Finch (DER 328) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 71 text:

a, ' 2 ,,,Y,. 2.1 , i aff, ' 1 k I ,gnu J 'Wg , E N W ' H' ,435 l f f f 5 J ..............,, A- ff: lf ' W f ,. 8 5 11 x . fx ,:2 , . X-,I , ' I ,F-nf., 'L g ' , V -4- 1 1 l 4-W - ' Q L W, L. 2' fltfybr , ' 1' , 7 4 . I wi!Lf f,f,,4,49gr iw.. , ,f , A nf ' ' ,ff ,if ' .. 1, , M, . M' f W M 'wh 1 m !'f f'W v 'WA if ' 1 ' , M 24 ul 68: FINCH makes successful emer enc breakawa durm m ht refuelm , 12 y y g g sz y , ,- f -A , - 'W k , A ' j X A Qi Z Q YINQS f ws,-wa 'Qxac ixs 6 X 4 5 M W ,,.:'f'f f ?z. 5 , ,,,,. V 5. 8 I :M f' , V saw, This will be K1 motor wlmleboaz boarding. 4 1 ll ! Checking 4 jllilkyf paper! L 79

Page 70 text:

bathedg many took in the rays during their nooners. Our favorite pastime was the Unrep. This was enjoyed about every three days, Here was a chance for everyone to get in line and pull together. And FINCH, it must be ad- mitted, was one of the best unrepping ships in the busi- ness. During our one mishap, a nighttime emergency breakway was executed admirably. And then we steamed in close to cover a survey ship working on Bottom studies-a field in which the crew was proficient in Subic. With these several touches to break the routine, the first half of our time in Area Five passed. Fourth of july was our most active day. First a dawn refueling, By 0800 we had gone into the eight fatham curve inside an island enclosed cove. Local langouste fisherman sailed near us and paddled their little round basket boats under the stern. Finally, they kept clear as we fired on steep slopes 1000 feet above a coastal vil- lage. Viet Cong assembly areas comprised our targets, An army aircraft spotter fed us full of shot information and praises. Any local V.C. would have had a nice close view of our fireworks display. After several hours of firing we left the cove, the fishermen returned to their tasks, and waved pleasantly. As we steamed out, we spotted two beautiful green sea turtles beneath four feet of clear blue water. The play of light on those large carefree animals was kaleidoscopic. The water, sea creatures, rocks, and beaches of this central Viet Nam coast are all magnificent. But back to work, we went to refuel two smaller patrol craft which worked in con- junction with us. In the few remaining hours we en- joyed holiday routine. A certain pride permeated the ship. What better way to celebrate one's country's in- dependence than by serving it? During the remainder of the patrol, FINCH visited Cam Ranh Bay and Nha Trang for a few hours each. Cam Ranh Bay was studded with interesting but ineffec- tive old French fortifications. The bay was a series of clear, deep coves. Nha Trang was somewhat similar, but not so pretty. Most beautiful of all were the moun- tains close on a narrow coastal plain on which at dawn and sunset sharp orange, red, green, yellow, and blue tinted clouds piled up. july 29th, our OOD's could stop playing in and out the fishing stakes when the USS HAVERFIELD QDER- 3935 finally managed to relieve us. Off it was to that favorite place in West Pac, Hong Kong. Best of all, we were to be station ship at a time when few other ships would be there-until the AMERICA arrived. Our as- signment as SOPA ADMIN made us a coordinator for all visiting R.8cR. U.S. Navy ships. We ran the movie exchange, handled all communications, arranged calls with British officials, got captains their cars and phones, and ran Shore Patrol. Our Radiomen and Boarding Of- ficers were the busiest aboard, and yet even they had plenty of free time to enjoy our two-week stay. Liberty went down at 1300 daily. And to make things better, there was no water shortage this year as there was l215f year.

Page 72 text:

The Chinese tailors, Indian merchants, and JapanCS6 businesses that we dealt with were all united under the British government-with which we stayed out of trouble. Any product, service, or food could be found in this most international of cities. The bargain system often was the method of purchase. One could observe, however, different approaches to haggling. A Chinese Tailor stressed how cheap he could sell it. The Indian asked one to try to tear the material because it was such good quality. More than one man wound up with an extra suit because he accepted the alcoholic generosity of his tailor. In Hong Kong shops the rule was, if you want it, they'll sell it-out of the back went a boy down some alley. Five minutes later he returned with the article in question. And our inquiring man? He felt obliged to buy. Well, maybe. Many of our FINCH men were sharp traders on their third or fourth visits. The Royal Navy China Fleet Club U.S. Navy Contract shops did a whopping business. Most of us were fairly certain this would be our only HK. trip this year and stocked up on cameras, hi-fi equipment, jewelry, golf equipment, you name it. It was hard to plan for Christ- mas in August, but being 10,000 miles away and in a place with such fantastic buys made it necessary. And many of the gifts were early ones for ourselves. We roamed the streets of Wanchai seeking enter- tainment. The search was not too difficult. Most time was spent in Wanchai vice Kowloon because the R.8cR. troops with all their money had priced it out of reason. Some men took a few days leave to get away from the rigors of shipboard life and spent them in the Hilton. The Hilton seemed to be the FINCH convention center. If a man couldn't find a FINCH friend he just looked into the Den or Dragon Boat. While some were relaxing in lounges, others were out stuffing themselves at Jim, my's Kitchen, Gaddi's. the Parisian Grill, the Mandarin, Grill, Eagle's Nest, Showboat, Tai Pak, Lindy'5-the last being one of the few places in West Pac that a decent Hot Pastrami can accompany a beer. We did some good deeds in Hong Kong, too. While there, men from the Navy's Taipei medical research unit descended on us and drew blood twice. The Hong Kong Flu was raging, and 7075 of us got it to some extent. With blood from only the FINCH, the Navy learned about the flu and made the present vaccination serum. On two occasions we also hosted groups of orphaned school children. In addition everyone had a good time, bought what he wanted, returned with what he expected, and no one got in trouble. Hence FINCH reaped her second award of the Serviceman's Guide Good Conduct Award. I I -. ? is Y la tt sis . 3 see . ge if X It 1 d at , eete. se- till'-gg L ,E , .4 ..,1,J3c7lii5-5 f I 1 N , SSE rf q -its ,L . A sw Q t , csgjsi ax gagsis , . ll X':,i,v.Qx.ith',tXfr . F .tt .,.. . V gg ,xi v , . 1 ,a l 1