Harry Lee (APA 10) - Naval Cruise Book

Text from Pages 1 - 28 of the 1945 volume:

I ! 5 i F 1 ! I' 1 l f i 2 5 E 1 Q 5 1 i 5 E K 5 E ? s E I i 9 'r ! 4 fwok is from the file ,35f. WWANA Ronw j SHIPS DATA SBCTIQN PIIBLICQ INFORMATIDN PWM or runuc MLA , , NAVY f - a be use x Q900 04 Ms' ' or 'f 1 ,I qeliby ,- .J'Qf' MQW' gf Q64 0 44690 'Q 220625 uk f Me 621' f 1 H :IA - QP 'v Q45 'ww' 0 Ju . f.-oy-3'a. i! !4'r'w'?a'2zf2f?Li1m1b' BEETSION wr, ,Q or nw fm., mum- WMM p '04-s agflzc 'QPF cfm H- X I w ,VK sf x w I 4 1 I QIQQC Qcoffl D , 'mf ' H 344- HM I14-jf v REE Y-fl L 945 . S S BAR 1 veumer 2, 1 1y?1.,v'Keierw 13. . . 1 1110 1s I-cy V ,f-.,-- ie. .,,,,,..,. 6 'CMD Officer , 1090 Wwe served. about using, 6 Vu WY' 'Ebb Conv' Oiiioo-ra an 9331 11-SB. Lkme-A 'Ln -hymn Troma 'Yo 1 'hw YS . 8 . 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These histories were to be used for public relations purposes and were to find wide spread distribution throughout hometown newspapers the country over. Proud of her record, the HARRY LEE complied with this request. The Skipper was pleased with the results and expressed his thought that all hands who had helped in the making of the HARRY LEE'S history would deeply appreciate a personal copy. The idea grew, as shipboard ideas have a tendency to do, and the final result is this little booklet which the Skipper and all hands now aboard take pleasure in forwarding to you. Between these pages, you will find a chronological sketch of events that concerned the HARRY LEE from the date of her commission into the Navy through this date of publication. It is sincerely recognized that this sketch does not tell the whole story. As you read it you can fill in between the lines the things that were important to you, the incidents you will find clinging to your memory for many years to come,-things like: the day you first came aboard and how you wondered if you would ever learn where everything was and if you would lit into the crew, the night you were lowered away in a VP to head for a distant enemy beach and you wondered if you would be around the next day, wondered if you would hit the right beach, if the soldiers would be alright, if you could find your way back to the ship and if she would be there if you did get back, the time you and all the rest of the gang turned-to to scrape the bottom at Espiritu Santo, the liberty in strange places and the liberty in the States, recreation parties and holiday routines, mid-watches and sweating-out the lines, general quarters morning and night, the vastness of the oceans, the beautiful sunset and the starry skies, crossing the equator ceremony, the good, always so good, letters from home and from her , the dear john letters, the dreams and the big talk, the snafu and the tarfu , the sea-bat joke, the Marines at Tarawa, the ships and the planes and the big guns, inspection on Saturday and Divine Service on Sunday, Christmas at Sea, movies in No. 6 hold, soldiers going to battle, casualties in the sick bay, gripes and bull ses- sions , the signal bridge and the after steering station, uslushing down , blowing tubes , card games, pin-up girls , the library, V-E Day, the Golden Gate Bridge, V-J Day, seeing the sights in Tokyo . . . all those things, those many, many things that were part and parcel of your experience in the service during the war. Perhaps this outline will serve as a guide when you recount your experience with others. ,.4.Q4r.ad5 The interesting and expertly drawn chart in the center of the booklet will sum up for you in a glance the travels and ad- ventures of the HARRY LEE. Captain Bernard C. McKay, USMC, who you will remember as the troop quartermaster aboard the ship for overetwenty-five months, is responsible for this excellent piece of work. S It is unfortunate that there were not more photographs available to bring additional interest to these pages. It would have been desirable, for example, to picture the personnel that made up the various divisions of the ship and, too, an added source of interest wouldhave resulted from shots of the places where the HARRY LEE has been and the action in which she took part. However, it