Bradford (DD 545) - Naval Cruise Book

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grim reminders were the hulls of some of the allied landing craft still sitting stranded on the beaches that were not to fre- quently used. There they were lust sitting there and rusting away into nothingness. Upon seeing them one could not stop to thmIk ,har it must haye been hell to try taking the island.I.AlthoughI it was beautiful the iungles and undergrowth were still too thick to try to penetrate. However for the convenience of tIhe men stationed on the island there were large smooth new highways that would take you from village to village and from Army base to Aire Force base, etc. On 25 June, 1953, BRADFORD moored in Yokosuka Harbor with the rest of Destroyer Division 52 after successfully complet- ing their ASW exercises. ' Early the next morning the four ships got underway and proceeded towards Boko Do in the Pescadores Islands to relieve the division of ships that was down there on the Formosa Patrol. As soon as the ships arrived there refueled, and the turn over was completed, the whole division formed as a typhoon evasion group and headed south to avoid typhoon Kit. The months of July, August and September are the typhoon season down around the Formosa Straights area. As each new typhoon develops it is given a ladies name so that there will be no confusion as to iust where it is in case two or three are in the vicinity at one time. Kit was the one that gave us our most trouble and she chased us way down into the South China Sea. Needless to say the weather wasn't too cool down there at that time of the year. The farther south BRADFORD went, the more the talk aboad ship became as to what our chances were of pulling into Manila for fuel and maybe some good liberty in a new port to most of the crew. However as it turned out the typhoon cleared the vicinity and BRADFORD went back on station to resume her patrol duties off the coast of Formosa and China. Finally the day arrived that all hands aboard had been looking forward to. On Saturday the 'llth of July BRADFORD returned to Hong Kong, BBC. for a two day stay. Liberty com- menced immediately and the first liberty struggled its way through the merchants that were clambering to come aboard to show their wares. Because of new regulations all hands were extremely cautious not to let any of their hard earned money fall into the hands of any Communists by not buying anything that was not actually produced right in the crown colony itself However that did not stop the men from having a good time When the ship left port the following Monday morning the sides had been cleaned by Mary Sue and her lady Boatswain Mates practically all hands had been refitted with boots from No Squeek Johnson and we werent missing quite as many brass fixtures this year as last year Yes everybody left there quite happy with his purchases whatever it happened to be When BRADFORD was relieved of the Southern Patrol by Brinkley Bass we received our first mail since we left Yokosuka Then a few days later the division was relieved of its duties in that area and headed for Sasebe Japan It remained there until the first of August undergoing a tender availability when it got underway again and headed back to the eastern Korean coast for Patrol duty Since the cease fire agreement had taken affect a few months prior this period was quite different than the ship had ever known There were no more shore bombardments and we were allowed to steam lighted ship It was a real treat to be able to see the movies on the fantail in nice weather and not have to close the hatches going into the sleeping compartments at night The duty was completely different in many ways One and see all of the little fishing villages lighted at night not to mention all of the small fishing craft that was operating off the coast They were used to seeing them off the coast of Kyushu and Honshu but not off Korea This trip out was the first one for our new skipper Commander Wm l Pease USN He had relieved Commander Kobey who was detached for staff duty with CincPac at Pearl Harbor During this trip BRADFORD was allowed to conduct some independent steaming exercises which enabled our engineering force as well as the other departments aboard ship to conduct drills On the 22nd of August BRADFORD with DesDiv 52 moored alongside Jason in Yokosuka Japan for another upkeep perred Shortly after the first of September BRADFORD was enroute to rendezvous with Task Force 77 This was the first time that BRADFORD had been with the task force since arriving in WestPac During her stay with the task force BRADFORD was assigned duty as a radar picket ship This duty lasted about four days and then she again reloined the main body of ships After qbeul a two week stay with 77 the division was detached and headed to relieve the division of destroyers that was on the patrol off the eastern Korean coast BRADFORD was on that duty for only three days when she was assigned to act as escort for the bat tleship