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

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The nexf evening a'l' sunsef we arrived in Marseille, and were subiecfed fo fhe usual roufine of feeling our way fhrough a maze of sunken ships and ruined docks. The cify ifself had nof suffered much damage, buf mosf of fhe waferfronf had been sysfemafically desfroyed, wifh almosf every pier blocked by scuffled shipping. Affer clearing fhe narrow channel inside fhe breakwafer, we were finally moored alongside a scuffled ship which fhe army had ingeniously converfed fo a loading plafform by virfue of building a gangway from 'l'he pier across her supersfrucfure. Marseille, known as Messalina fo fhe ancienf Romans, was builf in 50 A.D., and is one of fhe oldesf and largesf cifies of France. Her gray sfone houses are so mellowed wi'I'h age, fhey seem fo blend info fhe hills fhaf encircle fhem. Topping fhe cify is a cafhedral, a iewel of per- fecf Byzanfine archifecfure, perched precariously upon a crag overlooking fhe cify. Ouf in fhe harbor sprawls a gloomy forfress on a small island, fhe Chafeau D'If, made famous by Alex- andre Dumas' novel, Le Comfe de Monfe Crisfo. We spenf four days af fhis famous wafering place and were subiecfed fo fhe same vile cognac everywhere. Paramounf in fhe inferesf of fhe crew were 'rhe quainl' sidewalk urinaIs which never ceased fo be a wonder fo us, and second in fhe ifems of vifal sfafisfics was 'rhe complefe absence of any resfauranfs in 'rhe cify. One could sfarve fo deafh in fhis place wifh- ouf some feeding connecfions. We enioyed anofher beer parfy here on fhe shores of fhe Mediferranean, and some of us even wenf bafhing. Much fo our amazemenf, fhe wafer was icy cold, buf 'I'he women warmer. Meanwhile, German prisoners swarmed over our ship, loading gear and provisions. Soon our froops came aboard in sfeady sfreams, among which, we were pleased fo nofe, were a goodly number of nurses and Red Cross girls. On July 7 we gof underway for Panama, and arrived fhere aboul' I0 days lafer. Affer being shoved fhrough fhe canal wifhouf delay, we moored fo a pier once more in Balboa for fhe nighf, and our passengers were all faken ashore for an overnighf parfy, which musf have been a good one, judging from 'I'heir condifion as fhey were poured aboard fhe nex'l' morning. Of course we had Iiberfy, foo. Good fime again. Up anchor and bound for fhe Philippines, almosf a I0,000 mile run from here. This leg of fhe frip was an uncomforfable one, paralleling fhe equafor all fhe way. If was insufferably hof. The firsf welcome break in fhe monofony of fhe endless Pacific was our passing Eniwefok, in 'rhe Marshall Islands, reporfing in by blinker as we passed. This was fhe firsl' land we had seen in almosf sixfeen days. Several more days wenf by, and we arrived af Ulifhi, where we dropped anchor for fhe nighf. , Ulifhi is probably one of fhe leasf known of our Pacific conquesfs, yef one of fhe mosf impor- fanf. If resembles an emerald necklace fhrown upon blue velve'l', wifh ifs ring of fwenfy-six small afolls. If is sifuafed abouf sixfy miles norfheasf of Yap, and was faken from fhe Japs in I943 wifhouf fhe loss of a single man, fo become one of fhe mosl' imporfanf fleef supply bases in 'I'he Pacific. The Navy refers fo if as ifs grocery s'rore. The day of our arrival here was a momenfous one, for iusf as we passed fhe submarine nef, hundreds of ships here were sounding fheir whisfles fo celebrafe official news iusl' received of fhe surrender of Japan, earlier fhan was generally expecfed, which required severe changes fo be made in personnel. Several days Iafer when we approached our desfinafion in Leyfe Gulf, a confusion of blinker messages greefed us wifh all sorfs of conflicfing orders, and we were re-roufed 'ro Lingayen fo unload insfead of Manila. The frip fo Lingayen was an inferesfing one fhrough 'rhe hearf of fhe Philippine's 7000 islands. We sfeamed 'rhrough narrow Surigao Sfraifs, which could be called Iron Boffom Bay No. I , for fhe reason fhaf fhe flower of 'rhe Japanese navy was resfing in ifs depfhs as a resulf of fhe greaf naval baffles foughf fhere. Lingayen proved fo be anofher disappoinfmenf, for we could unload only I I00 of our pas- sengers fhere, and we were roufed fo Manila fo dispose of fhe balance. Overnighf from Lingayen found us passing befween Corregidor and Bafaan af sunrise, and a few hours lafer Manila hove info view. Manila Bay proved fo be a vasf graveyard of sunken ships, wifh spars and supersfrucfures awash as far as fhe eye could see. And fhe cify, once known as fhe Pearl of fhe Orien'I ' lay in horrible ruins, almosf complefely guffed. We wan- dered fhrough fhese ruins, faking scores of picfures. These ruins more deeply impressed us, fhan fhose in fhe European fheafer, because fhis more resembled one of our cifies af home, 'Q s if X .40 K , ....... 'dsl If lf1ff0,,, fl - ir QT'-L ,llfl 5 n Q Xlllllffi' Iliff + If '4,!l I K6 X :N tiftgg 3 S - I. i X .H , S 0 Q . . ,S ' Wffffu,f.,s o Tags XX ill -. ,km llllf 'T fffffllflli hi UJ H. Ill!! f1ffffllll I

