John Pierce (DD 753) - Naval Cruise Book

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United States Ship lin £ Pierce (2)2)753) 10 October 1952 0800- 200 tinder wail lor J inaapore ai directed bit The first stop on the homeward jour- ney was Singapore. The city thrives on its foreign trade, being advantageous as a link between Europe and the Far East. Most of the buildings house im- port-export firms of well-known Euro- pean companies. The British first established Singa- pore as a crown colony, and her influ- ence is the most widespread. The major roads and buildings reflect the rela- tionship, Victoria Hall and Raffles Quay being the most prominent. Above, a view of the harbor from the main landing. Right, Singapore river traffic of junks and small boats deliver their cargoes of rub- ber, tea and trucks. Below, a view of Raffles ' Square, the downtown business district. Singapore has become a melting pot of east and west. A casual observance of the people on the streets reveals the native Malays, Chinese, Japanese, In- dians, Arabs, Spaniards and English- men. Each group has its own quarter of the city, each exhibiting its own customs and religion. The variety of temples was indica- tive of the diversity of population. The Buddist temple, with its 50-foot con- crete statue of Lord Buddha, built by the temple ' s priest, made an impressive sight. The colorful gate to the Hindu

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hen Homeward Bound ' WSJ » ' Some of the operations gang pose for a quick shot on the signal bridge, Fitzgerald, McCulligan, Daly, Riley and Williams Left, the Captain and Lt Brouner en the bridge and, below, the sun sets over Korea, but the ship is heading south and homeward-bound

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temple, a pyramid composed of life- sized figures depicting the life of Bud- dha, the moslem mosque, with towering minarets and onion domes, and the rustic monastery of the tall, bearded, turbaned Sikhs were fascinating. One of Singapore ' s landmarks is the Haw Par Villa and Zoological Gardens, owned by a Chinese multi millionaire. His collection of antique jade as well as the formal Oriental gardens are open to visitors. Above, another view of the |unks and small boats on the Singapore River. Right, a Hin- du temple; below, a view of one of the exhibits at one of the Chinese parks. Singapore ' s night life centers around its huge amusement centers, The New World and The Great World. They are combinations of amusement parks and night clubs, and offer many forms of entertainment. After the hectic sight-seeing and rec- reation of a few days in Singapore, we sailed south with an air of great expec- tation. We were heading for a rendez- vous with Neptunus Rex.