Comet (AP 166) - Naval Cruise Book

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A X , , f f -Lfigzi' ,lfi-wlif ,, , f f f. ,.,. Q., . X M Landing Craft massed off Saipan . . . Range Five Five Double Uh

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As formal as the inspection was, it nevertheless held a note of comedy, ifyou could call it that. A flight of sea-gulls passed over the ship while the:men were lined up at attention, and a few of them, with very bombaraieristic ideas, attempted to changethe standard blue of our uniforms to a very un- decorative polka-dot scheme. Q . I V 1 . On 14 March the ship was ass1gned to Commander Task Force 13, along with the USS PIERCE, and the USS THUBAN, and placed in Task Group 137 under the command of Commodore H B Knowles, USN, on the USS MONROVIA This task group proceeded this date to Morro Bay, California, where loadlng of troops of the 81st Infantry D1v1s1on and their equlpment began the following day, and in the afternoon the ships began the return 'tr1p to San Diego escorted by PC 816 Cargo was loaded for two days wh1le moored to Pier 1, Naval Repair Base, San Diego, and 1n company w1th above named Sh1pS the COMET proceeded on 19 March to the training area off San Clemente' Island and com- menced land1ng exercises, Those landings designed to 'train the crew for amphlbious ope'rat1ons contlnued through Z6 March when all troops and equlpment were debarked at Aliso Canyon The ship then returned to the Naval -Repair Base at San Diego for bo1ler repairs I' - l Our stay wasn t very lengthy but while there we had our . share of shore leave and liberty San Diego then was notorious as a poor liberty town but thecr ew disregarded' the notoriety and commenced to make it a lively place One o the avorzte hangouts of the boys was the LITTLE CLUB in the base- ment o the U S Grant Hotel I can rememberthose nights when zfty or more men of the COMET could befound down . Baskin and Don Wol e really brightened up that burg And I ll never orget the night that Swanson stood on the corner o one main intersection and commenced guessing' peoples weight He was doing airly well in these deductions until one I f t . below. Guys like George Wolfe, Nugent, Art jones, Doc ' s f ' . , -f . . I f 34

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young min toole o enfe to his rowng hands He tried to ex- plain thatf how ity done at Coney Iyland but the young lady un ortunately had never been there so Swanny was' led of by rome o the boy! to a quieter corner The COMET was attached to the Amphibious Training Com mand Fifth Amphibious Force Pacific Fleet on 1 April Further training ewierciseswere begun ion,3 April as a part of Task Unit 13 7.1 to which the USS FULLER was now added With-troops of the 81st Infantry Division aboard' extensive landing exercises were carried out off 'San Clemente until 12 April when the Task Unit returned to Morro Bay where troops and cargo were unloaded Excitement was provided on 9 April While riding out a gale with condition 5 sea when a Navy F4-U Corsair made a forced landing at sea 3000 yards to port and the pilot was rescued by subchaser 758. Having received orders to report to San Pedro California for re- 1 , l ' cr 1 -J U JJ J 1 rr :J 1 , f , , , f , , 7 2 7 ' I C , 9 9 .7 . I ' a l , , V l 3 5 . l f I E 5 l 5 1 i r pairs, the COMET departed Morro Bay on 13 April and arrived at San Pedro the next day, mooring at Los Angeles Shipbuilding-and Drydock Company for an availability period of 10 days. The ship returned to San Diego on 25 April where Marine troops of the- Second Armored Amphibious Corps and Fifth Amphibious Tractor Battalion and a number of Navy personnel Were received aboard for transportation to the Hawaiian Islands. At 1312 on 26 April the COMET left SanqDiego and the United Statesfor its first tour of foreign duty, bound for Kahului, Maui, T.H. v ' 1 X Afiwe parsed through the Jubfmarine nets that runny after- noon, none of us, unlefs there was a prophet in our midst, ever realized that we would be gone for Jo many monthf, or while out in the Pacijic that we would fee the tide: of war turn' against japan- alnioft in front of our eyes. g, The ship steamed independently at a speed. of advance of 15 knots, zigzagging all the way. Passed through the breakwater into Kahului Harbor at 1559 on 2 May and moored to Pier 2, where cargo was unloaded and Marine troops debarked. Underway again 36