to Interpreter. The irr:p0rtance of correct required by the photo . cnordinates ~annat be 0veremphasized. The additional time later pilots and film marking pers0nnel in accurately locating photography will pay off great divedends in speeding up the actual interpretation and dissemination nf the P,I. Report.
( 5) During the early portion . of combat nperations, the primary targets were rail and h:i.ghway bridges,. Pictmres of these bridges -~hould be filed alphabetically by area and numerically within each area. This enables rapid_ I location 0f desired bridges_as well as other targets. As the iLrl. defenses_in- concept creased, more and more time was devoted to flak analysis. The original commanding was tn prepare flak mosa~es of bridges or other targets including terrain. ·These mosaics proved to J~-~:;v_ery_ sat~sfe.ct0ry •. ·.However,_ the whole primary operation vms ch?.nged and 12-16 mile sectors of RRtrack were chosen as three targets. ·Flak mosaics were th~n prepared of the entire route. Usually parallel runs at 1:5,000 were required tn give sufficient coverage. AA encountered in this theater, unlike German or Japanese AA positions "f Wr-•rld Har II, is mobile in every. sense of the word. Positions pinpointed one day will or can be moved the following day. Old positions are utilized W?.s made to break the sizes down other )'lhenever they are-presfmt 1 No attempt than small arn.s including machine guns, automatic weapons. _and heavy._-·~ . . . . - Each ship should have a minimum of. twn enlisted men to assist the ( 6) be photo interpretator in carrying out the_required duties, these men sho~ld should have ;.attended Ql~, FH, or !:F, strikers or petty officers, and prefereably at . one of the photo 1 nterpretation schools~- · The ESSEX utilized the . facilities Barbers Pnint. · by -· . ( 7) Photograph-ic·· and ph{"'lt') interpretatinn prooedures as outlined restricted ltr FF4-l/Jl2 serial 30/3074 C<~mmander Air F0rce 1 Pacific Fleet of 14 Febn1nry l952 should b€ atilized as the basio operating procedures.
7 r ; ~~ ,' ·, ·, ' ' "····, ,.", .. \ . . •~.: ., ~·. ·' "" .. ···I', ; • -. ' ,.) DfCLASSlflED
the Korean b. _Air Group FIVE has now'- eompieted' the entire combnt tour m As far as operating area using original charts covered 'with frisket paper.· fo:r fur can be detennined the' charts show all indicq;t:,i0n of being ser-viceable ACS· 1:250,000 ther use. It is therefore recommended that .the allowance of. charts be reduced to fifty,. it would . c. It was found during the training period at Pearl Harbor that between ACI and assist the ACI personnel t0 have a.small glass viewing port force and Ready Rn0m· THF.EE, The installation was accomplished by ship's keep current with permitted ACI personnel to view the ready room teletype and thus 'mimimized . latest information as it came down fr!Jm Air Oper:,tinns, and internal cowmuniGGtions.
3. PhotographY.
a. At the beginning of operations in the Korean area the Photografhic the maximum working ~ Officer began recording information necessary to determine to complete various load of the photographic laboratrn•y and the times required inf0rmation one man. steps of processing through the laboratory, To obtain this film recording the was assigned the task of maintaining account of all aerial for prQcessing times aerial rolls enter2d the laboratnry and this time required through the various steps to completion. _.,- marking, printing and ·All information concerning time for processing1 prints which were delivery has been taken from these records.· Negatives and production figures processed and later disc.",rded have n0t been included in the have been used, as only material which was satisfactorily completed and delivered other .·' Since aerial photographic reconnaissance was of prime importance, work, copies items performed, such· as RUDM's, deck crashes, public :information drawings have been oruitted from: the production figures. .of maps 1 charts and
~·---~-c.~--- ' · Aerial photograp~ic ;cconnai;;~~ce work co:nsituted :apprcEic.imatel/9o% 1951 to of the total vmrk produced during the operating period 24 August 6 March 19 52. . ae:;-ial film Equipment used for drying film and sonne prints were two (2) 11 print dryer for the dryers (M0rse A-5) for the film, and one (1) 26 Fako Matte sor.ne prints. AERIAL PERIODS· PHOTOGRAFP.Y Tqtal for 2nd 3rd 4th 5th entire lst period. 8-24-51 l0-4-51 11-16-51 12-29-51 2-23-52 9-19-51 10-30-51 12-11-51 1-31-52 3-~-52 ' - _ :_ ___ ..,..2B_8_ *§.or.tie§.. Fl£.W!l ____n______~8- ____41 ____ f2.1 __ _. 6A_ , Number 0f rolls .. ___ _ ].0_ ~ ___ -:-4Q7_ file£._~ _____ 1,2g_ ____lQ..l_ ~ ___41 ____1Q4 · Average ex~ · ']) _ ___ S.l______~0- ~§.U_!:e__-p£r_r!2.11·- _ _3:2. :.... ___ f:p _ ___ ..;:.7Q. _ _. __ •,'
DfGLASSIFIED ::c
. . lst . ·· :·. Zria' -·Total
'. Number of 9 x 9 4,799 .6,200 3,647 ',, 659 i,8G6 23,251 B & \I negatives · filed. N~b;r-of 9" ~ l8- _.--- ~------...;..---..------471 1742 B&'\l,r negatives 0 0 0 12,71 filed. N~b;r-of 9 ~ 9------1S8 0 188 color trans- 0 · 0 0 _ Ji.a.teneie§. filPg_,. __ _: ______·______Number of K-·25 16 415 strike photo's 44 113 124 118 . filed, (capsule _ in§.t1llla!:_ig_nl ______....: · ____ ~ ______Number of K-17 · 0 45 strike photo's 0 0 45 a filed. (capsule , _ in§.t~lla~i~nl ______~ ______Total for 1st 2nd· 3rd 4th 5th entire operating 8-24-51 ' l0-4-51 11-16-51 12-29-51 2-23-52 9-19-51 10-30-51 12-11-51 1-31-52 . 3-5-52 period
9 x · Number 15,026 231,107 prints made and · 43,201 . 55,048 37,924 79,908 · . · · delivered. · · Number 0f 9 x 18 · ------. · 5 181 20·,433 prints made and 0 0 0 15,252 1 . . . · .. · · .. ~· .... . •. :... · ·.·. . · ..• .. - ~..,..--- delivered. -~------______,....,-- N~b;r-of ;t;ike------:---- 2445. 280 5984 photo Is 8 x 10 616 1582 · 1{36 made and delivered. '· aircraft •. · During *The term sortie is used t'c dennte the flight of a single_ which ph~t0grap~ie coverage was obtained • . Running Time : Tll.fE ffiODUCTION . I I j I FIGURES lst. · 2nd 3rd.·. j ·.. •· ·.·· 4t>h · 5th Overal~ . ' / 78H L-18 7ll! lH l.l.Miii . Aye rage time to 67M 1-07 .f,<;K L-? L9M I-~ · · 71M · l~J.,l . . . ,;•· - · · & wash . , . .. . pr0eess · ·.. · ..· · · nr.e roll. . - · · '' ' --:- ,- - """" -- Av;r;g; t1ie-t; - -.-- -.-..,..------;:--- -- 66H 2-24 . '46M ' 1B 5?Miii .. dry 0D:e r()ll of 30M 1-37 ·. 301-1 1-37 36M 2.:..1' 691,( 2:..19 ...;; ..:. ------..:_ - ·- - ~ ~ ·- ~ ...: - f_ilmL ------.:.. ------·- - · Avere.ge t.~a t.
