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1 MAY '45 BATAAN RECEIVES AMMUNITION FROM AE VESUVIUS AND FUEL FROM AO VACILLA. ONE CAP OF 8 VFS ARE LAUNCHED WITH NEGATIVE RESULTS. F6F REPLACEMENTS LANDED IN EXCHANGE FOR FLYABLE DUD FROM THE SHIP. THE BATAAN SETS A NORTHWESTERLY COURSE FOR THE OPERATING AREA. 2 - 6 MAY '45 AIR OPERATIONS CONTINUE OVER NORTHEASTERN OKINAWA. THE TARGETS ARE AIRFIELDS AND CAVES. THERE ARE NO ENEMY AIRCRAFT SIGHTED. ON THE 4TH OF MAY, LAND IS SIGHTED (TOKUNO SHIMA), THE FIRST IN 51 DAYS. THE BATAAN, WITH TASK GROUP 58.3, IS REPLENISHED AND RETURNS TO THE OPERATING AREA OFF OKINAWA. 7 MAY '45 THE DAY STARTED AS USUAL-- CAPS PLUS A PHOTOGRAPHIC MISSION TO AMAMI. A JAP FRANCES WAS SIGHTED VISUALLY ASTERN 15 MILES THE ENEMY PLANE WAS SHOT DOWN BY THE CAP, SPLASHING 15 MILES OFF THE PORT QUARTER. A SPECIAL SHIPPING SORTIE OF 8 VFS AND 9 VTS ARE LAUNCHED PURSUANT TO REPORTS OF CONCENTRATION OF ENEMY LUGGERS AND SMALL SHIPPING IN KONIYO KO. THE RESULTS ARE 1 LUGGER SUNK AND 1 LUGGER DAMAGED. 8 MAY '45 ALL OPERATIONS CANCELED BECAUSE OF BAD WEATHER CONDITIONS. 9 MAY '45 TWO PATROLS, ALONG WITH A PHOTOGRAPHIC MISSION WITH ESCORTS, WERE LAUNCHED. SMALL CRAFT ALONG THE WEST COAST OF AMAMI WERE STRAFED; AN ADJACENT STORAGE AREA WAS ROCKETED. THE PHOTOGRAPHIC MISSION WAS RECOVERED, HAVING OBTAINED PHOTOGRAPHS OF TOKUNO, SHITOOKE AIRFIELDS, AND OF NAZE KO. ENSIGN JACK EZELL, USNR., DID NOT RETURN. ENSIGN EZELL'S F6F WAS HIT BY ENEMY AA AND CRASHED IN FLAMES IN THE WATER. ENSIGN EZELL DID NOT LEAVE THE PLANE. PATROL NO. 3 RECOVERED, HAVING PUT HITS INTO NISSIN MARU, A SUGAR TWO STACK LYING IN NAZE HARBOR. THE KAKAI STRIKE, ALONG WITH PLANES FROM THE ESSEX, BURNED DOCK INSTALLATIONS ON THE WEST COAST OF THE ISLAND WITH NAPALM. 10 MAY '45 FUELING AND REPLENISHING; LAUNCHED 1 VF DUD FOR TRANSFER. MINAMI STRIKE CRATERED ONE RUNWAY. AFTER FUELING, TASK GROUP 58.3 RETURNS TO THE OPERATING AREA. 11 MAY '45 THE JAPS ARE OUT IN FORCE AGAIN. THE BUNKER HILL IS HIT BY TWO ENEMY SUICIDE PLANES; FIRES START AFT OF THE ISLAND. THE BUNKER HILL IS TEMPORARILY OUT OF CONTROL AND HEADS STRAIGHT FOR THE BATAAN'S BEAM; EMERGENCY TURNS ARE MADE TO CLEAR IT CLOSE ABEAM TO STARBOARD. TASK GROUPS 58.3 AND 58.4 ARE BOTH FIRING AT ENEMY PLANES. THE BATAAN'S CAPS HAVE A GOOD DAY -- TARGET CAP 1 SHOOTS DOWN 10 TOJOS, 1 IRVING, 1 ZEKE, AND 1 HAMP. LT. M. C. REPLOGLE, USNR. WAS RESCUED AT SEA AFTER A WATER LANDING IN HIS F6F WAS MADE NECESSARY BY ENGINE TROUBLE DURING THE ENGAGEMENT. LT. REPLOGLE WAS PICKED UP IN GOOD CONDITION FROM HIS RUBBER RAFT SHORTLY AFTER HIS WATER LANDING BY A PBM FROM KERAMA RETTO (HE WAS RETURNED TO THE BATAAN 12 MAY '45). TARGET CAP 2 RECOVERED, HAVING SHOT DOWN 1 BETTY CARRYING A BAKA. FOR THE DAY -- 14 ENEMY PLANES AND 1 BAKA. THE SUPPORT AND AMAMI -- KIKAI STRIKES HIT MORTAR POSITIONS, REVETMENTS AND DEFENSE INSTALLATIONS BOMBED AND ROCKETED, AND 2 RADIO STATIONS DAMAGED BY BOMB HITS. ADMIRAL MITSCHER TRANSFERS HIS FLAG FROM THE BUNKER HILL TO THE ENTERPRISE. 