VC-94 HISTORY OF COMPOSITE SQUADRON NINETY-FOUR The squadron was commissioned on 29 February 1944 at U.S. Naval Air Station, Sand Point, Seattle, WA. It trained for about six months at Pasco, WA, and for two months at outlying fields of Naval Air Station, San Diego, CA. The squadron left the States on 11 November 1944, and, upon arrival at Peal Harbor, was placed in a reserve status and based at NAS Kaneohe, Oahu. On 10 December the unit embarked upon its parent carrier, the USS Shamrock Bay (CVE-84), at Pearl Harbor. The ship departed the following day for Manus, Admiralty Islands (about 200 mls. north of New Guinea), where it joined other units of the fleet preparatory to participating in the Lingayen Gulf operation at Luzon, P.I., scheduled for early January 1945. On New Year's Eve the ship, in company with other CVE, departed from Manus to escort a group of troop transports to the Lingayen area. En route to Lingayen a VC-94 VF division shot down two Japanese twin-engine planes over the Sulu Sea. On the evening before reaching Lingayen Gulf, the ship successfully fought off an attack by Japanese suicide planes The ship arrived at the mouth of Lingayen Gulf on 9 January, the day of the initial landings. From then until 17 January VC-94 flew hundreds of sorties in support of our troops. Numerous bridges, ammunition and fuel dumps, troop concen tration centers, and Japanese luggers were damaged or destroyed in these attacks. The ship left for Ulithi Islands on 17 January and stayed there for about three weeks awaiting commencement of the Iwo Jima operation. In that operation the Shamrock Bay assisted by another CVE, provided aerial coverage for a logistics group of tankers and transport carriers engaged in re- plenishing elements of the Fleet engaged in the assault on Iwo. The squadron flew numerous antisubmarine and combat air patrol missions, without making contact with the enemy. After returning to Ulithi for eight days, the Shamrock Bay again put to sea on 13 March to participate in the operation against Okinawa. In the early stages, the ship performed the same duty that it had at Iwo, but on 7 April it was relieved of that duty and sent to the Okinawa operating area to provide aerial support for our troops engaged in the Okinawa landings. The ship remained in that area for over a month during which the squadron flew more than 1,000 sorties. VC-94 combat air patrol accounted for five more Japanese planes attempting to suicide crash on our ships. The torpedo planes bombed and rocketed scores of artillery positions, cave and tomb areas, enemy troop concentrations, barracks and small boats. On 11 May 1945, after 62 continuous days at sea, the Shamrock Bay was ordered to proceed to Guam. There thesquadron was detached for return to the States. After spending 10 days at a rehabilitation camp for Naval Aviation personnel on Guam, VC-94 departed from Guam on 27 May and arrived at San Diego on 14 June 1945.
COMPOSITE SQUADRON NINETY-FOUR COMMANDING OFFICERS
LT John Wendell George, USNR (Acting) 2/29/44 - 3/16/44
LCDR James Franklin Patterson, USNR (KIA) 3/16/44 - 4/9/45
LT Leland Eugene Terry, USNR 4/18/45 - 8/6/45
IN MEMORY OF OUR SHIPMATES WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN WW II
LCDR James F. Patterson, USNR, Commanding Officer
LTJG James E. Stolz, USNR
ENS Lawrence D. Arnett, USNR
ENS William K. Seitz, USNR
ARM3 Leon L. Des Rosiers, USNR (CA)
ENS Gerald A. Pattinelli, USNR
AMM3 William H. Eggelston, USNR (CA)
ENS Phillip Saseen, USNR
AOM1 G.E. Lott, USNR
AMM2 E.M. Langley, USNR
COMPOSITE ROSTER FOR VC-94
* Denotes enemy aircraft destroyed.