is hoped that those pictures you do find will help refresh your memory of incidents and scenes that concerned the ship and her crew. n A The final pages of the booklet are devoted to a graphic display of a few selected adventures of a certain character known to one and all who have-served aboard the HARRY LEE as Horrible Harry . Horrible Harry , much like his brothers in the service, Private Breger , Sad Sack , Sloppy Gus , and Alfred , represents the serious-minded military misfit who, though try his damndest, can't keep out of trouble. He is always the last man in the chow line and invariably the first man on the list for a work detail. He embellishes all of the very human and yet pathetic little guy who is a victim of the service-and of him- self-and at the same time is the hero of the war. The young artist Paul fliritzj Remmele who created Horrible Harry and thus brought a thousand laughs to his shipmates displays a keen sense of humor, a definite ability and a deep understanding of the land loving sailor who will always be a boot , Remmele plans to take advantage of the GI Bill 'of Rights and continue his study of art after the war. It is a good bet that you'll be seeing more of his work. Here then is your souvenir, HISTORY OF THE U. S. S. HARRY LEE. It is hopedtthat it will serve its purpose in bring- ing you a source of pleasurexand a lasting mementoof your experience aboard the LEE and in the Naval Service. To all of those who have contributed to the production of this booklet whether 'here named or in a more subtle way, a very sincere word of thanks, and to all of you a wish from the U. S. S. HARRY LEE for the best of luck and success wherever you may be and whatever you may be doing. ' ' R. H. MERENESS, A Lim., U. s. N. R. 22 November 1945 '19 J-2--fff 2 'S - ' .- 1 4,2 sf-f. ff. 5,2f-M2 Li is-11 ' A . fiftfjgf 1575 yy 1723! 'V f . ? ,UVff7'.2ai. f! V .1125 7 if 75- f Q .-W -, -- X. , 3 4 P1 ? ' f wa: Q sm . V as , 49 5' . . 1. ,ff .f . vc- Q. W V 1-. -. ,. . ...W . . . . ,. ,,f. ...f -ff cs 1- .0 . . gfffaifif' ff' ' 43W fy 4,9145 Z' gf , J fl f ,f M., 5- 2 - ff--3D':,ci.y KQ'Zff?w57, M. W- .Y ' lWE'f.f 5f., ' ' ' gglifiki Iiefsfvfr ' ' 3.2 2 'P g7L xlf.f'- 1 ' L- , N 4771 gil' if f f0fff:,4'f32-1 fe A 2 f The USS HARRY LEE is another of the many ships of the pre-war merchant fleet to be purchased by the Navy at the beginning of World War II hostilities, and to subsequently serve as an assault transport for troops and cargo, sharing in many of the beachhead invasions, both in the European and Pacific theaters of amphibious operation. Formerly the SS EXOCHORDA, beautiful and luxurious Mediterranean liner of the American Ex- port Lines, the ship was purchased by the United States Navy October 30, 1940, and was converted for her wartime duties by the Todd Shipyards Cor- poration, Tietjen and Lange Plant of Hoboken, New jersey. On the twenty-seventh day of Decem- ber, 1940, she was commissioned by the Navy- and given the name USS HARRY LEE in honor of the late Major General Harry Lee of the United States Marine Corps. General Lee had served with dis- tinguished credit on tours of duty in the Philippine Islands, China, Panama, Central America and Cuba. He had also served with great distinction in World War Iand was many times decorated for his per- formance of duty. The ship that was named for him was destined to serve in many of the same localities bringing added honor to the name Harry Lee and reflecting credit to the Amphibious Forces of the United States Navy. During the first three months after commission- ing, the ship, under the command of Captain R. P. Hinrichs, USN g acted as an armed combat trans- port carrying Marine Combat teams from Norfolk, Virginia, to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and hence to Culebra, Puerto Rico for participation in the fleet landing exercises that foreshadowed the develop- ment of the Amphibious Forces as a fighting arm of the Navy. At the completion of this training x period with the embarked Marine Units, the ship returned to Norfolk, and after undergoing an overhaul and repair, proceeded to Hilton Head, South Carolina for more