| Mar. 1 | Launched strikes and VF1 sweeps on Okinawa. A.A.2 intense. No air opposition. Targeted shipping and ground installations. | * 75 miles SE of Okinawa - (25-43 N 128-56 E) 1. VF - U.S. Marine Fighter 2. AA - Anti-aircraft guns |
| Mar. 2 | Enroute to Ulithi | |
| Mar. 4 | Anchored at Ulithi1. | 1. From March 5 to 13 anchored Berth 26, Ulithi Island. |
| Mar. 11 | Went to G.Q.1 2 bogies2 got in.1 hit the Randolph3 causing a fire and small explosions. Other hit island. AG 834 came aboard. | 1. U.S.S. Randolph CV-15 2. bogies - Enemy Aircraft 3. G.Q. - General Quarters 4. AG 83 - Air Group 83 |
| Mar. 14 | Underway - Gunnery practice and simulated.attacks. T.B.M.1 fell apart while in dive. | 1. T.B.M. - U.S. Navy Torpedo Bomber |
| Mar. 16 | Refueled. | * 300 miles SW of Iwo Jima - (14-44 N 138-56 E) |
| Mar. 17 | Enroute to Kyushu1 and Shikoku2. DDs3 destroyed 3 mines. | * 300 miles SW of Iwo Jima - (14-44 N 138-56 E) 1. Kyushu - is thethird largest and most southern of the four main islands of Japan. 2. Shikoku - is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan. 3. DD - Destroyer |
| Mar. 18 | Bogies1 all night. Dropped flares. Other T.G2 got 3 and VFN3 got 3. Launched strikes and sweeps on Kyushu. 70 miles from target. Bogies all around. 0730 Enterprise4 was hit with bomb. Still operational. 0836 Bunker Hill5 had a near miss. Our A.A.6 got it (Judy). A.A. from T.G. got 11. Targets for sweeps were aircraft hangers and plants. We lose 3 planes. 1630 58.3 got an Oscar8. 58.4 a Judy. Pickets 70 to north got 11 AA. Yorktown9 hit. Still operational but badly damaged. | 1. bogies - Enemy Aircraft 2. T.G. - Task Group 3. VFN - U.S. Navy Fighter 4. U.S.S. Enterprise CV-6 5. U.S.S. Bunker Hill CV-17 6. AA - Anti-aircraft guns 7. Judy - Japanese Navy Dive Bomber 8. Oscar - Japanese Army Fighter. 9. U.S.S Yorktown CV-10 |
| Mar. 19 | 0330 Many bogies1 clearing. Pickets got one, rest opened.Launched strikes and sweeps against Kyushu and shipping at Kobe, large naval base. At 0445 Franklin2 was hit. Burning furiously with many explosions. 0745 Zeke3 dove on us but missed. A.A.4 shot him down after dropping bomb. Another tried some but crashed in the water. Another dropped bomb on us and headed for B.H.5 Our A.A. got him. Our C.A.P.6 got 2 more. Strikes canceled. 1300 3 Zekes attacked us. VF7 got one. DD8 got one and our A.A. got the other. Our A.A. got 4 and 2 probables today. 1415 C.A.P. got a bogie over Franklin.. Franklin is still burning and dead in the water. 1430 five bogies closed. Our A.A. got one. Franklin being towed by Pittsburgh9 at 4 knots. At 1800 Franklin gunnery under attack. Their C.A.P. got 4 Bettys10. We were at G.Q.11 all day. Secured at 2000. Results of strikes today: damaged 1 BB12 - 2 CV13 - 1 CL14. Wasp15 hit, damage not serious. Air group 83 got 15 in air and 5 on ground yesterday, 19 on ground and 7 in air today. Recap of damage to enemy TG 58 on 19th. 75 planes on ground, 75 in air. Damaged shipping. Our losses: 22 planes, air guns expended 575 5" shells. over 3,000 40 mms.and 3,000 20 mms. | * 100 miles E of Kyushu - (32-10 N 134-22 E) 1. bogies - Enemy Aircraft 2. U.S.S. Franklin CV-13 3. Zeke - Japanese Navy Fighter 4. AA - Anit-aircraft gunnery 5. B.H. - U.S.S. Bunker Hill CV-17 6. CAP - Combat Air Patrol 7. AA - Anti-aircraft Guns 8. DD - Destroyer 9. U.S.S. Pittsburgh CA-72 10. Betty - Japanese Navy Bomber 11. G.Q. - General Quarters 12. BB - Battleship 13. CV - large carrier 14. CL - light carrier 15. U.S.S. Wasp CV-18  |