New Jersey BRADFORD rendezvoused with the wagon early in the morning and conducted several exercises with her all that day Early in the evening BRADFORD went alongside ll' New Jersey to effect personnel transfer from her. Two commanders came aboard for further transfer to Sasebo's receiving station so BRADFORD was detached and proceeded into port. The ship was there early in the morning iust prior to sunrise and upon trans- ferring the personnel and refueling immediately got underwe again to rendezvous with New Jersey again. The rendezvous wa: effected later that day and BRADFORD stayed with the battle- ship until the next day when they both pulled into Sasebe BRADFORD then tied up alongside the rest of the division in d nest in the harbor. That stay in Sasebo lasted only a few days when the divi- sion got underway to act as escorts for a replenishment group who were going out for some underway training and tactical exercises. The first day of October found BRADFORD'S escort duty completed. From there the division went back to its patrol duties off the east coast of Korea again. The following Saturday BRADFORD anchored off Point Silver and since the weather was nice and the water was warm enough BRADFORD was given its first swim call since its recommissioning. All hands who partici- pated had a fine time. Later that day BRADFORD was underway and again carrying out its patrol. BRADFORD began its last tender availability period on the eighth of October when it went alongside the repair ship Jason, During that stay, as much of the ship as was possible was given a fresh coat of paint in preperation for her return to the states. When BRADFORD again found-herself underway, she was acting as escort for the ammunition ship Mount Katmai. Late in the evening of October 20th, BRADFORD'S escort duties were com- pleted and she rendezvoused with 77 once again. Her stay with the task force was a short one lasting ap- proximately nine days when the division was detached and pro- ceeded to Yokosuka for logistics prior their return to the United States. On Monday, November 2, 1953, BRADFORD with Brinkley Bass, Brown and Duncan got underway from ,alongside the tender Delta and headed homeward. All the way from Yokosuka to Midway the ship seemed to be on course that kept it right in the trough of the swells. The skies were constantly overcast and threatening. One day out of Midway the weather seemed to abate a little On the second seventh of November BRADFORD pulled into Midway Island for fuel and then got underway again approximately five hours later During the trip from Midway to Pearl Harbor the full power run for BRADFORD Brown and Dun can was held A full power run is not actually to see which ship in the division is the fastest however this year as well as last land the year before alsol BRADFORD proved herself to be the fastest of the other three ships On the morning of the tenth of November the division pulled into Pearl Harbor for a two day stay and then again set sail for San Diego Again the ships tossed and pitched all of the way but none of the crew seemed to mind it too much since we were headed in the right direction HOME! On the l8th of November T953 BRADFORD tied up alongside Brinkley Bass at Broadway Pier San Diego California completing her third Korean cruise after having steamed nautical miles since leav ing exactly seven months ago to the day BRADFORD has fired 4 856 rounds of five inch thirty eight caliber ammunition at North Korean gun implacements bunkers personnel and supply routes The one great thing that BRADFORD is extremely proud and happy of is that not once has the ship been hit or have any personnel on board it been inlured due to enemy fire There were times that it was a little close for comfort but due to our rapid and accurate fire we have never called for help while engaging in counterbaltery BRADFORD is a great ship with a fine crew She has done her lob well and will continue to do so in her role as a man of war in the United States Navy . . . I I I , . I . . . I . I . ' ' I I c a n I I I . I . . . . I . . . , I I I I I I I . . , I I u n n I l . I thing that looked rather funny was to look over on the mainland ' ' - l ' . . . . . , , I ' ' I I . ' c ' , c u I , ' ' - ...cfs-1ssl..v...L.-, I . , I . .

