USS Kenneth Whiting (AV-14) - Okinawa

Okinawa

Arriving Ulithi on 6 February, Kenneth Whiting resumed tending seaplanes. On 11 March while she was still off Ulithi, two enemy suicide planes attacked the base. One crashed into Sorlen Island; but the second dove into the aircraft carrier Randolph (CV-15). The seaplane tender cleared Ulithi on 2 April; received provisions and supplies at Guam and Saipan; then steamed to Okinawa, arriving 25 April and immediately commencing combat and search operations. On 11 May her lookout sighted a group of 29 Koreans waving a white flag on the beach of Gerum Shima. An armed boat party from the tender took them into custody for transfer to the POW camp on Zamami Shima. While at Okinawa Kenneth Whiting operated as fleet post office and a housing center for aircraft survivors.

At 1830, 21 June, five hours after Major General Roy Geiger had declared Okinawa secured, a small group of kamikazes penetrated Kerama Retto. Kenneth Whiting knocked down a Ki-43 "Oscar" but part of the plane hit her, causing minor damage and wounding five men. However, she continued operations out of Okinawa for the rest of the war. During July her planes flew armed reconnaissance along the coasts of Japan, Korea, and China locating targets for 3rd Fleet raids.

Kenneth Whiting departed Okinawa on 19 September and anchored at Sasebo two days later. The tender was then assigned to China duty, arriving Hong Kong on 14 October. Her patrol bombing (VPB) squadron commenced patrol courier service, and continued this until she was relieved 28 November. She arrived San Francisco on 22 December with 572 Navy officers scheduled for release. With the close of the war and the emergence of the Atomic Age, Kenneth Whiting cleared San Diego on 6 May 1946 to operate with support forces during atomic tests at Bikini. She returned to San Diego 30 August; transferred to San Pedro 30 October; and decommissioned there on 29 May 1947.