Helena (CA 75) - Naval Cruise Book

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THE BEGINNING OF THE CRUISE The July days were bright and sunny ones in Long Beach. The atmosphere was one of relaxation, though we knew that there would be long months away from our home port. Then .... crisis! Trouble had begun in the Middle East ! For our final precious day in port, liberty was limited to three hours per man, for the ship was on a three hour stand- by alert. Good-byes were now said in anxiety .... sometimes in tears. None of us knew whether or not we would ever get to cor original destination or whether we would be ordered to bolster forces in the danger area. On 16 July, last-minute farewells were said on the pier only seconds before the brow was lifted. And we were off. In the ensuing days, the air of doubt hung over us, but our course remained westward. Several fun-filled days in Hawaii made us less conscious of the world ' s affairs, but a twelve-hour alert lessened our liberty hours all the while. In less than two weeks, we arrived in Yokosuka, several days ahead of our original schedule. This was fun-time ! The fleet was in, and the town was lively. After a week had passed, COMSEVENTHFLT t ransferred his flag to HELENA, exactly seven days prior to our departure. As we left on 18 August, destinations were Keelung and Manila, each for several days. But Keelung was as for as we got. The Chinese Communists had begun bombardment of the offshore island group, including Quemoy and Amoy. This newest effort of the Com- munists was to occupy our time and our minds for many weeks to come. Point Delaware was our home ! We had many a rendezvous at that forlorn spot of nothingness. There were carrier operations, refueling operations, and just plain operations all far out to sea. Occasionally, there would come orders to proceed into Keelung, where we would rush ashore for three or four hurried hours prior to getting underway once more. And this was the seemingly endless pattern ! Later, we participated in a mission that won attention throughout the world .... the escort of supplies to Quemoy from Taiwan. Correspondents aboard rushed stories to their editors, and our name saw the front page of hundreds of newspapers. Gradually, tension lessened. Our liberty port list was expanded to include other than Keelung. The shelling slowed down, then came to a holt when a cease-fire agreement was reached. Back to Yokosuka we went, after scattered days in Buckner Bay and Taiwan ! But we knew it couldn ' t last, and if didn ' t I The Reds broke the agreement within a few days and began their bombardment once again. The word was emergency deployment, and we were off, leaving behind those few who couldn ' t be contacted in time. Though our presence was necessary, excite- ment was nil. This was to be our lost tangle with the Quemoy situation, for in another week, we steamed back into Yokosuka. And so our cruise began. Since those days, our times have been happy ones. We have steamed many thousands of miles, seen many wonderful things. Now, these days belong to time itself and to each of us who lived them, one with the other.

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; Let s do »he Hula ! ! Waikiki Beach USS Arizona memorial We feasted our eyes from Nuuanu Pale ¥