Comet (AP 166) - Naval Cruise Book

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Radio Shack Daily routine Loaded to the Gunwales

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The rest of the month was consumed making emergency repairs necessary because of excessive continuous service. A few passen- gers and patients returning to the States boarded for the next leg of the journey which ended at Pearl Harbor. The destroyer escort MANLOVE and PC-587 escorted the ship to Eniwetok, after which she proceeded independently for the next 11 days, arriving at Pearl Harbor 16 March. - ' Here it was .learned that the COMET was to return to San Francisco for overhaul. 400 patients from U.S.S. Naval Hospital, including some Iwo Jima casualties, were taken aboard during the next two days. Also received were a number of passengers going back for reassignment. On Sunday, 18 March, the last leg of the journey began, and a week later the COMET steamed under the Golden.Gate Bridge in San Francisco Bay and debarked all patients and passengers. T .. ' A period of 60 days availability was granted the ship for altera- tions, maintenance, and repairs, and all personnel were given 25 days leave. Everyone felt that it was well earned after serving 11 consecutive months overseas and participating in 4 major invasions. Overhaul began Z6 March at Pier 25 with the General Engineering and Drydock Company doing the work. A On March 26th the first leave xection w-as of and work began. The entire ship way changed over in many ways and when the jirft .fection returned it war, to thern., like Corning back to a new COMET. The availability expired 25 May after the ship had been dry- docked at Hunter's Point and had completed :numerous tests on Z3 and 24 May in preparation for sea. On 17 May Lt. B. Blee had been detached and Lt. K. Adams, Jr. was now the Executive Officer. Provisions, stores, and ammunition were loaded at NSD, Oakland, during the period 26-28 May and on the 31st the COMET was once again underway carrying out orders to report to Port Hueneme, California, to load Seabees destined for Okinawa in the Ryukus Islands. T ' 660 i a . iz Q S 5 l QE g . iw . il l ii .,. 4

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RETURN TO COMBAT DUTY 6 Arrived at'Port Hueneme on 1 June and commenced loading cargo. The ship got underway at 1644 on 4 June, carrying 32 officers and 1389 enlisted men. This total included 4 officers and 263 enlisted men of the 6th U.S. Naval Construction Battalion, 23 officers and 1070 enlisted men of the 15th NCB, 5 officers and 56 enlisted men of the 46th NCB. I ' . The first' port of call was to be Eniwetok, however, on the third day out the ship's port boiler exploded. No personnel were injured, but the ship was forced to steam on one boiler and put in at Pearl Harbor for emergency repairs. Arrived there on 12 June and moved to the repair base the following day. One week later, on 20 June, the journey to Eniwetok was resumed. 23 additional officers and 9 enlisted men reported aboard for transportation just prior to depar- ture. The trip was uneventful except for numerous drills and an initiation which the Seabees,' held on crossing the international date line. Q On the evening of 28 Junethe COMET sailed through the channel into Eniwetok Lagoon and dropped the hook.'Three days later, as a part of Task Unit 93.3.56, with Convoy Commodore Cap- tain W. S. Campbell, USN, on the USS ARUNDEL QAPD, this ship got underway for Ulithi, arriving S July. After waiting for fivedays, the COMET joined the Ulithi- Okinawa Convoy No. 36, OTC Captain W.'N. Thornton, USN, on the USS MARATHON CAPAD. Extensive drills were held on this trip due to the threat of japanese suicide planes, and 14 luly the ships anchored in Buckner Bay, Okinawa. At the completion of unloading on 17 July, preparations weremade for departure. After the receipt of numerous warnings of an approaching typhoon on 19 July all the ships in the bay got underway to execute Typhoon Plan X-11 For two days the ships rode out the storm and on 21 July returned to anchor in Buckner Bay. An explosion of undeter- mined origin occurred .onthe MARATHON anchored about 500 yards off the COMET'S port bow just after 0100 on 22 july. A call for assistance was sent out and a fire and rescue party from this 168