Manchester (CL 83) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 141 text:

A BLOODY NIGHT ' S WORK After dark of the second day, two Navy LSMR ' s moved in, and in a spectacle of fire (below) pulverized huge areas on the beach. w. At 0235 we realized that the Reds had conceived a new fanatical plan to eliminate the hated UN ships in the harbor. In the light of our illumination shells and blazing searchlights, a small flotilla of boats could be seen silently closing in on our anchorage. Five-inch airbursts and 40 mm shells from the Manchester and destroyers Duncan and Bass tore into the boats until there was no movement in the black water. Later the Manchester ' s motor whale boats went out with orders to retrieve the demolished sampans. They managed to find four of them, which we hoisted aboard for inspection. What- ever the Red plot had been, it failed in disaster.

Page 140 text:

: oi DAYS In early evening of May 20th, at a time when desperate Communists were trying to renew their failing spring offensive, the Manchester was entering Wonsan harbor for a two-day mission. It took us only a few minutes to realize that Wonsan siege ships had been in trouble. The destroyer Bass was receiving fire from Kalma Gak the moment we appeared. As the ship came alongside we could see she had been hit and the Manchester brought the most serious of her ten casualties aboard (right). Soon after our arrival, the battleship New Jersey, a newcomer to the Korean theater, steamed into the harbor to join us on the firing line. At 0930 the next morning Kalma Gak guns opened fire on us again, this time scoring air bursts on the New Jersey that resulted in more death and casualties. So when the Manchester returned alone on May 23rd to spend her last five days at Wonsan, we were wondering if our luck would hold. Lookouts kept their eyes glued to Kalma Gak peninsula, as our guns trained out to accomplish the Manchester ' s assignment: making certain that no move- ment of enemy troops or supplies through the Wonsan perimeter would be possible. Captain Parks was designated Commander Task Group 95.2, controlling warships along the entire Korean east coast . . .

Page 142 text:

At dawn of the next day, a grim, clear picture of what had happened in the darkness was laid bare. Many bodies of the Communist night squadron and their bloody sampans were float- ing around us in the harbor. Our boats brought them in, and their clothing was examined for documents, among which were found Communist Party cards and pictures of celebrated Chinese Red leaders. Corpsmen found the man being pulled out of the boat at right still alive, and he was taken to an emergency dressing station for treatment.