Belle Grove (LSD 2) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 27 text:

This time there were no shells whinning overhead, no demolished vehicles slipping; away with the tide, and no bloody men to be bandaged or buried. Instead there was a small boy, full of both shyness and curiosity, wondering what we were doing on the beach that is usually his peaceful front yard. There were also official observers on hand from the Chinese Nationalist Army possibly imagining how the beach could have been defended against a different invader at a different time. And we all snapped pictures and strolled about as tourists weighted with the feeling that on some other day, at some other time this beach might be running red under our feet. Except for a one day expanding square search for five UDT men adrift in a raft who were finally located safe on a small island about fifty miles from the landing beaches the B. G. remained at anchor, swept by high winds and rain. We dragged the starboard anchor and put out the port. And then the Marines came down out ot the hills and we loaded them back aboani. On Tuesday 29 March at 14.50 we happily got under way on our first backloading trip leaving Taiwan and some miserable weather behind.

Page 26 text:

The overall view of an amphibious operation is provided in the above picture. In the fores;round are the first waves of troop carrying LVT ' S. In the background are the supporting ships of the amphibious task force. There are Cruisers and Dest- royers on hand to jirovide shore bombardment and fleet air defense, amphibious ships for transporting and debarking the necessities of land v arfare, and th re are the hundreds of small boats to accomplish the ship to shore movement. The Skid Tango II [lictured at the right, manned by LTJG Hill, ENS Hubbard, Sauls SMSN, Thompson SN, and Ownby RMSN, served as cowboy to the herds of boats gathered round the beach area. ■3.

Page 28 text:

EMBARKATION A smooth job of embarkation requir es planning, good timing, expeditious handling of materials by deck department personnel, and competent management of ballast control equipment by engineering people. For example the ship must be ballasted down to the sill upon arrival in the anchorage area, communications between ship and shore must be established and the shore to ship movement properly timed. LCU ' S are unloaded, their cargo placed upon the superdeck by crane at the same time that small craft, tanks, trucks or LVT ' S are cautiously maneuvered into their parking spaces in the welldeck. The same story is true for debarkation except that the whole process is reversed.