Comet (AP 166) - Naval Cruise Book

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Track your target F orming-up ' . ' WHAT!-No rurru - -FRU!-ru occ mean? I i f i I Taking up the k slack

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just northwest of Manus, course was changed, and the speed ad- vanced to 15 knots as the ship fell out of formation and began the 5' day journey. On 29 November she .moored at the Gran E Quad dock in Noumea and began making preparations for another in- VElS1OI'1. A , Nonniea ojerecl the crew the bert liberty since the rhip left the States. It war the jfrrtiirlancl ontricle Pearl Harbor where there were honrer inrteacl of native hats. What a plear- 'are to, ree a toitch of Wertern civilization again, even though the people all spoke French. Troops embarked on 30 November, and soon the Winches began hoisting aboard another lo-ad of' combat cargo. After loading was completed it was learned that the schedule of operations would be delayed for 20 days, and consequentlyfcombat troops were put ashore. During the next 2 weeks the COMET lay at anchor in Dumbia Bay, Port Noumea, with the exception of one day under- way on 11 December when maneuvers and gunnery exerciseswere held. Embarkation of 970' troops of the 3rd Battalion, 27th Infantry, 25th Division, co-mmanded by Lt. Colonel Alan M. Strock was carried out on 15 December, and on the afternoon of the 17th the ship sailed for Guadalcanal in company with Task Group 77.9 with OTC, Admiral R. L. Conolly, on the USS APPALACHIAN CAGCD. Other ships under this command included the following APA's: ZEILIN , PRESIDENT JACKSON, PRESIDENT ADAMS, PRESIDENT MONROE, LLATIMER, OXFORD, AKA's AL- HENA and ALGOL, and the merchantman NAVAJO VICTORY. i Lt. Comdr. T. C. Fonda, Commanding Officer, was placed on the sick list for acute appendicitis shortly after leaving port. Lt. J. B. Blee, Executive Officer, assumed temporary command, and Lt. K. Adams, Jr., USNR, assumed duties as acting Executive Officer. Lt. Comdr. M. C. Jenkins, QMCD, USNR, andtwo pharma- cist' mates were transferred by landing craft from the ZEILIN to perform the necessary operation on Captain Fonda, assisted by the COMET'S Senior Medical Officer, Lt. Co-mdr. L. Bain. 58

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came out with a clayyic report that will forever be rernern- bered. While rtearning along toward Leyte, the above rnen-' tioned crew rnernber noticed fornething in the sky. Here if his report, via phoner, to the bridge: linerny-air-craft-at-090 elevation if . . . Wait! I think it'f flapping ity wingrf' On D plus 2, 11 January, the convoy steamed into Lingayen Gulf on the west coast of the island of Luzon. The whole area was under dense smoke screen at the time, making ship maneuvers very hazardous. Upon anchoring about 0830, debarkation began imme- diately, and by 1400 all troops except the shipis platoon had been put ashore, and the discharge of cargo was begun. Unloading con- tinued throughout several Flash Red warnings, and numerous reports were received of enemy planes being shot down. By mid- night on 12 January the ship was completely unloaded and ready for sea. One boiler had been secured for emergency repairs, result- ing in a reduced speed. Consequently, this ship was placed in a convoy of LST's, for the return trip. The escorticarrier SALA- MAUA, which hadisustained severe damage by the enemy and was intermittently receiving help from an attendingtug, was part of the group. Since the carrier's storm rooms had been destroyed, supplies from this ship were sent to them on an LCI which came alongside while underway. . The gro-up proceeded to Leyte at a speed of advance of9'knots, encountering no enemy forces enroute. V Onlythree hours were spent at anchor in Leyte Gulf on 18 Jan- uary before the COMET received orders to proceed independently to Hollandia, to be escorted by the destroyer ROBINSGN. A mes- sage requesting medical assistance was received from the escort on 21 January, and a landing craft was lowered away to pick up the patient. Shortly thereafter a successful appendectomy was per- formed on him by Lt. Comdr. L. Bain. LUzoN RE1NFoRcEMENT Arrived in Hollandia 23 January and took on oil and water before proceeding to an anchorage in Humboldt Bay. Un the 26th 62