Average time to identify, mark (grease pencil) ar"d deliver flash 16tM 5-33 139M. 6-18 ll'('H 4-42 ?OM 4-53 $2M 5-29 115M 5H 27Mir · print tn P.I. Officer~A.v;r;.g~ t~e -t~ ------· · mark one rnll nf ?OM 7-03 8711 7-45 76M 5-58 124M 6-57 117M 7-26 95M 7H 02Ydr fi.lTJl computed f::-0m time nf delivery to film marking ·L 5th TOT ruB 1st 2nd ... 3rd 4th . ------·--- .. 18 227 Rolls· Taken * 0 76 58 75 900 5383 0: Total pnssible expc:mres * 0 1520 1375 1588 t.~ -\·_ r 278 3638 Total expnsures tc>...ken 0 -ll61 1132 1067 ,, * 120 2404 'Total usable exposures * 0 804 694 786 118 16 415 Tntal negc.tivcs filed 44 113 124 22 17 : Rrtlls not used due to 0 9 4 2 * ,··-, -· pnnr techniques; : 280 5984 8 x 10 prints made. 616 1382) 1736 1770 -l~ N0 rec,.,rcl.s kept this period. " ··:··· 10 ~i~~;~~~" !-:'_~-~i:;:,~;_._:-:--:; '-~ _·,. 16mm 'MOTION PICTUl:/E GUN · CAHEM FOOTAGE PROCESSED AND 16mm KODACHl~ME- GuN. Ci\lvlERA FOOTAGE FOilWA.tlD 'AS LISTEp: BELOW. ·TOTAL · lst 2nd 3rd 4th . ··.5th B&W negq.tives processed ll,ooo· 6,900 8,900 ·J,700 30,500. -13,000 B~N positive processed. 13,000 10,595 K0~a~hrnme forwarded 10_,595 TCTALS 11,000 17,495 8,900 13' 000 3' 700 54,095 c, Ti1e following is a record of the number of prints and negatives in addition to t~e P.erial reconnaissance work. These figures are for the quarterlj ending 30 S3p 1752.: Jl :Jec 1951 and 31 March 1952 (figures for the quarter ending 31 M.1rch 1?)2 ir..·~ludes wnrk performed up tn and including 15 March 1952,) .... B&H B&W Negatives Prints Quarter Quarter Quarter Quarter Quarter Quarter . ending end in& . s~:ding . ending .· .. ending.. ending , ______9b9J:il _ _1YllL5l _ 2/ilL5g_ _9L3Q}2.1~ 12L31/2.1_ 211l-L5?.. 829 544 120 Misc. 35mm I. D. 520 352 0 2~ x 3~ Etc, 1860 1025 .1172 4848 1734 . 4 X 5 586 184 1576 58 5 X 7 -- ~ --·-~~---~------770 -· ------JlO 8413 - -- 12806 32372 -•- 8 X 10 775 48 35 503 11 X l4 292. 1053 1151 16 X 20 . 18 X 22 20 X 24 . 3'-,. 40 X 50 20862 . 45,38 f ..·· TOTALS· 1876. . 2522 1800 10938· TOTAL Negatives 6198 TOTnL Prints '.77738: d. Print Drying Drying Sonne prints -has beeh the main· source of trouble ~· c.9mpl~ting ~erial, . ·. .. " reconnaissance wnrk, The standaru 26 11 Matte. dryer was speeded .up to a rate of· : ·six feet per minute.· Partial drying· was required before enterin~(the. dryer, and it was f0und necessary t() assign three men to operate when drying two rolls ;;iit:nltaneously.. . .. · " _ . . . . / / i!;:~,. -{;t~>L-· ·. ·... :·,:?:;::; ·'i•g_:/: ~r~,~~~3~f*~_,:_:::::_;·:t. -~"·: u:};,f::.' .,-: ··: : :> .. >-·',; •, :.·:_:}:,: ;-;:~•- , \ :;:.~!;, ::;_;;~·\;.'~: ~. ~-;~~-:<:::6;;x . . . : ~. ..• ... of drying tiffie consumer due to the fact that at the rate Print ~Jing is the big minutes is minute using the 26 11 Matte dryer one hnur and seven three feet per rolls simultaneously to dry nne 200' roll of Sonne paper. Drying two ·required twn rolls per hour. In averages out to 34 minutes per roll or approximately which may be dried is sixteen - provided the drJer eight hours the maximUm number rolls Ifthe laboratnry_were required to process six is drying cnntinunusly. the time required for film a day and make nine prints fr0m each r:•ll-- of aerial h0urs. drying the prints alrme would· amrunt to twenty-seven l'lhen were fnund unsatisfact0ry for drying Sorine prints. Aerial Film Dryers broke, re prints the drive ohains on the machines continuously used. fnr Snnne and space were cnnstant repair and maintenance. Additional equipment quiring ESSKX serial 2097 of 26 made the subject of separate correspondence (USS Nnvember 1951). . e·. Develr;ping Outfit fr'r 9-!11 x 400 r 1a01, Developing It is recnmmended that item 443 HSO Catalog Section . Section 11 P11 Allowance List. Outfit, type B-6 SN El2-D-163-325 be added t0 the 390 1 . Aerial Film SjN Ela-F • The K-lg Magazine (MA-4) S/N ElS-M-469-100 and without the abnve develnping outfit for processing. 314a5-16o can not be used not be fully with the two F2H-2P the K-3a Aerial Camera could During opP.r0tinns for processing 390 r utilized because develnping o,,tfits were n0t' available rolls. 4. Cn~municatinns the operating area, task During the fifth and final per"iod for ESSEX_in a·:. more stablilized ·and reliable fnrce cnmmunications reached a level of perfnrmance seven months' tou~, than fnr any previnus period during the ship's relay the use 0f the Task Force C01Tilllon CW Circuit for b·. CW circuts: TF 77) required clcse to Task Force 95 units (through a destrnyer in of traffic delivery. Heavy back supervision in order to minimize the delay in traffic due to overloading 0f the circuit (e~g., Ckt.C3.3a) logsdevel0ped primarily that fre TF relay end TG 95.2 ships. It is recommended between the.designated more ex be made of the TF 77 destroyer t0 determine whether quent inquiries Proper assignment of meth0ds of clearing traffic can be controlled. peditious the efficiency ·or this as well precedence by rriginat0rs is important in raising as any other circuit. the reduction of outages on the ship-to-shore c. Radioteletype ·circuits·: tn sh:X.'t was made p ' ...