North Carolina (BB 55) - Naval Cruise Book

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ON BOARD U.S.S. MISSOURI 2 SEPTEMBER I945

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. . . . . Affer fhe cessafion of hosfilifies, NORTH CAROLINA'S landing force commenced preparafions for fhe occupafion of fhe Tokyo area. For a week marines and sailors worked ouf daily on fhe fanfail, drilling in fhe arf of dealing wifh a sfrange and clefeafed people. All fhe while fhe fleef was cruising iusf off Tokyo Bay. On 20 Augusf fhe landing force was 'rransferred fo APD's and ofher craff. THE SHOWBOAT was assigned fo a pafrol area soufh of Kure and easf of Kyushu. Overhead winged army fransporfs, carrying inifial occupafion forces. On 4 Sepfember NORTH CAROLINA was ordered fo Toyko Bay fo pick up her landing force. Simulfaneously we learned we were going home. Never had THE .SHOWBOAT and her crew been bofh so happy and friumphanf as when she sfeamed info Sagami Wanaand on info fhe bay on 5 Sepfember. All ships presenf shared 'rhe hour of friumph, buf few had fraversed fhe road all fhe way from fhe Solomons. Q The nexf day NORTH CAROLINA gof under- way for Okinawa fo load wifh passengers for 'rhe sfafes. There we wenf ashore fo observe fhe land we had helped fighf for. On I0 Sepfember NORTH CAROLINA lefi' Buckner Bay and headed easf for fhe longesi' buf happiesf voyage of her life. She was refurning home, fo 'I'he Aflanfic. O Four days in Pearl Harbor, fhree in Panama Cify, and one in Crisfobal allowed fhe crew fo lei- off a year's penf up sfeam. The colorful fransif of fhe Panama Canal was ideally symbolic of our refurn fo fhe easf coasf. In holiday spirif, nafives and civilians lined fhe locks, cheering and fhrowing bananas aboard in refurn for fhe crew's hafs. 0 Early in fhe morning of I7 Ocfober, l945, Cape Cod and fhen Provincefown Lighf hove info view. Four hours lafer THE SHOWBOAT in all her glory sfood info Bosfon Inner Harbor. Midsi' whisfles and sirens and Iofs of girls, Bosfon welcomed home fhe veferan of forfy monfhs' Pacific warfare. O In her warfime fravels U.S.S. NORTH CAROLINA sfeamed 307,000 miles and enferecl fwenfy-six differenf porfs. In acfion, she was credifed wifh 24 Jap planes, plus innumerable assisfs and prob- ables. One merchanfman was sunk by her bafferies. On nine cliffereni' occasions she bombarded Jap sfrongholds. She received baffle damage fwice. Her fofal personnel casualfies were nine killed andvforfy wounded. Af leasf six fimes Radio Tokyo an- nounced NORTH CAROLINA had been sunk. The record of THE SHOWBOAT is a sfirring 'rribufe fo fhe vasf number of Americans who confribufed fo her being. I