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The followlng two days BRADFORD acted as Mall Man for the Task Force It seems that when the task force had re fueled and replenished a few days before everybody had every body elses mall and supercargo Slnce BRADFORD was the lunlor shlp ln the formatlon she was designated to go along slde the varlous ShlPS and glve them thelr mall and plck up the mall and supercargo that they had and deliver lt to lts rlghtful owners By the tlme that lt was all dellvered BRADFORD had gone alongslde every shlp ln the task force ln between the numerous fllght operatlons BRADFORD wlth DesDlv 131 was detached from the task force on fourth of August 1952 to proceed to the eastern coast of Japan to conduct two weeks of AntlSubmarlne Warfare exerclses The flrst week was rather easy after the long hours spent wlth TF 77 Our maln operatlons lncluded tracklng a sub marlne whlle on the water and whlle submerged That weekend was spent ln Kobe Japan It was the flrst tlme that BRADFORD had VlSIled that port lt gave the crew a chance to see the Plttsburg of the Orlent and get a Ilttle change of scenery The followlng Monday mornlng all of the USN shlps got underway and proceeded to commence the VIQOFOUS tralnlng schedule that was set up for them Upon completlon of the exerclses BRADFORD wlth the other shlps that were lnvolved ln the exerclses pulled lnto Yokosuka Japan the followlng Sunday for a one day stay From there BRADFORD and the rest of the dlvlslon left enroute for Sasebo Japan for a ten day upkeep perlod When BRADFORD was alongslde the tender Pledmont t was dlSCOVefed that the port screw had a crack ln lt so the shlp went INTO dry dock for two days When the BRADFORD pulled out of port agaln and headed for the Yellow Sea for duty wlth TF 95 she looked llke a new shlp for lt had been completely repalnted ln preparatlon for her return to the states As lt turned out the month of September was the most eventful and unforgettable month ofthe 1952 CFUISB BRADFORD rendezvoused wlth Yarnall at Taechong Do and recelved her ln off the lslands of Cho Do and Soku To We anchored each day to the seaward slde of the lsland and then at nlght after com pletlng a transfer of a llason party to one of the South Korean lSSLs got underway and anchored between the lslands and the malnland Durlng the month BRADFORDS crew was enabled to go over to the lslands for recreatlon partles ln return for the fresh water and ICG cream they furnlshed to the personnel statloned on the lslands The flrst two partles were qulte successful The men enloyed the swlmmlng hlklng up and down the hllls and the beer that the shlp furnlshed However the men on the thlrd and last partles tlme was cut short by the enemy shore batterles flrlng at them None of the crew was lnlured fortunately lmmedlately BRAD FORD opened flre and sllenced the gun posltlon On the nlnth of September 1952 whlle Combat was controlllng some Corsalrs bomblng some known posltlons on the malnland they were attacked by four MlG 15 lets Battle sta tlons were lmmedlately manned but we were ln no posltlon to open flre for fear of hlttlng the slower frlendly planes The Cor salrs lmmedlately dropped thelr bombs thus glvlng themselves more maneuverablllty About elght prolectlles fell close aboard Too close for comfort but there was nothlng that could be done The shlp lmmedlately got underway to enable us to maneuver as necessary to avold any such further lncldents and also QIVE us a better posltlon ln case the MIG 15s opened flre on us Ap proxlmately flve mlnutes later lt was all over The next day the same thlng happened agaln however thls tame wlthout the pro lectlles explodlng all around us Agaln lt was declded not to open flre From that day on the crew was sent to General Quarters ln the late afternoon and early evenlng lust ln case the MIGS would return and come wlthln range of our guns Flnally on Wednesday the 17th of September as the crew was at General Quarters and our flre control radar tralned towards Manchurla and Mlg Alley a contact was slghted on the radar The flrst month that BRADFORD was back ln the states was spent as a leave and recreatlon perlod The month that followed was used to traln some of the new men that had reported aboard and keep the other men ln top shape The Chrlstmas holldays found BRADFORD tled alongslde a pler at the Naval Statlon ln San Dlego thus enabling the shlp to send as many men home for the holldays as was posslble The months of January and February were spent as an ex tenslve tralnlng perlod Durlng that tlme BRADFORD underwent thelr Operatlonal Redlness lnspectlon Hunter Klller EXCYCISES and was lnspected by the Underway Tfdlnlng Element Durlng thls tlme the shlp sometlmes returned to port at nlght after com pletlng a certaln phase of llS exerclses and sometlmes remalned underway There were several tlmes that BRADFORD would anchor ln Wllson Cove or Pyramld Cove off the lsland of San Clemente The month of March found BRADFORD recelvlng a dry docklng perlod at the Naval Statlon ln San Dlego Callfronla The hull was completely scraped and palnted and prepared for her thlrd Korean CFUISQ On Aprll 18 1953 BRADFORD ln company wlth Brlnkley Bass and Duncan got underway from alongslde the destroyer tender PTCIFIE and set course for Pearl Harbor TH for the thlrd tlme slnce her recommlsslonlng The trlp between the states and Pearl Harbor was a pretty rough one thus ltmlllng the tralnlng to a bare mlnlmum The three shlps arrlved there SIX days later and commenced enloylng the beautlful weather and scenery that the Hawallan lslands offer to lts vlsltors Approxlmately two weeks later BRADFORD got underway wlth the Brlnkley Bass Duncan Potter and Taylor and headed for Yokosuka Japan The seas had calmed down con slderably