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

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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,

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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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' CHOW 1,210,272 rations were served in the general mess and 50,476 in the wardroom mess from 12 March to 30 September. To feed this many meals 2,500,000 pounds of food were used, of which 1,200,000 was canned fruits and vegetables, 750,000 were fresh fruits and vegetables and 400,000 were fresh meat. 45,000 dozen fresh eggs were consumed. 120,000 two-pound loaves of bread were baked and eaten on board and it took 20,000 pounds of butter to butter it. With a full load of troops aboard, over 200 men were kept busy preparing, cooking and serving three meals a day for about 4,000 men. As each man con- sumed a daily average of about 4V4 pounds, it was necessary to prepare, cook and serve approximately Blfz tons of food each day, of which almost 2 was potatoes, 1 V2 was meat and one was vegetables. lf fresh fruit was on the menu it would take about 1 V2 tons of whatever kind it was to give each man one piece of fruit. Needless to say, the galley and bake shop operated 24 hours a day. However, it took an average of only one and three-quarter hours to serve one meal to each of about 3,000 men in the troop mess line. San Francisco, Cal. San Pedro, Cal. Finschafen, N. G. l-lollandia, N. G. Manila, P. l. PORTS OF CALL Tacloban, P. l. Biak, N. E. l. Balboa, C. Z. LeHavre, France Boston, Mass. Leghorn, ltaly FAMOUS WATERS THROUGH WHICH THE Atlantic Ocean Pacific Ocean Bismark Sea Coral Sea China Sea Mindanao Sea Sulu Sea Sibuyan Sea Caribbean Sea Ligurian Sea English Channel Gibraltar Cristobal, C. Z. San Fernando, P. l. Guiuan, P. l. Seattle, Wash. BLATCHFORD SAILED Mediterranean Sea San Bernardino St. Suragao Straits Gibraltar Straits Panama Canal