Carter Hall (LSD 3) - Naval Cruise Book

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il' . yi -:V f xii -75155 ' Z THE CAPTAIN SPEAKS. The good ship CARTER HALL went forth in May of 1965 into the vast reaches of the Pacific and steamed home some ten months later. in March of 1966 confident in the knowledge that her labors and sacrifices had contributed greatly to America's noble efforts to bring peace and stability to South- east Asia. That every mission was successfully completed can be attributed to the competent men of CARTER HALL who performed their duties most creditably. That all dangers-natural and otherwise- were surmounted safely is testimony to the skill, determination and resourcefulness of her brave crew who met the challenge of attacks which never came, or of raging seas, or of long, lonely watches, or of powerful Monsoon winds, or of the sheer boredom of swinging to anchor day after day, month after monthfin forlorn faraway anchorages. All this and the ,.-.. egsprgitfand-.teamwork which made cARTEBE?iTff4iifiLL'S 1965-66 WESTPAC Cruise possible are encompassed by the recolleqtighsiif of this cruise book which I hope willifnifemindu all who participated in the cruise-that be rightfully proud of past accomplishments well pphn done, and fully confident of surmounting Chal- lenges. Good men withgood good -f .. ,.,si sta . jobs and make a betterglifeyifQE13g3'E3i3,ll.ifg1ank1nd possible! A 'f' 'A 'fir --ga., ' ,:' 4'1?f'z1g ' x wif ,Pi

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'LW' -ui io'Efiiti1ff'F-fM fEQ4: 1 5Q-L-,sal-s - 1 M-, To the Officers and Men of the USS Carter Hall QLSD H35 Under the command of Commander C. J. Qasserly, you deployed from the United States on 15 May 1965 to join the Seventh Fleet in the Western Pacific. You were embarked on a great adventure. It was not until ten months had passedthat you re in these action-filled months? The USS Carter Hall was engaged turned on 2 March 1966. What was accomplished in operations almost ninety percent of the timel Of course there was liberty, but only a total of forty-six days. You visited ports with exotic names: Da Nang, Naha, Chu Ijai, Phy Bai and Luchon. You saw new things and different peoples, and learned how these people live in distant lands. ' ' ' ' stretch But most of the time you were operatingg salvage operations, repairing boats fone of ninety-four days at Da Nang with work around the clockj, hauling equipment from Okinawa to Viet Nam. Finally, f'j,c3 ation Starligiht. You played your part with the U,S, Marines in this action which lasted four ,iwfromgi 18 August 1965. This was the first battlefield con- frontation by a major U,S, Forcewitli a Hiiain force of the Viet Cong. dl f whatever recognition you may have received, you are entitled to one of Regar ess o the greatest rewards: this satisfaction of knowing you did a difficult job well. . . . . 1 . S I know your colleagues in our great Navy would Join me in offering to you congratu ation and admiration. Well done. Robert L Dennison Admiral, U.S, Navy QRet.j Former: P Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic Commander-in-Chief U,S, Atlantic Command Commander-in-Chief U.S. Atlantic Fleet

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III, ,917-1 X ,L The ship prior to removal of 5 gun. QQ ' 99 Our' Hlstory The commissioning pennant hung limp for a brief second and then began to flutter in the gentle breeze. The calendar read September, l943...the beginning of Carter Hall LSD-3, the beginning of twenty three years and more of duty and service. World War ll found Carter Hall first seeing action in the battle of New Borneo and Buna, New Guinea in 1944. A few months later she won battle stars for participating in the Admiralty Islands campaign and the invasion of Guam. ln September, 1944 she landed troops in the invasion of Moratai Island and then added another star for invasion of Leyte. Throughout the remainder of the war, Carter Hall transported vital cargo in the amphibious assaults on the islands of Balikpapan, Borneo, and Hollandia. The end of the war marked the beginning of Carter Hall's brief internment with the infamous mothballs, the U. S. Pacific Reserve Fleet at San Diego, California. ln 1951,