Leyte's Korean Cruise

From left to right, the USS Henderson, USS Cimarron and the USS Leyte.

Part 2 in our series of official Navy photos featuring aircraft carriers is this shot of the USS Leyte that was shot during its sole Korean war cruise. Little did I know, when I found this and last week's 8x10s buried in a junk draw in a small Clear Lake, CA antique store, the emotional and heroic story that was behind this image.

The official caption, stamped on the back, reads: "16 Nov. 1950. The USS Leyte (CVA-32) is refueled at sea by the USS Cimarron (AO-22) as the USS Henderson (DD-785) stands fire watch, off the coast of Korea. Official Navy Photo, Released by Dept. of Defense."

Like the Princeton featured in last Tuesday's post, Leyte was one of 24 Essex-class aircraft carriers built for the Navy during and after WWII. Originally intended to be named the USS Crown Point, it was renamed in memory of the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Leyte was commissioned on April 11, 1946.

Her Korean cruise, as a part of Navy Task Force 77, lasted from October 9, 1950 through January 19, 1951, during which her crew earned two battle stars. On board, she carried F9F Panthers, F4U Corsairs and AD-1 Skyraiders. 

One of the Corsair squadrons on board the Leyte was VFA-32, the "Fighting Swordsmen" (they are still active today, flying F/A-18 Hornets, most recently from the USS Harry S. Truman), and one of the pilots from this squadron was the Navy's first African-American Naval Aviator, Ensign Jesse L. Brown. 

Corsairs and Skyraiders on the Leyte. One of these Corsairs was likely Jesse
L. Brown's.

About three weeks after our photo was taken, Brown, call-sign "Iroquois 13", was part of a six-ship element flying a close air support mission in support of Marines of the US X Corps fighting during the crucial Battle of Chosin Reservoir, and was hit by Communist Chinese ground fire. He was forced to put his Corsair down in a remote, snow-covered area, and while the aircraft broke up, Brown survived the landing. His wingman, Lt.(JG) Thomas J. Hudner, Jr. saw that he was alive but pinned in (some sources say under) the burning wreckage of the Corsair, so Hudner deliberately crash-landed near-by in order to rescue his fellow flyer. A rescue helicopter soon arrived, but the rescue crew, working with Hudner, were unable to free Brown. Approaching darkness forced the helicopter crew to have to return to base with Hudner, and leaving Brown behind. Brown died that night, of a combination of his injuries and exposure to the extreme cold. In order to prevent Brown's body from falling into Chinese hands, Navy pilots bombed the wreck site with napalm two days later, while reciting the Lord's Prayer over the radio.

Jesse L. Brown was the first Navy officer killed in the Korean conflict. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal and a Purple Heart. For his efforts in trying to rescue his fellow Naval Aviator, Hudner was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Another photo from this same fly-over of the Leyte was used in an article in the October 1951 edition of the official Navy magazine Naval Aviation News. It can be seen here, scroll down to page 15.

Princeton's Panthers

Today's photo, an official U.S. Navy image which is dated May 23, 1951, leads off four weeks of Tuesday posts that will feature Navy aircraft carriers of the past. This image has the following caption stamped in purple ink on the back: "Two F9F's (Panther Jet Planes) making a pass over the USS Princeton (CV 37) in Korean waters. (Official Navy Photo, Released by Dept. of Defense)"

There have been six USS Princetons in U.S. Navy history, the first one a sloop which also was the first "steam screw" powered warship in the Navy, from 1843. The most recent is CG-59, a Ticonderoga-class cruiser, the first in its class to carry the AN/SPY-1B radar system.

Our Princeton was one of 24 Essex-class carriers built during the WWII era, and was launched in November 1945. She saw extensive action in the Korean war, with her crews earning eight battle stars. One of her last missions, before being sold off for scrap metal in 1971, was to serve as the recovery ship for Apollo 10. Unlike other Essex-class carriers, Princeton was never modernized with an angled flight deck.

During the time this photo was snapped, May 1951, Princeton and her Air Wing 19 were a part of Task Force 77, and were flying missions against the rail lines connecting Pyongyang with Sinanju and Kachon, among others. These two F9F Panthers belonged to squadron VF-191. Over 1,300 F9Fs were built by Grumman, and were the most widely used fighter and ground attack aircraft in Korea. The Panther was also the first jet used by the Navy's Blue Angels.

Note the fuel being dumped from the wing tanks prior to landing!