Isle Royale (AD 29) - Naval Cruise Book

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Prolo Hiie ISLH ROVALE departed Lona Beach, California for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on 3 August 1965, for a normal five month deployment to MIDPAC. After five days of smooth seas, we arrived in Pearl Harbor looking forward to a pleasant sojourn on fabulous Waikiki. The tempo of operations in the South China Sea had quickened however, and ISLE ROYALE received a change in orders. Proceed to the Western Pacific for an indefinite period. It was with mixed emotions that we readied ship for the journey west. All were indeed anxious to do their part in the defense of South Vietnam yet none were without misgivings about going off to war. Prior to departing Pearl, ISLE ROYALE received a full load of fuel and supplies and ' we worked around the clock getting everything aboard. In one day alone, forty-seven truck loads were packed below. Somehow we managed to struggle ashore at night trying to pull five months of Hawaiian liberty in one short week. On fifteen August, ISLE ROYALE sailed past the Arizona Memorial on the first leg of the longest period of continuous sea time since having been commissioned. Upon crossing 160 East, we joined the Seventh Elect for the first time and fourteen days after leaving Pearl Harbor, we sighted Grande Island at the entrance to Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines. Cubi Bulkhead was our first berth and, mere hours after arrival, five destroyers snuggled alongside. We commenced work immediately so that they might speedily return to Tonkin ready for action. With the arrival of the USS Diachenko (APD 123) on the second day in Subic, a total of six ships were nestled under our wing. One week later we experienced another ISLE ROYALE first when we began tending at a buoy. Shifting from pierside out into the stream, solving problems as they arose, ISLE ROYALE provided uninterrupted tender support from buoys ninteen and twenty-five for the remainder of our stay in Subic. While in the Philippines, ISLE ROYALE undertook a rather vast people-to-people project. We repainted, redecorated and almost rebuilt the largest elementary school in Bataan province. Those who gave their time, money and talent won ' t easily forget the grateful students and teachers of Thomas Pinpin School in Abucay, Bataan. Liberty in the Philippines, though not the most luxurious, wa s at least inexpensive. We will long remember the ten centavo jeepney rides and the one peso San Miguel. Of more pleasant memory are our weekends in chilly Baguio and air-conditioned Manila. Two and one half months later, ISLE ROYALE departed the Philippines. Alter two days of smooth sailing we put into Kaohsiung, the southern-most port and second largest city of Taiwan. Moored to buoys once again, ISLE ROYALE became SOP. ' for the first time. While in Kaohsiung, we provided services to ships of all types, including submarines. Although the work load was heavy, we carried-on without benefit of a Naval Supply Depot so that many times we were hard pressed either to find it or make it . Just as we will long remember the feminine pulchritude of the Republic of Eree China, so too we will find it hard to forget the infamous Taiwan beer. Was it really sixteen percent ? The outstanding liberty did not distract us from undertaking another good will project however. To the less fortunate of Kaohsiung, ISLE ROYALE donated approximately two hundred pounds of medical supplies and equijiment in care of Saint Joseph ' s Hospital, a mis- sionary clinic for the underprivileged. After three weeks in Kaoshiung, we proceeded to Hong Kong for six days of rest and relaxation. With stomachs churning, we enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner at sea in the backwash of Typhoon Faye. The following day we arrived in the British Crown Colony, the one and only port in the world where a sailor can go broke saving money. Sightseeing, exotic food and irresistable bargains made Hong Kong truly unforgettable. On the second of December, we left Lei-u-Mun Pass abaft and steamed north toward Japan. Arriv- ing Yokosuka after dark in a cold biting wind, we moored temporarily, donned our blues, and shivered through the coldest liberty that we could remember. The next morning we moved to a berth which necessitated a Mediterranean moor, another new experience for ISLE ROYALE. Shortly thereafter, a nest of five ships once again slipped alongside. We celebrated Christmas in an atmos- phere of nostalgia created by gifts, cards and memories amid the picturesque but bleak Japanese countryside. ISLE ROYALE ' S final people-to-people project was a Christmas party for a group of voung orphans. Cheering their Christmas certainly brightened ours. In late February as our lour with the mighty Seventh Fleet finally came to an end, we steamed into the rising sun, having given ample proof that ISLE ROYALE is still the best tender in the fleet. Mission accomplished ; homeward bound !

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Surfin ' Ci 5% never get the word KANE WAHINE