•. It .. is . recoJ1'J!lended that. mot~rs ins~~lled in·: ESSE~ ~quiriuents' (M()b ··jj ;· : · ·. HOD 15; TD, MOD 50, etc.) be :replciced by synochr0nous motnrs·.; :The ship has been fortuna':.e to have an extremely capable teletype repairman ·pn board~ It is suggested that more than 0ne man. traine·d in this specialty be assigned ·to a carrier task force flagship. · · ·· · · . . . · .· Due to the incre2.sed errq:hasis on TTY enrnmunications it is further recommend- area be ed that the space alloted to teletype equipnent and ass0ciated working pr0port~.nately extended during the next overhaul period. d. v,-,ice circuits: the area cnmmander upnn recornmandatir:hs by this command edition· assigned an aiditional daylight frequency (designated Z-31 by the current "lf 5th A.F COI #29) for ~r.mrnniaa:\i~ns wl:'iih JOG, Korea. \ The situation with regard to JOG, Korea has improved markedly with the voice ~. allncation of frequencies as revised during the p~st seven months. Night on· the net c(\rnrnunicati0ns can still be improved; hnwevo:r;-, tho vrlurne of traffic during the dusk-to-dawn period has been at'a minimum. · e. Radinphotography; three schedules with NPG3 were arranged with NPG3 heavy in during the two we~.ks nf this period. TwO were unsuccessful dll:e. to Hours terference repnrted by NPG3. Shifting of' frequencies had no effect • and frequencies assigned fnr the third sked, which was successfully conducted, were not changed. f. Traffic: a comparison of message counts for the first and fourth 1 of periods-e<.:ch covering a full mnnth s operating-follows, An inqrease approximately 47% outgoing and. 17% incoming was noted, USS ESSEX (CV9) .. ____ 2Q_Aug_:- 19 ~ep . 1 Jan - 3l Jan · -· Flagship - CTF ( CCD-1) 1951 .... - i952 . --· . ·Circuit OUT IN OUT IN 2189 177- ·.Flee-t:, S/S tfl ComNavFe-A4.8/Cl9A 228 .18 (Ratt Duplex) · 619. 1170 UHF.TG C{"lrnrnanders Net- T6 388 760 (Ratt Simplex) --·- .r ... 2253 . 42tf 4172 TF Cnmmon ( CW) - C4o3C 194 908' ...;,. 528 Cornmcmd Net - Cl6 887 121.4 7th Fleet ... ; 123. 239 ' .. TF Cnmmanders Net -C2E 83 256 . . 428- ,865 779 .. Tac. Air Admin. Net(CW)- Dl88,ETC. . 520 152 156 172 . Tac .. Air Comm9l1d (V) - Dl89, ETC. ?b' . . lt!EA necco ( CW) - El2 Stries 18 244 - 13·.' . , .....' .. _.... ~· . \ '•. , I 'r" ' ':;.J. ·' • • ·- -; -." ,-,- j"·_: --~ ~ . '<-'-' -~;. ·-.~ .~:.'.~.:-:.>;. ~' ; ). -~~~~: ' :.-.:~.: :·:· • • • ·; -~ ' . • < .. · ..' ··-·' ::'. -,' .. DfG·······. ... ~ ... "~J.ASSI FlED · ·.· . . ·' ; \ ·.. , , .. · a; Prinary S/S (Cvi) - Al S(3ries: . . 9.97 A• Pacif:i'c Emerg:' N~t 61 ( Clrl) (Simplex .Iv:an.) - P30 Series 16. 89 ._;. • /t Simplex::Manual to Guam-Pl4 Series 38 10 8066 Guam Prim. Broaqcast -B5 8108 154 11 JIG11 Brnadcast 6851 Hic0m Broadcast 5780 409 Guam Prim. Genl.Bdcs~.-Bl8 66 448 827 Visual (F/L & Serna.) 577 932 " 60 70 Hail (Estir1.) 50· 80 TOTAlS 4038 20297 5940 2J668 5. Gunnery a. During the period that this vessel operated in the forward area, the most important role perfonned by .the Gunnery Department was the replenishment at· sea. . . (1) During this period,. this vessel replenished ammunition at sea, th~rty-seven (37) times, receiving a tntal of 6,654.4 tons an average number. of Whip trips per hour was fifty-seven (57) with the highest rate being ninety- ~ · three-(93) per hour, The greatest_ tonnage :r~ceived in 0ne hnur was nne hundred sixty-seven (167) t.-ms. · ·· · · ·- (2) Prr")visinns were replenished at sea thirteen (13) times. idth this vessel receiving a total of 920-.7 tnns at an average rate of 34.9. t"::Jns per hn~r and the fastest hnurly rate being 77.3 tons~ (3) One hundred. forty-nne destrnyers eame alongside for highline transfers of personnel _and freight, and thirty-two (32).destroyers were_ re- 1 :, . fueled at sea •. The total number· 0f personnel transferred by highline is four hundred fifty-three (453). · · . · . · I . .; .. . . (4) ·.All replenishments· and.t:ranefers were acc¢mplished without a _single lnss or casualty (See Re-A:rming.and.Re-Fueling at sea analysis charts)-.:./ 11 6,_ Air Department ,.. a. Catapult and Arresting Gear . Dur:i,ng the period ccwered by this re';)ort, catapult and arresting gear operatinn was n0rmal ~th, the foJ+0wing exception0 · . 1 .' . ' -~ ~ . . . ·. ·.;· f ' . j( ·~ ..·~J ... f' l' ... 41f": '--,On Sh0t. No. 3229 the retracting panel operator in. the starboa~ cata:- ' pult n0ticed an excessive pressure loss during the retr2.ctihg stroke. -The·.