Admiral W S Benson (AP 120) - Naval Cruise Book

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in-luilion aboul such lhings. Scores ol lhem were wailing al lhe gale lor lhe lirsl liberly parly, and lhe resl hunled uplown. Only lwo days here, and oll again lor Bombay where we arrived eleven days laler lor a slay ol one week. The same smells, conlusion, and haggling wilh merchanls. Prices up aboul lwenly percenl +his lime due lo mounling inllalion and lree spending Americans. Anolher beer parly al lhe beach, lhis lime al a privale mansion laken over by lhe Army. 3l March, and homeward bound, loaded wilh lroops, civilians and gruesome casuallies ol war. We by-passed Melbourne lhis lime lloud screams ol anguish lrom lhe lhe crewl and pro- ceeded lo Brisbane. Friday, lhe lhirleenlh, and an unlucky day indeed, lor over lhe air' came the announcemenl ol Presidenl Roosevell's dealh. A slunned and sorrowing ship as we pul inlo Brisbane lhal morning, our llag al hall-masl. We did nol like Brisbane. Nolhing like Mel- bourne. Smaller, nol so hospilable and loo crowded wilh mililary personnel. Here we look on more passengers, army and navy, headed oul lor New Caledonia. Everylhing aboard lrom a pregnanl missionary lo a Chinese movie aclress. Several days laler we arrived oll New Caledonia, and lell our way cauliously lhrough a greal barrier reel lhrown around lhe Island like a magical proleclive ring: a ring ol lhunder- ing breakers as lar as lhe eye could see, lilling lhe air wilh rainbow sludded loam resembling an endless row ol sparkling jewels wrapped in lilmy gossamer. Then inlo lhe placid land-locked harbor ol Noumea, a charming old French village populaled by colonials, husky nalives, and lhousands ol American marines and sailors. Here was lhe crossroads ol lhe Pacilic, where one mel buddies lrom olher ships over endless quanlilies ol beer and hamburgers al lhe Slockade, a mililary canleen supreme. We look on aboul a hundred Seabees here and weighed anchor lor Espirilu Sanla. Aller wending our way lhrough lhe counlless brighl green Islands ol lhe New Hebrides, we arrived al our naval base on Espirilu Sanla, a lropical lace ol greal beauly, wilh sandy beaches slid- ing inlo limpid emerald waler, which mirrored lhe lush and waving cocoanul palms. lThis in- spired descriplion will no doubl be mel wilh a disgusled Nuls lrom such ol our personnel who were marooned lhere lor several yearsl. Near lhe enlrancelo lhe harbor is seen lhe walery grave ol lhe lransporl Coolidge marked wilh a square ol buoys. Our slay here was only a maller ol hours, and lhen oll lor lhe Slales once more. Al sunrise on lhe morn-ing ol 3 May, lhe breakwaler ol San Pedro hove inlo sighl. We were mel al lhe pier wilh lhe inevilable bands and crowds ol shouling people. Somehow one ex- pecls lo become inured lo lhese homecomings, bul lhe brighl over'oyed laces ol our passen- gers, some wilh lears slreaming unashamed down lheir laces, lhe cheers drowning oul slirring music lrom lhe ban-d, never ceased lo move us wilh lhal 'Feeling ol pride in being a parl ol all lhis. We broughl 'em back alive. 'SVQP' Ef3S'3Z3. '83-2'Z:S 0 Q-0-Q' T +- wma 0-3' '4'l9- WB-40'-4-U 'U 3? 3 F9 : 'D3 o :':'2'7 n 4mrnin -0 -43 - g0-fgm:'fm-o-3g':0g- mffggg. m o m-' 3x5- '3i,? 5-'S-an'l'gQ-T 3'af?l3'Z 52-,f:0 2-3-Eau! S 'O:s2m 0321 O: mf +300- ,,, '3'3+5-:'Q,0-n.3'3-'Q mira- 2 :i9'2'z3 '9 109..??23-3 5 :'01..w9' 232'-same---.952 'Essen' 'lc -'3ozQ.J'm3'Qp Q -PQ -I-3 'U -qw---,...Q. 5' 0 -4- 0 0 +- f 5,-hm'D3o'gcn5,'no..2,,Q- wma:-mg 4 1Q'9h5'5DJm3Q.U-00 UgfmU'1 f1C-- LQmc'a'nLQ-I-O 2 mo- C0 39-m-ss4f5.3 -O--. ' 35 Q' 'Dm OWS... +--V 3210-4.-'fl 2o.i.3+3m:ai5,3g, 52 ?,Q 'Icno g2.s3'9,5-g.2Q'SZff,, 0gs. 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20 S. gc srsgui Melbourne, Ausfralia, our firsf porf of call. Whaf a cify! Beaufiful parks and buildings, fhe quainf Brifish frains wifh fheir firsf and second class carriages, fhe wlndlng Yarro rlver snaklng ifs way fhrough fhe cify under frescoed fairy-book bridges, fhe fall cafhedrallsplres, congenial buxom bar-maids serving fhe finesf beer in f e world, and fhe naflonal dish of sfyke and lges g -oh yes, and men-hungry hoards of gorgeous girls swooping down upon whole llberfy parfles and picking fhem off fhe sfreefs like June-bugs off a bush! December was mid-summer here, and fhe cify was a riof of vivid color from millions of flowers