Epping Forest (LSD 4) - Naval Cruise Book

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From Yokosuka we went to Sasebo, Japan. The first few days all hands were busy trans- ferring stores and supplies aboard. It was here that we picked up MSB Division ONE and COMINRON THREE. In the next nine months we were to see them often. Finally after a week in Sasebo we headed for Wonsan, Korea, arriving the latter part of October. Korea at any time of the year is never very warm, and at this time it was start- ing to breed weather that would eventually turn into a severe and bitterly cold winter. Condition III watches were the order of the day in Korea and after 30 days of watch standing most of the crew did not care if they never saw Korea, a mid-watch, or an LSD again. In spite of watches, regular duties, sleeping and eating, time was passing pretty slowly. Volleyball tournaments, cribbage tourna- ments and acey-duecey tournaments oil helped to pass away extra time. Halloween and Thanksgiving passed before we got bock to Sasebo. In Sasebo we trans- ferred MSB Division ONE and COMINRON THREE. The personnel from MSB and COM- INRON THREE were a fine group of fellows. Their tour of duty in WESTPAC lasts any- where from 18 to 24 months. During that time most of their time is spent on one ship or another in Korea. They seldom, if ever, have a ship that they can call their own. During all kinds of weather they are called upon to sweep Korean waters. They live out of their sea bags and much of their time is spent in transit. In spite of these many and varied hardships they do on outstanding job. About the first part of December, when our thoughts were of the coming Christmas back

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It is hard to describe the Japanese people or their customs to anyone who has never been to Japan. They are unique in their indus- triousness and their ability to moke things by skill and patience alone with little or no raw materials. Another very surprising thing to those of us who were seeing the Japanese for the first time was the fact that their com- plexion was not yellow and their eyes were not as almond shaped as we were led to suspect. In fact, after a few liberties on the beach some of us began to believe that not a few of the Japanese were more Americanized than some sailors. To most of us Yokosuka was Japan. It was there that we made our first acquaintance with the Japanese people and their way of life. It was there that we always came for R R . It was a blend of the traditional customs of the Japanese and the customs and ways of Americans as brought here by the American serviceman. Rickshaws and taxicabs jammed the streets; women in kimonos walked side by side with girls in skirts and sweaters; saki and Pabst Blue Ribbon were sold at the same bars; State- side songs and Japanese folk tunes were played on the same juke boxes; steam heat replaced the habatchi pot in some places; the people talked English with a Japanese brogue. Everywhere could be found evidence of the American influence of the Japanese way of life. We stayed in Yokosuka just long enough to enliven old memories for those of us who had been there before. For those who were see- ing Japan for the first time it was a brief but very promising taste of the Japanese people and their culture.

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in the States, we left for Inchon, Korea. In- chon was quite an experience. For us it meant G.Q. at least three times per day. After ten days in Inchon we got an unexpected lucky break. We loaded LCD ' s and steamed to Nagasaki for two liberties. Nagasaki must have known that we were coming because the people welcomed us with open arms. We had port and starboard liberty, one-half of the crew went on shore patrol. The next night the situation was reversed. When we finally steamed back to Inchon the crew was really beat — liberty one night followed by shore patrol the next night seemed to be too much even for the most hardy. In Inchon we unloaded the LCD ' s and em- barked troops for a big Marlex operation. In the next few days we practiced every exer- cise for which the LSD was ever intended. It was by participating in training operations such as this that we realized the value of the teamwork and training that is so necessary for the success of any large military operation. After the Marlex we headed for Camp Mc- Gill and Yokosuka — in a round about way. We went via Inchon picking up some LCD ' s to take back to Camp McGill. It was a weary crew and a weary ship that finally found its way to Yokosuka on Christ- mas Eve in the year of Our Lord nineteen hundred and fifty-two. We had packed a lot of sea miles and experiences into the two short months since first arriving in Yokosuka. This time we were to get some very welcome R R , and the ship was also due for a little rest and overhaul. For the first time since arriving in the Far East, except for the two days in Nagasaki, we were to be tied up to a pier. After riding VP ' s to the beach for lib-