· catapult was put out of cnmmission . and closer examination of the c0nstant . , pressure valve revealed that the bolts which secure the base of the vnlve·housing to the elbow had come l0ose, allowing the entire housing assembly to raise during retrn.ctir:n, and 0il t0 esce.pe past the cnnstant pressure valve spindle into the gravity tank. Tlghtaning the bolts resulted. in satisfacthry retraction, (1) C0mplement of Aircraft During the past seven montrs of opcrati0ns in the K0rean area, the aircraft c0mpleme~t aboard this vessel has fluctuated between 60 and 77 planes.. This variation in complement has given flight deck personnel and ex cellent opportunity tn detennineithe operating capacity 0f the CV34 Class ~iroraft carrier, when operating under war time c0nd.iti0ns. With 77 aircraft "· aboard the fol10wing difficulties were most ap~~rent: (a) }iajntenance suffered because aircraft could not be moved to the. hangar deck immediately fnllnwing recrwer;r, nr if already below, c0uld not be mr;ved to a spot f0r turn up, -v.d.ng spread; dr0p check or engine change. (Thirty twn is the mC'I.Ximum number of mixed types which·c~ be spotted 0n ·the hangar · deck). (b) Servicing of aircraft. was slow due tn lack of r0nm on the flight • deck t0 spread wings 0n AD, F4U and F9F type aircraft for loading of 250# bombs 'and for fueling tip tanks in F2H-2s. (c) Movement of aircraft ·was most difficult due t0 limited space · · available ahead of the barriers when hnlding a ready deck. . .. ------·- ~- -·---·---·- (d) Flight and hangar· deck crashes were caused largelyby-errors in judgement of persnnnel making fast respots under over-crowed conditions.- (e) Tiec0veries which incliJ..ded aeveral aircraft with jarnmed'guns or · aircraft which cnuld not fold wings due to battle damage overcrowdea the ~eck. to a point where barrier nperati0ns were restricted. · (f) With 77 aircraft. nn. board there is insufficient space for spot- . ting visiting aircraft ahead 0f the barriers. It should b.e possible to re~ cnver at least five to six additinnal aircraft while hnlding a ready' deck~· i . (g) Late changes tn the s~hedule freqtiently could riot be accor:J.plished · due tn the fact that any special aircraft could not be br0ken out quickly or ·~ - easily from a hangar deck CC1ntinu0usly two blocked with aircraft. · (li·) The bnmb load on the first J.ill 1 s nn the strike fi-equently had .· , to be limited during low wfud C~"'nditi0nS due tn the fact that deck run was .limited by the number of nircraft which had to be kept r·n the flight deck._,·. - ····: ~uring operatirns with 66 to ~8 aircraft abnard all of the above :.. ·· · ·.. .: listed. prnblems c:m· be rutnimized to and it is possible to achieve and main- ;~}.:f· ~.\::: 15 • c • ·,'·' / : ·. . ,·"" ' ... :; i, .·._:-:--.:..~:-~:,'··,:',''~;' !!:;-;;:-- .''. /"-~··, .. ~:·::.. ,· :· .. .· ... · QfCUtSSIFIED stat'e of ni>erating e:tficiency~ ,'-'·.· (2) F2H Rearira~ T.C'wfng': F2H 's were towed ba~la"'ards duririg flight and hangar deck res potting using universal t0wbars mndified uith hnnks turned 90° and facing outboa,rd. A / Spr'nge rubber pad 6 inches thick, 7 inches wide ~d 22 inches long· is mounted nver the apex nf the towbar rm the backs 0f_ each trc.cter. · The oenter of the pad remained under the center of '{;,he fusele.ge regardless of tractor turns. If the tnwing rings on the F2H were hnrizontal instead of vertical the universal towbar C~"~uld be used without any modifice.tinn. Np Banshees were dnmaged while using this method nf rearward towing. c, Operating Data 14 Feb - 1 Har - Total in 29 Feb 7 Har Korean Area Arrested landin~s 66, 169 7,928 Catapult shots lStarbnnrd) 100 52 2,110 Catapult shots (Port) ··180 59 2,116 Gasnlirie (gallons) 351,741 ,7,928 . 4,62,,810 LubOil Symbnl 1100 2,877 597 lb,235 LubOil Symb0l 1010 1,192 480 23,590 .LubOil. S:"':lbl"ll 1120 87 0 13,918 Alcoh0l AN!--A-:-24 .·. 0 0 . 25 Alc0hnl AN-A-18 0 0 205 , . ·."' ,. (l), T'~tai t0nl'l~g~ of afrc'r~ft' ordtlance eXpended by ESSEX ldr Groups - Wnrld War. II •. , , .. . 4,688 ,. • t ( 2) Total tonnagE,3 .. of ai~craft . o;:-dna1lC a. expended by Air Group FIVE during first Korean combat. tnur USS ESSE..'<.. _ , ...... ·.. · ' 903 : · - ··t- ::r_,- -~---.----}_·.. ··-~---'-:"~--_-:.._ .... :: ··,,.:·- ··:-:· .. _,-_ ·.: ..~-~--~- .:·-···--~-----:·-, ..'::··-----·---<-~· ----~--- --·- · ___ .., __ ,,. • ..:.~1...-·· ~···----- . _ -- ·. ~ (3) T0tal land.irlgs, ESSEX- fr0ni ~ormllis-si':ni.ng 31 Deeembe~ 14)42 .. until arriyal Seattle 15 Septemberl945.. :. 3ljQ.l? . : ,' ,-_: ': .. (4) r~tai.lan~ings~· ~SEX fr0m re~~~issioning l5 Jan~~ry .:l951; to . .en( of .c~mbat .tour 4 Harch. 1952." . ·· · ·. · '·' · · · · · - 141 558 7. Supply Department a. Aviati~n Stnres (1) '!'he USS ESSEX ( CV9) wns outfitted in March 195l with a 180-day; ··. all0wance. of aernautical material and p~culiar aircraft spar,~. parts for,, the Inllnwlpgtype~: , · - ' . (a) F9F2:_2P (b) AD.:_41N,4Q 1 4N',3N (c) ,F4U-4- (d) F4U5N . (e) Ho3S-l 1~ . • o~-· .