John Q Roberts (APD 94) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 18 text:

I I l. I I I I I I I I I I I I II I I I I I I I I I I I I I QI l I I I I I 2 I ' I I I : I I I I I I I I 'I ,,,, It was at the termination of this epidemic that the first news- of the Iapa- nese Government's suit for peace arrived. Leyte Gulf saw -a tremendous and spectacular celebration that night the air was filled with whistles, sirens, bells, searchlights, and pyrotechnics of every kind and description. Two days after the celebration we started on a sea voyage as escort for several battle- ships and cruisers bound for Okinawa. Three days out of Leyte we were diverted- to Manila. As the fates' would have it we didn't make Manila either, for our -ordersrwere again changed directing us to proceed to Batangas Bay, about 50 miles south of Manila. As we steamed into Batangas Bay there were spread out before us some thirty large troop and cargo transports, later identified as Task Force 33, of which we became an integral part. We were very delighted to learn that we were to be one of the escorts for this mighty task force from ,Batangas Bay to Tokyo, Iapan. Task Force thirty- three was one of the first large occupation units to arrive in Iapan. I 'Once again our mission was not to be completed. After several days at sea we. received orders diverting us to Okinawa, where we were to load and transport to Tokyo the newly assigned Tokyo Port Director and his staff. This was afmemorable journey since we travelled at flank speed all the way. We arrived in Tokyo Bay on the afternoon of September lst, a day before the surrender, terms were signed. We steamed up the channel, mindful of mines and .anchored closer to f Tokyo than any other ship in the harbor. Not long afterwards it became 'necessary to have some repair work done on our boilers. We went alongside the repair ship, Delta, and for nine days scraped and painted, and had a general field day while the repairs were be- I ing completed. x .Not long after our availability was- up, we were assigned to Transport Squadron 24, as escort. This duty took us back to Port Apra, Guam. Before we reached Guam, however, one of the transports broke down and we took her in tow. I We arrived on September twenty-fourth, and departed the next day for our ihome port, San Pedro Bay, Leyte, now affectionately known as dysen- tery'stra1ts. . IOur'disappointment'on returning was not nearly so great when we had received aboard several weeks back mail.

Page 17 text:

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII mmmmuuumunlnumnluulmuumm numI.......u,.nI..as1m..m1I..fma.....zuI1....mulnuulnnnlllnuuuuuuu Our next orders sent us to Eniwetok Atoll, where we picked up two ships that we were to escort to Guam, via Saipan' and Tinian, where one of the ships was stopping. On the way from Saipan to Guam we passed close to the Iapanese-held island of Rota. We were fortunate enough to pass the island at a time when some of our aircraft were bombing it, and this little incident served to remind us that the war was close at hand. It was also on thistrip that the ROBERTS had her first opportunity to demonstrate the skill and efficiency of her medical staff. One thousand miles from the nearest land one of our passengers was stricken with appendicitis. Quickly and skillfully the wardroom' of the ROBERTS was converted into a sterile, gleam- ing white operating room. With several members of the crew watching through the ports constituting an audience, the doctor, assisted by a Chief Pharmacist's Mate, removed the troublesome appendix. V I On Iuly lst the ROBERTS reached Port Apra, Guam. The next two days were spent anchored in that harbor awaiting sailing orders. When we received them, we found that we had been routedto Leyte Gulf in the Philippines, the scene of one of our most important invasions. The USS LEE FOX KAPD 455 ac- companied us on the four day voyage. Upon our arrival we were given two weeks to rest and wonder and worry about the future. When we finally re- ceived word about our next duty we found that we, along with a number of other APD's and some Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts, had been assigned to escort heavy units of the THIRD Fleet on maneuvers in the Philippines Area. L We were honored indeed to be chosen to escort ships like the TEXAS, MISSISSIPPI, IDAHO, SUWANNEE, GILBERT ISLANDS, and the NEW MEX- ICO. We now considered ourselves a part of the third fleet, Halsey's Fleet, THE Fleet in the Pacific. We gave our all for the ships we escorted during the next month. At the conclusion of that month, disaster struck. Not dis- aster as it is usually thought of in connection with a ship in a combat zone, but something almost as deadly. At this time most of the crew of the ROB- ERTS fell victims to Dysentery, and the dread disease ran rough-shod over almost all of our crew.

Page 19 text:

llllrl ll Illll Illlllll 'lllllll llllll Illulll 'I Il F IllllllllllllllllllllIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIL.....II..II:::..IIIll..lllIl..:!!:..Il.....:!IIn..nIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII + IAPAN ' Before we had a chance to wonder where our next assignment would take us, we were once again on our way to Iapan. This time, as escort to thirty LST's and one LCFF, were bound for Otaru, Hokkaido, Iapan, a-distance of about 2500 miles. It was a long, slow, and tedious journey, with little to break the monotony except the fringes of a storm off Okinawa. During our passage through the Tsugaru Straits, which had been heavily mined by the Iapanese and our own B-29's, we sighted and destroyed by gun- fire our first mine. Gun No. 41 placed the telling shot. Before long another mine was sighted, and with very little time wasted, Gun No. 41 scored again! After twelve days at sea, we reached Otaru. From our anchorage, the city appeared to be a picturesque place. The quaint little dwellings, the intricate rice terraces, and the strange temples of their religion were a pretty sight. Much was added to the beauty of the place by the light snow that fell during our stay. However, we soon revised our opinion of Otaru. On our first liberty we discovered that the streets were paved with mud, the dwellings that looked so quaint from a distance were really miserable hovels, and about the whole place was a pungent odor which we later learned was characteristic of all Iapanese cities. Everywhere we were pursued by the local citizens, all of whom, it seemed, wanted to buy American Cigaretto. After a short stay in Otaru, we escorted a portion of the LST flotilla to Hok- odate, in the Tsugaro Straits. At Hokodate we found one of the best har- bors in the world, and one of the most modern of Iapanese cities. After com- pleting this mission, we returned to Otaru, and from there escorted the re- mainder of the LST flotilla to Tokyo Bay. From Tokyo Bay we were ordered to Nagoya for HECP duty. Upon our arrival in Nagoya early in November, we found that the natives in that area had ceased hostilities only a few days before. The city of Nagoya was the home of the well-known Mitsubishi airplane. In eliminating the aircraft fac- tory, our airmen had destroyed half of the city. We were among the first ships to enter the harbor, and so were able to obtain some interesting and valuable souvenirs from the ruins. It seemed ironic that we should find many