landing exercises with other units of the Marine Corps. ' In July, the HARRY LEE returned to Norfolk where she loaded Marine troops and supplies. Her destination this time was Reykjavik, Iceland. En- route she stopped at New York and again on her return after debarking the troops and supplies she paused in America's largest city before continuing to Norfolk. Back in Norfolk she again loaded for a trip to Iceland, but this time a breakdown oc- curred enroute and she was forced to put in at Halifax, Nova Scotia. A few days later she sailed for Boston to undergo repairs. This was in the latter part of December of 1941. X Wfith the repairs completed, the HARRY LEE got underway from Boston to Norfolk pausing briefly in New York and arriving in the Hampton Roads area the twenty-fourth of February. A week later the HARRY was off again, this time for Bermuda, butlit was a short mission andishe was back in Norfolk to load troops and to prepare for practice landing operations in the Chesapeake Bay area by the middle of March. For the next several months the HARRY LEE in company with other transports, warships and amphibious vessels ma- neuvered in the Chesapeake Bay. Norfolk was the loading station for these maneuvers and from that point the various ships of the training units would embark fresh troops to be trained over a two week period in the Chesapeake Bay. All of this intensive training was, of course, pointing to something big , The objective was to be the invasion of North Africa. .......-5 In the middle of the month of October the ships that were maneuvering in the Chesapeake ceased their .training operations and headed for Norfolk and other points to load in preparation for the North African Invasion. On coming to anchor after completion of the exercises off Cove Point, Maryland the gears of the HP turbine were stripped on the LEE. She was forced to be towed part way back to Norfolk, and while in the Navy Yard or- ders arrived instructing the Commanding Olflcer, Captain W. Whitneld, USN, seventy-five per- cent of his officers and twenty-five percent of his enlisted men to transfer to the USS CALVERT. This exchange placed Captain D. VU. Loomis, USN, in command. fCaptain4Loomis, later as Com- modore, commanded a transport squadron of which the LEE was a part participating in several combat operations., It was, thus, a queer stroke of fate that prevented the HARRY LEE, the ship that had trained so many men and who had become so ex- pert in ship to shore maneuvers, from participat- ing in the invasion of North Africa., Of course it was true that the HARRYf' did participate in spirit if not in reality for her ,former skipper, Captain Whit6eld,iand many of her ofiicers and men did take part in the operation as well as many of the troops she had so effectively trained. ' The HARRY LEE was back in operation Decem- ber eighth. Her orders directed her to return to the Chesapeake Bay area to continue in the training of amphibious personnel, Army, Navy and Ma- rines. It is interesting to note that during this period of amphibious training in the Chesapeake, the HARRY LEE was used for conducting many experiments with amphibious materiel including the now famous Army DCUKW, radio control beams for guiding landing craft, and other equip- ment that was to become standard assualt proce- dure. ' On the second of April, Captain fthen comman- der, G. Pomeroy, USN, relieved Captain' Loomis as commanding oliicer of the LEE. ,On the fourth of April, 1943, the ship received orders to discontinue the training maneuvers and proceed to the Brooklyn Navy Yard. There she had her armament augmented with the latest allow- ances for her type of vessel. At the completion of availability in the Brooklyn yard she returned to Norfolk and just one month later orders were re- ceived to commence loading supplies and troops of the 45th Division, UsA. The world was waiting for the Allied Forces to hit the continent of Europe and this time the HARRY LEE was not to be disappointed in carrying out her mission. On the eighth of june in convoy with other amphibious transports and with an escort of crui- sers and destroyers, the HARRY LEE steamed