and thus enabled the fIVe shlps to conduct not only shlpboard tralnlng but also dlvlslon tactlcal exerclses Enroute to Yokosuka the flve shlps stopped long enough at Mldway lsland to refuel and glve the crew members a look around Thls stop was a Shutter Bug s dellght tor thls lsland was llt.erally covered wlth Gooney Blrds BRADFORDS crew was also glven a party by thelr recreatlon commlttee whlle there Approxlmately flve hours later the shlps got underway agaln and contlnued thelr voyage On Tuesday the 12th of May the dlvlslon moored alongside the tender Frontler ln Yokosuka After a three day stay the shlps were underway once agaln thls tlme headed for Korea and duty wlth Task Force 95 BRADFORD rendezvoused wlth the destroyer Maddox and assumed her patrol off the eastern Korean coast The maln dutles of that tour wlth 95 was to act as an antl lnvaslon protectlon unlt for the lsland of Yang Do and also to QIVG any support flre that was requested by the frlendly forces Durlng the day BRADFORD would elther patrol up and down the coast keeplng ln the vlclnlty of Yang Do or would anchor close to the lsland Sometlmes the boat from the lsland would come alongslde and BRADFORD would furnlsh them wlth fresh water for cooklng and drlnklng fCCIlllleS On the 26th of May BRADFORD was returnlng to her statlon after completlng replenlshlng when approxlmately flfteen Communlst troops were slghted returnlng to a command post sltuated on top of a hlll BRADFORDS guns lmmedlately took them under flre wlth dlsastrous results to them and completely obllteratlng the command post Later on that afternoon an enemy bunker was Slghled and taken out of commlsslon by BRADFORD S gunners Along the coast llne the communlsts have many lmportant supply routes such as rallroad tracks tressels and tunnels whlch BRADFORD took under flre many tlmes Due to the lntense fog that seemed to prevall that trlp observatlon of destruction was ex tremely Ilmlted but you can restassured the Communlsts were kept qulte busy repalrlng the damage lnfllcted by BRADFORDS maln battery One tlme whlle BRADFORD was feplenlshlng an urgent call from two mlne sweepers was recelved by radlo telling us that they had been taken under flre and had had to sllp thelr anchor to enable them to get out of range of the enemy gun flre When BRADFORD reached the scene the two gun posltlons were put out ' ll - ll I . ll. . . ,I . - . , ' ' l I . , . I I . . . . . - ' I . ' ' I . . - - . . . A n , . ll - - . lu - , , - ll - rl - - n u ' Q ' ' , I . 0 ' .. , l . . . . ' . I I I . . .. , . - . . . , . . , . l 0 gl y I' n V u I . . . - . , ' ' ll ' ll I structions for the future operations with 95.xThey were to operate . . '. . . ' . . . . . I l ' I f , . . . . . . H V . . I . . . il D . ' '. ll ll . , I I - ' 0 - Q l o . . . . . . ' , , , . . . I . , I , .. . - , . - , . . . . . . . . , . . - .' ' l - . .. - .. . - . By the tlme the four MIGS were wlthln range we were all ready for them. Commence fire was given by the captain and the guns began blasting away with all their might. As soon as the pilots saw the air bursts coming uncomfortably close to them they headed back to their homeland. BRADFORD was land still isl the first and only allied vessel to take enemy MIGS under fire. During the rest of our stay there no more MIGS showed .their faces anywhere in the vicinity. On September 26th BRADFORD'S duties with 95 came to an end for that cruise. The ship rendezvoused with task force 77 and remained there until October 17th when she was detached with Juneau to proceed to Yokosuka. BRADFORD reioined the division there and on the twentieth again headed homeward bound. The weather was again beautiful for her homeward iourney. On the fifth of November BRADFORD was released from Destroyer Division 131 and headed for San Diego inde- pendently to ioin DesDiv. 52. The next afternoon BRADFORD moored to Broadway Pier for a much needed rest and recreation period. of C0mmISlOn and the mlne sweepers were enabled to recover their anchors by the light of the full moon that same evening. On 30 May, 1953 BRADFORD was relieved by the destroyer Buck and proceeded to Sasebo, Japan with the rest of the divi- sion for an upkeep period. The ship's stay there lasted approxi- mately two weeks when the division set course for Okinawa to undergo an extensive Anti-Submarine Warfare training period. On Saturday the 13th of June BRADFORD anchored in Buckner Bay at Okinawa. This was the first time that BRADFORD had returned to Okinawa since the end of World War Il. In approximately the same waters that she would be operating in for the next two weeks were the waters that BRADFORD had done such a valiant iob against the enemy Jap Kamikazis just eight years to the year previous. During that weekend and the following week the men of the BRADFORD had their first chance to go ashore on Okinawa and see the countryside. lt was beautiful. You could hardly find any traces ot the war left on the small island. About the only

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