Haven (AH 12) - Naval Cruise Book

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FORWARD We d lake to tell you a story the story of our cruuse on the HAVEN But fnrst a Ilttle about the shnp herself Our shlp was built oraglnally for the Marltlme Commnsslon as a C 4 type vessel In 1944 however the Navy took her over and converted her unto a hospltal shlp She was commlssxoned on 5 May 1945 and joined the fleet on 16 June 1945 Here she began to fulfill her purpose One of her fnrst dutles was that of transporting some 691 neuropsychuatrlc and tubercular patlents from Pearl Harbor to the contlnental Unuted States She was kept quite busy IH those closnng days of World War ll and she was seen at Ullthl Okinawa and many other places During a great part of that year she was em ployed processlng hospltallznng and transporting some 10 OOO ex prisoners of war from prison camps on Kyushu Later an 1946 she played her part In Operatlon Crossroads serving as a hospltal for personnel attached to Task Force One and performing the functions of a laboratory and experlmental statnon Then on 1 July 1947 she was escorted to San Diego Callfornla where she was placed nn an Inactive status She stayed In mothballs untll she was called agaln to service and recommlssnoned on 15 September 1950 replacing her Ill fated sister shlp the USNS BENEVOLENCE KTAH 131 Departing the contunental lumnts of the Unlted States and having been assigned to The Commander Naval Forces Far East the HAVEN arrlved at lnchon Korea on 18 October 1950 and began her dutles nn con junction with United Nations forces engaged there She built up an nmpresslve record durlng her stay an the Korean area and on 30 October 1951 steamed unto San Francisco Bay for a well earned rest For most of us thus was the beglnnlng of our llfe with the HAVEN We were together for nearly a year ID Pusan lnchon and Japan And thas IS the story we d like you to hear by the people and the ship who lived nt

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CYRIL B, HAMBLETT Captain USNR Commanding Officer 9-l7-5l H i Qu ui-r Sf I -I nu- , DEDICATION To the men and women of the USS HAVEN lAH-125 who wrote the following chapters with their smiles, frowns, sweat, laughter. With their hopes, skills, unselfishness. With their despair and courage . . . and curses, and some- times tears . . . To the guy carrying that umpteenth case of lettuce up the gangway. To the guy handling the lines with red and often blistered hands . . . to the woman in grey pin-stripes who wearily walked the passageways checking on a serious patient. To the corpsman who squinted to see a thermometer reading in the dim light . . . to the guy who, sleepy-eyed, felt the shock of cold water sloshing about his feet as he swabbed down the decks at 6 A.M .... To the Doctor lighting a cigarette with tremb- ling fingers after standing long hours operat- ing. To the man intently listening to the dot, dot, dash of a message, and to the man stand- ing a boring and routine deck watch , . . To these, and to many, many more who con- tributed so much, this book is sincerely dedi- cated. C. B. HAMBLETT Captain USNR U.S S. HAVEN lAH-l2J l95l - i952