for the Mediterranean Sea. She passed through the Straits of Gibraltar the twenty-first of June and on the following day she let go her anchor in Mers el Kabir, the anchorage area of Oran, Algeria, in North Africa. i The invasion, of Sicily was made on the tenth of July, 1943. H hour was 0315. The HARRY LEE in company with her task group landed troops and cargo through, the heavy surf at Scoglitti on the southeast coast of Sicily to effectively establish a beachhead. Seven enlisted men and one oilicer re- ceived the Purple Heart medal for injuries sus- tained in this operation. The ship had performed her duties faithfully and efficiently proving the value of her months of tedious training. I 1 Captain fthen commanderj Pomeroy was award- ed the Legion of Merit, for the part he played as commanding officer of the LEE during the invasion of Sicily having valiantly fought his ship through enemy bombings and embarked troops and equip- ment, bringing his ship through the engagement unscathed . 'Following the siciiiaii Operation the. LEE ie- turned briefly to the United States, carrying with her German prisoners of war. She then set out for the Pacific 'theater passing through the Panama Canal the thirty-first of August and arriving in San Francisco the tenth of September. There she loaded cargo and departed for I-Ionolulu, Territory of Hawaii, arriving the twenty-sixth of the month. From Honolulu she sailed for Wellington, New Zealand, crossing the Equator for the first time on the third and crossing the International Date Line on the ninth of October. At Wellington, the LEE loaded elements of the famous Second Marine Division and proceeded to Efate in the New Hebrides Islands to rendezvous with other units in the task force of which she was to be a part. Then, in company with her new transport unit, she sailed for her first invasion in the Pacific theater-one which was to prove to be one of the toughest to be encountered in this thea- ter. The Marines were landed on Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands the twentieth of November, 1943- a date that will not soon be forgotten by the men who took part in this operation. As a result of the splendid team-work of the various units of the Navy that helped organize the beach with the Marines, the President of the United States awarded the Presidential Unit cita- tion to those persons who had performed duty on the hostile beachhead. A beach party and salvage unit from the HARRY LEE had taken part in this effort. From Tarawa the LEE in company with other transports and escort vessels that had taken part in the operation proceeded to Pearl Harbor. For the next two weeks dummy runs and mock inva- sions were in the plan of the day while the power of the amphibious fleet maneuvering in the Ha- waiian waters awaited movement orders for the next invasion. It was not a long wait. On the afternoon of january thirty-first, after steaming out 'of Hono- lulu in company with an invasion fleet for a period of nine days, the LEE commenced debarking and landing headquarters troops and equipment of the 7th Infantry Division, USA, on islands of tlie Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshalls. The landings were made without incident and the troops met little' initial opposition. ' ' .On February fifth the LEE received orders to proceed in company with other transports of her division to Funafuti in the Ellice Islands. From the Ellice Islands she went to Noumea, New Cale- donia, arriving February twenty-fourth, 1944. I ,Short stops at Guadalcanal, Tulagi in the Florida Islands, and back to Guadalcanal were on the schedule for the HARRY through the fifteenth of March. At Kukum'Beach, Guadalcanal the ship loaded troops and cargo of the headquarters com- pany, 4Oth Infantry Division, USA, and elements of the 1st Signal Corps, USMC, and got underway for practice landing maneuvers at Tenaru Beach, Guadalcanal, the following day. On the seven- teenth of March orders were received to debark the troops and equipment recently taken aboard and apparently the operation that had been planned had been cancelled. The ship then proceeded to Gavutu Harbor, Florida Islands, to await move- ment orders. She sailed the twenty-third of March for Guadalcanal and there, at Kukum Beach, ,pro- ceeded to load troops and cargo of the 93rd In- fantry Division-and attached units. 