Manchester (CL 83) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 113 text:

I 1 - ---v , v r • - y4bove: T ie Captain, in lamiliar Hansen headdress, calls for a muster on station. Below: Helicopter boys drop in to take a look around. The island ' s inhabitant-, watched goggle-eyed at whole proceeding. The only real surprise in the Hwangto Do episode was at the conclusion when Captain Hansen and Lieutenant (jg) Bob Weller were returning to the ship in ROK minesweeper 510. All at once, Kalma Gak guns spewed fire on the little vessel and shells began splashing just off her stern. Chugging away for all she was worth, the 510 finally made it on to the firing line, where she ducked behind the Manchester.

Page 112 text:

HWANGT ' O DO This small island only a few thousand yards from the mainland, would be valuable in our hands. From it, we could observe activity on the Wonsan airstrip where our helicopter had re- ported AA guns; and best of all, we could keep a constant watch on Kalma Gak for the hidden gun emplacements that fired on us nearly every day. So on March 4th, Captain Hansen and the ROK marines were on the move again. The day before the landing, two former Hwangt ' o Do residents who had moved to Yo Do were put in a sampan and sent back to their old home with an ultimatum, telling Hwangt ' o Do people to be waving flags of surrender when the ROK ' s landed. The result can be seen below. ». - v-;. ,;

Page 114 text:

CHONGJIN THE BLACK LIST: SONGJIN WONSAN As the siege of Wonsan entered its 19th day, the Manchester left the harbor firing line and headed north. Our mission: further strangulation of the east coast transportation system at two more of its three most strategic points. The ship assumed command of TE 95.22, and Admiral Smith foresaw the same dismal future for this area as Wonsan was now suffering. We opened fire on Chongjin targets on March 5th. Chongjin railroads and highways were especially vul- nerable to naval attack because their lives depended upon a series of bridges to span the numerous rivers and streams of that lowland sector. After two days and nights of working over Chongjin and another day in Wonsan, the Manchester declared war on Songjin. In addition to rail and highway essen- tials fostered by the city, our spotters found Songjin alive with military activity. JL « i