General Mann (TAP 112) - Naval Cruise Book

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I ' ll addition to the beach parties, our popular Padre arranged a couple of sightseeing tours for those desiring to learn more about the island ' s beauty and historical background. It was here that many of us learned that Guam is i2 miles long and is a variable 4 to 8 miles in width. The population is approxi- mately 75,000 and one people of whom 30,000 are Guamanians. Their remainder consist of military, federal and contract personnel and their families plus the additional one for the Jap soldier or sailor who is still at large hiding out in the mountain somewhere, unaware of the fact that the Land of the Rising Sun threw in the towel over six years ago. Late Monday afternoon, September 10th, we loaded up with cabin passenges and troops, and said farewell to Guam, and set out in the direction of Hawaii. We arrived at Pearl Harbor on the morning of Monday, September 17th, and took on a few more cabin and troop passengers who were also homeward bound for San Francisco. With a short four-hour liberty under our belts we were underway again for the final time prior to completing the complete circle trip around the globe. At 1303, Saturday, September 22nd, ninety-nine days from the day we started out from San Francisco on June 16th, 1951, our world ' s cruise came to an end. The trip was completed without a single untoward incident and besides a once in the lifetime thrill to the Mann ' s crew, our country gained an unpurchasable amount of goodwill with our allies, especially the German and French people. THE END

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PART IV FRENCH INDO-CHINA TO SAN FRANCISCO Our course was charted to take us in a shallow southerly curve below Hainan Island where we would change direction to bear a little north as we proceeded east, aiming for the northern tip of Luzon. But a typhoon swept down into the South China Sea and our track took on the nature of an end run that carried us as far south as Manila before we flanked the storm. The seas were calm as we left the China Sea and passed through the Babuyan Channel. The green moun- tains and shadowed bays of Luzon stood out clearly to the starboard, only a few miles distant. Then we added the Philippine Sea to the list of the world ' s waters traversed during our voyage, and on the morning of September 8th, sighted the low rectangular mass on the horizon that was Guam. When advised that there had been a switch in schedule — Apra Harbor, Guam, replacing Yokohama, Japan — the ship ' s recreation committee hastily called a special meeting and set up the machinery for two beer parties to be held at Hoover Park on Saturday, our day of arrival, and the following day. Having been without liberty for over a month, the crew grabbed the opportunity to attend the recreation events and every- one, from our skipper on down the ladder of ranks and rates, had one helluva good time. There were swim- ming facilities for the surf lovers and plenty of quiet shaded spots for those who desired nothing but chilled refreshments. The Softball players were given the opportunity to display their talents ; nd four games were well played, two each day. The scores are all but forgotten by now but regardless who the victors were, the games were tremendously enjoyed by the pl.tyers and spectators.

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I Hoover Park, Guam -ki, •» v ,;:.. i li , i . ( .ijL .: