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B 5: I X YYZY i -1 Y L- V Y IL I E ILIKRU ' 'ii To f 'Wiki 7- 7944 I on' L A549 g f5fg5,z,,:,5rLsf1m,,1 PA ERM s1muUm W Bl2luK'Tir. - fp-, Q. . mmI!rlHn'Ul21!J-- X-,!q!,.flQRAN iAFRlCPx 1 X g my W gg- A 'gs 2' Q 2' ,U ggi T .. .' file ' il l l. LST lLanding Ship Tanksl Driven by Diesel engines, the tank landing ship is not de- signed for speed but it .has a ruggedness that has carried it through the heaviest seas to distant and widely separated destinations. Of- ficially designated by the Navy as a landing ship--tanks, tHis type of craft is commonly referred to by its initials, LST. The LST was developed by the Navy's Bureau of Ships before we entered the war, in response to a request from the British for special in- vasion ships which could make the ocean passage and run ashore to discharge cargo if port facilities were not available. The vessels had to meet two requirements, they had to have a shallow draft so that they could approach shore, yet they could not be so flat- bottomed that they would roll excessively in the high seas. The LST contains a large chamber in its hold that reminds one of a big dance hall. It is here that the tanks, headed toward the bow, are stowed. When the ship lands at an invasion coast, a set of doors in the bow is opened and a ramp is lowered directly to the beach or to a bridge constructed of pontoons which, in transit, are hung on the ship's sides. The tanks are then driven under their own power to the shore. . . V nf 'Y ff Y LAT., ,,,,, ,-, , ,A ,A,-,W AAD, f -..-.-.--.Q..... ,bg-,......-.-an--- 1- , i ri? 91 si I 55 9, a wx.. - f' ' THE OL' DDUBLE TROUBLE Copyright, 1949 by Lieutenant JAMES W. KNOX, USNR fPRINTED IN THE UNITED s'rA'rEs OF AMERICA, U65 ADL EOLLEZL Uwullllg by JAMES WV. KNOX Lieutenant United States Nami Reserve PITISBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA R. T. LEYVIS CQMPANY, Publisher DEDICATION l TO ENSIGN DANNY BUTERBAUGH, USNR QLiberty, Tennesseej Reported missing in line of duty after the airplane on which he was a passenger crashed on September 20, 1944 enroute from Naples, Italy to Cagliari, Sardinia. Foiuzwonn i T01 The crew ofthe Uss LST 491 I wish to express my appreciation for the services each of you have rendered to the Navy in time of war. All of you performed your duties in a manner which met the high standards of the Naval service. The qual- ities of fellowship and cooperation which you displayed contributed materially to the successful performance of the mission of this command. I want each of you to remember that you left some- thing behind on the Ol' 49l. You have left just a little bit of your life. You have left Bill and john and Bob and joe. You have left fellows whom you will know forever, regardless of wherever or whenever you may see them again, what city or what restaurant or what party or what year. Former shipmates never can be strangers one to the other ever again. The name of the ship, or the memory of the ship is all that is required for their mutual backlog. My bestwishes for a happy and prosperous future for each of you. james W. Knox Commanding From: - Now Hear This -December 29, 1945-Captain? letter to the crew. THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON, D. C. To you who answered the call of your country and ser-oed in its Armed Forces to bring about the total defeat of the enemy, I extend thenheart- felt thanks of a grateful Nation. As one of the Nation's finest, you undertook the most severe task one can be called upon to perform. Be- cause you demonstrated the fortitude, resource- fulness and calm judgment necessary to carry out that task, we now look to you for leadership and example in further exalting our country in peace. HARRY S. TRUMAN THE CRI-ZW FORMS. . . OUR SHIP. . . THE SHAKI-IDOWN. . . CONTENTS EASTWARD HO! DESTINATION U. K.. . OPERATION OVPIRLlJRD. . MEUITERRANEAN ADVENTURE .. GOING HOME. . . ON OUR WAY AGAIN. . . ORINAWA . . THE IMPERIAL EMPIRE DECOMMISSIONED .. INTRODUCTIGN , The strategical and combat requirements of World War II resulted in the most novel departures in the de- sign of naval vessels that had occurred in the past half century. The LST probably remains the most special- ized type developed. These mass-produced shoe boxes with propellers, specifically designed to land vehicles and accompanying troops on hostile shores, became the work horses of the Navy. With modifications, they served as train