First Operational Cruise, escorting CVE
San Diego to Pearl Harbor

British Ship HMS Ranee (D-03) (ex-USS Niantic CVE46)
Same ship is seen in the background in pix taken underway from Hadley gun deck.

Other ships that operated with HADLEY at OKINAWA

The invasion fleet, landing craft in the foreground, transports and men-o-war 
in the rear. This appears to be Bishi Inlet, the Marines landing area.
NOTE: See the strange  formations, left center. They are Coral Heads caused 
by natural sea erosion. Okinawa is all coral, excepting for the Motobu
Peninsula, at the northwestern end of the island. 

USS EVANS (DD552) was with HADLEY at Radar Picket Station 15.

LCS(L) of the class that were with us at RP Sta. 15 
LCS(L)83 came alongside, along with the ship below to fight our fires.

USS LSM(R)193 After helping us to fight our fires casts off to hunt for survivors in the water.

USS LSM(R)193 in the act of picking up our men in the water.  After picking up our 
people in the water it came longside on the starboard to help until it was relieved
by Tawakoni in early afternoon. After the two rescue tugs were longside the 
LSM(R)193 took Hadley in tow heading for Ie Shima and to it's only sanding beach.

USS Tawakoni ATF114, on the port, and the USS Deliver ARS23 on the starboard, 
relieved the landing craft, came alongside to assist in trying to keep Hadley afloat, 
both vessels using their high volume pumps. Then later on they escorted her to 
Ie Shima and stayed with her until 14 May. On that date Hadley under towed by 
Tawakoni the thirty-seven miles to the Kerama Retto Anchorage. Hadley was 
later drydocked in ARD28 and repair work to the hull was started.

USS Panamint (AGC13)

Amphibious Force flag, Admiral R. K. Turner, passed word over his ship's bull horn "Render honors to that man-0-war standing down my port side." 12 May 1945 off Ie Shima

USS Zaniah (AG70) in commissioning trim.

Zaniah as it looked at Kerama Islands. This crew performed a first rate job in making us 
seaworthy so that we could be towed the long trip home to Hunter's Point.

This is stand-in for ARD28, our supporter for about two months at Kerama 
Islands and later at Buckner Bay. This is ARD19, same ARD12 class. This 
picture was taken at Groton, Connecticut in the post war years. Notice 
 berthed submarine and peacetime paint.

USS ATA199 tied up at dockside. Our tow for 7000 miles.

SEE PICTURES/MISCELLANEOUS for more on ATA199.