Hopewell (DD 681) - Naval Cruise Book

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During our stay in picturesgue For- mosan waters, we assisted in sup- port of the Tachen lsland evacuation, and spent most of the rest of our tour in the area running errands up and down the coast, from Matsu to Que- moy. Then one fine day fno one no- ticed the rain that dayl our reliefs ap- peared, and we were heading for Yokosuka, and a few days respite from the rigors of Condition lll. Never a dull moment however, and just as we were getting settled down in Yokosuka again, we headed for Okinawa for ASW operations with the Princeton and a division of British and Canadian destroyers. About this time we learned that we had been granted a diplomatic pass to visit Singapore. We also learned, to the chagrin of all polliwags aboard, that on the way we were to cross the Equator. For several days prior to that most infamous day in HOPEWELL history, l4 March l955, strange things were happening. Several times a day word would be passed for All shellbacks lay up to the CPG quarters, and woe be unto the polliwog who happened

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considering moving to another island. After refueling and giving all hands a few hours ashore to take pictures of the Gooneys, or have a few short ones, whichever idea seemed the more attractive at the moment, we were off again with our next stop Yokosuka. One day out of port, we ran into our first real taste of bad weather. The veterans of the last cruise said it was nothing like back off Formosa in the old days, but still there weren't many people to be found out of their bunks, except for the watch. Then one morn- ing it was calm, and there on the horizon was Fuji, and we knew that soon we would be in our home away from home, Yokosuka. After a short availability, we were off for the island of Formosa, and our tour of patrol duty. Until we arrived, patrol duty had been just that, steaming up and down a section of the coast until fuel was needed and then heading in to cos- mopolitan Keelung for fuel, provisions, movies, and LIBERTY. The morning we first saw Keelung, it was raining, and for the rest of our time in the area, each time we entered the port, we were met by precipitation, sometimes just a drizzle or mist, but always wet. ' ' ' T WSF - .. MlR.rMw.nE0:anm-J,'g1Q.

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to blunder in on one of these fateful gatherings. The ship became divided into two camps, the one Wandering around in a state of bewilderment as to Why the garbage was being saved, and Why polliwogs were not to go on the focsule or on the port side of the fantail, the other chuckling fiendishly at the guandary of the first. Finally the fateful day arrived, and the long line of clean-shave neophytes was sum- moned before the Royal Court for jusice tried, sentenced, and dealt with severely. At the end of this hectic day, the l-ICPEWELL set course for Singapore manned with a full com- pany of Crusty Shellbacks, duly in- itiated into the Ancient Crder of the Deep. ' Exotic Singapore proved to be in- teresting, if somewhat expensive. The courtesy of the Royal British Navy was exceeded only by their capacity for beer, and the use of Nuffield Service- men's Club added to amiable relations with I-ler Majesty's boys in blue. Other names. which will remain in our mem- ories of Singapore are the Raffles Ho- tel, the Adelphi Hotel, and Cockpit. ln sharp contrast to the pleasures of 'liberty in Singapore was humid Subic ---'