Dutches (APA 98) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 50 text:

fy xtpusddy U! 9 wsu O1 Slqn s.1s.fvx slssr C5 k suomagad pusdsp plnom IDAIA1ns?q?95g?giDggiD dn-IS Slqlsuodssx Hai sudssp JI Joi smpsooxd dlqs uopubqiqfbuigbnlls slam suuu n sxsm msn pun sdooq 9 'uogsqloo sn poors smsxo un5 pun Amp goqgJouEi11?c? fzijemw AUD SHJHHS ACI qbnoxq SISM smoqool sql, uorsmxsdns fublsflz p-IDpLID1S aww pub suo 111911113 Aposqro pnq dl S 9 9 LIUAA psfimn 5 O O1 DUTLID mol! U19LIl Pslsgnosugnqugjsl H0 lseflimll Slslw MOU M PUD W ssff- d mm Isaxs sssqsmq sql .xssqgg 5uIpuDLui122EgIZ2?3il OS SDM PUD SSD'-Id s yo ssmossq pun usul SD HSM SD Slam O CI Uogsuusdng s yo qnssx D sy slssq 0 qgmm pelmrmb HGH JO Lumbold fiururml soql .roy AI.IDI1'lDI1.IDd SdIqS Aumn lol ln31PszIUqOU1sp Aprnsqn 1 ur lods 1:JDxs su UO CITIIS qsrnsy gmdge ITP .LISA psfxold SI o psnnbsl sum uolpranbs sql memes uuols ingignis P1511 ILSOUI sq SSUIDSUIOS mq srbss qmq sql, 5uq1J,rJq pmmqlaou Surwlgssbgifagiinos Bur SH VNV VIDIV X'1'dV Vdv' 'X'z'd'V' X1'dV VCIY CI .LHOdSNVH.1. VPN VNV VdV Vdb' VCIV Vdv VCIV J.HOdSN'V'H.L VIPIV 'DIV Vdvl X'1'dX1' YCIV VCIV 'V'cI'v' 89 NOISIAICI .LHOdSN'Xz'H.1. uorsqfoo 1usAs1d O1 pslmbsx SDM sourapliim lumsuoo mql .K.J,Iu1IXo1cI ut SRDM 0 sxsm un Suas Dd snor DA ur sbumm sxsm suorsmrq SD Suotsmtp Aq psdnolfi slsm SVHV pun svdy IZ sql P988s.nstp pun buzqurs Burpm Amp pun lqfitu psqxiosys Asql sn quam wopqss axsm Q55 qdyy Jslsrfisg 3 3 H sql, pun QQ CICIVJ U41 www S uoxponbs sq LL DIILIDVXI sp1DMO1 'PS-M01 SIGM pmoung ssprs HD uo sfqrsm smvx suooqdfh smsssoons go mg sms .IOU-EUIAOVXI s1Xs I 113 paunq sawn: nsqm, go suoussqoosx psuspprbs' may s Eurssx ut mod .IISLI1qJQ sbpel WUDISI qx I gm gp x0QI gmi .nsq1 31001 usuruoisizq

Page 49 text:

1 w accum l t dt , , dl .2 CBMs The eligible DuLlcTiSssmoeiieifeirexgdcgdarntccs CY1-1 RIEMC ,Division men as being veterans of New Guinea Le isempqfilf, rom mgyority of the infantrymen had the requisite Army, Demoblghzqcgrgn grin their Commanding General, Major General C L Mullins lr courfd nost -his way clear to releasing them until after the. Adrninistr' t' 'I L d gugcessfully completed. At the moment in the Nioponese hlolhlilarcildl thrge 1 0 armed lapanese for every American. Any light incident provoking would necessitate that capable combat organizquons be intact in .ghting strength in order to have an outside chance for survival. Loading progressed efficiently, the Dutchessrnen were now proficient the infantrymen proved themselves capable and adaptable Night after necessities had no ecwe or Sepqmtlon but held GS' P J H ' ,eligible for postwar. resenlistment ,l - A ' ll' 2 K . ' ' ' I' I I I g I . gl . night the light of The September moon in Lingayen Gulf would reveal the Assault Transports quietly riding to anchor in the still water while countless little bugs of landing craft ran tirelessly back and forth to the great scimiter Curves of the beach where they lined up gunwale to gunwale for 3 miles. As fast as a truck drove from the soil of Luzon into a waiting boat, the boat backed off, its ramp clamped shut, it was replaced by another boatg it headed out to the great Assault Transports etched in bulk against the velvety overhead out in the Gulf. The boat would come along the APA's steep side, the soldiers would climb up the steel ladders, the hook of the boom would pick up the truck, lift it high in the sky and then lower it into the ship's cavernous belly. More so than ever before the Dutchess was fulfilling her mission as an Assault Transport and justifying the weary months of training. With loading completed on the 23rd of September the residual troops moved aboard for a grand total of 80 officers and ll7l men. The rest of the 21 Assault Transports completed loading shortly thereafter, the time was at hand, but so too was the typhoon season at hand, the squadrons departure was delayed day after day as violent storms raged to the north. This delay proved fortuitous as it permitted acclimitization of the troops into their ship- board 'routine without the usual coincidental seasickness. The 2nd Battalion, inured to years of difficult living and experienced at adapting themselves to unusual conditions, proceeded to organize themselves for shipboard life more rapidly, efficiently, and thoroughly than any other unit embarked. ' The Dutchessmen utilized this period for swimming off White Beach and 'sightseein in the nati e villa es. These natives of Pangasian Province were Q Q T1 , even poorer than the Manilanos. Practically all the men wore some article of i'G.L. clothing, the only method of telling Philippine Army men was by DiClCing'out the individuals that were completely uniformed. The women, averaging about 4'l0 in height were dressed in clean light colored cottgn Everywhere the familiar greeting was l-lello Ioe-Gimme cigarette. l-ley Ioe!-I like you-you got chocolate? . The infantrymen had no further in White Beach. After several years of iungles and tent camps il1eY in the hot showers of the Dutchess and their dry.albe1t hot. berthing They embraced the Navy's more varied food with enthusiasm. For ,first few days 1600 to 1800 rations were served to the ll7l. embarked troop 1, G1-qduqllyl when appetites became satiated, ration consumption to the conventional eating of onlY One meal sf Cf mme' ' .QOII the 29th of September an oncoming storm occasioned the SCIUCiCl1'0f1'S berths to the typhoon anchorage on the west side of Lingayen Gulf A T t - l.ar e ships with a total of 15,000 embarked troops wen y one g , , , , in tropical downpurs with zero visibility was no Joke. list ot October the current typhoon had movedifar enough north+ p C 37 l Sued. 15 4 1 s P

