Quincy (CA 71) - Naval Cruise Book

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OF JAPAN The sun rose over Tokyo Bay on the morning of September 2, but for the first time since July 4, personnel on board the were not forced to see it. Dawn alerts had become a thing of the past. VJ Day was at hand, At 1030 the RBO's throughout the ship were turned on as the representatives of Japan met with the Su' preme Commander of the Allied Forces to sign the official surrender document. Ma' moru Shigemitso signed for Japan, General of the Army MacArthur signed for the Allied forces, and Fleet Admiral Nimitz signed the surrender as the representative of the United States. The first group of men to leave the Quincy and land in Japan reported at Yo' kosuka, for duty in the Navy Yard. They soon had the railroads, power system, and water supply functioning again. Two days later the Quincy marine detachment left the ship for occupational duty. Aboard the Quincy guns were kept manned and lookouts stationed for a week after the surrender ceremony. Finally, at 1145 on September 9, 1945, the normal in port watch was set. Japan was secured. The Emperor's Palace Grounds, sur- rounded by a deep moat, was left virtu- ally unharmed by American bombers. The British and American legations and other international buildings in Tokyo, as seen in this picture, were spared from the ravishes of total war. Block after block of the buildings in Tokyo were leveled. Only gutted shells of buildings remain.

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l 1 w I v ll it E : . I , ii: ., l :E 'Z , , 1 1 li .ii 'w s. x5,l w Hn T Y A W . The Qumcy birdmen Hy over devastated , Japanese cities. iii 1 ils f l Yokohama's harbor is crowded with Q4 small craft. l A shell of a city stands as mute testi- mony to airforce skill. L: .Q l rr. rw MI Ig' 1 H1 W il AERIAL VIEWS Now go to your stations all the special sea and anchor detail, sparked the crew into action on the morning of September 1, The Qluincys destination was Tokyo Kaif wan. By 0936 the ship was underway. Shortf ly after entering the mouth of the bay a def stroyer came close aboard and received the first personnel to leave the .Quincy for transf portation to 'LUncle Sugar and return to civilian life. At 1528 the .Quincy anchored in berth Cf'7O, Tokyo Kaiwan, off Yokosuka, japan. Again binoculars and rangefinders were broken out. This time, in contrast to the serene, domestic appearance presented in the Sagami Wan Area, the destruction wrought by the bombings of American planes was plainly visible. On some of the still standing roofs and walls of the buildf ings lining the shore, liberated Allied prisf oners of war had painted the signs of 5 cheers for U. S. Navy and Army, York town, Thanks, and Nice Going -all grim reminders that many of the days prior to August 15 had not been very pleasant for thousands of Americans whom the laps had made prisoners.

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The Buddha at Kamakura was viewed by thousands of American servicemen. LIBERTY IIV JAPAN After 75 days aboard-liberty! Liberty in the Qrieni ! Liberty in Japan!! The strange sights and customs which only two months before had been mere mental images plucked from books and magazines were at last to be seen in reality. Liberty was first granted in Yokcsuka. There the small frame houses and pagoda structures that are typif cal of Japan lined the dirty streets. The interior of the houses were divided into tiny rooms practically barren of furniture. Beds were nonfexistentg the soft reed mats which covered the floor sulficed for both mattress and springs. For this reason everyone took off his shoes before entering the houses, for who would walk across a bed with his shoes on? Midway between Yokosuka and Tokyo-when riding on the Tokyo Express -was the shrine city of Kamaf kura. At one end of the city was the Shinto Shrine, and at the other end was the Buddha which Buddhists have been visiting for several centuries. Kamakura lay nestled in the hills, unscathed by the ravages of total war. Then on to Tokyo and Yokohama, the industrial cities of Japan. There isn't much to be said for Yoko' hama, for there wasn't much there. The devastation wrought by America's air might was only too clear. The once proud, modern city of Yokohama was reduced to rubble. The same could be said for Tokyo, however, the damage there was not quite as extensive. The Emf peroris Palace, the diet building, hospitals, church shrines and other nonfmilitary targets had been left unf harmed-a tribute to the marksmanship of American bombers. The Shinto Shrine at Kamakura was a popular ' scene in Japan. The Pagoda-type building, typical of Japan, is in the Imperial Palace grounds across the moat. The long boat rides to Tokyo and Yokohama, the afternoons spent in the beer gardens, the oriental sights, and the friendliness of the Japs amply summarize the liberties spent ashore in Japan.