Helena (CA 75) - Naval Cruise Book

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This is my ship, the U. S. S. HELENA. This picture was snapped as she was coming into firing position on the bombline. I think she's a fins looking ship, and I'm proud of her and her record. 1 1 Y..

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.. - GD November 28, 1952 At Sea ' Dear Folks, ' There is some really good news to write today-we're heading for home! It seems like a long time since May 20th, when we left Long Beach. In fact, it will be seven months by the time we dock in our home port. One way or another, we have managed to keep busy the whole time. Most of the seven months were spent at sea, of course, operating off the east coast of Korea, but we also made some good liberties in Japan. We usually spent thirty days at sea followed by about ten days in port. h Even though the operating schedule was strenuous one, I did ind some spare time for myself. I was able to keep my camera busy snapping shots here and there, and I made up a photo album with pictures taken throughout the cruise. My idea was to keep a record of our activities at sea, the thingswe saw and did in port, and life on board the Helena. A I think you could say we had a three-fold job at sea. Our Hrst job was to keep enemy supply lines cut. Since we control the seas, the only way the enemy can get supplies and re-inforcements to the front lines is over land. We spent a lot of time cutting his railways, roads and bridges in such strange sounding places as Wonsan, Songjin, Tanchon, Kojo, Chongjin, and Hungnam. The second ,task was supporting our own troops on the front lines. We steamedback and forth on the ubombline firing at bunkers, gun positions, trenches, supply dumps, and troop concentrations. The idea was to keep the enemy off balance and give our troops a hand. I The third assignment, which gave us the most excitement, was acting as a search and rescue team for any of our pilots who were forced down. We carried a helicopter which made quite a name foriitself by dashing as much as thirty miles inland, through thick anti-aircraft fire, to pick up a pilot. Believe me, nobody can grin as wide as a pilot who has just been rescued from behind enemy lines. p Sometimes we got an unusual assignment. One of these was acting as flagship for the bombardment group during the amphibious demonstration near Kojo. Our side made a feint at the beaches there to make the enemy shuffle his troops around and to show them what we could do if we really wanted to. It wasn't all work all the time, lowever. We stopped at three different ports, Yokosuka, Nagoya, and Kobe, where we had a chance to see some of the best sights in Japan, as well as to rest up and enjoy ourselves. I'm sending the photo album along with this letter, hoping that you will like it, and that it will give you an idea of what the Helena has been up to during the last seven months.

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My ship has inherited a tradition of outstanding service and gallant fighting handed down through the years by her forerunners a gunboat and a light cruiser The first Helena a 1 400 ton gunboat was built in 1894 in Newport News Virginia so you see our history started over 55 years ago Her participation in the Spanish American War and the Philippine Campaign highlighted th1rty years of distinguished retired in 1932 The se ond Helena a light cruiser wasn t built until 1939 and was damaged at Pearl Harbor on December 7 1941 After several months in dry dock she returned to trade blows with the Japanese Fle t in the South Pacific where she earned the title the iightin est ship The Japanese really claimed a pr17e when a submarine sank her in the Battle of Kula Culf in 1943 As a result of her brilliant action against the enemy the Secretary of the Navy posthumously awarded her the Navy Unit Commendation You can probably remember when the citizens of Helena Montana conducted a bond 9 K I 1, .I A l o ' i , , ' H ' ' , 4 . a , , , ' 9 A 4 N . A o u '. . 5- x ' 0 0 0 Q , v Q ' u K Q . ga ' service with 'the Navy. Her career was ended as an active fighting ship when-she was rs V O lx , D I , . V 9 2 Q I , y a . , V g 4 . S . . , . V V A . U Q . , . ,, ' ' 4 . . Y V 4 . . V T ' o 0 g ' . G s ' Q Q ' ., ' - b A . . , V I , , , V selling campaign throughout the State, They were so successful that the Navy Department decided a heavy cruiser under construction in the Quincy Ship Yard should once again carry the name of their capital city. ' The new heavy cruiser, of the Baltimore class, was commissioned in 1945 and almost immediately began preparing for a round-the-world cruise. The Helena visited all the important ports 'of Europe and the Mediterranean, the Suez Canal, and then sailed for various portsin Asia, principally China and Japan, where she operated with other ships of the 'Pacific Fleet for several months. Uponibeing relieved, the ship steered a true course east for Long Beach, California, and a welcome yard overhaul. She operated between the Orient and the 'United States fornseveral years on training and reserve cruises. When war broke out on the Korean peninsula in 1950, the Helena headed for her first taste of battle. Since then she has made three trips to the Combat Zone, totaling nineteen months, and fired over 25,000 rounds of major calibre ammunition at enemy targets. We all feel our ship has done a darn good job. Now we are on our way home and the morale is at an all time high -as each day brings us nearer to the U. S. and the ones we love.