On 12 May 1945 the USS Yorktown (CV-10) was finally underway for a respite from war. During the Okinawa campaign, the Fighting Lady had been at sea for 61 days and steamed over 35,000 miles. She had found herself under enemy attack on 29 of those days. The intense fighting and tension had led the battle group commander and former CV-10 skipper, Rear Admiral Jocko Clark, to circulate a message among his task force, "See Hebrews 13, verse 8. No irreverence intended." (Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever.)
The rich target environment had allowed the Flying Circus of VF-9 to acquire 50 kills off Okinawa.
The crew had been on edge for some time and eventually an accident happened on 09 May. A young Hellcat pilot accidentally strafed the deck with his .50 caliber guns while folding his wings after landing. Nineteen enlisted crewmen and one young officer, Ensign John Battaile were struck by shells. Ensign Battaile died two hours later.
On the night of 12 May as Yorktown sailed toward Ulithi and Mog Mog, the crew finally got to watch their first movie in a month. The movie was "Nothing But The Truth," with Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard. Humor and relaxation were exactly what the doctor ordered. It had been a long two months...
