Haven (AH 12) - Naval Cruise Book

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FORWARD We ' d like to tell you a story . , , the story of our cruise on the HAVEN, But first, a little about the ship herself. Our ship was built originally for the Maritime Commission as a C-4 type vessel. In 1944, however, the Navy took her over and converted her into a hospital ship. She was commissioned on 5 May, 1945, and joined the fleet on 16 June, 1945. Here she began to fulfill her purpose. One of her first duties was that of transporting some 69 1 neuropsychiatric and tubercular patients from Pearl Harbor to the continental United States. She was kept quite busy in those closing days of World War II, and she was seen at Ulithi, Okinawa, and many other places. During a great part of that year she was em- ployed processing, hospitalizing, and transporting some 10,000 ex-prisoners of war from prison camps on Kyushu. Later, in 1946, she played her part in Operation Crossroads, serving as a hospital for personnel attached to Task Force One, and performing the functions of a laboratory and experimental station. Then, on ) July, 1947, she was escorted to San Diego, California, where she was placed in an inactive status She stayed in mothballs until she was called again to service and recommissioned on 15 September, 1950, replacing her ill-fated sister-ship, the USNS BENEVOLENCE (TAH-13). Departing the continental limits of the United States, and having been assigned to The Commander, Naval Forces, Far East, the HAVEN arrived at Inchon, Korea, on 18 October, 1950, and began her duties in con- junction with United Nations forces engaged there. She built up an impressive record during her stay in the Korean area, and on 30 October, 1951, steamed into San Francisco Bay for a well-earned rest. For most of us, this was the beginning of our life with the HAVEN. We were together for nearly a year, in Pusan, Inchon, and Japan. And this is the story we ' d like you to hear, by the people and the ship who lived it.

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CYRIL B HAMBLETT Captain USNR Commanding Officer 9 DEDICATION To the men and women of the USS HAVEN (AH-12) 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 USS. HAVEN (AH-12) 1951 - 1952 ( y rif ' ' i f- i y r ]