John Pierce (DD 753) - Naval Cruise Book

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United States Ship jU„ £ fierce (2)2)753) 26 July 1952 0S00-I200 tjnderwan front J aSebo, Aapan. citron fe to J waters in accordance with . . . ore an The Captain and the Exec on the bridge during battle operations. Special delivery mail service from one of the carrier ' s helicopters. We joined up with Task Force 77, which was continuing its air strikes against the enemy. Shortly after we arrived, aircraft from the carriers Princeton, Bon Homme Richard, Boxer and Philippine Sea made the largest and most controversial strike of the war against the power plants on the border of the Yalu River in North Korea. Screening the heavy ships was our main job, but the small boys, as the destroyers are called by the top brass on the floating Waldorf Astonas, were handy for any and all assignments. We spent our spare time in passing mail, taking on fuel, plane guarding for the carriers, escorting the bat- tleships and cruisers for a quick sock at the enemy and sinking floating belly tanks dropped from aircraft. Fueling at sea was on all-day job, but it meant mail from home, and fresh chow delivered to us by the tankers. Passengers, freight and ammunition were haule d on

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cleaning men and anyone else who had something to sell would either come aboard or barter from their bum boats. But Sasebo is not completely repre- sentative of Japan. This we learned in our visits to Tokyo, Yokosuka, Hok- kaido and Amori. Tokyo and Yokosuka were thriving industrial cities with the latest in transportation and design. Hokkaido and Amori were small vil- lages with farming and small shops the principal occupations. « aw S U S Ol Upper left, a street singer with her c! ilJ tied on her back Above, tne Pierce baseball team, (front) Simmons, Sirico, Zelco; (rear) Daly, Fitzgerald, Vaugnn, Olstad, Morris and Cozzalino. (Left) the cobblers busy at work on the fantail.

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Daily Chores Prove Many and Varied Upper left, deck division seamen take hold of line to haul aboard passenger (upper right) from another destroyer in one of the many transfer at sea operations Below, the Pierce plowing through rough seas. board by high line. Admiral Gingrich, CTF 95, of the bom- bardment and blockading force, was one of our passengers. He later proved to be our boss when we were assigned to bombard the east coast cities of Songjin and Chongjin. There we bombarded the rail- roads, destroying the tracks and blocking tunnels, stopping enemy fishing, and destroying sampans carrying supplies south ' North Korean forces.