and summer dresses. Balmy mghfs on moon-drenched beaches. Cerfainly fhere never was a sailor's heaven like fhls. Af leasf, we've never found anofher fo compare wifh if. All foo soon we sailed fo plunge info sform-fossed wafers for fhe second leg of our journey. Around fhe Bighf info fhe placid lndian Ocean, where we had our firsf Chrisfmas af sea. An ingenious Chrisfmas free builf of scrap lumber wifh fwisfs of wire for evergreen spikes: a fur- key dinner wifh all fhe fixings-buf all fhis did nof compensafe for home and family. We were a lonely and fhoughfful bunch fhaf day as we opened our Red Cross boxes. Across fhe Equafor again, where we were picked up by fwo Brifish desfroyers fo escorf us fhrough fhe Arabian Sea, and finally on fhe brighf morning of December 3l, fhe mysfic domes and spires of Bombay came info view. Affer being warped info Ballard Pier by panfing coal- burning fugs, and discharging our load info 'rhe maw of an odorous warehouse, we sef ouf fo see and smell fhe wonders of fhe Far Easf. Our firsf impression of fhe sfronghold of Allah, Brahma, Buddha, and forfy-eighf ofher and lesser Deifies was a series of sfrange and almosf overwhelming sfenches, each one compefing for fhe uffer dismay of our olfacfory senses. The ci'l'y ifself proved 'lo be a chaos of archifecfure, as fhough fhe incredibly old and fhe very new had been dumped info a bowl, fhoroughly mixed wifh an eqg-beafer and spewed forfh all over fhe landscape. Modern office buildings crowded ancienf mosques, while creaky ox-carfs vied wifh fhe lafesf in mofor cars and double-decked busses. All fhese wonders we viewed 'midsf ear-shaffering cries from fhousands of almosf naked children wifh fhe nafional greefing of Haba Haba , followed by a declarafion of fhe nafion's foreign policy- Baksheesh, oh Bis- mallah Sahib, Baksheesh for fhe love of Allah! , fhen an amazing round of obscene curses when fheir plainfive cries failed fo move us fo fhe poinf of scaffering coins largess among fhem. The Tai Mahal, Green, and Argenvfine hofels became Benson hangoufs wifh bad liquor af fhree rupees a fhrow. For five excifing days we shopped and fook in fhe sighfs. Haggling unfil ex- hausfed wifh well fed merchanfs who called loudly upon Allah fo wifness our infenfion fo ruin fhem wifh our niggardly offerings for fheir exquisife wares, and finally emerging from fhe shops loaded wifh goods which cosf us only fhree fimes fheir worfh. - Wandering mendicanfs everywhere wifh baskefs of cobras and mongooses on leash - A beer parfy af a nearby beach -Lepers displaying fheir mufilafions - beggars - peddlers - smells everywhere: basking in fhe cool of fhe evening on fhe roof garden of fhe Green Hofel wafchinq red sails in fhe sunsef and fhe grofesque skyline of fhe cify fade gracefully info fhe shadows. Such is India -an aura of mysficism fainfly sensed fhrough a babel of confusion and smells. Finally, we shoved off, Homeward bound, loaded fo capacify wifh war-weary froops, mis- sionaries from China, evacuees, and Chinese army and navy cadefs. Wonderful Melbourne again, fhenaf long lasf San Pedro. Bands on 'rhe pier and crowds fo greef us. Three weeks avallablllfy in fhe shipyard again, wifh shorf leaves and Sfafeside comforfs. TRIP NO. 2 26 February, I945. A cold misfy morning. Loaded wifh froops army nurses and Red Cr s o . , I 0 S Laxlleasgavyre slipped our moorings af San Pedro and sfeamed down fhe channel, bound for Bom- +w?r:rccenr11grZ agzrvgssgglheweguafor and fhe Domain of Nepfunus Rex. Now did fhe inifiafes of u g . elr vengeance upon a handful fh l ll - fh '. dlan-fhe unbelievable Soufh Pacific sunsefs-affernoon ciianigzzseiasnpigloilmboggfch idr82ilewM:fibl Egfiexgexrggp peace-fume Navy was never like fhisl-'rhe coasf of Ausfralia, and Melbourne, 'I' 3' -0-O gs m SE. -I4 'DPL U5 Cf 'Um 'gm 9. 