Harry Lee (APA 10) - Naval Cruise Book

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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

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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

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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. On the twenty-ninth of September, 1945, per- sonnel and cargo of the 158th Regimental Combat Team began coming aboard foripassage to the HARRY LEE's next and long, awaited -desiiiiaiioii -TOKYO. I V A fpfqf After discharging, the embarked troops of the 158th in Yokohama, japan, the embarked Army, Navy, Marine and Coast Guard, high point men and sailed for Pearl Harbor, thence to join the Magic Carpet. S A FWS? IN ' IANILA You Ant NOW ENTERING TOKYO I 1sfCAVALRY DIVISION Jiiif '7 and the U. S. S. HARRY LEE I FIRST IN TOKYO