1 I After completing the loading the ship got un- derway for Empress Augusta Bay, Bougainville, in company with other transports and her protective escort. 'A change of orders was received directing .the convoy to head for Cape Torokina, Bougain- ville and, after arriving at this port, the LEE de- barked all passenger troops and cargo. She then sailed with the same fleet units through the China Straits to Milne Bay, New Guinea, where she fueled, sprovisioned and awaited further orders. On the fourth of April she left Milne Bay, an- chored briefly at Cape Sudest and proceeded to Dreggar Harbor, New Guinea, where she loaded 'the Third Battalion, Landing Team, 127th Regi- mental Combat Team, 32nd Division, USA. On April nineteen the HARRY LEE got under- way in company with elements of the First East- ern Reinforcement Group and entered Berlin Har- bor, Aitape, Dutch New Guinea, to land her troops and cargo and thus take part in her third Pacific invasion. The sea fortunately was calm and gentle breezes prevailed for this operation, but the surf conditions, due to thesteep gradient of the beach, were unusually bad. Four landing boats were lost during the operation, but otherwise there were no casualties. I y X , , From Aitape the LEE stopped briefly at Lange- mak Bay, New Guinea, and proceeded to the Cape Sudest Area, anchoring off Cape Endiadere, Buna on the twenty-sixth of April where she fueled and awaited further sailing orders. On the twenty.-eighth she steamed to Saidor, New Guinea via the Vitiaz Straits and anchored! in DeKays Bay where loading of cargo and embark- ing of troops of the 32nd Infantry Division, USA, was accomplished. The troops were taken to Aitape and landed there as reinforcements with little event. The task force then sailed from Aitape, May third, and proceeded to Guadalcanal via Buna and the Goschen Straits hoving to off Lunga Point, Guadalcanal 10 May, fo await permission to pro- ceed to Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides Islands in accordance with orders receivedj On 12 May, the LEE was drydocked in Espiritu Santo and all hands turned to the following two days to clean and paint the ship's bottom. g 4 .i....i.,,., ,,,,,,,,.,,,-.,,,, V , , YA,V Y V- W i Back to Lunga Point, Guadalcanal on May six- teenth, the HARRY LEE stood by for further or- ders. She shifted her anchorage to Doma Cove to load cargo of the 9th Defense Battalion, Third AmpCorp Headquarters and Service Unit, Seventh 155mm Gun Battalion and the Third Corp Medi- cal Battalion. The following day the personnel of the above units were taken aboard. A practice landing operation was held in the area about Savo Island and, after completion of the exercises, the ship steamed to Doma Cove and disembarked the troops. Two days later she changed her anchorage to Port Purvis to make minor engine repairs. She then stopped briefly at Kokumbana Beach and hence returnedito Doma Cove, where she reem- barked the troops she had recently put ashore. Or- ders were received directing the LEE to return to Kokumbana to assemble, with .other ships of her division. On June fourth the division of transports got underway for Kwajalein arriving 8 June. On June twelfth she was underway again. This time she was in company with a large task force. The operation plan designated a landing on Saipan to be closely followed by a landing on Guam. The LEE was to be held in reserve for the Saipan opera- tion and then to go into Guam. Actually she was not called to the rendezvous area at Saipan, but cruised beyond this immediate area to await orders. Orders subsequently were received directing the LEE to proceed to Eniwetok Atoll. During the eighteen sailing days between Kwajalein and.Eni- wetok there was considerable excitement aboard occasioned by the submarine contacts and occa- sional Jap planes that would end up in flames as a result of the action of American carrier based planes. From Eniwetok the task force, on the seven- teenth of July, got underway to retake the island of Guam. The LEE arrived in the transport area off Agaf Town, Guam 0620 21 July, to commence the ship to shore operation. Weather conditions were ideal and opposition was practically negligi- ble. Unloading and reloading for tactical purposes about the island continued until 25 july, when the transport division steamed from the area head- ing for Eniwetok and arriving there the twenty- ninth of the'month. It is to be noted that Lieu- tenant R. Brennan, USNR, beachmaster for the LEE, was awarded the bronze star medal for his outstanding service in receiving, organizing and dispatching materiel on the beachhead at Guam, thus reflecting credit on the men and the ship with which he was associated. On the thirty-first of july the LEE sailed for Pearl Harbor in company with other transports and an escort screen. Scuttlebutt ran high for a trip to Pearl was a good indication of further or- ders for the States. The ship moored alongside Berth 19, in Pearl I-larbor, 7 August and three days later she was un- derway enroute for San Pedro, California, U.S.A. It was 18 August when the HARRY arrived in San Pedro. She moved to the Bethlehem Steel Shipyard and there tied up to undergo a well de- served overhaul which lasted through the next two months. 1 On October 16, 1944, the HARRY LEE sailed from San Pedro to Port Hueneme, California, where she commenced loading cargo. In addition to the cargo, she embarked officers and enlisted men of the Sea Bees and miscellaneous units and steamed out of Port Hueneme 21 October, headed for Seeadler Harbor, Manus Islands. The skipper of the LEE, Captain Pomeroy, was designated the O.T.C., for the small convoy to make this trip. The journey was without event and on 9 Novem- ber entry was made into Seeadler Harbor of the Manus Islands. The following day, pursuant to her original orders, the LEE was underway independ- ently for Hollandia, New Guinea. Her next stop ' was Cape Caille, Humboldt Bay, where on the eleventh of November the casual officers and en- listed personnel were debarked. A day later the LEE put in in at Mios Woendi Island and dis- charged the Sea Bee personnel and cargo. Orders were received on the seventeenth of the month directing the ship to return to Seeadler Harbor and hence to Cape Torokina, Bougainville. The HARRY arrived in Cape Torokina, 26 No- vember and commenced loading cargo of the 5rd Battalion, 345th Infantry, USA. On eleven De- cember the officers and enlisted personnel of this unit boarded ship and the LEE was underway three days later with other transport vessels for divi- sional landing exercises in the Huon Gulf area, New Guinea. Carrier groups simulated air attacks enroute and the ships streamed paravanes and held various drills including anti-aircraft fire on sleeves and tactical maneuvers. The task force then re- turned to Seeadler Harbor 21 December, after concluding the strenuous landing and tactical exer- clses. On the last day of December the ship, in com- pany with a complete tactical landing and support force, got underway in accordance with an attack order-destination the Philippine Islands. Drills of various types were held daily as the vessels steamed for the Lingayen Gulf. The drills proved their use and -value as the task force neared its destination. On six January, at approximately 0910 a Jap bomber attacked one of the van destroyers scoring no hits. At, dusk of the same day hell- cats from a task force carrier knocked down five Val dive bombers. A little later another group of enemy bomber planes came over and one of the group made asuicide run on a carrier with a hit. A few minutes later another suicide plane made a run on an Australian vessel crashing close aboard the starboard quarter. The following day the task force entered the Lingayen Gulf and at 0732 the LEE ,lowered away her landing craft while still maneuvering into the transport area. A few minutes later troops began to debark into the landing craft by way of the cargo nets and the attack boats were off toward the enemy beach. Ironically, the Australian ship that barely missed being hit on the previous day was hit