General R M Blatchford (AP 153) - Naval Cruise Book

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THE TROOPS CARRIED . The shakedown was over! Now for the actual job of carry-' ing troops. The ship was ready and eager. lt was aptiyl summed up by an exuberant mess cook in the galley as preparations were being made for handling the long troop mess line. O, K., he said, Bring on your doggies! And on March l2th at San Francisco, they streamed aboard, 3000 strong. Fresh, young, eager infantrymen they were, for the most part, not long out of training camps, on their way to replace the weary and battle-scarred veterans waiting to go home. At sea, it wasnlt long before things settled down. The long planning had not been in vain. Our destination was New Guinea but the war in the Pacific was moving rapidly and we all knew that that would not be our final destina- tion. On board was the USO Camp Show Oklahoma re- cruited from the New York Theater Guild. A jolly bunch they were and they entertained all hands unstintingly. An area on deck was reserved for them and it was a pretty sight to watch the ballet dancers practicing. They helped tremendously to make the trip pleasant. They got off at Hollandia, New Guinea, along with a group of Red Cross girls and were replaced by veterans of the lst Cavalry and llth Airborne Divisions returning to their units which were then in the thick of the fighting in Northern Luzon. We took aboard, too, a small group of Filipino refugees among whom was a five-year-old baby who was promptly adopted by the troops. After a ten-day trip in a slow convoy we arrived at Manila on April l2th.. The city was in shambles. The Japs had only recently been driven out. The docks were demol- ished and the harbor cluttered with sunken ships. The troops were debarked in small boats and rushed to replace- ment depots nearby. ln a few days they joined fighting units at the front. Now the voyage home. At Leyte we picked up a draft of Navy men bound for the States, at Hollandia a Ship's Hos- pital Medical Platoon and at Finschafen the main body of troops, mostly patients and casualties. Th.e vessel was prac- tically converted into a hospital ship. Staterooms were used for litter patients and officers were carried in troop com- partments, most of which also held patients, to say nothing of the hospital wards which were filled to overflow. About a week out to sea we got the electrifying news. The war was over in Europe! It was the Atlantic for us, we knew. Troops had to be redeployed to the Pacific and we were slated for the job. And, sure enough, after only a week in San Francisco, we set out again, this time through the Panama Canal to France. lt was kind of nice cruising along without troops, plenty of room, no blackout and the time was used to good advantage. The vessel was made ship-shape in preparation for the new troops to come. At Le Havre, June 22nd, the crack 379th Infantry of the 95th Division embarked. Heroes of the Ruhr, the Rhine, the Saar and conquerors of the City of Metz, th.ey were a smart looking outfit. They were bound for the Pacific through the States and we carried them to Boston, the shortest haul we made. At the famous Commonwealth Pier in Boston we were hailed by press and public. Colonel Akin, Commanding Officer of the Regiment, had this to say, May l compliment you on the appearance, efficiency and comfort of your ship . . . the high. standard of the mess and comfort of the quarters. But the time was urgent and much to be done. The six days in Boston were long enough to be re-supplied and ED lCONTlNUED ON PAGE NO. 329 lAbovel Part of troops aboard the first trip. The USO show Oklahoma in the foreground. lTop centerl Chow-down for troops in the mess hall. lLower centerl Troops assemble for an open-air show on l-latch 5. lBottoml Sunday devotions topside.

