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THE AWC GOES TO SEA

Many Air Force officers have said it would be a cold day before they would go out to sea, and the weather,am tried to oblige. A severe hail storm hit Maxwell Field about 9 p.m., 14 May, and caused damage to three of the planes scheduled to take us to Norfolk. However, Major Earl did an early morning re-shuffle and we were off on schedule by 8 a.m. , 15 May. On arrival at East Field, NAS Norfolk, we were taken to the Officers Club for luncheon, and then to the Armed Forces Staff college auditorium, where Captain Joe Flatley gave us a talk on Carrier Aviation. Then buses took us to Pier 7, where we embarked in the carriers.

The Philippine Sea group was met at the quarterdeck by the Commanding Officer, Captain R R. Waller, and the Commander Carrier Division Two, Rear Admiral W.L. Rees. Vice Admiral R. B. Carney of Second Fleet came aboard for the trip. Officer guides were assigned, and information pamphlets distributed before we began searching for our rooms. As the ship got underway and stood out, we toured the ship in order to learn the location of the various points of interest.

Dinner was followed by short talks, which explained the schedules and procedures. The weatherman failed us on Tuesday and the light schedule had to be considerably curtailed. However, we did transfer 24 daring classmates to the submarine via the helicopter. Aside from Fred Gray's swing around on the end of the line while the "copter" made an extra pass, and Herb Cowles' getting a little wet, the transfer was uneventful. The boys in the Burrfish got an extra thrill when a power casualty made a stern first surfacing necessary. The casualty was restored, and the only permanent damage was a few added gray hairs to some of our heads.

The Air Group was launched and made some demonstration runs on the Philippine Sea. During this same time, the Hunter-Killer exercise was being conducted by the Wright. Our erstwhile submariners returned to the Philippine Sea in the breeches-buoy on the high-line, and were all on board in time for the evening meal. Another lecture period was held, and Captain Creed Burlingame explained the workings of the Hunter-Killer group. Then after the movies, we hit the sack and completed our first full day at sea, with no casualties.

On the 17th, the sea was a little rough, and we were unable to transfer the observers to the submarines. However, the cloud condition was much better and the Air Group made live load attacks on a dye marker target. Jet aircraft were catapulted, and a blimp attempted a landing on board. During the afternoon, gunnery practice was held, using a drone for the target. The Des Moines, Philippine Sea, and Wright all fired on the drone and splashed it in a hurry. Then the Des Moines fired an off-set practice at rapid fire