12 MAY '45 MORE LAUNCHES ARE MADE FOR STRIKES AGAINST OKINAWA. SHURI AND O SHIMA ARE TARGETS. TROOP CONCENTRATIONS AND ARTILLERY POSITIONS ARE BOMBED. LATER IN THE AFTERNOON, ADMIRAL SPRUANCE ORDERS ADMIRAL MITSCHER TO STEAM NORTHWARD WITH TWO TASK GROUPS TO BLAST EIGHTEEN AIRFIELDS ON KYUSHUI AND FIVE ON SHIKOKU WITH REPEATED CARRIER STRIKES -- THE BATAAN WILL BE ONE OF THE CARRIERS. (THE KAMIKAZES HAVE CAUSED GREAT DAMAGE TO OUR RADAR PICKETS AND OTHER SHIPS OF THE FORCE. THESE PLANES TOOK OFF FROM THE AIRFIELDS OF KYUSHU AND SHIKOKU -- THEY HAD TO BE SILENCED!) 13 MAY '45 ANOTHER VISIT TO KYUSHU. THE BATAAN PLANES, ALONG WITH THOSE FROM THE RANDOLPH, HIT KIKUCHI AND WAIFU AIRFIELDS CAUSING DESTRUCTION TO HANGERS AND NUMEROUS FACILITIES. PHOTO MISSIONS WERE ALSO LAUNCHED AND OBTAINED ASSIGNED COVERAGE. 14 MAY '45 THE ENEMY RETALIATES. THE TASK FORCE IS UNDER ATTACK THE ENTIRE MORNING. A JUDY, UNDER FIRE ON THE PORT QUARTER, DIVES ON THE ENTERPRISE. HITS ARE MADE ON THE DIVING JAP, BUT, IT DOES NOT STOP HIM. THE ENEMY CRASHES ON NO. 1 ELEVATOR. FLAMES AND EXPLOSIONS ARE SEEN. JOE MIDOLLO, PHOTOGRAPHERS MATE, TAKES ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS ACTION SHOTS OF WWII. A ZEKE WITH A BELLY TANK IS SIGHTED AT APPROXIMATELY 4000 YARDS. THE BATAAN'S BATTERIES, 5 TWIN AND 1 QUAD 40MM START TO FIRE. THE JAP IS HIT, BUT CONTINUES TO DIVE AND STARTS TO DROP OFF ON THE RIGHT WING AS CONCENTRATED FIRE CONTINUED TO HIT IT. THE ZEKE CRASHES INTO THE SEA ABOUT 100 FEET ASTERN ON THE PORT QUARTER. WE DID NOT HAVE MUCH TIME TO CELEBRATE AS A TOJO EMERGES FROM THE CLOUDS SECONDS LATER AT A RANGE OF2000 YARDS IN A SWEEP TO CROSS OUR BOW. THE BATTERIES OF THE SHIP COMMENCED FIRING ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. GUNS IN BOTH GALLERY WALKWAYS AS WELL AS THE QUAD MOUNT ON THE FORECASTLE CONTINUE TO FIRE UNTIL THEY ARE STOPPED FOR SAFETY ANGLES. TRACERS FROM THE SHIP'S GUNFIRE WERE SEEN TO HIT THE PLANE AND A PIECE OF THE TAIL WAS SEEN TO FALL OFF AS THE PLANE PASSED OVER THE SHIP. IT WASN'T OVER YET -- A PLANE, BELIEVED TO BE A JUDY, COMES BELOW THE CLOUD COVER DIVING AT AN OBLIQUE ANGLE TO THE COURSE OF THE FORMATION. THE BATAAN OPENS FIRE UNTIL THE PLANE IS SEEN TO BURST INTO FLAMES AND LOSES CONTROL. THIS ACTION TOOK PLACE AT 0815. THEN -- AT 0816 THE BATAAN IS HIT! HIT BY FOUR 5 INCH ANTI-AIRCRAFT SHELLS CAUSING FOUR HOLES 3 FEET ABOVE THE WATER LINE AT