-, ., ·. • f;' 4 ... • I . -~, < ' • ' This initial·allnwance-wassupplementedby the fnllowing additional allowarices for new aircraft types and configuratinns assigned as the months passed: (1) F2H-2 ,2P (2) AD-2,3 ;4L,'4NL (3) F4U-4B (4) F4U-5NL (2) Actual flight nperati0ns/Cwith resultant maintenance of aircraft onboard) commenced in kpril 1951 Qnd continued practically uninterrupted for eleven months~ During this time 2152 requistinns, representing apprr:ximately 12,900 items, were submitted t0 fill all~wances of those items'which re~ched the low limits established onthe stnck.record cards. Supply supp0rt hils been good. The was able USS JUPITER, prirna~J snurce of aircraft parts in Jap~ - Knrea area, t0fill abnut 75% of the items·requirea. Those items that could not be filled were obligated (if NIS) nr passed to ASB Ynk0suka nr ASD Oakland for action (if NC). Material which h:"..d tn :be shipped from the cr:ntinental U~S. to~"'k nn ..., the average of 20 days to reach the ship if sent by air - 50 days by surface~ 11 11 aircraft C~"'~"'peration between aircraft carriers and delivery service by COD 1 of>~-23 greatly assisted in decreasing AOG s and kept aircraft utilization high. (3) The period 1-15 January was the most critical period during the entire cruise. The· original 180 days allowance (approXimately 18',000 items) was exhausted insnfar as high usage and critical items were c~"'ncerned, and stock replenishment on critical items ~ae slow and necessitated requistioning nn a Pri0rity 11 A11 bc.sis: Although strcks were reordered as low limits were reached, on 15 January, e~d requistions mailed nff weekly, 510 requistions were pending representing abnut 1200 items due. Of these. 1200 items 19 were pending nn a Prirrity 11 A11 basis fnr AOG aircraft. Between 15. January and 18 February approximat$ly 800 of these items were received. When the ESSEX departed from 11 11 Yrknsuka nn 18·February~ the remainder of the unfilled Priority C requistions were c<'ncelled, and during the last two~week operating peri(ld~only Priority 11 A11 items for AOG aircraft were nrdered. It has been determined that 90% of AOG requisti0ns stemmed fr~"'m items nnt in allnwance lists •. Where such items were required more th311 r'nce, usage . data was fnrwarded to the JUPITER with a request that she·· str:ck these items. Usage rept1rts to AMO / Oakland ~and . submission nf stubs t0 Fii. ... D (for tc:bulatinn by ASO) will serve' as a basis for cr.rrecting allowances for wartime nperatinn. (4) The allowance of flight deck clot~ing should be increased three times. Each man requires at least two jerseys tn. carry him while nne is. being laundered; in addition~ each man will wear nut one or twn winter and summer jerseys during six m0nths.of constant wearing. Two pair of flight deck shoes per man are also required.fnr the same reasnn. (5) An attempt by the ESC:EX t0 receive aircraft engines at sea from a supply ·ship nf· the replenishment grrup was unsuccessful because of tr:~nsp-Jrtation could not diff~culties ashore. ·The deadline date scheduled fnr the experiment be_met. The prncedure used in theHediterranean of floating engines in steel containers is undesirable in this task force during \vartirne 0perations as the replenis'b.ment program is cc-1.rried 0n while underway. 17 '. •;_ >: 'i' .. ' ,. ~ DfCLASSIFIED ships using a· It is therefnre recom.mended th~t a trial transfer between ·gross between .4500 Burt0 ning rig. be underta:ken. · Engines in steeL cnntainers were regularly and 5000 p0unds. Wings (2000 lbs) and propellers (700 lbs) trcmsferred. at sea with no difficulties •, . . .. obtain (6) Squc>.drnns being depinyed to the forward area are advised t0 11 11 11 11 l'light clothing a full allnwance nf Section H and U material and winter carrier. as pr0vided in ACL 21-51 prinr to embarking nn the parent support (1) The system of replenishing GSK sto"'es in this area by Hnbile nne d Placed. with CASTOR. . 264 Accnmplished by CASTOJ. 76% Placed with nther activities 530 Cnmpleted with nther activities 57~ T0tal number 0f Priority ·11A11 requisitions '· 8 11 11 Total number 0f Priority B requisitillns 27 i- ElECTiLONICS LINE ITEMS Placed with P11DTON and ELECT:lON .687 Acc<"mplished by PHOTON and ELECT!•ON 53% ./8 ,'. • • j .... . (· •...... '-wf . ' ~· i '· "" ' - ·DtCLASSIFlED ' - I BUSH IPS LINE ITE'V..S Placed with LEAGUE ISL/>liD and CHU.iON 42B Accnmplishe.d by LEAGUE ISLAND and CHIMON 7% Shortages of the following items have caused Priority 11 A" end 11 B11 re quisti0ns: (a) Bearings (b) 11 V11 Belting (c) Gaskets (d) vJinterization Equipnent (snow shnvels, pushers, rock salt, stoddard solvent, etc.) , (a) Intellisence. materials (bristle board,rnapping tacks, frisket paper plifilm) (f) Automntive spares for jeeps, peeps, fork lifts, etc.- (g) Hurricane tie dnwn equipnent for e.ircraft (1~ 11 21 thre ..:.d manila rnpe 1 wire r0pe, clips, etc.) (h) Electrnnics spares (i) Fligh"b deck repair equipnent (metal, lumber, studs, etc.) (j) \oJ'ebbing for strap rm bnmb skids. (k) Valves and parts (1) Batteries (all types) (m) Duplicating machine materials (master sets, paper, fluid, etc.) (n) Machinery spare parts Intra-ship transfers and carrier on board deliveries (by CODFISH) have aided grately in our record nf experiencing nn major macqinery or electronic shut dnwn.during the nine months since leaving the u.s. (5) The allowance of seventy-five per cent fQul weather clothing has been more than adequate tn meet the demands of the rigournus winter months· in the Japan·- Knrea area_, and· this allowance is crmsidered liberal •.. It is recommend ed that the ESSEX carry approximately teri per cent'more that the quantities ~bown as ~ssued. This will·conserve critical materials and give the ship . a~ditional space to carry other essential stores. A cnmparisnn 0f clothing issued and clothi\\g allowed is shown below: c; ISSUED kLLOvTED Artics 1175 2250 Parkas 203 300 1489 4500 Drawers, \'tinter -•·, ·' Helme~s, 1348 2250 Parka, :lain 819 2250 Jackets, \t,rinter' 2089 2250 Face Hasks 850 2250 Mittens N-2 1305 2250 ' Mittens N.,..3· · 977 2250 Socks 3371 6750 Rain Trnusers 827 2250 .. ·.: {~, .. otcLAssr~'rtn (I ifinter Tr0users · 1157. 2250 Undershirts 1553. . 4500 G0ggles 729 2250 From the figures it'can be readily seen that the allowance granted is excessive,; .. Frnm nov.r on, the ESSEX plans to carry approximately 10% over the quantities shnv..n as issued, ._ This will result in full utilization cf and and alleviate the cramped crnditinn of the storerooms, (6) Departmental Budgets have been established in acccrdance with Afloat Accounting Me:norendum N')• 2 •. In setting up these budgets, the following departmental percentages were established: ... Per Cen-\j Dcdlv Buc1.get Quarterly hffiount Administrative 4.5% $ 22.22 $ 2,000.00 Operations g 38 .. 88 3,500.00 Air 16.5 83.33 7,500,00 Gunnery 10 50.00 4,500,00 Engineering 33 1£6.66 15,000.00 Navigatirm 1 3.33 JOO.rJO Supply 11 55.55 5,000.00 vedic.t.l 1 h .. 44 l-,00.00 Dental ,05 1.94 175.00 Paint 5·5 27.7l 2,500.00 c.o. Reserve 9 ~5.83 4,-125.00 d 45,000.00 100 fO Totals . . ~- ~ . -·-·- Close supervi,sinn in c0nfonnity with regulations h •s been- maintained with respect to adjustments of these budgets and each-department is required to stay within its budgetary li:oitati0n, ~ (7) The cnnservatinn of critical items as contained in the P~cific Supply, Line Public . I . . . (8) The cnmbined supply support received from the service activities and ships in the Japan - Korea area \.;as ~:onsidered outstanding. .At no time during the entire cruise did the ESSEX lack any item of electronics,. machinerY- spares, or GSK that may have caused a major equipnent shut dov..n. c. Ships Service (1) Sales in the shin's service store activities have been well above the expected average during this eight m0nth Crruise •. ,Japanese merchcmdise sales ·were high, especially during the Christmas se:.:.s"'n, '" '• -, c_ · •• · __ __ ..:_.--.-_: '. ~~ I -<., ·,,'.·.'lit(_' . ·'' -_:",'"' 'l_.- -- Several Bazaar sales of Japanese gn.ods were held during special hours at which time various items were displayed on tables. These sales were popular with the crew,· and the demand nffered an oppc)rtunity to display a large number nf items-._ Of the regular ship service i terns nnnnally stn.cked, cigars, cig arettes, cnndy and wrist_watches have enjoyed exceptionally high sales, . ' - (2) A monthly breakdown of sales is listed below for period beginning July 1951 and terminating February 1952: July $19,125,00 November $44,f.47.00 August 26,549.00 December 28,85.3.00 September 30,112.00 January 31,582,00 Oct0ber 41,117,00 February 22,949.00 Total Sales $24.4~934.00 Hr.nthly Average 30,167.00 High rnrnth in sales was N0vernber 1951 when Shin's Service activities sold $4.4.000.00 ,.,0rth of merchandise. The C"mbinatinn ~f Japanese items and the Christmas buying se~son were factors in making this month the leader. _The St2.tes. It was also l0w m"nth was July 1 the' first m0nth away fr0rn the United interesting tr nr">te thn.t the overall percentage of sales was thirty-three per cent greater during the 0pe:rating periods than during the in port perinds. (3) The support received from the USS CASTOR and Fleet Activities, Yokn suka during the cruise was -very g0od, Of a total of one hundred and seventeen requisti (5) Operation 0f the laundry on a twenty four houu five day week in the forWard area has proven very sugcesflful, These operating hnurs are considered superi0r tn the c~'"'ntirtuous seven day week schedule because there 'is a saVing of ab0ut 35,000 gall0ns of fresh water per week and time is available fer rhutine maintenance e~d upkeep 0f the operating machinery. ·." ,,.,. .\ .. , .. ' r . . DECLASSIFIED ·The operating machinery h··s beetr running c0ntinu0usly throughrmt the . e~tire cruise, and the several minor breakdrn-ms have been repaired Without. del?-Y• ' . (6) Taut security measures are continU0USly nbserved fnr all Ship's Store sp?..ces. In additir·n t0 th0se prescribed by the BuSandA Manual and other current directives, the fnll0wing are in effect and are believed tn be of value in further safeguarding the stnck and monies of the Ship's Store activitie~ The f·:llr-.wing security measures were included in the action report 0f 1-31 Oct0ber 1951: (a) N0 mnney is left 0vernight in the cash register 0f any 0f the activities. (b) Cash drawers are left 0pen vmen the activity is nnt in operation. (c) Night lights are installed in the Ship's Store and Ship's Service Stores and are left burning all night. (d) Inspectirms are C('nducted nightly by the Duty Supply Officer at 2200 and 2400 ,f all Ship 1 s Store Sp;:ces. (e) Twr1 (2) grnup 3 l0cks are installed nn each do,..,r t0 the Ship's Store spaces. (?)·The monthly m"neta~J limitation f0r Ship's Store stock for this ship is $125;000.00. ·It is believed advisable that the limitatir;n be increased to $150;000.00 per m0nth t0 enable a ship nf this class to carry more fr;.untain, cobbler, tailnr~ and ship store items (watches, camerr:.s, pens, pencils, electric razors) and other special items nf popular demand. q.~ Clothing and Srriall St0res (1) A six mronths winter and surrnner loo.d list was rriginally stncked on bnard~theESSEX at.the beginning of the_current cruise. It.was necessary to temporarily stnw bulkY items such as sh0es and t:,.,,~els· in.. the· .:.viation Main Issue strorerr-,-,m and .rtviatinn Tire st,>rer~r.m. A ninety day supply of clothing and smal~ st0res can be stnwed in the present spaces allocated for C&SS materials An ariditi,nal strorern,..,m of appr,..,xi;·nately. four thousand cubic feet suitable tn the stnwage 0f sh'"~es would be highly desirable t0 facilitate st"Owage and security 0f required quantities. (2) Cl0thing and small str-res sales were fairly uniform during the oruise. Sales drropped sli~htlyinDecember 1951 and increased in January 1952 due'to substantial reiuctir-n in prices that went intn effect in Janunry 1952. l. Fnllnwing is a mnnthly recap of C&SS sales; MONTH SnLES July 1951 8,775.75 August 1951 7,895.• 50 :: 10,402.15 September 1951- M•.:nthly .werage 0ct,-,ber 1951 9,319.85 7,213.51 N0vember 1951 $ 8-t590.00 December 1951 6,513.55 January 1952 10 i 598.00 'February 1952 6,016.• 10. t'), ry, $66, 7~4. r,;,r<'../ .:.?"-....; . .:'\\,,.-./: (3) Ite~s nrdered repeatedly yet difficult to obtain in the forward area required during this cruise.are listed below: in quantity and sizes -~ . " ~ ' I TEViS NOo REQUISTIONED NO~ . RECEIVED Dra1-rers, Cottnn 11,400 5,940 Sncks; Cnttnn, Black 20,328 5,160 Service Stripes 800 335 Trrusers, Dungarees 4,388 2,124 Gloves, Leather, trJnrk 378 None Sncks, Cottnn, '\rJhite 8,800 840 (4) Slnw moving items during the cruise included Peacoats, Undress Jumpers, and Dress Blue Jumpers. A cnmplete sellout of "mie cotton socks was ex perienced during the nne month stay in Pearl Harbor at the early portion of the cruise. e. Cnmmissary (1) The nperatinn and l0gistic support nf the Coffii!lissary Gr0up has been generally satisfactory during the ~ight mc.:a'.:.hs cruise just completed, Support from the provision ships during replenishment in the operating area has been excellent. An occasir>nal shortage of desired fresh prcwisinns has resulted frnm time to time, and it is believed that a list of these provisions pre would aid ~ared and delivered in adv2.nce of the provisions replenishment day materially in reducing this shortage. Sr~e difficulty was experienced during the last oper3.ting period in receiving dry provisions. (2)-Based upon experience gained during the cruise just completed, the Cnrrunissary Dep2.rtment planned to procure appr0ximately nne hundred tons of prnvisinns ee<.ch replenishment day. During the replenishment periods at sea when provisinns were rceived three timss, no fresh provisions were needed cl1.lring_ the inp-1rt peri0d; but 1-1hen nnly two replenishments were accomplished about .fifty tnns. nf. provisinl1s were ne€ded during inport period to mairitain levels. It is rect")mmended that a system 0f direct loading (or palletized unit loads) be instituted nn ships of this class. Subject ships would re quistion prcwisinns directly from the logistic support ships, provisi0ns would 0n the be required but oric~ a month, and reefers with open holds could be used line., Tiehandling of pr0visions would be reduced to a minimum which would in. turn reduce manpnwer necessary to handle prnvisir-ns and reduce d e..mage and SJY"ilage.. W0rking parties required for replenis:b.ment at sea include fifty men to handle the sleds, sixty men to unload end check the stores and sixty men to strike the stores below. In.p0rt the reefer.,ships require about·one man per t0n of stt")res to off load, and fifty men are needed to strike stores·be l0W nn this ship. (3) Night ratinns and special ratinns ct")nstituted another interesting phase of' this-cruise. About 300 night rations were issued to men eng2.ged in actual manual labnr at night. Requests fnr night rations were submitted.daily at 1500 to. the administration 0ffice for approval. · The menu consisted of two sandwiches per man and fruit·. Snup 1fas served at 0900 to 1030, 1330 to 1500 and 2300· to 0030 every d2.y 0n the line. The. four: snup stations were turned over, Dep3.rtment and nne to the Air Depart ' twn ·. tn the squ meal hours (at sea) • (4) No difficulty was experienced 'With the normal 0645 - 0745 Breakfast 1130 - 1245 Lunch 1700 - 1815 Dinner and all hands, ~ooperated Ri?id enf0rcement 0f these hnurs ·was practiced in meeting the schedule4 f • ·Disbursing alrmg routine lines (1) D~sbursing activities in the fc.r~-.rard area proceed the use of Military Payment with minnr variati0ns. The big~est problem is HFC u}Y'n arrival and rec0n Certificates • Conversi(lll 0f TJ, S, Currency to sm"'nthly withnut.running the versinn 0n depc1rture is difficult to accomplish removing MPC from the desig risk of riistributing u. s. Currency in Japan or therefore be accomplished as nated area •. These ccnversion operations must It is therefnre recommended near arrival and departure time as possible, activities (U-. S • Fleet that the nfficial exchange nctivity f·:-·r afl0at until departure time Activities, Nnvy N0. 39~3) prnvide exch2nge f<'cilities ship's perscmnel spend time in order to a vnirl. complicatinns which nrise when cnnversion of HPC to 11 greenbacksu. · ashore~after the deadline time fer final the one dollar (2) On the pay line it has proved net:essary to eliminate were made to the nearest lnwer MPC n0te because of its :.i'.v::C.mrd· size •. Payments of speeding up the five dollar increment. This has the furth8r advantage operatinns. The total pay 1ine which helps av0id confliction with ship's wit}1 an average monthly Hilitary Pny Roll for the period was $2,135,534,15;' cash payr'nll of $244,000.00, a daily.exchange line, (3) The handling nf frreign currency was limited t0 pSJ,s~ed_ nut ta ESSEX ···One hundred· million fnur hundred forty th""usand.yen.were eight month period, persrmnel in exchnngo fnr $279,000 dur.ing the f0rward area are modi (4) Currency ;requirements during operatic·ns in the of the monthly cash payroll fied bv the fnct that from one third t0 twn thirds m0ney order business; the ex is ret~ned thr0ugh Ship's Store sales, pnstal is in 0.irect relntionship tn the change of Yen, etc. The percentage 0f ret~rn tiffie spent in port nr· at sea. · g.., Replenishment Underway phases of .the . (1) neplenishment 'underway was 0ne of the most interesting days, normally held every ESSEX crUise'in Far Eastern waters •. Replenishment the third day if wenther con-:- fnurth rl.ay underwa·-, 0Ccasi0nally were held en · The chief items of interest . ditinns were not suitable f0r flisht operntirms. peri0ds were the receiviilg of : t0_.:t;.he Supply Department during. replenisluaent and Provisions. Tra.."lsfer -Navy Sp::.;cialFuel Oil~ Aviation G1.soline, Freight the replenishment ships to nf varinus critical items frnm this ship thrnugh 0ther ships in tl:.:a -Task Group was, als0 accomplshed. '· . . ' .. 4 - . " . .:. . t~r(' ~~- rJE.. · o· .. .DEC · .· li0\.) (. . . N~vy SpE:cial Fuel Oil and Aviation Ge.s0line, were reeeived during each replenishJ:nent period,· privisions -w:ere recci ved abrmt every fourth· period, and freight· was received ·ill various quantities as it arriv...;d 0r was assembled in the Far Eastern area.. · (2) Pertinent facts and averages concerning Navy Special Fuel Oil/ Aviation-Gasoline an::i Provisi0ns receipt during the replenishment perinds of this cruise are· as . follows: · Nav:v Special Fuel Oil Averat?e time. per 100,000 gallons 45 minutes Average gallnns per hour received 132,650 gallons Highest·amoUGt received in gallons per hnur 0ri a sip.gle day nf replenisrunent •.. 191,600 gallons Lnwest amount received in .~allons per hour nn a single ~ay of replenishment • 73, 8 50 gallons Average time per 100,000 gall0ns 1 hour 29 minutes Averrtge gallons per hnur received 62,100 gallons Highest amnunt received in gallons per hnur on a single day of replenishment •. 13 7, 7.50 gallons Lnwest amnunt received in grJ.llnns · per hnur nn a single day nf replenisrunent. 22,459·gallons Prnvisinns Average prnv1s1ons tonnage received per hour 35. tnns Highest·tonnage per hnur on a single day of 77 tnns I replenishment •. The· low amnu..'"'l.ts li'sted above were in all cases·· attributable to replenishment during rnugh weather •. H0wever, in spite of the weather, .the replenishment periods during the 6ntire cruise were relatively smooth in operation and are preferred t0 replenishment periods in port •. 1.1J. F. Fi.ODEE Cnpy tn: · . CNO (Aivnce,. airmail) ·( 2) USS PHILIPPINE SEA (CV47} C0MAIRPAC (Advance, .airmail)(lO) USS V~.LLEY FD:ii.GE (CV45) , . CINCPACFLT(Advance,.airmai1)(2) . USS BON HOMivlE hlCHBlill ( CV31) CONCic:l.DIV ONE USS H!IJTIZTIJ.'l ( CV36) COHSEVENTHFLT USSKEALiShl.lGE (CV33) COBNh.VFE CVO' 5 (5) COMCAiilliV FIVE . CVG ll CONCJJ.lDIV THilliE CVG 101 USS. BOXER ( CV21) CVJ. 102 USS PlTINCETON (CV37) fl.Il{ TASK GdOUP ONE C01-·lNAVFE. EVii.LUATION GP >-" ( (;D:C~ W. W• Bl1EHN) ,