Manchester (CL 83) - Naval Cruise Book

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.

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 143 text:

We will never know, however, exactly what the mission of these people was. Some theories, based on examinations of boat (above) and the heavy, athwartship timbers recently installed in them, indi- cated a large-scale mine laying scheme. Others, view- ing the quantity of rifles, machine guns, ammunition and grenades found in the boats, suggested a sui- cidal raid on our hated siege ships.