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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

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and gave us a chill fo know fhaf fhis was whaf our homes would have been if fhey had been sub- iecfed fo fhe horrors of invasion. 0 Almosf a week was spenf here, unloading, fhen reloading soldiers and sailors for fransporfa- fion fo fhe Sfafes. Finally we gof underway for San Francisco, refracing our course fhrough Surigao sfraifs fo Homonhom, where we joined a convoy fo Ulifhi, and from 'rhere on our own a am. Thegmorning of I4 Sepfember dawned clear of fhe usual dense fog, and 'l'he Golden Gafe bridge loomed info view ahead. Our passengers had been eagerly searching for fhls famous landmark since before daylighf, and many of fhem were crying unashamedly. Before noon, we were safely moored af Pier I5, and discharging our load. Then, Iiberfy In Frisco! We had been looking forward 'ro fhis for almosf 70 days. TRIP NO. 5 On 28fh Sepfember we sfarfed on our fiffh frip. This fime we were loaded enfirely wifh sailors bound for fhe Receiving Ship af Okinawa fo relieve high poinf men due for discharge. We sailed 'rhe Greaf Circle roufe fo fhe norfh and soon ran info nasfy weafher which per- sisfed a day beyond fhe I80fh meridian. As we proceeded down fhe soufhern arc of fhe circle, a new menace fhreafened us - a monsfrous fyphoon, forming near Saipan and headed in a nor'I'herIy direcfion, cerfaln fo blsecf our pafh. Close fabs by radio was kepf on 'rhis sform which developed a confrary affrlude and consfanfly changed course, causing us 'I'o do 'I'he same in a sorf of a game of fag played on a grand scale. Meanwhile, our course fook us fhrough fhe islands of Haha Jima and Chichi Jima in 'I'he Bonin Group, and lwo Jima, wifh ifs famous Suribachi Hill which inspired fhe fheme picfure for fhe 7fh War Loan Drive. Some of fhese islands were sheer cones rising from fhe sea like aquafic Fuiiyamas and were acfive volcanoes as recenf as I9I9. AI' Iwo Jima we learned fhaf our fyphoon had changed course again, and insfead of head- ing for China as indicafed in fhe lasf reporf, was now blowing sfraighf for Okinawa! We had n-ofhing fo fear from i'I' now, as if was ahead of us, so we rode ifs fail info Buckner Bay, Okin- awa, arriving fhere fwo days behind if. Words cannof apfly describe fhe devasfafion we found fhere. The desfrucfive force of a wind of I40 knofs is hard fo conceive, buf if simply flaffened everyfhing, damaging or de- sfroying 82 ships. Insfead of being able fo unload, we had fo play Good Samarifan and fake aboard over a hundred survivors off some of fhe reefbound ships, and since no quarfers were available now ashore, we could nof unload, and were sfuck wifh over 4600 sailors, which no- body seemed fo wanf! For eleven days we swung af anchor fhere, in fhe course of which we were able fo debark some 800 SeaBees, fhen were ordered 'ro Japan fo dispose of fhe resf. We did noi' relish fhis new assignmenf, for we were advised fhaf fhe wafers adiacenf fo Kyushu, Shikoku and Honshu had been heavily mined by our B29's, along wifh all porfs on fhe Inland Sea, and con- sfifufed a grave hazard fo all shipping. So, wifh orders fo passengers fo wear life belfs af all fimes, and fraining fhem consfanfly in abandon ship procedure, we proceeded fo Sasebo, one of 'I'he major cifies on fhe Island of Kyushu. Our firsf glimpse of Japan while approaching Sasebo was a fascinafing one. The counfry is exfremely mounfainous. The lower hills are precipifousg dropping abrupfly info 'I'he sea. Dof- fing fhese hills are picfure-book farm houses and villages, and fhe mounfainous ferrain is made fo produce by a series of ferraces, each so painsfakingly builf and reinforced wifh sfone, as fo appear in fhe disfance like many carefully fended formal gardens. Sasebo is sifuafed on a complefely landlocked bay, and was one of Japan's mosf imporfanf naval bases. The base and fhe adiacenf cify now exis'I's only in fhe imaginafion, for a good fhree-fourfhs of if lies in.compIe+e ruin. Here was our firsf confacf wifh fhe Japs, and we found fhem fo be docile and resigned, and seemed even eager 'Io please us. This affifude was prevalenf everywhere we visifed. Ivlosf of I-he men were sfill wearing remnanfs of army uni- orms. Affer we had managed fo dispose of a few more passengers af Sasebo, we proceeded 'Io our second porf-Mafsuyama, on fhe Island of Shikoku. To arrive here, we had fo fake fhe ' fConfinued on Page 712 , 1 I - df! QNT OF 7-6' 1 Q- 6 Oil Ev- bww, 9 :Z r I Q sf I -4 R 0 6940 of I W S 6 ,II I 0111! ll, I ,1fff1z,,,, 1' 1. 1 QI, - . X I I Xa 1 Q 1155 B ggi X 24 gg 3 R Us ' 4'1fmx -'I ffl z I . N gp I 14 uv- ffl O I X 'Y N 4 v...- .JJ Q Eu 41 , I 2 ' riff