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St Lo's final day at the Battle off Samar
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HISTORY 0F COMPOSITE SQUADRON 65 (VC-65)


Aircraft failed to catch the hook

 

May 16 through 21 the squadron had more maneuvers with the Second Marine Division with amphibious landings at Hilo. Flights were made with marine observers and artillery spotters flying the missions with the torpedo bomber crews to make sure procedures and communications were working. One of the TBM pilots landed too close to the side of the carrier deck and when the tail hook caught, it pulled the TBM to the side of the deck, and then it went over the side. The crew, along with the marine observer were rescued without injury and returned to the carrier.

May 29 through June 9, 1944, VC-65 was at sea, sailing from Pearl Harbor to Eniwetok
(an atoll) with task force 52.14.25. The third of June, we crossed the International Date Line about 7 degrees North of the equator. On June 7, near Kwajalein atoll in the Marshall Islands, one of the fighter pilots lost control on landing and spun in. He was rescued successfully and returned to the carrier. This short period was the beginning of our combat operations, the fighter pilots flying combat air patrol, and the torpedo bomber crews flying anti-submarine patrol (ASP).


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