Catamount (LSD 17) - Naval Cruise Book

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OKINAWA LANDING 2 Preluded by philanthropy and cpilogiied with flycatching, February ' s Okinawaii D-Day was an overall success. Two days before the fateful hour when the warping tugs would again venture forth to the beach and all the Catamount ' s guns would be manned, a message entered the radio shack stating that the USS Satyr (ARL-23) had collected $35 from its men to give to the March of Dimes, with a challenge to the Catamount to top it. The Satyr had been the only other ship at Okinawa between the two landings. Mingling had been frequent between the ships socially and competitively. It was at this time that the March of Dimes campaign was laimched or 1954. Slowly Saturday and rapidly Sunday, the two ships collected money for the drive. With the aid of a disc jockey March of Dimes marathon on Okinawa ' s Armed Forces Radio net vork vhich acted as intermediary, the ships ' forces reached a pandemonium of philanthropy. It terminated Sunday night with mustaches falling to the deck upon challenges and several of the crew having officers as their personal mess cooks the following morning. The Catamount, with the help of the embarked seabee crew, donated more than $1000 to the drive. And then another landing. This time in addition to the usual procedure, the Catamount served as secondary boat wave guide and played the role of a destroyer in simulated shore bombardment. Also, there was flycatching, a constant, all-night vigil against UDT swimmers. Five sentries were posted around the sides of the ship and one of the LCVP ' s was manned for the purpose of continuously circling the ship as an added precaution. Floodlights were made ready to illuminate the v ' atcr at a moment ' s notice, and darken ship was strictly enforced. Yet Okinawa sunshine was !;oon to be traded for Japan snow; the wraping tu s and personnel were backlo idcd and the underway w.Uch was set. The starboard side of this mustch was worth S 2 5 Mess cook Patch (LTJG in spare lime) ab ut to serve Ayers breakfast in bed Er.sign Bringman serves mess to I ' irst Class P. O. ' s — 32 —

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The Adrrir. ' Plenty cf sur. Circular formation LTJG Wilcz, OKINAWA LIBERTY The meteorological predictions for Januar) ' and February ' in Okinawa had been foreboding Overcast skies or rain was the forecasted norm for those months. Yet 1954 was diflcrent. Nearly hiiif of the month the ship stayed in those water, the weather was as fine as a travel folder could boast. Buckner Bay was only a hop, skip, and jump from Kinmu Wan and it possessed a pier to which the Catamount moored. U it R was in effect in a modified way and baseball-beer parties on the beach became frecjuent occurrances. A tour of the island was given and the knotty-pine walls of the EM club only a few hundred yards from the pier proved a satisHictory sanctuary in the evenings. Okinawa had little in common with Japan. Here, Americans completely dominated the scene. A vast network of highways, as fine as main- in the States, spread over the island. Officers ' and enlisted men ' s clubs were elaborate. Palefaces , unattached, were numerous. Yet the time came to leave. The Catamount had to take the beach at Kinmu Wan once again. — 31

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BACK TO JAPAN, IWO, ETC. High winds, snow, slict, and r.iiii sl.ishcd .il the Cat.miDnrit .i i slic nc.ircd Vokosuka. Mooring was impossible tlic first night but a cahii settled in the morning and Japanese liberties were ag.iin in order. The ship ' s jiarty witli a Nippon stage show and beantifnl hostesses was held in the Panther Room of Vokosnka ' s EM Chib. There then followi-d three firing exercises and fiK-iing and transfer of cargo while uiulerway for Kobe. Then three more days of R R. The firing was highlighted by a night exereisc with star shells, floodlights, and red and yellow tracers lighting up the sky, and the destriu tion of two sleeves the following day with the crews of the 5-inch and all the 4 ) ' s loudly claiming the honors for each. Kobe ' s visit was brief but spirited. The three days at the pier passed rpiickly and the ship was once again on its way to Sasebo where hopes ran high for warm, southern Japanese weather and income-tax-deducting jaunts to Korea. The minesweeping detachment was transferred to the ship from the L ' SS Cabildo {LSD-16; and with February about to piss away, a general exodus of U. S. Xaval vessels took place westward. ' ith everyone on l:oard mentally calculating their (Inancial gain as they lay off To Jang Po, Korea, the minesweeping boats were lowered into the w.iter and a minesweeping operation was held with the Catamount vectoring the boats and four AMS ' s. The ship returned to Sasebo and remained there until time to proceed to Yokosuka in preparation for the Iwo Jima I indiiig exercise, the largest and last of the cruise. SHIP ' S PARTY Priest, Potter, Alvis, Houser Ensign Brii. ir,!:: . Taggas, Chiefs Mahan and Beiqhiey, Girlsans, and Chief Hampton — 33 —