Colonial (LSD 18) - Naval Cruise Book

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IN RETROSPECT BY SN SATRE WE LEFT NOVEMBER FIRST TO SAIL ACROSS THE SEA, TO CARRY LIFTS AND VISIT PORTS WHERE FUN AWAITED YOU AND ME. AND THIS BEGAN ANOTHER CRUISE FOR LSD EIGHTEEN, AND LIVING UP TO OUR MOTTO THE CREW OF HER HAD SEEN. ON DECEMBER FOURTH THE PACVS LEFT AND WE WERE ON OUR WAY, TO SAMPLE THE PHILIPPINE WAY AS SEEN IN SUBIC BAY. THE SECOND TIME WE HIT VUNG TAU WE STOPPED TO PAUSE AND PRAY, FOR AFTER OPERATIONS WE OBSERVED OUR CHRISTMAS DAY. AS ' 67 CLOSED OUT STRONG AND SANG OF AULD LANG SYNE, TWAS ANOTHER STOP AT SUBIC BAY AS THIS WAS JUST FINE. TO START THE NEW YEAR OFF RIGHT ITS TIME TO HAVE SOME FUN, THIS WE DID FOR SEVEN DAYS WHEN WE VISITED KAOHSIUNG. THEN BACK TO WORK COLONIAL WENT TO UNDERGO A TEST, TOWARD MONTH ' S END WE FLY THE FLAG VUN G TAU — DANANG EXPRESS . ON THE THIRTY-FIRST COLONIAL IS NORTH IN HAPPY LAND, TO SAMPLE SOME WELL EARNED LIBERTY IN YOKOSUKA, JAPAN. FOR FEBRUARY COLONIAL WAS ALWAYS ON THE GO, TOUCHING UPON SOME NEW PORTS; OKINAWA AND SASEBO. BUT THAT ' S NOT ALL WE VISITED WHILE CONTINUING ON OUR WAY, TO SHOW OUR COLORS FOR A BRIEF WHILE IN VIET NAM ' S CAM RAHN BAY. THE TWENTY-NINTH FROM WORKING OUR BROWS FROM SWEAT WE WIPE, THE DREDGE WAS NOT THE PROBLEM — TWAS ALL THAT LOVELY PIPE. TO STRETCH OUR PROBLEM ON INTO MARCH EVERYONE ON DECK WAS GRUFF, FOR IT TOOK NOT ONE BUT TWO ATTEMPTS TO OFF LOAD THIS STUFF. SO WE HEAD BACK TO OLD VUNG TAU FOR OVERNIGHT, NEXT MORNING UP THE RIVER FOR OUR FIRST IN-COUNTRY SIGHT 86

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WE LOAD UP ON SOME MONITORS NHA BE FOR US IS GONE, WE RETURN TO OLD VUNG TAU THE SONG SAIGON. WE MAKE A STOP AT DANANG BEFORE WE HEAD ON FOR SOME FUN, YOKOSUKA ' S THE PLACE TO GO IN THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN. SO WE COME TO THE END OF MARCH, THE CRUISE IS RICH IN CORE, BUT WE STILL HAVE LOTS OF TRAVELING LEFT AND SURPRISES LEFT IN STORE. THE SCHEDULE CHANGE POPPED UP OFTEN WE KNOW NOT HOW, SO WE TRAVEL ON TO KAOHSIUNG VIA OUR FAMILIAR PORT VUNG TAU. THE CRUISE HAD IT ' S BRIGHT SIDE MARCH THIRTY-FIRST A GLOW, THE CREW AS ENTERTAINED THIS DAY WITH A SMOKER AND TALENT SHOW. ON APRIL EIGHT COLONIAL HAD ITS RED LETTER DAY, WHILE GOING TO KAOHSIUNG WE SIGHT A FISHING BOAT ALONG THE WAY. THUS WAS ONE MORE OF COLONIALS FAMOUS CAPERS, A DEED THAT WAS SO WELL SPOKEN OF IT MADE THE CHINESE PAPERS. WE ARE ALL SO GLAD TO BE IN KAOHSIUNG TOWN ONCE AGAIN, ITS A WELCOME CHANGE TO SPEND N.T. INSTEAD OF PESOS OR YEN. AFTER FIVE DAYS IN-PORT WE HEAD BACK TO SUBIC BAY, AND WHILE SAILING SOUTH ITS EASTER TIME UNDERWAY. SO WE END THIS MONTH IN-PORT IN SUBIC BAY, NEXT MONTH WILL NOT BE LONG, BUT WE EXPECT TO HAVE SOME FUN IN KOWLOON AND HONG KONG, B.C. AFTER TEN DAYS OF UP-KEEP IN YOKO WHICH ENDED ON TWENTY-FIVE MAY, IT ' S TIME TO POINT OUR BOW SOUTHEAST TO HAWAII, U. S. OF A. WE ARRIVED IN PEARL HARBOR TO DO OUR FINAL OPERATION, TO TEST FIRE A MONITOR AND BACK FOR A SHORT RELAXATION. ON SEVEN JUNE WE LEAVE HAWAII ON THE FINAL LEG HOME, WITH CAVALIER, COMSTOCK AND WHETSTONE. SO WE ENDED OUR TRIP WHICH LASTED FROM NOVEMBER TO JUNE, TO SPEND OUR FIRST STATESI DE NIGHTS UNDER A CALIFORNIA MOON. 87