Whetstone (LSD 27) - Naval Cruise Book

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DOW BUSINESS .... 'B Commodore Rahill, whose flagship goes a little faster than us, came aboard at Okinawa to welcome us to WESTPAC. Our arrival at Okinawa signified the Start of many months of hard work ahead as a unit of the Seventh Flea-t's Amphibious Force. After offloading the equipment we'd carried across the Pacific. we took a short trip to Japan and then returned to Oki for another load. This time we were southward bound, loaded with Marines and their vehicles destined for Chu Lai, Viet Nam. Our later trips to Okinawa were more of the same --- lots of work and no liberty. The California surfers could have made good use of A fe our well deck at Ora Wan. ' ' .4 . .vi , fi' Egg, 1 Q 4' i vs- 'df J I 0 E , - XXxXy. The Marines had added a few touches to make their LVT's look pretty Ierocious. Designed to scare Viet Cong? This l YT must have belonged to some southurners K f Ofc A f 'f' v f ., ' :,?:g7,ff ! lil wr' y' w Marines got wet. ' ' ' it .J , .. , as ' , . -.iw . 1. . . J' V

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WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY .... fer' -fl, - -. The me ran ms spanned. The motor whaleboat is lowered to go make the res- cue. Who among us will f-vf-r forgot 22 February l966'.'Miiste-re-cl out of our racks in the wee ' .,f.,w f7 '+ ' r ,Mn-p, W, ,frv-W W 'v -4:-'if-Q' 't .1 ,5 hours of the morning. wc' lezlrnwl the as- , ' up 'o l,,,-g.,f '1::': touncling news that two of our shipmuics .--r'--X-Ji had cliaizippczirocl :luring tho night with ll lifv rzift. The? ship rc-vcrsr-cl coursv :l n cl ,...,g..,, through soma- pry-4-iso nzwigalion was able iQ-1-4525, to rv-tr'a1C0 tho pri-vious nighl's trnvk. i Wligit could lmw- lwcomc- xx trzigmly hecwinio ri wvlc-ornv rvimion for :ill c-om-vrni-cl whr-n lhv lifv rzifl was spotty-ii about 0745. Thv exact thoughts and motivations that prompt!-al two young sailors to rlcoirlc- sud- dcnly to soo thi- l':1 cifi rf tho hnrcl way will prolmhly n v vor iw known. Thr- in- , , , I , Not k 'i it ' L-idimt. which rf-mnvesfl wnli .sp1'mirl public- prgaczgggqi meersflat to expect' the whaleboatap' ity in llawnii :mfiCnliforni:1, was unfortunate ' 4 v hui is :1 sou story wo ll nm-or forget. '1- 'Pi I ill 5 ' so I 9 S S 'n 3 great big ocean' Back aboard, only a little worse for the Well'-

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.Vi Yu , . M .,, my V .. 5359- , JV , nt' , ' M' , .f '- .. ,'k., X-Wal , . M ...W 4 ff 'ww ?. .aa -f - QW M - :V fr.. ap PM ., ,. I S-.a,ff M-, MW wg, V -A -W W' V 'Y I , A -- new ' W Q ,-can 'T' Q . K... '-f . .. .-A,. 4'- O vi ik ,,,..-fig-,,Mk,fN , ,. I Ly-I-'5 sum, 151101-4, 11 Chu LM, Vue! Num, after the long ride from Okinawa a- board V. helslum-. C ' 5, ji.-fi Q Sum- U! th-f Kiqnrxrw trufks wx haul:-ci roll onto thc- beach from an LCU at Chu i .xx o J L AP 5 1 , p n Q ,,-,Ig :gf ,,.... 7 - Wd LM 54 13:4 , V .uv -as :- o 3 Pl J W . .. N -,' - eil: f- .4 RQ: V -213 I HT: U -' As sf-1.11 as vm olficuded at Chu La1, xt was time to load again and head for Hue .md r hu 21.11. - - D , Q 0 ' 1 2 nv 4- 4