by a Jap suicide plane in the early afternoon. During the evening, when the chance for enemy plane opera- tion was greatest, the ships laidsmoke screens for protection against the many planes thatcame in for a kill over the fleet disposition. During the night Jap E boats were reported to be operating in the area with a result of light damage toisome ships and the sinking of one LCI. The following day the LEE commenced disembarking her cargo, but surf condition on the beach made it necessary to secure for fear of losing boats and materiel. Enemy' bombings and suicide raids continued and all hands remained at general quarters throughout the day. That evening at approximately 1700 the ship received orders to get underway and as she was proceeding from the transport areaone of the column leaders of the group was hit by a Jap sui- clde plane. The next day the LEE was 'granted permission to return to Lingayen Gulf to unload and although the surf was still high, the landing of cargo was completed without loss of men, boats of materiel. In the evening the HARRY again got underway from the Lingayen Gulf and headed for Leyte Gulf, anchoring the afternoon of January fourteenth. ' The HARRY LEE in company with a transport group departed Leyte Gulf, 19 January steaming for Ulithi and arriving at the destination on the twenty-third. From this date through February sixth she was anchored in the Ultihi lagoon await- ing orders. Then from Ultihi she sailed for Apra Harbor, Guam, arriving February eighth. Troops and cargo of the 9th Regimental Combat Team, 3rd Marine Division were taken aboard. , ' On February twelfth while still anchored in the harbor at Apra, Guam, Captain D. M. Agnew, USN, relieved Captain Pomeroy as commanding officer of the vessel. J In company with her transport division, escort and fire support ships the HARRY LEE got under- way the seventeenth of February. This time she was headed for another invasion-the invasion of Iwo Jima, a small Jap held strategic island that was to prove tough to take and of great tactical importance to the war in the Pacific because of its nearness to the Jap homeland. The LEE reached the operation area 19 January and remained in the a'rea until 6 March. After unloading theAMarines and their cargo at various ipoints of the island, the ship was designated as one of the hospital evacua- tion vessels and over three hundred and, fifty casualties were taken aboard during the operation.. Underway the sixth of March for Saipan and arriving 9 March, the LEE transferred her casual- ties to the Saipan Advanced Naval Hospital. She then returned to Apra Harbor, Guam. ' Elements of the Marine division hospital corps and signal corps that had remained aboard were debarked and the ship left Apra arriving in Tulagi '18 iMarch, to await further orders.. Leaving Tulagi 20 March, -the LEE sailed for New Caledonia, anchoring in Dumbea Bay, Nou- mea, the twenty-third of the month. Here stores were taken aboard and minor repairs effected to the engines. On the third of April she 'commenced loading cargo 'of the 316th Field Artillery and attached units of the 81st Division, USA. On, 17 April the HARRY got underway with a transport division for manuevers off Isie Passage, New Cale- donia. She then returned to Dumbea Bay on April nineteenth and loaded additional equipment and stood awaiting orders. The 81stiDivision was being heldiinfarea 'reserve for Okinawa, but was' never called. Instead orders were received a week later and the LEE proceeded incompany with her transport division through the viiiiz- Straits, the small islands south of Manus, and entered Seeadler Harbor I9 May, to make an aiiehoiagei The follow- ingiday the transport division got -underway again. The destination was Rizal and then Tarraguna, Cities on the Leyte Gulf, Philippine Islands. Troops and cargo were unloaded and on 20 May the LEE proceeded to San Pedro Bay, Leyte, P. I. The HARRY lay at anchor for a week in San Pedro Bay and at the end of thistime she got un- derway for Finschaven, New Guinea via Seeadler Harbor. She docked at Dreggar Harbor and loaded personnel and cargo of the 1872nd Engineer Avia- tion Battalion, 