Hull (DD 945) - Naval Cruise Book

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Y mtv- N 1 1 .1 l 1 1 .-1 1 ii Sasebo Through 400 years Sasebo was a quiet and lonely village. creating its livelihood from fishing and farming. The Portuguese were the first to interrupt the tranquility of the harbor by trading at Yokose Qpresent location of the Fuel Detachmentj in 1570. By 1597 the Spanish and Dutch had joined the Portuguese in trading with the area. Sasebo enjoyed a Rip Van Winkle nap for 300 years before being awakened by news of the Omura Bay Survey of 1883. LCDR Togo Qlater Admiral Togoj entered the port aboard the DAlNl-TEIBO, the first warship seen in Sasebo. lmpressed by the seclusion, depth and spaciousness of the harbor. LCDR Togo made his recommendations to the Emperor and Sasebo was chosen for the development of a naval base. Three years later, actual construction of the base began and by 1889 the facilities were complete enough to have the Command- er-in-Chief appointed, Vice Admiral Akamatsu. The formal inau- guration of the Sasebo Naval Station was presided over by His Majesty the Emperor Meiji. This was an event unparalleled in Sasebo's memory. Several thousand people came to attend the festivities. Sasebo continued to expand and grow as a naval base through- out the l920's. ln the years before World War ll Sasebo's naval facilities were completed and improved. During World War ll Sasebo played a strategic role due to its location. lt was also one of the largest Japanese Naval bases in Japan. The first Ll.S. ship to arrive in Sasebo following World War ll was the USS SHANNON QDM-25j. She entered the harbor and accepted the surrender of the base on 14 September 1945. Eight days later the Fifth Marine Division landed and established tem- porary control. The Army soon followed and took over most of the land area. Fleet Activities, Sasebo, was officially born on June 30. 1946. Located only one hundred miles from Korea, Sasebo played an important part in supplying troops and equipment to the Korean War. Ll.S. Naval Ordnance Facility was established as a direct result of the Korean War in February 1951. lts primary function at the time was to supply ammunition to replace- that issued to combat ships and Marine air groups.

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The Army pulled out of Sasebo in October, 1955, and turned their hospital, exchange, clubs, commissary store, school and 150 sets of quarters over to Fleet Activities. Fleet Activities then assumed the responsibility for 1,500 dependents. The number was so large because of the large number of ships homeported here Qnine frigatesy. The Vietnam Conflict producedplenty of work for the Navy in Sasebo. The Ordnance Facility handled over one million tons of ammunition. However, the end of the Vietnam era also signaled the end of another era in Sasebo. Since Vietnam, Fleet Activities continually reduced and consolidated until thirty years from her founding she was swallowed up by CLS. Naval Ordnance Facility. Sasebo, on 30 June 1976. Sasebo is situated on the west coast of Kyushu lsland and has a population of over one quarter million. lt's the second largest city in Nagasaki Prefecture. The distance from Shinagawa Sta- tion in Tokyo to Sasebo Station is 870 miles, and Sasebo is about 120 miles southeast of Korea. Sasebo has one of the finest harbors in the world and was a key port of the Japanese Imperial Navy for 60 years. lt is still famed for its ship building and port facilities. Y ,,,. 1.