Cotten (DD 669) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 27 text:

A l 1 Q' i r . I P s l s I L Y I- F x E r I i i A . I L' V -' -- .. V , 1, ,,., ..,. , 1 A f , . .....,,..-,-N.,.,,, ., 4 4 N x,..,.,,-.,.i..n-Vw., .. f - ., :'....,,..,X. Lf-.N -M, , ., 1. . ,4,..,A:- -f' ,, . A ...,4:--fa-,g: .N V. . q : '--.1 Mx.:-,:,-.',:.,p:, , A .. . . , - . ' R-'-V -

Page 26 text:

' JQN. 'W Q' 7 Y , , M, ..,4 ' ' ,. ,.,,.,,n.-,. . K -.----- M - U Q - - 0 W - - - . -- V ibefziy rlvbglzliglzfd an the gan gud! Our arrival in Yokosuka apan on une 27 1953 Offeled UCW 21dVCUtUfC5 111 11bCftY f0f the greater majority of the crew Naturally after sixteen days at sea everyone was anxious tg get with it for a change especially here as it was to be our first opportunity at liberty in the l'ar East Also all hands were eager to see for themselves what we had previously heard so much about At precisely 1300 the liberty party hit the beach with a bang' The beer flowed freely to quench the thirst acquired after long days at sea Wrtli their return to the ship came reports of some of the finest liberty ever experienced by many The rest Of the CICW S0011 found these reports to be true as everyone took his first chance at liberty in apan They came back to the ship with everything from a white mouse via one of our deck apes t some of the finest china made in the country All prices were found to be very reasonable and were taken advantage of One of the highlights of our stay in Yokosuka was the ships party held at the E M Club The chow was good the floor show great and last but by far not least the beer free What more could one want? A hearty well done t Mr Malone and his Rec gang for their time and help in making the party a big success On une 29th our short but well enjoyed stay in Yokosuka came to a screeching halt as we hoisted anchor and sailed for our first operations in Korea O-ur next time in brought us to Sasebo which is situated on the southern end of the island of Kyushu. This port we were to see many times more as it was more or less our home port during our operations in the Far East. Sasebo, we found, had more to offer than Yokosuka but prices here were a little higher. This we attributed to the greater amount of service personnel present. Also the nightlife was a bit better and the entertainment in the various cabarets of better caliber than that in Yokosuka. We soon found out from Special Services that overnight trips to various places of interest throughout the island could be undertaken. The recreation committee set up a trip to Nagasaki, some sixty miles distant, for those interested. On July 18, twenty-three men departed by bus to view the city on which the first A-Bomb was dropped. Contrary to what many people think, Nagasaki was found to be a completely rebuilt and thriving city. The only evidence of the big bomb as the japanese call it, was a burned out p-lane factory and a small memorial park in memory of the more than 70,000 people who lost their lives in that tragic, but war ending event. All in all the trip was a big success with only one complaint, that being the condition of the roads of which 95270 were under construction. Nobody could figure out how two buses could pass each other on a road barely wide enough for 'two people to walk side by side on without one of them falling off into a rice paddy. Incidentally one bus was viewed lying on its side in about two feet of mud, rice stalks and water. v J J . u ' ' Y' ' - 7 7 . ' 4 , , . . - u ay 7 7 O - 9 . . . 7 3 7 u as , . . o ' u n ' ' ' .' ' J , - - u ' 77 On july 24th, after several more days of liberty and recreation Des Div. 502 departed for Hakodate on the northern island of Hokkaido. Liberty was not expected, but Was granted upon arrival. Although not a town for entertainment Hakodate afforded many beautiful photographs to the men who went ashore armed to the teeth .with cameras. The big event of this brief stay in port was the news that a truce had been signed in Korea. '

Page 28 text:

We commenced nine days A. S. W. training on july 27 and concluded with a two day stay in Sasebo, mainly for fuel and supplies, though liberty was granted. August 8th through the 21st saw us operating with TF 77 prior to a fourteen day period for upkeep in the now well known port of Sasebo. They called it a rest period but very few got much rest. The main feature of this time besides the amount of Asahi beer consumed was an overnight trip to Unzen National Park. The men who took this trip rode horseback, played golf, went swimming, took pictures or just relaxed and enjoyed the many sulphur baths. On the whole, the trip was very educational as well as extremely relaxing for those who participated. It was thoroughly enjoyed by all. At the end of this wonderful stay in the fascinating city of bright lights, we proceeded to the west coast of Korea and anchorediin Inchon Harbor. On each of the three days in that port from September 5-8, 1070 of the crew was granted liberty. Although not a liberty port, this gave the crew a chance to go over and see the ravages of war. The town, though fairly well rebuilt still showed much of the damage inflicted during the U. N. recapture of this well known Korean seaport. The main reason everyone took liberty was that we had thirty days at sea staring us in the face. We left Inchon on September 8 and commenced a very long month of combined operations on both the west and east coasts of Korea. Although we had seen land many times, as our operations brought us close to several islands, it was a pleasure to see terra firma on October 4th as we knew that liberty was only a short time away. This day found us entering the harbor of Beppu, a resort town in southern japan. Here we would stay for ten days of liberty and recreation. Beppo was found to be one of the cleanest and best liberty towns yet visited on this cruise. The sights were many, the beer plentiful and steak dinners could be had on the Army Base for about 31.00. Ah, what other desires could possess a sea weary sailor? The companionship of a beautiful girl you say! Yes, they were there too. Among the most visited sights was the largest stone Buddha in japan. It measured 80 feet in height and was 55 feet in diameter. Also, many of the sightseeing sailors took the train up Lookout Mountain. Here they were afforded a wonderful view for miles of the surrounding countryside. Our stay in Beppu was extremely enjoyable and all were sorry to leave. But leave we did, and by October 15 Des Div. 502 was back with TF 77 for the last time. , Our twenty-one days of continuous operating was broken only by a brief day in Sasebo for repairs on the water intake for the starboard engine. Liberty was granted fgf the one night in with no spectacular events taking place. We returned to 77 to finish off our duties there and October 5th found us back in Sasebo. This being our last fling in japan everyone made it good, We Wined dined and danced in the many cozy cabarets in Sasebo. For those in the duty sections on the ,shi s things were not so pleasant. There was fuel and supplies to be taken aboard and all hanlils turned out to complete the task. On one particular day all hauds turned to until 2000 Upon final tabulation it was determined that we had stocke ' ' . Cl th b ft ll of stores in less than 10 hours. up W1 C er t an Sixty tons On November 10th, after f1ve days of combined merry making and hard work the ?gi1En371P1l3gIii.DCS Div. 502 bid Sasebo and japan its last farewell and commenced the long Finis