364th Station Hospital and the 13th General Hospital, USA. From Dreggar Harbor the orders read to proceed to Langemak Bay and thence to Hollandia, New Guinea. The HARRY entered Humboldt Bay, Hollandia and anchored on june seventh to await further orders. From Hollandia, in company with a large trans- port division, the LEE steamed for Batangas, Lu- zon, Philippine Islands, arriving at the destination the seventeenth of June. Her stay at Batangas was brief for less than three hours after letting go the anchor, she was underway again, this time for Manila, arriving late the evening of the same day. The army personnel and cargo were discharged at Manila and orders were received to proceed to Leyte Harbor for further instructions. From Leyte Harbor the ship was directed to re- turn to Finsch Harbor, New Guinea and 'on 26 June the LEE departed arriving at Cape Bredow, Finsch Harbor live days later. Personnel and cargo of the 300th and 267th Signal Radar Battalions, 7-45rd AA and 84th ordnance c'0mpanii-gi-were taken aboard., From Finsch Harbor theiLEE sailed, to Cape 'Caille,i Humboldt ABay, and two days later joined a Ho11andia-Manila convoy. From Manila' she went to San Fernando, another Philippineihar- bor town, where she discharged the passenger per-I sonnel and cargo. She then headedfor Leyte Gulf anchoring in the San ,Pedro Bay to await further orders. - On july twentieth, after refueling, the HARRY LEE got underway for San Francisco, California, proceeding independently and arriving- in .She 'San Francisco Bay the eighth of August. Her siay in the States this time was to be a short., one, but momentous, being there for V.-I. Dayfvi 3 I I' if After a brief 'period in drydock 'at-.Hunter's Point and thence to Richmond, California, to load cargo and troops of various units of the S. Army, the LEE got underway once again. This time the Destination was Manila with a brief stop at Eniwetok in the Marshall Islands. She crossed the International Date Line on thepseicond of September and arrived in Manila Bayji the six- teenth'of the month. The troops and cargo un- loaded in Manila and after lying to a short period in Leyte Gulf, the ship sailed for the town of Legaspi, Albay Gulf, Luzon, Philippine Islands ar- riving inthe scenic little bay 24 September. 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' ' 'V 4 g 7l'fL ' N Y , M u f ,Q r- W, . i f -fi , , . , . ,, A V T, ,f I ' . 5 f , . , h , 1 1 i v 4 1 111 aft, 0 THJE ADVENTURES 01? X J VJ H 1 y 0 , in ' WARE -- - ..E.., xv .,.q ,,.g1..-- n JPJWBLIE1, YW? .1 l'g J mx A -A Z3-xg -2 Six ff W Ely? :QD-if-' U C N gp ff? Q X A Q6 -5 W mf A QP . l' M, LJ TM , Cnow DOWN-Telgminuteg W QQ ,WL QWZYQ- aj I ,Q . , E . x 335112, QSM' 1 M JL Q 4, an if Y ix, Q' ,J Nw X A I I CAR s,.-,J x Jr Gay Ki? E H 4 ff xy 7 ERRUPTED LIBERTY ' 'X 4 31 W 'ii fig? ff 5 f L' 1 'R-. N! figl 4 W2l3E.iiJ Sim ,., ff s 6 fl 'Q X W' -.. M m 5f':lX Fl- Q lm, B1 , r- ,ft UW 1 W mm u, 'fl 'jf-2 f Q S 1324? 52 .S'?, M ,,, , W ' ,, 0 -4 y X f' ' 5 f Af, .un lb, ,f ,fl gg! . New K M i 'M -ffm ff f A 0 75 5 L. A 54. NX Hp, mos ff ,X 1 I 1 Q kg. 2' ioog BQTTLEMW n?9-NLR Q K tp Qs , I R tl R G9 I v ,. ...R ax? W 2 gf-l5..f XX af' X3 on K I-M-vi-A-' 'V , - E Xf- F' I ' X- ff I T if , I xl?'g 5 , I -3 , 4 I f 5. ' lm- Cgj 00133 'KF Q X ? 0554? 4552! Y . ' , W QQ QQ W' w f 1 -1-1111. L,l.1--l -X f Xml S E Q21 e ' GENERAL QUARTERS fl ll Zgfiffj Las f , X1 J I 1 A- Q I ia iigxxlfhlsifm N I A , ,f 7 f 5: REQFEP I I ? I'C, ., lg f I mi, - J f' fffff-i la if 7- ' YA, -A4-fl ff1'lIJ!2,f'R ' I 'A ' 'L' PACIFIC NIGHTS TN. QQ Xt? XX? 4A GX asf? V L -625 K LJ! 1 . ?Q? avg X HAR ' U Q , v t . H x '. W W b - w 1 , 'X , - Qx E ' 2 4 Q 'V E ' X A ' 6 0' Q 4 ' .1 'W' J tm x V A m.sJlI!1J,n.x Q E I 'pgafff aN ff f,41iM W W! HeyQ Mac, Gimme af Hand iz A ' A - 6 4 W J .q x gg,-'.... '--S--3 G1 N if-V1-LW'-X D mr 1 Q0 xv 1 :fi -. xg- N CX' as J . f KK 'races x Q33 Q5 -.-Z I CLC ff 1 I won't go over the hill, I won't go over- ,W N Q I A if X' W F c6g. x .pf iii M lf' xl' J LAX 4, X t U f J- ?'1'1.4:i1 1 ' . f X '9 SPECIAL SEA DETAIL-Bridge I I D N W gXiL NN'g1:1XxP X QQ 'K 1 419000 Q30 W 5 Q A Q IS - N X he X f ,