Menifee (APA 202) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 44 text:

The Nagasaki occupation was treated almost like a full-scale amphibious as- sault like Okinawa. The formation of the task force, the loading of the troops and their deadly tools, the issuing of maps, the high precedence radio traffic, the passing of secret orders, the wartime steaming formation all reminded us of the preparations for the Okinawa oper- ation. We loaded infantry of the 6th Marine Division at Saipan, veterans and prob- ably the best gang of troops we've ever had aboard. They were in fine contrast to the blowhard boots we'd just hauled to Guam from Diego. We got underway from Saipan on September l8th and arrived at Naga- saki on the 23rd. lapan is beautiful, all right: the green mountains, the terraced rice fields, the pine trees. There was, at first, little to remind us what had hap- pened there a little over a month before. H bloated corpse slowly floating by the ship changed our minds somewhat. V When orders came to move into the finger-shaped harbor around which Nagasaki is built, we thought, Now we'll see what happened. Well, we didn't. That is, we didn't really get to see just what the bomb had done. The area where the bomb exploded was largely obscured by hills. Members of the boat crew got close enough to see part of the blasted area. But all per- sonnel, including occupation troops, had orders to keep away. From the ship, we could see portions of scorched hills. Some boat crewmen saw blackened and crumbled buildings at the southern end of the area. But none got a com- plete view. The unloading of troops and equip- ment at the Nagasaki Shipyards went very smoothly, with the Menifee the first of the squadron to finish and there- by earning a flock of Well Dones. The beach party and boat crews quickly gathered up their souvenirs and we hauled our stern out of the harbor to anchor and 'wait for the slow pokes to join us. While waiting at anchor, we took a few sight-seeing boat trips around. The Iapanese stared back at us as we went along but the children smiled at us and waved. The children always wave. 'rl r 1-lr. OCCUPATION Gr' NASA SAKl ESX l 44 s

Page 43 text:

Two P boats were equipped with smoke generators and radios and de- tailed as picket boats to prox ide cover mers and torpedo boats. Plnother P boat was equipped to handle casualties and operated off Green Beach 2 with an LST hospital unit. The L boat was desig- nated to assist with traffic control for 7 and protection from lap suicide swim- - . 2 'O' Green Beach 2 and was dispatched to the 'Line of Departure' as soon as we reached the transport area. The occu- pants of this boat were able to observe the preliminary bombardment of shore installations by Navy dive bombers and battleships, as well as the assault land- ings. The remainder of the 'P' boats and LCM's, loaded with troops from the ship, hit the beach at H-t-3. 'Tlfter assault waves are landed and the beachhead is secured, an amphib- ious operation turns into a very dull, backbreaking job of transferring cargo from the ship's holds to the troops ashore. This is known as the 'cargo phase' and continues day and night until the ship is unloaded. During this period of operation boat crews live in their boats, sleeping in shifts and eat- ing 'K' rations. Because of heavy cargo traffic on the beach, many of our boat crews were with their boats for two to three days before returning to the ship. Three of these boats were still on the ,..-.an-vt...s.,....-...-X... ... Y beach when the ship was ordered to get underway, leaving the crews to shift for themselves. They finally bummed a ride aboard an .QKH to Pearl Harbor where they rejoined us in fine shape. H 'Well Done' is extended to all hands in the Boat Group for the way in Menifee Beachparty Gssumed their du' which they carried out their part of the ees OH Green Beech 1' thev found Operation. things well secured, even to the point The Beachparty at Okinawa is re- of ready-made foxholes' ported upon by Babcock, Seaman First The best fepsif and hydrographic Class: units of the left and right flanks of the H-W-hen, on L-4-2, LL Ccjmdr' Turren- beach under Dumont, BMlc, and Bar- tine, Beachmaster: Lt. Watts, Hss't ree' BMZC' proceeded 'O Gerry out 'he Beachmasterg Shepherd, CBM, and the Beechperees mem purpose' that of CO' ordinating the work of the Navy landing boats and the Marine shore parties in the unloading of supplies and troops. The rapid tide made it necessary to mark a channel over the reef with buoys and to unload some of the boats into 'amphtracs' at the outer edge of the reef. Contact with ground forces, ships and other beaches was kept by the com- munication unit. The medical unit under Dr. Pullen's direction moved a little in- land and began to handle casualties. Orders were received the second aft- ' 'f ernoon to return to the ship immediately, so gear was hurriedly assembled and the Beachparty shoved off for a wet ride back to the ship. Qfter a night of riding at anchor in heavy seas 4-5 Hpril, the Menifee got underway for Saipan and the States. , Okinawa had been her baptism of fire, f f - and since it was the last amphibious T operation against Iapan except for Bor- neo, Okinawa was also the Menifee's last appearance as an assault transport. 43 A - -' - i '

Page 45 text:

Booth Tclrkinqton says we must face the future, not with courage, but with fear-fear of the weapons we possess. Is he right?