Catamount (LSD 17) - Naval Cruise Book

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N A e O Y A The well deck had held many things in its time. Crossing the Pacific it had once carried a shiploadful of dependents automobiles. Pontoon causeways, LClU ' s, LCM ' s, DUKW ' s and LCVP ' s had been common cargo. Touch football, volleyball and swimming had taken place there. Yet when the Catamount was : nugly in her berth in Nagoya for five days of Rest and Recreation, she was due for something entirely new in cll deck activity. Instead of landing craft, there were Geisha girls. Geisha girls galore, in the finest of raiment, cavorting about in their inimitably charming dances. The recreation committee had arranged for a full-scale, authentic Geisha girl show to be held on the ship for all hands to observe. For those who enjoyed Geisha girls inimitably charming cavorting, it was well worth the $35 spent by the ship for the show. The only disappointing feature was the failure of the sword dancers to make their appearance. They were unable to perform because of the trecherous cloverleave pad-eyes in the well deck. (BUSHIPS take note.) That was a sidelight to the Nagoyan R R, however. The city was similar to Kobe in many respects. It too had homed heavy war industry during the war, it too had been heavily bombed, and it too had been rebuilt int o a beautiful and modern metropolis. The Nagoya tour struck upon such highlights as the large Shinto shrine, one of the three most sacred in Japan; the Noritake china factory; the Nagoya Castle grounds; and Japan ' s largest zoo. With a pretty young girl standing on the pier with multi-colored streamers in her hands stretching to the deck hands on the wingwall, the Catamount unsecured her mooring lines, backed out of her berth, passed the beautiful snow-capped mountains that surrounded the entrance to the port, and proceeded to Yokosuka to make ready for some relief from the barrage of Rest, Recreation, and 1300 liberties that had filled the past month. Anyone need a camera? 28 —

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CHRISTMAS IN YOKOSUKA And so the Clataniount prepared herself fur the ordeal of speiuliiig her fourth consecutive Ciliristinas in tlie I ' ar Kast. This was the hardest part of siii h an operation schedule. But the city of Vokosuka was ready for the festivities. The en was due to flow heavily, to be sure, f(jr it was the time of llic year wluii all the ships that would ht into ' ( kosuka harbor would he there. The red, green, and white lights that sprinkle the liarbor the year around began to have the compa ny of the other colors of the Christmas rainbow. Stars began to appear atop masts and radar antennas. Accommodation ladders were brightly decorated and Christmas trees were soon a part of the cargo of LCVP ' s rcturninng to their ships. Ashore, Yooltidc Grctings , Mery Xmcs , and large replicas of Santa Clausc-sans blurted forth from the stores and taverns of the city. There was a Christmas tree in every ]:)ar. Japanese musicians were staying up late at night to lean Jingle Bells and White Christmas . Christmas shopping had been dispensed with by the 15th of November because of the mailing problem that time of the year, but packages were arriving regularly and in great lots from the States. Most of them reached the ship before the big day. Many went ashore to celebrate, others attended church services ashore or on the ship. Attendance was high at the ship ' s C:hristmas eve party in the port mess hall, . rrived Christmas day, holiday routine, quiet throughout the ship. . cw Year ' s eve was a difl ' ereiit story. Japan ' s New Year ' s Day is a Christmas, New Year, and birthday celebration all in one and it lasts three consecutive days. Shops that one would have thought never ceased ojjeration were closed U|) tight. The conventional garb of the modern Japanese was discarded for the glowing colors of their traditional apparel. But a high wind on New Year ' s eve, reaching 52 knots earh in the evening, blew celebrations to the fourwinds. A few of the crew had managed to take advantage of the 1300 liberty, but most were confronted •ith a night on l)oard when at IGOO all boat rims were cancelled - small craft warning. A foc ' sle watch was posted and the ship was ballasted to take in the Fleet Act ' s LCM to prevent it from beating itself to death on the port quarter. The last hours of 1953 crept by and finally every seachlight in the harbor was turned on, whistles and sirens were sounded. Wry pistols were shot off, Happy New Year was even flashed against the star- lit sky in morse code. .Ashore, the fireworks of the Japanese could be seen gyrating into the heavens. It was midnight. Emotionally, if not chronologically, the cruise was half over. The traditional kimono worn if at no other time, during the Japanese New Year ' s celebration. — 27

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Not the Naqoya Caatle, but merely on edifice atop the wall that once surrounded the castle before the Japanese mishappenly used it as an Army headquarters and woke up one morning with no castle to surround with walls. A moat surrounds the walls. One of the three most sacred Shinto shrines in Japan. The others are in Tokyo and O aka. This worshiping place in Nagoya i3 surrounded by expansive grounds. The factory which produces some cf the finest china in the world. A complete tour was offered inside. Eighty per cent of Nori- fake China is sent to the United S ' ales-. Lt. Callies, while OOD at the Nagoya pier. - 29 —