Lowe (DER 325) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 11 text:

Unce a);ain we steamed into Subic Bay. AKD 22 was our hiiine this time while we waited for a new screw to be flown in. We were on our way back to Market Time on 25 February. During this interesting patrol we picked up draft dudgers. deserters, and twojunks full of women and children, refugees from the north looking for the refugee camps near Nha Trang. The Blue Goose again proved its worth. In one day, working in conjunction with the motor whaleboat. we boarded ISO junks. We finished this patrol and headed for a well deserved trip to Hong Kong. While there from 20-25 March, the crew earned the Servicemen ' s Guide Plaque for an unblemished good conduct record ashore. We left Hong Kong on 25 March after a very enjoyable stay and several tons heavier from all that we had purchased. LOWE also had a new paint job courtesy of Mary Sue and her girls. 28 March and another patrol off Vietnam, but short-lived as events were to prove. We made the up-river trip to Saigon on 31 March, for the establishment of Commander Naval Forces Vietnam ceremony held on board on 1 April. General Westmoreland and and a host of other dignitaries were present for this impressive ceremony at which RADM. N.C. WARD. USN donned his new hat. On 6 April, exactly two months from the day our starboard screw fell off we collided with a submerged piling 16 miles at sea and damaged this same screw. 11 April saw us back in ARD-22 awaiting repairs to our starboard screw. SRF Subic. thanks to another outstanding job, had us on our way for our final patrol on 21 April. We then steamed for 42 days with only two days out for a visit to Bangkok. Our last patrol in the Gulf of Thailand was one of the busiest as we frequently ferried fleet freight and personnel to L ' SS KRISHNA (AKL-38) from the oilers and other service craft that came through our patrol area. We got another chance at a shore bombardment mission, causing extensive damage to Viet Cong installations and personnel. Our two day stay in Bangkok was extremely interesting. A ride in the water taxis was an adventure in itself. We left Bangkok on 28 May. destination Guam, with apit stop in Subic. 4 June 1966 was the day all those with families on Guam had been anxiously waiting. We were home ! For all of us it meant the end of an unforgettable and a ••never-a-dull-moment cruise.

Page 10 text:

0900. TZ Novembre 19H:i. LOWK wan underway for operationH with the Inited States Seventh Fleet. DeHtinationH : the coaHtal waters of South Vietnam. We left Cuam and in the wake of T phon Taye headed for our ftrnt Htop. Subic llay. K.P. At 07:iO. 27 November 19fi5, Grande Island w aH abeam to starboard, the first of many such entries that the quartermasters would lofc before the end of the crui!4e. 1 December 196. ' saw us begin six monthi of patroU in the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand. We quickly settled down to the routine of Market Time patrol activity. In no time at all search procedures for boardinf? Vietnamese junks were ironed out. The methods and means we used to carry out our Market Time aHsi»;nments were revolutionary and unorthodox to say the least. The Captain ' s imaKrination was responsible for the Metal Locator, the speed boat, and numerous psychological warfare techniques. Captain More- dock, would later receive the Naval Commendation Medal from the Secretary of the Navy, for pioneering the development and use of this metal locator in Market Time. Market Time also meant underway replenishments for food. fuel, personnel trans- fer, and above all, mail. The crew readily became proficient in these evolutions and we received many complimentary comments from replenishment ship CO ' s on our speed in moving cargo and supplies. The middle of December brought heavy weather, a four day stay for the Captain in Navarro ' s (APA 215) sick bay, and a return to Subic with a reduction gear casualty. We arrived there at 0800 Christmas morning. Subic, thanks to an outstanding efi ' ort, had us on our way again on 15 January 1966. While in Subic, the Captain initiated a system allowing the married personnel to 6y back to Guam, a much apprecuiated treat for all concerned. During this first stay in Subic, LOWE began it ' s ownanti-poverty paogram in Olongapo. 18 January - 6 Febraury : Market Time operations in the Gulf of Thailand. One of our more evenful patrols. The Blue Goose became operational, proving the necessity and value of this type of craft in Market Time. The XO. Ens Irwin, and Schraml. EN3, also discovered that not all people-to-people programs are accepted enthusiastically. On 5 February we got our first crack at a shore bombardment mission. On 6 February we made the astonishing discovery that during the early hours of the morning the starboard screw had fallen oflf. Just after we had completed our first full patrol with enviable result.

Page 12 text:

Technical assistance from the Chief.