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film waferfall cascaded info fhis man-made wonder hued fhrough solid rock, breaking fhe a lil kb f mounfain range. Then info vasf Gafun Lake where we.anchored +0 awaii ne o a . . biiyfuricfhriaugh fhe lasf. sef.of locks, fhe panorama of fhe Caribbean :In hVI6W pn Jlhe dlsfaix horizon. The call for swimming parfy sounded, and we enioyed Se-vera OUYS In 959 Wal' wafers before fhe red neon arrow on fhe locks announced if was our furn 'ro enfer. By 2000 we cleared fhe canal and sfeamed off across fhle lgsfcqrip gsrlbbeannanldarigfg fh Afl f' , h b uf fen- days lafer we enfered f e ng is annecw fqgnfly visiiblecoiil oiiire piarfi beam, and anchored af sunsef in fhe Bay of fhe Seine off Le Havre, France. , , The nexf morning we enfered fhe breakwafer and moored af an.army ponfoon pier amldsf an appalling shambles. This once busy French porf gave mufe fesflgmony of fhe efficiency of our bombers which had sysfemafically wiped ouf over half of fhe cify. Those ofuus who wenf on liberfy fhaf affernoon were fouched by fhe pinched faces of fhe in ablfanfs, digging abouf in fhe runins of fheir former homes. Buf whafever sympafhy we fell' for fhem was almosf wiped ouf affer we had sampled 'I'he nafional drink of gasoline and biffers labelled Cognac , and dispensed shamelessly from all bars for fhirfy francs a fhrow. Everywhere we encounfered work parfies of German prisoners clearing rubble, or marching in small groups under fhe wafchful guard of American negro froops. This musf have been galling fo fhose proud members of fhe Masfer Race. Upon our refurn fo fhe ship, we found her already loading our happy passengers, all of whom had recenfly been evacuafed from German prison camps. By early morning we had a full load and were underway once more, ouf fhrough fhe crumbling breakwafer and pasf a sunken Liberfy ship, lying fhere like a silenf senfinel, her supersfrucfure awash in fhe lazy swell, and sef our course for fhe Sfafes and New York Cify! When only six hours ouf, and in mid-English Channel, we had a very close brush wifh a floaf- in-g ouflaw mine. The ship hove fo, and we sunk if wifh our 40mm. guns. Nofhing furfher oc- curred fo break fhe monofony of six foggy Norfh Aflanfic days unfil we passed 'rhe Ambrose Lighf and anchored off Sfafen island af sundown, wifh fhe fowering spires of lower Manhaffan aglow in fhe disfance. Came morning, we dressed ship fore and aff wifh rows of brighf signal flags, weighed an- chor, and proceeded down fhe crowded bay, and up fhe Hudson River fo our berfh af Pier 88. As we glided pasf The Lady and fhe skyscrapers of Manhaffan, we were greefed by fhou- sands of whisfles, a boafload of Pulchrifude alongside, and a fumulfous welcome such as only New York can give fo refurning heroes. One hecfic monfh in New York. Times Square, Broadway, Radio Cenfer, Greenwich Village, Coney Island, fhousands of bars and nighf-clubs, and all fhe lafesf shows. A grand climax was our ship's dance al' fhe exclusive ,Roosevelf Hofel. Our sojourn here leff us broken in purse and healfh, buf all agreed fhaf never had we had such a fime as fhis. TRIP NO. 4 6 July, and we slipped ouf of our berfh af Pier 88 quiefly. No ringing cheers or a symphony of raucous whisfles fhis fime, for we were unloaded, and wifh fhe longesf cruise yef ahead of us. Our desfinafion-Marseille, France, where we were 'ro load soldiers for 'rransporfafion fo fhe Philippines via fhe Panama Canal. We anchored off New York harbor overnighf 'l'o refill our magazines wlfh shells and powder, fhen off across fhe Aflanfic for fhe fhird fime. Anofher unevenfful crossing, nofhing fo break 'I'he monofony of endless wafer for abouf six days excepf for several of fhe Azores, which we slipped by one nighf af dusk. We enfered fhe Sfraifs of Gibralfar on a brighf sunny morning wifh fhe gloomy rocky coasf of Africa on our sfarboard, and 'I'he arid coasf of Soufhern Spain on our porf. Af one poinf 'rhe sfraifs narrowed down fo seven miles, and we could see fhe old cify of Tangiers clinging fo ei preclplfous hillside, while on fhe Spanish side, numerous liffle villages, each wifh fheir profecf- Ing casfle, or walled fower sprawled iusf ouf of reach of 'rhe surf. Then mighfy Gibralfar 'uf- fing ouf info 'I'he channel-massive, formidable, menacing, her fowering sfeppes brisflinglvslifh large guns, and challenging us wifh inquisifive blinkers. Now 'I'he brigh+ vivid blue of fhe Mediferranean creaming under our bows-'I'he confinuing coasf of Spain and Soufhern France-fhe Balleric Isles fainfly visible on our sfarboard. We fel:-'.a sprf gf Infhrllll fc? be In fhese wafers, 'I'he cradle of world hisfory and fhe baffleground of an :qui y. c oos o porpolses frlsked abouf us. and quainf fishing boafs doffed fhe horizon. X 3? i '9 of 0 Q53 ,if .3 'll ' lf .. eiixfflffd lllfllflllflr' 1 fa 'yglllxxhv-NT 01-7:9 :L l Q- 0 F il V ' K eg is ,bgslllldfpg E zz if 'SHT' A 1' x se f , .5 ls N av Q-...... Eg 41 , 1 ' 1