Helena (CA 75) - Naval Cruise Book

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SUMMARY 5 Jan Left Long Beach, Calif. 11 Jan -13 Jan Pearl Harbor. Administrative Inspection 26 Jan 30 Jan Yokosuka, Japan. Relieved St. Paul as Flagship 3 Feb — 12 Feb Keelung, Taiwan 16 Feb 17 Feb Iwo Jima. Navy-Marine Landing Exercise 20 Feb —21 Feb Keelung 23 Feb -26 Feb Buckner Bay, Okinawa 29 Feb — 2 Mar Keelung 5 Mar 9 Mar Manila, Republic of the Philippines 14 Mar — 21 Mar Keelung 24 Mar —25 Mar Nagasaki, Japan 26 Mar — 28 Mar Sasebo, Japan 31 Mar — 2 Apr Nagoya, Japan 6 Apr — 13 Apr Keelung 22 Apr - 28 Apr Hong Kong, B.C.C. 30 Apr — 1 May Keelung 5 May — 11 May Kobe (Osaka, Kyoto Nara). Japan 14 May — 21 May Keelung 23 May — 24 May Kaohsiung, Taiwan 30 May — 3 Jun Keelung 9 Jun —21 Jun Yokosuka. Rochester takes C7F aboard 22 Jun HOMEWARD BOUND FAR EAST CRUISE ' 56

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Executive Officer The man who administers the ship is Commander William J. Carey Jr., the Executive Officer. Cdr. Carey was born in St. Louis, Mo., May 21, 1916. He attended the U.S. Naval Academy and was graduated with the Class of ' 39. His first naval assignment was the battleship USS Mississippi. The Executive Officer participated in World War II and the Korean War. He ' s skip- pered four destroyer escorts and was the Executive Officer of the U.S. Naval Base, Annapolis, Md. Cdr. Carey married his wife Elizabeth, who is from Elmira, N.Y., in Honolulu, T. H., in 1943. They have four children, William Jr., Maurien, Christopher Michael and James. Their permanent home is Elmira.

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HAWAII The Hawaiian Islands were our first stop after we left Long Beach, and when not preparing for Administrative Inspection, we had an opportunity to poke around Oahu. The first impressive sij ht when making our approach from seaward was Diamond Head, a familiar landmark that used to be a volcano. We could sec the beach at Waikiki with its rolling surf, exclusive hotels, thatched huts and fringe of palms. Ilickam Field and Pear! Harbor were next. We topped off, shifted berths and when Liberty Call was passed, the crew had a chance to visit Honolulu. Honolulu is the big town, roughly 275,000 population, and as Americana as Stateside. It starts at the waterfront and ambles through the foothills to the mountains beyond. Shoppers had a field day. Merchandise from all over the world overflows from the Honolulu stores, and also there were shops that dealt exclusively in Hawaiian souvenirs. There were the latest movies, concerts and museums specializing in Polynesian arts and culture, and, of course, service clubs. Honolulu is a melting pot of the races of the Pacific. Its people, Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, Ilawaiians, and Mainlanders, live together, mostly out of doors, argue and play together and send their children to the same schools. There was pineapple, poi and pork roasted in bananas, and abundant recreational facilities, including swimming at Waikiki, former playground of Hawaiian kings, for three days following our rough voyage from the U.S. before we said Aloha to the Territory of Hawaii and continued on westward towards Yokosuka, Japan, our next port of call.