Page 51 text:

formation neared the Iapgn h - . the mine Swee ers h d b GSS omeland intelligence was re- P C1 een unable t 1 ' to the ultimate destination theolgrzcg ignllhi names out of city of Nagoya. So on the 7th of Octoger, having eXper?e?g:5'iggiOanck3i passage beset by mines and the threat of collision, Squqdl-gn 20 Cmcholagd in the midst of a powerful task force of battl h' ' craft and small auxiliaries off the gracefuleciuiglsel gfllsciksl destrolgrsi J, at Wakayama, l-lonshu lsland, Iapan. Troops and crew ll?ll1:1I'?gl rfllie rgil he balmy autumnal air were surprised at the beauty of th d ' A and of villages running down the valleys to the sea. g But scarcely was the squadron settled when another typhoon was 11 U ' ' - II . ' O 9 Way even as the Divine Wind Cliamikazesb used to keep on coming on into Okinawa. The squadron shifted berths to the typhoon anchorage on the 9th, this brought the group further from shore so that if a ship under the impag of the wind commenced dragging anchor she would have more distance to attempt to regain control before she was dashed on the rocks. All day the SE wind kept increasing in velocity. All night and the next day the wind inr- creased in fury. By late afternoon each ship was an isolated unit with no Contact with her mates save by radio. Each ship, even though at anchor, had emergency sea watches on, the engines turning over, the Commanding Officer and the most competent Ship Control personnel Cofficers and menl expectantly poised on the bridge. Into the night of the lOth of October the fury of the Wind built up to a 50-55 knot Crescendo. The Lady had both of her 13,000-pound anchors im- bedded fast in the retentive bottom of Wakanoura Wan. As the ever increasing pressure of the wind on the huge Hsail area of the Dutchess tensely stretched both anchor chains out horizontally so that 30 fathoms of their 135-fathom and 75-fathom lengths were visible in the rain-slanted murk, the Commanding Officer commenced steaming ahead on the engines as if no anchors were down. One-third speed ahead on the propeller did not move the ship ahead against the power of the wind but eased the strain on the taut anchor chains a little. Down below were l7GU sleeping souls. A scant two miles to the lee- Ward awaited high sharp cliffs. From the windward came that invisible force that was counter-balancing two anchors and the thrust of the Dutchess' engines. This was one of the nights for which each Commanding Officer's life, at sea had been a preparation. This night the responsibility could not be delegated, or shared to any extent, the full measure of the burden of command was realized. . . Hour after hour as the wind velocity relentlessly increased-55, 56, 57 knots, the Commanding Officer adjusted the engines speed and varied the rudder angle to keep those anchors from breaking loose and the ship and her 1763 people from being smashed into the waiting rocks. He was sur- rounded by the most experienced officers and men available, but the sum total of experience was not too much. As the situation worsened, the youths, unused to ia lifetime of responsibility became, in some cases, as little children dependent on their Captain to take care of everything. A Over the voice radio came a bedlam of distraught officers' voices CIS ships' commenced to drag- anchor. and inexorably move on to tlgle gee Arr LST broke loose and was driven sharplif' Onto O fOOkY besc, O emergencies by radio was now a formality, HO cljOO'f Ofiugrglvihin Sea and no ship could come to the succor of a disable vesse . earth thc? A 1- .1 f th ld. There was no power Q11 Hegglingll-lip rtistsicirvivia Mbcelyond the skill, determination and self ,em-gh Commanding Officer and his lieutenants 39 A .. 1 . , ti 'A g 4 1' , Y 1 x T T