Comet (AP 166) - Naval Cruise Book

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New Guinea natives 69 ,Taps quit the War

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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

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ship went to aid them. It was a clear night and the moon was just going down as the officers and men of the sinking ship began to come topside. The ship was well down by the bow, and her loud speakers were clearly audible as instructions were given to mem- bers of the- crew and the boats standing by. Two tugs came to her assistance, and she was kept afloat, despite the gaping hole in her port side between No.. One and Two holds. The explosion was thought to have been caused by an enemy torpedo but this was not verified. That same morning the COMET set sail as part of an Okinawa-Ulithi convoy under command of Captain P. Dix, on the LATIMER. 0 Alt was at Okinawa that we were able to see preparations for the Corning final defeat of japan. Although they were in- terrupted eoeryro often by air raid alertr, we had iniooiey topride every night. Here we were, a few hundred miles from japan, enjoying niovieriwith hardly a care in our rnindr, while a .vhort dirtanee to the north the Nipr were no doubt worrying about where our bornbery would hit that night.. It was, indeed, a wonderful feeling. In company with the USS STORMKING CAPD, this ship broke off from the group at 0300 on Z5 July and proceeded to Guam, arriving at Apralflarbor the following day. The next morning'a4few patients, prisoners, and passengers returning to the States came aboard from the receiving ship, and the COMET proceeded inde- pendently to the west coast, steaming close to -Eniwetok, Wake, and Midway following a great circle route. Just a day outiof San Francisco, orders were received to divert to Seattle. The course was changed immediately, and the ship steamed up the coast and into fogbound Puget Sound. The mist was just lifting as the Seattle skyline came into view, and the ship tied up alongside the merchant vessel SPINDLE EYE at Todd's Dry- docks on 11 August.- 70