Davidson (DE 1045) - Naval Cruise Book

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12 Aug 3 Sep Assigned Plane Guard for USS BON HOMME RICHARD (CVA-33) 4 Sep - 9 Sep Visit Singapore Singapore Singapore, lying at the southern tip of the Malayan Peninsula, was for many years an unknown island of little importance. Sir Francis Drake was the first European to mention Singapore in the writings of his around the world voyage in 1578. In 1819, Sir Stanford Raffles established a trading post in Singapore for the rapidly expanding East India Company. He obtained a grant to the island in exchange for $8,000.00, which was given to the Sultan of Johore and the local Malay governor in 1824. Thus it was that Singapor e was governed by the East India Company until it came under the control of the British Colonial Office in 1867. 48

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Di IDSON ' S HAPPINESS IS: 1. : having tlie prohe mate the first try! 2. : knowing the ASROC Sentry reporting interval and being aware of when his next report is due. 3. : knowing that strangers witliout visitor badges or unescorted visitors with white badges should be escorted immediately to the OOD. Remember, A dollar a day and a day ' s liberty . 4. : having gas ejection air to Mount 51. 5. : knowing your GQ station. 6. : Combat and the Na igator agreeing on the Ship ' s position. 7. : following the chain of conunand. B. : following Z-grams . 9. : having jiuigle music on our ship ' s entertainment system. 47

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In 1926, the British, sensing the growing unrest in Asia, began constructing a naval shipyard on the northern coast of Singapore. From 1926 until 1937 the swamp clearance and construction work progressed slowly. But after the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese war the construction work went into full swing. Her Majesty ' s dockyard was completed in 1940 and became the major British naval base in the Far East. In 1942, the Japanese overran Malaya and captured Singapore. Fortunately, the Japanese took good care of the dockyard and even did much improving of their own. ' •!j siSii 4S«:««»eKftK