Harry Lee (APA 10) - Naval Cruise Book

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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

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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.

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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