| Mar. 20 | 200 miles SE of Kyushu. Franklin1 reported still burning last night 1100. 1 plane tried to dive on Franklin but missed. She's now making 15 knots. 58.2 attacked by 12 planes. They got 7 of them. Enterprise2 took another hit. DD Power3 took a bogie4 at 2100. Condition 1 again. 3 bogies. DD5 got 1. | * Protecting retiring U.S.S. Franklin CV-13 (30-22 N 135-09 E) 1. U.S.S. Franklin CV-13 2. U.S.S. Enterprise CV-6 3. U.S.S. Powell DD-686 4. bogie - enemy aircraft 5. DD - Destroyer |
| Mar. 21 | 300 miles S of Kyushu. 0900 and 1200 two Bettys1 splashed by C.A.P.2 1100 went to G.Q.3 C.A.P. got 6 Fran4. C.A.P. got Betty attacking DD Power5. 1430 went to G.Q. again, 25 Bettys closing with fighter coverage. C.A.P. shot down Myrt6 who was leading them in. Scrambled 36 VFs7to take care of them. Intercepted them at 50 miles. Bettys were carrying two torpedoes and fighter torpedo bombers, probably suicide planes. Hornet8 VFs got 14 Bettys, 1 Zeke9. | 1. Betty - Japanese Navy Bomber 2. C.A.P. - Combat Air Patrol 3. G.Q. - General Quarters 4. Fran - Frances - Japanese Navy Bomber 5. U.S.S. Powell DD-686 6. Myrt -Japanese Navy Reconnaissance 7. VF - U.S. Marine Fighter 8. U.S.S. Hornet CV-12 9. Zeke - Japanese Navy Fighter |
| Mar. 22 | Refueled 600 miles from Kyrushu. | |
| Mar. 23 | Launched strikes on Okinawa, Jima. C.A.P.1 got a Jill2 60 miles away. | * 80 miles SE of Okinawa Jima (25-15 N 128-50 E) 1. C.A.P. - Combat Air Patrol 2. Jill - Japanese Navy Torpedo Bomber |
| Mar. 24 | Strikes and sweeps on Okinawa. BBs1 went in to shell Okinawa. 58.1 planes sank a convoy 3 AL2, 2 DP3, 3 DE4. | * 60 miles SE of Okinawa Jima (25-44 N 128-40 E) 1. BB - Battleship 2. AL - Lightship 3. DD - Destroyer 4. DE - Destroyer Escort |
| Mar. 25 | Refueled. 58.4 also refueled. 58.1 is hitting Oki.1 | * 200 miles S of Okinawa Jima (22-15 N 128-06 E) 1. Oki - Okinawa * Iwo Jima resistance ended. |
| Mar. 26 | Strikes on Okinawa. 2030 Condition 1 - VFN1 got 1 Betty2. | * 75 miles NE of Okinawa Jima 1. VFN - U.S. Navy Fighter 2. Betty - Japanese Navy Bomber |
| Mar. 27 | Launched strikes on Okinawa. 0630 Pickets splashed 2 Betty1. 8.1 under attack. Their C.A.P.2 got 5 and AA3 2. Murray DD4 was hit. Our C.A.P. splashed 3 Zekes5. BBs6 went into shell Minami Iwo Jima. | 1. Betty - Japanese Navy Bomber 2. C.A.P. - Combat Air Patrol 3. AA - Anti-aircraft guns 4. U.S.S. Murray DD-576 5. Zeke - Japanese Navy Fighter 6. BB - Battleship |
| Mar. 28 | Strikes on Minami Iwo Jima. VF1 crashed taking off. 1 man killed. Refueled. | * 200 miles E of Okinawa Jima (25-00 N 131-50 E) 1. VF - U.S. Marine Fighter |
| Mar. 29 | Launched C.A.P.1 searching for Jap fleet and striking Kyrushu. 100 miles from there. 58.2 is bombardment group at Okinawa. Receiving planes but also taking a few pilots. 0400 set condition 1. Zeke2 dive on Bunker Hill3. Missed. AA4 got him. No trace of fleet. | * 125 miles S of Kyushu - (29-16 N 131-54 E) 1. C.A.P. - Combat Air Patrol 2. Zeke - Japanese Navy Fighter 3. U.S.S. Bunker Hill CV-17 4. AA - Anti-aircraft Guns |
| Mar.30 | Launched strikes on Okinawa. Only 30 miles from there. 1 VF1 shot down 2 Zekes2 out of 5. Strikes hit shipping. Launched VFN3 today. | * 75 miles E of Okinawa Jima (26-13 N 129-34 E) 1. VF - U.S. Marine Fighter 2. Zeke - Japanese Navy Fighter 3. VFN - U.S. Navy Fighter |
| Mar. 31 | Launched strikes on Okinawa. | |
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