ferries, horse ferries, casualty evacuation ships, tenders, and often bulk cargo carriers. To the professional mariner, the LST, with its char- acteristics of: no draft and all freeboard, contrary and always surprising maneuverability, buggywhip flexibility, and its ultimate mission of being driven upon the shore, was at the same time ridiculous and alarming. Their officers and crews, however, were almost totally non-pro- fessional. These men, few of whom had ever seen blue water, much less sailed it, solved her idiosyncrasies and made her perform above and beyond what had been in- tended or expected. The U.S.S. LST 491, with two and one half years war service, including assault landings at Normandy and southern France, combat landing at Okinawa, finally terminating with the occupation of Japan, can match her performance and experiences with the best in this highly respected branch of the amphibians. To her officers and crew, my shipmates and friends, I extend the fondest affection of an old sea dog. L ' L. F. TEUSCHER Captain United States Navy l 2 if 9' , if I w 1 The Crew Forms We all know that the U.S.S. LST 491 has con- tributed her part in bringing about the successful con- clusion of the war. She has sailed over 100,000 miles, carried thousands of troops and millions of tons of war cargo. During the two and one half years the ship was in commission there were received aboard for duty or temporary duty 798 men. Many places in the world have been visited and many will be remembered be- cause of some thrilling experience that occurred there. All who sailed the 491 will want to remember the im- portant events and experiences during these years, and this in a few words is what we shall try to present in this book. It was on Sunday, September 14, 1943, at the Am- phibious Training Base, Solomons, Maryland, that Crew 4204 was born. On that day the oflicers and men met for the first time. Lt. R. E. Fahnestock, USNR, was the prospective commanding officer. He had served aboard the U.S.S. Marblehead fa light cruiserj, in the Pacific theatre, and was one of the few in the entire group that had previous sea experience. The officers and crew were subjected to intensive training, and in a few weeks we found ourselves going aboard a training ship, the 1 i '5 3'Qi' I 4 l 2 S gi 4 L T If l e l l l 3 l t l 5 5 :A THE OL, DOUBLE TROUBLE T it LST 177, in the Chesapeake Bay. Here many of us saw, for the first time, an LST and also the ocean. We were naturally amazed to find a ship that looked so peculiar, as we knew very little about landing opera- tions and of the proposed use of the LST. We were trained in gunnery, battle problems, and general drills, and stood sea watches with the men from the ship's company. It was early in October when we sailed up the Bay expecting to disembark at Solomons, Maryland and leave shortly thereafter for the shipyard and our new ship. Upon arrival however we were told we would not disembark at Solomons, but wouldnreturn to Nor- folk that evening. The following morning about eleven o'clock we proceeded to Lambert Point, and docked at United Nations Pier. It was raining so hard the rain drops felt like little pebbles beating on our faces, and it was difhcult to berth the ship. 011 the pier was a huge empty warehouse, and not a soul was in sight. All of our gear was stacked ready to be shipped to Great Lakes Naval Tlallllllg Station our next report mg station before going to the shipyard Few of us knew that the Captain Executlve Officer and Others stayed and sau to it that all gear was p1 operly tagged and dispatched a task which took practically the whole after noon to complete All hands received a delay of seven days in reporting to Great Lakes and thus all were quite happy Wie had a nucleus crew known at 4204 A in training with us, and they too were given orders to pro , 5 , J! ,J G ? Q ceed to Great Lakes Lt Qgj R C Gerfen was the pros pectxve Executive Oflicer and he was in charge of the group f -25 A ?:A Q 'A A- O I 0 1 9 r 9 l ' O U 1 so ' -4 ' r I' Q 'Q Q , s 1 4 . A P- U ' I D . 'C C O I . 