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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