Laurel outlook., 1945-11-14
Here's Carrier
Foe Can't Sink
Battered Intrepid Still in
Action; $50 Planes, 80
Ships to Credit.

Observation-Disclosures and guns
of the aircraft carrier USS In
trepid have destroyed 80 enemy
ships and $50 planes. She took a
terrific pounding to do it. The navy
reported, according to the Associat-
ed Press, that the Intrepid has been
hit more frequently than any other
of u aircraft carriers.
Four times this Essex-class car
rier suffered battle damage within
Is months of lively Pacific opera
lions. But she is back in action
again.
The 30 shSs sent to the bottom by
the %Intrepid's pilots included an air.
craft carrier. They helped sink the
Japanese apprenticeship, the 49,
000-ton Yamato. They probably sank
80 other enemy vessels and dam
aged 179 more.
The %Intrepid's latest brush with
disaster came on last April 16 while
her airmen we're carrying the war
to Japan's home islands again, aft
er having helped to send the Yama-
to the bottom with two dozen
bomb and torpedo hits.
Plane Crashed Into Ship.
One of five enemy suicide planes
broke through the screen of anti
aircraft fire and crashed into the
flight deck, parts tearing into the
hangar deck. The explosion which
fA11AuynI 1zi11a1 Ni,a ,o0o &al ,,N,,,l
ed 81.
Fires destroyed more than SO of
the carriers planes, though they
were not fueled or loaded, and no
further explosions resulted. In Is
minutes, the of the Intrepid had
the flight deck fires under control,
and the hangar deck fires in so min
utes.
While the fires ragged, the ship
commanded by Capt. Giles E. Short
of Tacoma, Wash, stayed with her
task force, fighting off attacking
planes, maneuvering with the for
nation and continuing flight opera
tons.
She successfully took aboard her
own aircraft, but her damage forced
her to return to the Hunters Point,
drydocks for repairs.
The 27, 000-ton carrier suffered her
first battle damage off Truk. A tor
pedo from a Jap plane damaged
her steering mechanism and
jammed her rudder. The Intrepid
returned to Pearl Harbor.
Returns to Fight.
After repairs, the Intrepid re-
turned to carry on her fight until
October 20, 1914, off Luzon, when
she was hit by one of the first sue
cessful japanese suicide planes.
A Japanese Judy plummeted into
the flight deck, slithered into a gun
gallery, killed 10 gunners and start
ed a fire. Six stewards mates serv-
ing as gunners were awarded
Bronze Star medals.
This time the Intrepid repaired
her w damage and continued to
aid in setting the stage for the re-
turn of General Macarthur to the |
Philippines.
On November 25, 1914, during the
p%reinvasion strikes, the Intrepid was
hit again while operating off Luzon. /
Japanese Zeke rocketed into her
fight deck. s
Scores of the ships crew were
killed or wounded. Minutes later, 5
another suicide plane penetrated the |
antiaircraft screen and crashed into /
The flight deck, killing and wounding /
additional personnel and starting }
fresh fires. !
Arrangements were made with "
,ther ships to pick up survivors when
t appeared probable the ship would
lave to be abandoned.
But in IS minutes the fire was
1nder control. The Intrepid was
back in action in time to join in
he fast carrier task force SO strike
which the Franklin was damaged. u