1 so ' so I we 0 0 . ' I 0 vo I o U I so r C vo 0 l I I I I ,, 1, - , .,f,. A ,ll-ssl.. .2 A , A: 5 w .L - A .4 x L'i'f::4'j- V 1-xl , W V af? P A a H-'tl 4 as ii sz-1 W THE CREW FORMS On Saturday, October 23 we were to report to Great Lakes. As we passed through the huge gates at the main entrance, we were impressed by the beauty and size of this station, one of our greatest Naval Insti- tutions. We lost no time in getting started to work. An Aircraft recognition class was held that afternoon. We reported for duty to the Anti-Aircraft Training Center and had two weeks of intensive training in small arms, the twenty and forty milimeter, the thirty and fifty caliber machine guns and the 1.1 pom-poms. Certainly the man in the most unforgettable character class was Chief Gunner's Mate jim Helwig. We all were impressed with his fiery pep talks and his efficient management of the range. On November 3 we all were invited to the little Chapel on the base to see Lt. Bob Dickinson get married, and after the wedding to the reception at Building :lil l. 'WVasy and Bob Dick- inson's sister were really cuttin' the rug with their jitter- buggin. They danced so fast that the evening gown gave way, up the side. While at Great Lakes we saw several good movies and enjoyed the happy hour programs which were under the direction of Eddie Peabody. Our gunnery training was completed on November 3, and so for the next few days while awaiting orders we had some in- struction in rough and tumble by one of the Chief Specialists. On Saturday, November 6, a dispatch was received stating that our ship was not yet ready and that all hands were to be detached and ordered to delay reporting to the shipyard in Evansville, Indiana until 3 THE OL' DOUBLE TROUBLE November 22. When the Executive officer read this dispatch to the crew everybody just. about went wild with joy. This meant 16 more days at home before the long voyage was to begin. 4 5' V I' ' . Y A . 2 Our Ship On November 22 we met the LST 491 for the first time. We were all very excited as this was the start of a new experience g this ship was to be our home for how long we did not know. The 491 was the first of the 491-542 six davit LST's, built by the Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Company at Evansville, Indiana. The LST 492 was berthed just astern and we got to know Lt. Pappy Newman, the skipper, and his crew. The 491 was placed in reduced commission on November 23, 1943 with the following Officers and crew aboard, as yet still in a passenger status: Lieutenant R. E. Fahnestock, USNR, Commanding Oflicerg Lieu- tenant W. M. Hemphill, USNR, Executive Officer, Lt. C. E. Stoker, USNR, Engineering Officer, Ensign J. W. Knox, USNR, Communications Ofhcerg Ensign L. Sil- verstein, Jr., USNR, First Lieutenant, Ensign R. M. Dickinson, USNR, Gunnery Officer, Ensign W. T. Baker, USNR, Stores Officer. The following men were in the crew: Adams, RM Sfcg Aldrich, RM Sfcg Andria, J. F .,'S2fc5 Anderson, G., S2!cg Berger, F., Flfcg Blake- slee, D. W., MoMMf2c3 Bradley, W. E., GM3!cg Calla- ghan, J. J., Slfcg Callahan, P. H., F2!cg Causey, J. M. R., F2fc, Clark, T. B., F2!cg Ciccone, J-, 5M3fC3 5 THE OL, DOUBLE TROUBLE Chancellor, F. E., MoMM2fc3 C0163 D-, Flfcs Cum- mings, L. M., Flfcg Dehler, N. A., S2!c3 Dickinson, A. C., S2!cg Durham, W. D., F2!cg Evans, E. W., Flfcg Fiorentino, B. J., Flfcg Fout, W. E., Slfcg Gundy, E., EM3!cg Jurusik, J., S2!cg Kalamain, M., S2!cg Kantner, M., S2!cg Katnik, W. M., S2!c3 Kessner, M., S2!cg Kolodziej, A. J., F3!cg Korb, R. L., S2fcg Kowing, R. L., Flfcg Lainas, T. G., F3fcg Larrissey, F., S2!cg Larson, P. B., S2!cg Layton, R., S2!cg Lee, G. L., S2!cg Lee, R. E., F2!cg Lewis, A. F., S2!cg Libold,.W. J., MoMM2!c, Loesch, H. H., S2fc, Loudon, W. A., S2!cg Lurty, YV. L., S2!cg Lynch, F. J., S2fcg MacDonald, G. L., S2!cg Mackey, T., S2!cg Manners, T., RM3!cg Mauro, B. T., S2!cg Novak, R., Flfcg Parnow, C., F2fcg Pyle, C. R., AS, Rinehart, C. C., F2fcg Rison, G., Flfcg Sullivan, J. F., QM2!cg Summers, H. C., S2!c3 Schrager, M., MoMM2!cg Sweeney, F. J., S2!cg Thompson, A., S2!cg lNade, E. F., Phm.2!cg Wasielewski, R. J., SC3!c, Wilson, W. C., SC1!cg Winfree, R. E., F2!cg and Winn, R. H. Flfc. XrVe also had aboard a nucleus Grew with Lt. R. C. Gerfen, USNR, acting as prospective Executive officer and Ensign R. Tuckwiller, USNR, as prospective First Lieutenant. On the following day, November 23, 1943, we sailed from Evansville, Indiana, down the Ohio River. The Coast Guard skeleton crew was responsible for piloting the ship safely to New Orleans. At night we would anchor as the fog was usually too thick for safe navigation. We anchored off Memphis, Tennessee one night and were able to obtain our first ship service 6 . OUR SHIP order of candy, cigarettes, etc. It was ia small one, but enough to go around for all. T We arrived at Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Decem- ber 2 and fueled, then proceeded to New Orleans and docked at Algiers Naval Station. In the afternoon the mast was erected, the ship placed in full Commission, and the Ensign hoisted. lfVe were now on our own. That afternoon we received the following draft of men from Solomons Maryland ATB: Brock, M. D., MOMM Zfcg Clark, R. P., SCQBQSXCQ Clark, W. J., BKRSXCQ Fox, B., STM2!cg Criep, R. G., Y3!cg Hadley, H. P., Slfcg Hilton, T., Flfcg Lovergine, P., S2!cg Mudd, O. O., S2!cg Smith, L. J., STM2fcg Suey, W., GM3!cg and Wilson, C. E., Coxwain. r Ensign Lloyd Moody, USNR, and his crew of twelve men also reported aboard to await the loading of the LCT 596. Mr. Moody was a line fellow and very popular with all who knew him. Our next few days were hectic ones. The workers from the shipyard seemed to pour aboard like a mass of ants. They had a great deal of work to finish that had not been completed at Evansville. On December 6, Norris, C., EM3!c reported aboard for duty and on the following day we received Ensign W. M. Boston and Ensign Danny Buterbaugh. On December 8, Brown, P. H., Coxwaing on December 9, Clifton, C. F., S2!c, and on December ll, Banford, Freddie, STM3!c and Antoine, O. A., STM3!c. On December 20, we were 7 . . AQ, , U J i run OL' DOUBLETROUBLE ip J haPPy to receive aboard Ensign M. H. Lininger,USNRQ. as he was to become our Disbursing Oflicer. His store- keepers, Parsons, R. P., SKl!c, Vrobel, R. V., SK2!c, and Whitcraft, J. R., SK2!c set up shop in a hurry and soon we were receiving our pay. Smith, M. J., STM2!c reported aboard on December 17. The day before- Christmas we received Heslin, J. C., Phm2! c, who later became our M.A.A., and McAlpine, J., Slfc a quarter- master striker. J On Christmas Eve we anchored down stream to await orders. The Captain and the Executive Oflicer went to the Federal Building for our orders. We had a Christmas tree on the Tank Deck and a great stack of gifts which had come from the American Red Cross. Each man received a black turtle neck sweater, a pair of gloves, a scarf, and a stocking cap. A carol-sing was held and everybody had a wonderful time. As this was the first Christmas away from home for many of the men aboard-their thoughts were with their loved ones back home. We had some excitement when the Cap- tain's boat returned. It had been raining all day, and late that evening it became very stormy. In attempting to tie-up the boat, Motor-Machinist's Mate Norton fell into the water, and Seaman Kantner fell in trying t0 rescue him. The boat was crashing against the side of the ship, and the ship was rolling slightly at anchor. It was quite a relief when we finally managed to haul the men aboard. Each man was clothed with heavy gear which made the rescue all the more difficult. 8 f 1 ,f 42' , f ,f X y I If of kr! ' Z I Q L 1 ,321 Z , A ' V MZ I E , I 4 4 f b fy, ,, ,f f ,rw 1 f.,v,, -ff' ' ggff' -'X nf ,Jr rr, ff, , ,I A, .f I- v V, 4' fe X ,f I J J W' X' f , ri, I ,f X 1' Our Defense from Jefw lop Boffleshup NGCQCITO Novo! Baie me - . Ng X Inv' ,gc R' CKY 1 ,,,,zf .ws',.fs Q-feQfma3:4fs'fs . .,1,a4s1r...f,,-wg SL-1 --Ax,14:,1r:aff,' :.- f qw if1:faxgg,is-5ff ::f.',-5:3145 3: I' lg f . ,v . . Yfihlllaw , '-5135153221-13235:1:12. K' I I x W Vw, , , ' wkwffww kg, 5 My if V .p 'f'::Q,, x ,mM'W 'ff' MW 3 The Shakedown . Early Christmas morning we were on our way to Panama City, St. Andrew's Bay, Florida for our shake- down cruise. By noon on Christmas Day, the fog had cleared and it was a beautiful sight to view this 100 miles of meandering Mississippi from New Orleans to the Gulf of Mexico. Our noon Christmas Day dinner was really a wow. The cooks prepared a delicious tur- key dinner with all the trimmings. We all ate, and ate. About 4 o'clock in the afternoon we reached the mouth of the Mississippi and after an hour or so in the choppy waters of the Gulf of Mexico many of us lost our deli- cious turkey dinner. The fish had some turkey that day down Mexico way. We arrived at Panama City, Florida on December 27 and received aboard six boat crews, Ensign j. L. Lovitz, and Ensign B. B. Barger. As our training and operations were intensive, we were kept on the go most of the time. We beached the LST 491 for the first time and also test-fired all guns. Everything seemed quite satisfactoryg we were at last getting to know our ship. On January 9, we received aboard for duty the follow- ing men: Anderson, A. E., S2!c, