• • • \ -- ·• U. S. S. BATAAN CVL 29 • Care of Fleet Post Office San Francisco, California CVL29/20:ABS Al6-l3 Serf 0'; 1 POWNGRADED AT 3 YEAR INTERVALS: IID:JASSIFIED AfTER 12 .YEARS , Doo DIR 5200.JQ 1P.~JUN 1~1. From: Commanding Officer, U.S.S. BATAAN (CVL 29) To: Chief of Naval Operations Via: (l) Commander Task Force 95 (2) Commander Seventh Fleet (3) Commander Naval Forces Far East (4) Commander in Chief, U.~. Pacific Fleet Subj: Action Report; period 12 May 1951 - 13 June 1951; subm1s sion of Ref: (a) Navy Regulations, 1948 (b) CNO ltr Op345/aa, Ser ll97P34 dtd 3 Aug. 1950, NDB 15 Aug. 1950 Enol: (l) Action Report period 12 May 1951 - 13 June 1951 1. In accordance with reference (a) and (b), enclosure (1), with parts I, II, III, IV, v, and VI, is submitted herewith. 2. During the period covered by this report u.s.s. BATAAN operated with TG 95.1. • W. JaLLER Copy to: ComAirPac ComCarDi v 15 ' ' U.S.S. BATAAN (CVL 29) ACTION REPORT (period 12 May 19Jl - 13 June 1951) PART I Narrative PART II Chronology PART III Performance of Ordnance !Via terial and Equipment and Ammunition Expenditure PART IV Battle Damage PART V Personnel; Performance and Casualties PART VI Comments and Recommendations PART 'I NARRATIVE During the period 13~18 llay BATAAN replenished at Sasebo and made ready to operate against the North Korean and Chi~ nese Comm'llllists trom 20 lfay to 3 June, 195'11 ~ursuant to the orders ot CTG 95'.1. At o64l 19 llay, Rear A<111111'al Allan E. Slll1th1 IJSN, CT.F 9?1 together with members ot his start, em~ barked and broke IUS flag in USB BATAAN. At 0700 King BATAAN with CT.F 95' and V1lB 312 embarked, and with ~ VAN GALEN lDD) as escor_!,__ '!ailed 1'rom Basebo tor the west coast o:r Korea. At 0945' liiW3 WARRAIIlJNGA (DD), which had sailed earlier from Kure, 3oined ott the northern approach to Sasebo as an additional escort. From 1035' to ll45' all three ships participated in a pre-arranged AA tiring exercise. The tor­ ution arrived 1n operating area I!IKE at l9ll00Z at which time USS BATAAN relieved llllS GLORY 1n TE 95'.11, Captai11. W. lfiller, lJSir 111. BATAAN becoming OTC and CTE 95.11. TE 95' .11 then comprised USB BATA~~SB RUPERTUS (DD 85'1) 32 ;~Gl·~~;) andem=~h ~c (DD). ~: g:~: 'd=oyers jo1ned the :rormation at 200730 King 1n the vic111.1ty o:r Lat. 37-00N Lo!!.g. 125'-00E where the task element operated daily during daylight thereafter. Operations duriq the period 20 llay - 3 June were conducted in accordance with CTF 95' OpOrder 1~5'1, CTG 95'.1 OpOrder 1-5'1 and CO, USS BATAAN OpOrder 3·5'1 (revised) • Sur:race operations comprised those necessary to conduct air operations1 replenish­ ment, and radar surveillance ot the northern part or the Yellow Sea at night. Formation <4<1 was used throughout, with a circular screen during daylight and an anti-submarine screen at night. c.....,ncing 22 lfay radar patrol "Bngatti", to provide early warning o:r aay enemy sur:race or air movemeat betweea the Shan­ tung peninsula and Korea was conducted nightly 1n accordance with CTG 95'.1 OpOrder 1-~1. This patrol formerly had been ac~ complished by CTE 95.12. As conducted by CTE 95'.11 a ilestroyer was detached at the end o:r each day's flight operations to patrol along :l.ongitude 124-00E between latitudes 37-40 and 39.00 North, search as prescribed, and rejoin the formation prior to resumption ot flight operations the next morning. u.s. des­ troyers only were used in view ot their superior radar search capabilities. On the night o:r 31 llay USS ROPERTUS reported a radar and RADCII contact 111.1tially evaluated as "possible sub­ arill.e", later reevaluated as •doubttul submsrill.e". This contact was reported to COIIl'(avFE who concurred 111. the till.al evaluation. Results ot other"BUgatti" patrols were negative. Air operations comprised armed•reconnaissance, close air support, airspot, and combat air patrol missions. The primary task ot armed reconnaissance was the interdiction ot enemy shipping on the west coast ot Korea. Emphasis was placed on the destruction of 3unks and sampans in the Taedong Gang estuary. Land transportation routes in the Bwangbae-Do region also were 111tlird1cted when feasible, with emphasis being placed on the systematic destruction of railway bridges and the location and destruction of vehicle parks. At the request ot Commander First Corps, Eighth Army in Korea, the Ban river estuary was kept under close air surveillance to detect &DT unusual activity that would indicate an enemy attempt to cross the estuary from the vicinity ot Kaesong to the Killpo peninsula above Inchon. Res Illts of this surveillance were negative and it was discontinued as unnecessary after 26 May due to the advance or friendly ground forces north ot the-Ban. Close air support missions performed were those required to cover ths various Army Corps sectors as assigned by the Joint Operations Center (JOC) Korea. Coabat air patrol was maintained over TE 95.11 when weather permitted and over United Nations forces conducting mine sweep­ ing and d!versionary amphibious operations on the Nampo coast near Cho Do Island during the period 2Q-22 lfay in accordance with CTG 95.1 OpOrder 3-51. Armed-airspot also was provided tor the diversionary forces and, when feasible 1 was made an additional task of the combat air patrol furnished those forces. Air operations were seriously curtailed by inclement weather, characterized by heavy rains and dense fogs, which made flights impossible on 21 25, 26, 27 29, and 30 May, and which curtailed operations on 3 June. Despite the bad weather 407 sorties were flown of which 305 ware offensive and 102 defensive (combat air patrol). Offensive sorties consisted of 159 armed-reconnaissance missions, 104 close air support missions1 14 combined armed-airspot and combat air patrol missions, and 28 strikes on railway and high­ way bridges. One pilot was lost during these operati.ep when, on 28 May lst Lt. Austin "E" Brenneman was shot down one mile east ot Wit­ Anak, korth Korea1 while on an armed-reconnaissance mission. nesses stated that his plaae was hit in the cockpit by 40 mm. flak after which it made a right gliding turn into the ground and ex­ ploded on impact. No radio contact with the pilot was established and be made no attempt to parachute after being hit. Witnesses stated that there was no possible chance ot survival. Replenishment operations consisted ot refueling the various destroyers on 21, 23, 25, .?~ 1 and 31 lfay and refueling and rearm- 1ng BATAAN on 2; lfay. BATAAll was refueled 3l MA;r. I-2 On 21 :May W.ARRAliUNGA and T.Al'l r..u;n were detached to refuel f'r0111 the Brihsh ,jiler WAVE PREMIER about 15' miles west of the Clifford Islands, IDICB SIOUX, which had been escorting WAVE P~ joined the screen temporarily <luring the absence or W GA and V.Al'l GALEtl, At l25'0 King retv.eling completed, W.ARRAliUNGA and V.Al'l GALEli' rejoined and sioux departecl to restlll8 escort ot WAVE PREMIER. RllPERTUB and FEC!!TELER were detached at 0630, 23 llay to retv.el fr0111 UBS MAli'AfEE (AO 5'8) in the vicinity or Lat. 36-3~!\ Long, l24-30E. and rejoin. On completion, about 0900, FECHTE escorted MANATEE to Inchon prior to rejoining the f'orution. On 25' !fay, USB DIPHDA (AKA 5'9), escorted by HI[CS SIOUX (ll 225') and lrARATEE renclezvov.sed with the task element :l.n the vicinity of Lat, 36-30ll1 Long. l24-30E at o630, BAfAO rearmed fr0111 DIPHDA and all units refueled from MANATEE. On completion of rearming about 0930, DIPHDA and escort returned to Basebo, and at l220 refueling was completed and V.Al'l GALEN was detached to escort JU.liATEB to a renclesvov.s with tJSS tOLEDO (CA 133) in the Inchon approaches, VAll GALEN rejoined at 2225' King, On 28 !fay W.ARR.UIIlliGA encl VAll GALE'II were detached to refuel f'rOJR WAVE PRRMIER as before, they departed at 05'40 and rejoined at 085'5'. the final refueling ot all units took place without interruption or flight operations, on the morning of' Jl1 !fay from tJSS lrARArBB in the vicinity of Lat. 37-00ll, Long, l24-45'E. Be­ fueling was co111pleted about 0930 and DliArBB returned to Sasebo, Changes of' command and composition during the period were as follOWS I Pursuant to erG 95,1 confidential dispatch 210134Z May1 CTE 95'.ll1 Captain w. Hiller 1lll. BAtAAII was designated OTC West Coast effective at 2l2100 King Hay, On 24 May two rBH aircraft arrived from Itazuki AFB, Japan to provitle airlift tor BADH. Sm1 th to Seoul for a conference with ranking Army and llaTy COII!I!!I'nders in the First Corps area, BADH. Smith departed at 1330 and returned at 1313 the following day, having remained overnight aboard tJSS ELDORADO (AGC 11) at Inchon. On 28 May tJSS HEIIBY W. rtJCKEB (DDB 875') ;joined the screen at 0700. At 1308 BADJl, Smith, Crli' 95', hauled down his flag in BAUAll ~~ogether with members of his starr, transferred to the tJSS n:cHn;LBR, On completion of the transfer at 1320, FECHTELER was detached and proceeded to Pusan, Korea, under the operational control of Crli' 95'.