RIP fellow Sailors. We (CONSTELLATION), had been relieved by FORRESTAL at Yankee Station on the 25th after a tough 35-day line period. Tied up Leyte Pier on the 27th, for an 18-day port call. Flew my wife over, took 10 days leave, with several day stays scheduled for Baguio, & Hong Kong.
The morning after Mrs. Bee's arrival on the 29th, in a Manila hotel, I got the dreaded phone call from our SDO... EMERGENCY recall! Leave CX, report back ASAP, ship getting underway the next morning (31st), to take FORRESTAL's place, as the fires were 'under control' and she was limping back to Cubi. When I arrived, Skipper said he was leaving me ashore to fly a squadron bird back to the ship when Cubi maint had it back up. That took three more days, so Lady Bee stayed until I took off for "War Chief" on the 3rd.
We were having lunch in the Cubi O' Club (which sits up on a hill overlooking the airfield/Leyte Pier),when the stricken carrier limped in to tie up. It was an awful, and very sad sight. Still belching occasional wisps of smoke, the flight deck carrying some hulks of shatterd aircraft, and other horrific damage. It was so sad, there were many tears shed at the enormity of the human loss. That period far overshadowed any 'bad times' we experienced on my two squadron combat tours.
Lady Bee, having no stomach for continuing on to HK with several other squadron wives, returned back to Lemoore without delay.
BzB