Hopewell (DD 681) - Naval Cruise Book

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carrying a hand carved bar on his back. By the time we departed l-long Kong and headed for Sasebo, it was still a long time before payday, and the ghost of last. payday was in the compartment designated as the sou- venir locker. The HCPEWELL was only in Sasebo a few days before we were ordered .to Nagasaki for the Nagasaki Sea Fair and Festival. Nagasaki was a new port to most of us, so the tours of the city were well attended. After a few days of being moored alongside the pier, we had a pretty good idea of how a goldfish in a store window must feel. While our liberty sections were out seeing the town, the local popu- lace, or a goodly part threof, came down to the pier to watch our movies on the fantail, so it must be said that a good time was had by all. A few days later we were back in Yokosuka, getting ready for our last big jump back to San Diego. Many of us felt that it had been a pretty long cruise and intrinsic Joys of Yokosuka notwithstanding all hands were think ing ahead and tasting vicariously the pleasure of Stateside liberty and

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Bay, our next port of call, where we stopped for an upkeep period. Sand- wiched between priority work requests and our annual Administrative lnspec- tion were excursions to Driftwood Beach, the fair city of Clongapo, and last but not least, the Club Bullpen. Before the sun and heat could fully take its toll, we were underway again, this time for Hong Kong, BCC. As we steamed into l-long Kong harbor that fine morning, we were met by the expected swarm of bum-boats, and in accordance with a custom of long standing, proceeded to turn the fire hoses on those who ventured too close. We were soon informed by the station ship however that sguirting the natives was no longer listed among the local outdoor sports, and that hereafter the police boats would take care of them. Since early in the cruise, the old-timers had been telling the boots about the wonderful bargains available, so when liberty went down, two sections swarmed ashore, to be descended upon by the local tailors, cabinet makers, cobblers, and other assorted tradesmen. Everyone left the ship with a roll of greenbacks and re- turned with a suitcase of clothes, or

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leave. Despite a threatening boiler, we waved good-bye and steamed for San Diego on schedule, 6 May l955. Variety in the form of refueling at sea off Midway and a speed run made the return trip go a bit faster, but it wasn't until we arrived at Pearl l-lar- bor again that we felt we were near- ing, home. A good deal of time and money was spent at Small Stores as Operation Full Sea Bag neared com- pletion. After a few days rest in l-la- waii, we were ready for that last leg of our trip. After an uneventful run, we picked up land on the radar one evening, and the next morning, there on the horizon was the coast of California. As we moved in, we formed up in a col- umn and made preparations for en- tering port. Now Point Loma could be distinguished, and as we passed the sea buoy, it seemed like much more than l38 dayshad passed since we had last steamed through that chan- nel. Finally about lOOO that overcast Sunday morning, the first line went over, and with the shifting of colors, the GUNG-l-l0pewell completed an- other cruise in the Western Pacific.