Alcyone (AKA 7) - Naval Cruise Book

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Following The Roi-Namur assaulT, This ship senT Three LCM's and crews in company wiTh Ofher landing craTT and one desTroyer To malce landings on opproximofely l20 smaller islands which mCli6 up The norThern secTor aT Kwaialein AToll. Upon her reTurn To The UniTed STaTes The AKA-7 wenT inTo The Navy Yard, Terminal lsland, San Pedro, Tor overhaul, Following This overhaul and a series of landing exercises she deparTed Tor Hawaii To ioin The force ThaT was To aTTack The Marianas. The Alcyone arrived aT Saipan lsland as parT of The aTTaclcing Torce on The l5Th of June. Un- loading There was diTTiculT because low waTer in The lagoon made iT necessary To land Troops and cargo on The coral shelf. The TirsT Tew days of The assaulT saw heavy enemy morTar Tire, These diffi- culfies conTribuTed To The TacT ThaT The ship was required To remain in The area Tor eigh+ days before unloading was compleTed. AT The conclusion of This operaTion, one of The ship's boaT oTTicers re- ceived The bronze sTar Tor acTing as boaT conTrol 1 If 4-Q

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Max' 1 U. KVA p lr The ne-l ornrgnh-bioua operolion in whieh she por- licipoled wot. of Molin lglond in November, l943. The londino of Molin won mode under heovy enemy rirQ','. life, Diirirxr? lhii, oclion lhe ship sul- lered her lirzl coauolly loving one Coxswoin, in- jured lolollv bv enernv life. The ship unlooded ond relurned lf Son Uierzo. There she lroined lurlher lor omohibicifi ffperolionz ond lol? on I3 Jonuory l944 lor l 'lOw0ii. The Alcyone deporled lrorn Howoii on Jonuory 22, l944 For Kwoiolein Aloll, Moraholl lslonds, wifh Roi ond Nomur lslonds os her combined obieclive. During this invosion lhe ossoull woves were under lighl shore fire ond one Coxswoin wos wounded while londing on lhe beoch. The Alcyone ossisfed in fhe londing ol troops from olher ships os well os unloading her own corgo. Unlooding wos hom- pered by lhe dongerous corol reel which caused considerable dornoge lo some bools ond delayed olhers. if 'wiv-r' f ' -M -f -4 ,,

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S officer direcfing lrallic info fhe beaches. The ship relurned to Pearl Harbor following The operafion, arriving on July 3, l944. There she loaded 3I4 men ond L892 ions of cargo in fwo days and 20 hours. She lhen refurned fo The Mari- anas Grouo as carl of fhe force which was lo af- fack Guam. This force arrived al Guam on ihe 22nd of Julv. lt is inreresfing lo nole fha? lhe Alcvone had loaded ai Pearl Harbor a+ a role of 25.6 ions oer hour, and the rare of unloading of Guam was also 25.6 'ons oer hour. During fhe unloading 'he shio was underwav o gre-of par? of fhe fimg 'he .jecrh of wafer in fhe lronsporf 0reO being 'so grear fo Cermif anchoring. The Alcyone refurned YG Pearl Harbor uoon compleiion of fhis OC'3'O'lCf' and -env Info drsdoqk for minor repairs and fouvlre Ir-.ce-:fi,-n, The si: deserved on 'he 28th of Augusl for Eniexi rg ledge :or vhe forthcoming Palau opera- ' :rf Ucurf a'f.al or Enix-eral, orders lo proceed iQ P3 J. are :cancelled and Yhe ship was ordered 'A 'Q