Manchester (CL 83) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 107 text:

We worked fast that day and throughout the night. We had no desire to prolong operation powder-keg . . . e-V

Page 106 text:

CALCULATED RISK After a week of continuous day and night firing on Wonsan, our magazines had begun to drain, and the problem of re-arming and replenishing presented itself for the first time. Complete re-armament of the entire Wonsan task element out at sea would require far too many wasted hours off the firing line. The answer was to risk the operation in Wonsan harbor. On the afternoon of February 27th, we drew along- side the ammunition ship Paricutin . . .

Page 108 text:

By the beginning of March, Wonsan was taking a beating. The siege ships saw to it that a shell was exploding somewhere in the city every minute of every day and night. Our gunners were becoming more accurate by the hour, and to make Communist matters worse, we were coming to know Wonsan as well as our own home towns. Manchester helicopter spotters told us our bursts were walking all over rail and highway arteries and junctions. We had registered direct hits on bridges, a power station and transformers, a barracks containing over 100 troops, AA batteries, warehouses . . . and one evening we plastered a true 1 caravan cautiously moving down a highway. In distance, a fuel dump that was hit on March 2nd and burned all night. In center is small island ot Hwangt ' o Do.