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lAbove leftl Gibraltar as viewed from shipboard. lAboive centerl Le Havre in better days. lRightI The leaning tower at Pisa. lLower leftl Main Street, Le Havre style. lLower centerl The shoreline Boulevard at Le Havre. 7 TO 8 JUNE-BALBOA, C. Z., AND PANAMA CANAL -Orders to dock came at 1845 and got underway for Pier No. 16, Balboa, and tied up at 2006. Stayed overnight and took on fuel, water and a few supplies. Good liberty for those who got it. Next morning at 0947 underway for Le' Havre, France, via the Panama Canal. Trip through canal took about ten hours. Very interesting. 8 TO 20 JUNE-UNDERWAY FROM PANAMA TO LE HAVRE-On 8 June at 201 1 passed through the Cristobal Breakwater and into the Caribbean Sea with lights on and ports open. No blackout considerably improved life at sea. First impression of Caribbean not favorable. It was rough, rough enough to slow us down and cause seasickness among those who did not yet have their sea legs. On 1 1 June at 0940 passed Mona Island abeam to port and soon after entered the Atlantic Ocean by way of the Mona Passage. Entered English Channel on 19 June, rounding Bishop Rock at 2016. Foggy. At 1218 on 20 June sighted French Coast, at 1314 sighted Le Havre and at 1400 entered the mouth of the Seine River. Anchored in Pastures at 1539. Z0 TO 23 JUNE-LE HAVRE, FRANCE-At 1610 under- way for Pontoon Dock No. 3, Le Havre, tied up at 1650 and soon stretched our legs on French soil. Liberty was good but price of Cognac too high. Next day took on fuel and started discharging surplus provisions. On 22 June advance party came aboard and at 0930 on 23 June main body of troops arrived. All aboard by 1645 and ata 1937 underway for Boston in the United States of America. Z3 JUNE TO 1 JULY-UNDERWAY FROM LE HAVRE TO BOSTON--Passed Bishop Rock at 0946 on 24 June and once more entered the Atlantic Ocean, this time headed West. North Atlantic turned out not as rough as expected. No one objected. No land sighted on way. In fact for time nothing could be sighted. Several days of fog and haze. Sighted Boston Lightship at 0441 on 1 July and passed it at 0641 thereby entering Boston Harbor. 1 TO 6 JULY- BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U. S. A. -At 0806 on 1 July docked at Commonwealth Pier No. 5 and at 0900 commenced unloading passengers and bag- gage. All troops disembarked bv 1420. Those living on East Coast had five days leave, others had good liberty. Best yet, some said. Took on fuel and began loading supplies on 2 July and continued on the supplies until 6 July. Yard work- ers left at 1550, stevedores at 1555 and 1606 on 6 July were underway for Leghorn, Italy. . THIRD TRIP 6 TO 16 JULY-UNDERWAY FROM BOSTON TO LEG- HORN-On 11 July went through. the Azores, passing Flores Island to starboard at 0847, and Corvo Island to port at 0855. At 1741 passed Graciosa Island about 20' miles to starboard. At 0940 on 14 July entered Strait of Gibraltar and at 1010 had our first look at famous rock. Entered Gibraltar Bay at 1051 and departed at 1 140 having received orders to proceed to Leghorn and at about noon entered the Mediterranean Sea. At 1317 on 15 July passed Majorca Island abeam to starboard. On 16 July at 1310 sighted coast of Italy and at 1458 anchored off Leghorn Harbor. 16 TO 19 JULY-LEGHORN, ITALY-On 17 July moved inside breakwater and moored to Diga Curvilinea lbreak- waterl at 1005. At 1550 began loading army equipment from barges. At 1825 advance party came aboard. On 18 July at 1420 completed loading troops. At 1435 on 19 July all Army equipment was aboard and at 1530 got underway for Gibraltar. Liberty good at Leghorn with side trips to Pisa and Florence. 19 TO 21 JULY- UNDERWAY FROM LEGHORN TO GlBRALTAR+Trip across..lVlediterranean calm and un- eventful. Rounded Point Europa at 1723 on 21 July, En- tered Gibraltar Bay at 1800 and anchored at 1849. Com- menced fueling at 1935, finished at 2250 and underway again at 2345. Fast turn around. No liberty. 22 JULY TO I AUGUST-UNDERWAY FROM GIBRAL- TAR TO PANAMA-On 30 July at 0731 passed Desecheo Island and 0800 sighted Mona Island and we were back in Caribbean again. This time not so rough. On 1 August at 0814 sighted Coast of Panama and at 1 130 entered Cristo- bal Harbor. At 1213 moored to Pier No. 10, Cristobal, and started taking on fuel, water and supplies. ICONTINUED ON PAGE NO. 321

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H1Z.ml VITAL STATISTICS ENGINE MILES STEAMED ln the six and one-half months of actual operation lfrom I2 March to 30 Septemberl over 60,000 miles were steamed, an average of almost l0,000 miles per month and better than 300 miles per day. During this time only eleven days were spent in United States Ports and the ship had no availability for alterations or repairs. ln the month of June there were only 88 hours during which the ship was not underway. ln steaming 63,000 miles 2,750,000 gallons of fuel oil were consumed and 5,200,000 gallons of fresh water was distilled by the sh.ip's evaporators. About three times that amount of water was taken aboard at various ports. January . February . March. . . April . . . May . . . June . . . July . . . August . September TOTAL 27 2,408 6,922 3,5l 6 8,434 l0,882 9,234 l0,850 l0,872 63,l45 ARMY Officers 976 NAVY Officers MARINE Officers TOTAL ARMED FORCES . 994 CIVILIANS: Red Cross. 58 PASSENGERS CARRIED Enlisted Men I2 694 Total I3 670 Enlisted Men Total Enlisted Men Tofal USO . . 43 Others . . 28 ii GRAND TOTAL ........... l4,4l6 l3 293 14287 These figures do not include Navy men carried as temporary ship's company,