ENS Harry A. Allen, Jr., USNR VT
ENS Melvin D. Arnold, USNR VF
ENS Wilson H. Ashley, USNR VF
LTJG Robert H. Ault, USNR VT
LTJG Albert S. Black, USNR VT
LTJG Carl A Bufflap, USNR VT
LTJG Philip D. Buker, USNR VT
LTJG Charles c. Campbell, USNR VT
ENS John F. Carrol Jr., USNR VF
LT Francis J. Clucas, USNR * VF
ENS William Coats Jr., USNR VF
ENS Richard A. Collier, USNR ** VF
ENS Joseph B. Cox, USNR VT
LTJG Robert W. Crabtree, USNR VT
LTJG Edward R. Dathe Jr., USNR VT
ENS Jack O. Dean, USNR * VF
LTJG Harvey K. Dunning, USNR VF
LTJG Sherwin L. Eddy, USNR VF
ENS Guy C. Essig, USNR VT
LTJG Howard A. Fox, USNR VF
LT John W. George, USNR VT
ENS Walter A. Glista, USNR VF
LT James L. Harlan, USNR VF
LTJG Ward J. Henry Jr., USNR VT
LTJG John Hocza, USNR * VF
LTJG George "H" Houser Jr., USNR VF
ENS Robert E. Johnson, USNR VF
LT Grant W. Kelleher, USNR
LTJG Raymond H. Keyes, USNR VF
ENS David R. Lane, USNR VF
LT Bronislav M. Lazich, MC, USN
ENS Alvin J. Lerman, USNR VF
ENS Robert F. Mason, USNR VT
LTJG George P. McHugh, USNR VT
ENS Dennis E. McLellan, USNR VF
ENS John A. McPhedran, USNR VT
LTJG Joseph L. Mctigue, USNR * VF
LT John C. Orgain, USNR VF
ENS Fred Bernard Pavicic, USNR VT
LTJG James T. Payne, USNR VF
ENS John N. Purdy Jr., USNR * VF
LTJG Sidney G. Reed Jr., USNR
LTJG Carl J. Rieman, USNR ** VF
ENS Peter E.J. Ryan, USNR VF
LT James R. Simmons, USNR VF
LT Leland E. Terry, USNR VF
LTJG Joseph E. Smith, USNR
ENS Rex O. Thomas, USNR VF
LTJG Jack G. Webster, USNR
LT Robert J. Wensel, USNR
ENS Lacelle w. Woolsey, USNR VT
LT Robert M. Wyatt, USNR VT
(CA) Denotes combat aircrewman designation
Harry "J" Alford, USN
Robert L. Barstad, (CA), USNR
Edward M. Bryan, USN
Jack E. Cates, (CA), USNR
Ignatius Chinnici, USNR
Travis R. Crenshaw, (CA), USNR
Daniel D. Davis, (CA), USNR
Lowell "G" Dewey, (CA), USNR
Emerson C. Egbert, (CA), USNR
Williard F. Foxen, (CA), USNR
Marion B. Graham, USNR
Arthur A. Grimm, USNR
Clyde A. Guethle, (CA), USNR
Samuel M. Hageman, (CA), USNR
Vernon I. Hopkins, (CA), USNR
Earl R. Lhotka, USNR
Milton R. Lipps, (CA), USNR
John L. Lynch, (CA), USNR
Johbn P. Lythgoe, (CA), USNR
Ramon P. Martinez, (CA), USNR
Owen McCarthy, USN
Robert H. McGalliard, (CA), USNR
David S. Metcalf, USNR
August J. Miller, USNR
William D. Morris Jr., (CA), USNR
William T. Murray, (CA), USNR
Cleon S. Nunnally Jr., (CA), USNR
Ray S. Phillips, (CA), USNR
James M. Powell, (CA), USNR
Bernard L. Powers, (CA), USNR
Neil "S" Pruden, (CA), USNR
James O. Red, (CA), USNR
Frank W. Rice, (CA), USNR
James B. Roberts Jr., (CA), USNR
James H. Rockwell, USNR
Davis P. Rossi, (CA), USNR
Franklin W. Sargent, (CA), USNR
Kyle R. Scates, (CA), USNR
Theodore J. Schulte, USNR
Howard L. Scott, USRN
Donald F. Shouse, (CA), USNR
Leonard L. Showers, (CA), USNR
Norman M. Smith, (CA), USNR
Robert E. Steward, (CA), USNR
John E. Stickle, (CA), USNR
William A. Thomas, (CA), USNR
Joe (N) Trevino, (CA), USNR
Francis T. Wall, (CA), USNR
Calvin E. Watson, (CA), USNR
Ernest A. Watson, USN
Ernest Witmyer, (CA), USNR
Robert E. Zehmisch, USNR
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