John Pierce (DD 753) - Naval Cruise Book

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Party Builds Sagging Morale Upper left, Japanese dancers pjt on the floor show Left, tne captain makes a qjick speech and, above, Brinker and Hill offer protection to one of the waitresses.

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Not Like Home, But Ships Relaxing at the ship ' s party, Badessa and Sosin- ski find that the Japanese girls are good dancers. Below, the front view of the Cabaret Takarazuka, where the parties were held. c ' Two ship ' s parties were held at the Cabaret Takarazuka in Sasebo. Although not like the local dance hall back in the States, it was the best available in the Far East, and helped keep the morale from sag- ging. The main features of the party were the 12-piece bands and the floor shows. The a I I - J a pa nese bands weren ' t able to read much English, but they could play Ameri- can music in the best Tex Beneke, Stan Kenton or Woodie Herman style. Puppets, dancers and cartoonists made up the floor shows, although some local talent from the ship also filled in when the opportunity presented itself. The parties were a real success and provided the whole crew with a couple of eve- nings of real fun.

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Last Look at Japan — Back to TF77 After our repairs were completed, we left again to rejoin TF 77. The next two months were spent in anti-submarine exercises off the northern coast of Japan, with liberty in Tokyo and Yokohama and more screening of TF 77. The USS Barton, flag ship for the squadron, was hit by a floating mine during the middle of Sep- tember. Commodore Levin and his staff shifted to the Pierce, while the Barton returned to Sasebo for repairs. With mines becoming more frequent and the threat of Communist air attacks increasing, the last month of operations with the Task Force passed slowly. Our release finally came on October 10th. We proceeded to Sasebo for replenishment and the nec- essary preparations for the 14,000-mile trip back to Norfolk. There was the last-minute shopping and sight- seeing tours and the endless working parties bring- ing aboard fresh and dry provisions. But finally, on October the 14th, the Pierce and the Strong got underway for Singapore, the first leg of the journey home. Upper left, hillbilly music, Japanese style; mid- dle, the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo; and left, the gardens of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.