Isle Royale (AD 29) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 9 text:

SHIPS ills Y The USS isl 1 . , l (AD-29) was built b .he Tacoma Division o! 1 odd Pacific Shipyards, Int. at Tacoma, Washington. The keel was laid 16 December 1944 and the Ship was launched 19 September 194c. Following sea trials, and with only 69 hours of total steaming time, Isle Royale was placed in reserve status and moth- balled. ISLE ROYALE is named after Isle Rovale National Park located in I ake Supe- rior only a few miles from the Canadian border. On 9 June 1962, ISI I ROYALE was recommis- sioned at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard with RADM Frank Virden USN, Com- mander, Cruiser-Destroyer Force U.S. Pacific Fleet as principal speaker. There followed a period of oxer- haul, modernization and training after which, on 7 December 1962, ISLF ROYALE reported ready to tend ships. Two de- ployments, one to Hawaii, and one to WestPac were made in the following three years. On the 1 6th of May 1966, ISLE ROYALE entered the Bethlehem Shipyard for a two and a half month overhaul period. On the 16th of September 196b, ISLE ROYALE sailed from I ong Beach on her second WestPac tour. The mission of the ISI E ROYALF is to furnish logistic support and repair to vessels of the U. S. Navy. As implied in her designation, AD, her pri- mary function is to serve as a tender to Destroyers, but she has serviced Sub- marines, Mincsweeps. and Aircraft Carriers.

Page 8 text:

EXECUTIVE OFFICER During the seven months of this employment in Westpac, several firsts have been accomplished. These range from, emergency refueling, to an attempted salvage operation, to vertical replenishment. Onlv the willingness of the crew to work long hours at arduous tasks without thought of personal gain, has permitted Isle Rovale to gain a reputation for outstanding service. This attention to detail and devotion to duty under conditions that were often difficult and occasionally hazardous, has been in the finest tradition of the Na al Service. It has been a pleasure and an honor to serve with you, the crew members of the LI. S. S. Isle Rovale.

Page 10 text:

Exactly six and one halt months after returning from her maiden voyage to WESTPAC, 1ZZLY RIZZLY MARU steamed out of Long Beach Harbor for her second go on the line. With a crewful of experience and a yardperiod of preparation, she felt a bit more ready to attack her task then last time, when she was forced to deploy from Pearl Harbor on a mere week ' s notice. Why, this time all we needed was one practice sea detail ! The morning of 17 September was typically sunny Southern Californian and tears glistened on many a feminine cheek as we stole a last glance at Pier ih disappearing into the distance. Enroutc to Hawaii, we paused long enough lor ISLE ROYALE ' s first UNREP, refueling the USS ST CLAIR COUNTY (LST-.096) before slipping into Pearl Harbor for the latest skinny on WESTPAC Ops from the intelligence types up at CINCPACFLT. Although it was just a two day Stop-over, there was time enough for a couple of cool ones at Fort DeRussy and a quick dip off Waikiki. Soon Diamond Head was behind us though and the Naviguesser set departure course lor Sasebo, Japan. Although we had to dodge some weather, fair winds and following seas favored our track and it was smooth sailing all the way. We were still six days steaming out of Sasebo when we received our first sked change, directing us to proceed instead to Yokosuka. We med-moored at Fleet Flotilla Berth again just like last time, but this year the tricky maneuver was accomplished with a finesse that comes only from past experience. A nest soon snuggled alongside and our mission, to provide repair services to the Fleet, officially began. It wasn ' t all work though. Since fall in Japan is comparable to autumn in New England, what could be more fitting than football ? It was great weather for touring too and weekends found blue uniforms and white hats dotting the crowds at Fuji, Lake Hakkone, Nikko and Tokyo. Although we had originally expected to remain in the Land of the Rising Sun until mid-December, our second sked change dispatched us to Taiwan several weeks early. We were just as happy to escape the fury of the oncoming Japanese winter into balmy Formosan waters where swimming at Christmastime is not uncommon. We threaded the needlelike breakwater of Kaohsiung, the southernmost and second largest port of Free China, on 19 November. Both Thanksgiving and Christmas found us here and it was not with little nostalgia that we brooded of home over the holiday meal. How many times did we show the films of the dependents ' Christmas party ? Even though we considered ourselves old veterans of the deep and figured that we ' d seen about everything last year, practically all hands manned the rail for our first VERTREP as the helo ' s of the MARS dropped off stores almost faster than we could drag them away. It was a hard act to follow but the CO of the MARS himself provided a suitable finale to an amazing operation when he crashlanded his ' copter on our DASH flight deck. It took several days and some hard wigging to get it off and not just a few of us wondered what it was going to be like going through the rest of the cruise with such an ungainly bird on our back. As if that wasn ' t enough excitment for one port, shortly after the helicopter incident, on a sunny Saturday morning, we heard the 1 MC blare, Fire, Fire on the S. S. Oriana. Away the Emergency Fire Party. Provide . Before we knew it, we were involved in an operation that took the combined efforts of the U. S. and Chinese Navy units present two days to complete. ORIANA was saved nevertheless and ISLE ROYALE ' s participation received a commendatien from the officer in command of the operation as well as the thanks of the master of the vessel. We also found time amid all this excitement to undertake several people to people projects, entertaining a group of orphans on Thanksgiving, escorting a local girl ' school on a tour of the ship, hosting a group of Chinese naval officers for training in our techniques and, in turn, being hosted at the Chinese naval Christmas celebration, not to mention, of course, sending a working party off into the boondocks to paint out a schoolhouse much in need of refurbishing. With only a week to go in Kaohsiung, we were eagerly awaiting our upcoming trip to Hong Kong when a third sked change came over the fleet broadcast. USS MAHNOMEN COUNTY (LST-912) had parted her anchor chain in a storm and had been washed aground on the northern coast of South Viet Nam. ISLE ROYALE was directed to proceed to Chu Lai to honcho the SALVOPS as CTU 73.4.1. The combined efforts of ISLE ROYALE, GRAPPLE, CONSERVER, SIOUX, COCOPA and Harbor Clearance Unit One, Team One were unsuccessful in dislodging the stricken LST however, so fast was she stuck to the beach. After three solid weeks of trying, we got the word to give up the ghost and leave her to the mercy of the sea. ISLE ROYALE steamed into Subic Bay on 2 February to unload the equipage stripped from MAHNOMEN COUNTY which covered our decks in great plywood mounds. It was to be a short stay however, and 1 3 February found us underway again, enroute for some of that famous Hong Kong R R. We slipped neatly into our anchorage off Fenwick Pier at 0900 on the fifteenth and the first liberty party went over at 1115. Within an hour ISLE ROYALE men could be found scattered from China Fleet Club to the Hong Kong Hilton, from Wanchai to Kowloon. Days were spent saving money, as shopping is euphemistically termed in the crown colony, or sightseeing Victoria Peak, Repulse Bay. Tiger Balm Garden, the New Territories and the Red Chinese border. The chow bell sent us scurrying from Maxim ' s to Jimmy ' s Kitchen from the Penninsula to the Sea Palace, until, stuffed with delicacies and dog tired after a grueling day ' s liberty, we walla-walla ' d bat k to the rack to rest up for yet another day. Of course, some hung on for a glimpse at the China night but it wasn ' t much though; nothing but a bunch of gaudy bars, wild bands and a lot of slant-eyed women draped with long black hair and poured into cheongsams so tight that they have to be slit up to the thigh so that their wearers can move. Five days after arriving in the British Crown Colony, broke, and darn near dead tired, we steamed out past Lei Mun Pass for Subic Bay and the last leg of our tour. An epidemic of channel fever broke out that neither Doc Olongapo nor that all-purpose elixir called something like San Miguel could cure. Some tried a trip to Baguio City or Manila but reported inly temporary relief. Then, at long last. Underway Shift Colors rang out and, as our lumbering screw turned over lazily, we slowly picked up speed and slipped eastward, a bit older, a bit wiser and a bit more appreciative ol the old home sod.