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6-21-44 Des Div 92 assigned to look for pilots. No survivors. 10 empty rafts. 2 raids. Shot down PBM at 2100.
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At 0107 on the 21st, Destroyer Division Ninety-two commenced patrol search of area for pilots who had made water landings. Many life rafts were recovered but all were unoccupied.The search was continued until morning of 22nd when BOYD rejoined Task Group 58.1.
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6-23-44 150 miles of Guam.
1615 picked up Lt Com Price. In water 11 days. Sons birthday (TIME Magg)
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On afternoon of 23 June a small life raft was sighted about 4000 yards off and rescue of Lieutenant Commander Price, USN, pilot from COWPENS, was effected. Lieutenant Commander Price had been in the raft for more than 11 days. Following this further air attacks were made on Bonis during which BOYD fired on an enemy plane which was driven off to be later shot down by a friendly fighter.
From the log of the USS COWPENS (CV-25): "From 6 June to 10 July 1944 Cowpens operated in the Marianas operation. Her planes struck the island of Saipan to aid the assault troops, and made supporting raids on Iwo Jima, Pagan,.Rota, and Guam. They also took part in the Battle of the Philippine Sea on 19 and 20 June, accounting for a number of the huge tally of enemy planes downed.
"One of our alert lookouts, a fellow by the name of Escalante spotted a little yellow object bobbing around on the surface about 6000 yards distant and when we came about to investigate, saw a tiny rubber life raft with a weatherbeaten, half-starved pilot, crouched in it. He didn't have the strength to wave, just kept grinning away at us. Well, you should have seen that guy when we hauled him aboard. Our ship was Heaven and the Bosun's Mate on the other end of the heaving Pine was St. Peter. It seemed this pilot had been afloat for 11 days on this little rubber outfit, hardly bigger than a hot water bottle, and all he had to drink was the water in his issue flask plus whatever he could tap from the skies, and the squeezing of an occasional fish. He told us that it was his little boy's birthday and he was thinking of home when we came along and out here where anything can happen, you'd think saving a guy's life like that was just another thing for the log, but there was a lump as big as an ice cube in everybody's throat.
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6-24-44 Of Chichi 100 miles. Heavy opposition six raids. We shot 1 down.
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She Joined TF 58 for the 2d Bonins raid (24 June).
Task Group headed for Eniwetok on 24 June.
06/24 Sat. Aircraft from carrier task groups (Rear Adm. J. J. Clark and Rear Adm. A. E. Montgomery) strike Japanese airfields and facilities on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, and Pagan Island, Marianas Islands.
Arrived Eniwetok 27 June.
Departed Eniwetok 30 June enroute to Bonins for further strikes.
06/30 Fri. Naval vessels on hand (all types) - 46,032. Personnel: Navy - 2,981,365; Marine Corps - 472,582; Coast Guard - 169, 258. Total personnel - 3,623,205.
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7-2-44 Eniewetok.
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She Joined TF 58 for the 3d Bonins raid (3-4 July).
On 3 July planes struck Iwo Jima and Chichi Jima.
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7-4-44 Bombarded Iwo Jima sunk ships in harbor - 9 cruisers - 10 cans - 75 planes on air stip destroyed. On ground - 4 took of shot down our King Fisher. Well done from the Admiral.
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On 4 July cruisers and destroyers bombarded Iwo Jima. BOYD assisted in sinking landing craft and in setting fires among parked planes and buildings. It was a most picturesque and effective "Fourth of July" celebration. On completion of bombardment Task Group 58.1 was reformed and proceeded to Marianas for further air strikes.
We celebrated the 4th of July by bombarding Iwo Jima. There were plenty of fireworks and we got in a few patriotic licks by helping sink a landing craft, shooting up a number of planes on the air strip and lowering a few important-looking buildings to the ground floor. We gave ourselves a "well done" on that one.
07/04 Tue. Carrier-based aircraft and naval gunfire from two task groups (Rear Adm. J. J. Clark and Rear Adm. R. E. Davison) hit Japanese installations on Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands, and Chichi Jima and Haha Jima, Bonin Islands.
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7-6-44 Rota Guam.
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On 6 July BOYD and BRADFORD were detached to conduct rescue patrol mission around Guam. During mission both ships bombarded Agana Town and Orote Peninsula. BOYD hit a machine gun emplacement, damaged two buildings near Agana, hit a pillbox and damaged a building near Agat on Orote Peninsula.
After the Iwo job, we spent a few days on rescue patrol missions, then another DD and the BOYD were sent in to bombard Agana Town and Orote Penninsula on Guam. We knocked out some installations, a pillbox and damaged a building.
07/06 Thu. Carrier-based aircraft commence daily bombings of Japanese coastal and antiaircraft guns, supply dumps, and airfields installations on Guam and Rota, Marianas Islands.
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7-7-44 Picked up pilot of BATTAN between Guam Rota - Lucky Guy. Patroling of Guam. 2000 air attack.
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From the ship log of the USS BATTAN (CVL-29): "In her initial engagement with the Japanese, Bataan's planes supported the attack on Hollandia, New Guinea, between 21 and 24 April 1944. Following this action were strikes against Truk, Satawan, and Ponape (29 April-1 May 1944); Saipan, Marianas (11 June-10 August); 1st Bonins raid (15-16 June); Battle of Philippine Sea (19-20 June); and the 2nd Bonins raid (24 June). Bataan then returned to the United States for repairs."
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7-8-44 Picked up 5 Jap pilots.
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07/08 Sat. Cruiser and destroyer task group (Rear Adm. C. T. Joy) commences daily bombardment of enemy defenses on Guam,Marianas Islands; battleships join the bombardment group beginning 14 July.
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7-9-44 BB. bombarded Guam.
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