THE PORT QUARTER. A SMALL FIRE STARTS, BUT, IS UNDER CONTROL IMMEDIATELY. DAMAGE WAS CAUSED TO THE ARRESTING GEAR CONTROLS, EMERGENCY EVAPORATOR ROOM, RADIO EQUIPMENT, GASOLINE STATIONS, ONE GUN MOUNT, CATWALKS, AND MANY OTHER AREAS. CASUALTIES -- FIVE KILLED IN ACTION, TWO DIE OF WOUNDS, AND TWENTY-SEVEN ARE WOUNDED. (THE HIT ON THE BATAAN WAS CAUSED BY FRIENDLY ANTI-AIRCRAFT FIRE.) CAP 1 RECOVERED, RESULTS; MANY BUILDINGS, HANGER AND FACILITIES AT THE AIRFIELD ARE DESTROYED OR BADLY DAMAGED. PHOTOS TAKEN AFTER STRIKE BY PHOTO MISSION 1 SHOWED 75 TO 80% OF THE BUILDINGS IN THE AREA DESTROYED BY THIS AND PRIOR STRIKES. ALSO, ONE AND PROBABLY MORE GROUNDED AIRCRAFT DESTROYED. ENSIGN T. F. HENLEY, USNR, AND G. T. WEIDENFELLER, ARM3c, USNR, MISSING IN ACTION. THEIR TBM WAS SET AFIRE BY FLAK OVER USA AIRFIELD, KYUSHU; THE PLANE CRASHED AT SEA IN SUO NADA, ONE MILE FROM THE TARGET. THERE WERE NO SURVIVORS. STRIKE B, ALONG WITH PLANES FROM THE RUDOLPH, DESTROYED NUMEROUS BUILDINGS AND STRAFED 6 SINGLE ENGINE AND 8 TWIN ENGINE PLANES, LEAVING AT LEAST 4 SMOKING. 15 MAY '45 CAP OF 8 VFS LAUNCHED BUT RECALLED BECAUSE OF BAD WEATHER. BATAAN IS FUELED FROM AO GUADALUPE AND AMMUNITION FROM AE MAUNA LOA. WOUNDED FROM THE ACTION OF 14 MAY ARE TRANSFERRED TO THE AH BOUNTIFUL. (NURSES ON THE BOUNTIFUL -- THE FIRST SIGHT OF ANYTHING FEMININE SINCE PEARL HARBOR. SO NEAR AND YET SO FAR. THE WOLF HOWL IS HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR.) THREE FLYABLE DUDS ARE LAUNCHED FOR TRANSFER AND 5 VF AND 2 VT ARE LANDED AS REPLACEMENTS. 16 MAY '45 CONTINUED REPLENISHING. AMMUNITION FROM AE LASSEN AND PROVISIONS FROM THE AE ALDEBARAN. CAPS LAUNCHED WITH NEGATIVE RESULTS. 17 - 28 MAY '45 PATROLS AND RECONNAISSANCE FLIGHTS OVER AMAMI, YOKOATE, YAKU, TOKUNO, KAKEROMA, AND OTHER ISLANDS OF THE RYUKYU CHAIN, WITH TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY BEING ATTACKED ON 24 MAY '45 -- OUR CLEAN-UP SWEEP SHOT DOWN 2 ZEKES OVER KUSHIRA AIRFIELD. THIS IS THE LAST TIME, 24 MAY '45, THAT AIR GROUP 47 MAKES A FLIGHT OVER KYUSHU FROM ABOARD THE USS BATAAN. 29 - 31 MAY '45 THIS CAMPAIGN IS OVER -- 80 DAYS OF IT, AND NOW IT IS FINALLY OVER. FOR ALMOST THREE MONTHS, ARMY, NAVY, AND MARINE FORCES BATTLED TO WREST THIS ISLAND FROM JAPAN. WHEN THE FINAL SHOT WAS FIRED, MORE MEN HAD FALLEN THERE THAN ANY OTHER BATTLE IN THE PACIFIC. THIS ISLAND, ONLY 360 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE JAPANESE HOMELAND, WILL BE REMEMBERED AS THE BLOODIEST BATTLE OF THE PACIFIC. THIS ISLAND IS CALLED OKINAWA. THE BATAAN HAS DONE IT'S JOB AND IS NOW HEADING TO A REAR BASE AT LEYTE GULF IN THE PHILIPPINES -- FOR A MUCH DESERVED REST.
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