Through the predawn hours of February 2nd Princeton proceeded northwesterly. The ship's Navigator Lt. Vic Moitoret (whose friendship with Dad remained for the rest of their lives) plotted a course to avoid the numerous atolls and unseen hazards which comprise the almost 1200 mostly unnamed islands and islets of the Marshall archipelago.
At 0730 the bridge team observed "a column of smoke on the horizon in the vicinity where aircraft from the USS SARATOGA were bombing and strafing Japanese radio installations on UTIRIK ATOLL, bearing 337˚, distant 18 miles."
Once clear of the 40 mile passage between UTIRIK and AILUK ATOLLS, Princeton turned southwest and made steam for 20 knots. She would spend the next 24 hours churning her way to a patch of ocean approximately 100 nautical miles southeast of ENIWETOK. This would be her operating area for the remainder of her participation in Operation CATCHPOLE, the invasion of ENIWETOK by the 22nd Marine Division and units of the Army's 27th Infantry Division scheduled for 17 February.
The blue-on-blue which downed the Army Air Corp B-25 on the 29th was not forgotten: "At 0945 received notice from O.T.C. that four U.S. Liberator planes would be in this area for the next four hours, and that they should not be molested."
Of VF-23's twenty five F6F-3 aircraft, one was specially fitted for oblique photographic reconnaissance, with cameras installed in the rear fuselage. "At 1117 received orders from O.T.C. for USS PRINCETON photographic planes to take vertical photographic strips with about 40% overlap at not more than 5000 feet altitude of reefs and beaches from ENGEBI ISLAND southeast to PARRY ISLAND and also from PARRY ISLAND southwest to include South Channel."
After the invasion, it would be determined that Japanese forces on the islands numbered approximately 700 army and 50 navy personnel on ENGEBI as well as another 800 on ENIWETOK and 1,350 on PARRY.
By early afternoon the air operations plan for January 3rd was communicated from the Admiral's staff aboard the flagship Saratoga to the Air Groups. In highly specific terms it directed how many of what type and at what time aircraft were to be launched from each of the three carriers in the Task Group. Confusingly (to me anyway) it stated that the "Objective of Strike No. 1 will be to attack ENIWETOK runways only. VF aircraft will strafe ground planes anti-aircraft, anti-aircraft installations, servicing equipment, and radio and radar installations."
To which 24 year old me who have responded, "That word 'ONLY.' I do not think it means what you think it means."
The air operations plan further directed that "Bombs are to be fuzed with 0.1 second nose fuze and 0.025 second tail fuze." Cratered runways and metal flying around above the surface appears to have been the goal. From the look of Engebi a short time later it seems the mission was accomplished.
Strike photograph taken over Engebi Island, Eniwetok Atoll from an F6F Hellcat of VF-12, flying from USS Saratoga, February 1944.
Engebi Island, Eniwetok Atoll, Marshall Islands, photo taken by USS Langley Air Group.
"At 1735 O.T.C. directed all carriers to bring to attention of all pilots immediately information relative to friendly submarine bombing restriction areas, including a 50 miles circle around ENIWETOK ATOLL."
Less than an hour before Evening Taps at 2200 hours, "USS GRIDLEY reported a sound contact bearing 255˚, distant 1700 yards. Executed emergency turn right to course 010˚. At 2111 USS GRIDLEY lost contact. Executed emergency turn left to base course 285˚ and at 2127 resumed zigzagging as before. At 2232 secured number one engine to stop a leak in number three condenser, effecting repairs and returning number one engine to the line at 2310."
Never a dull moment.
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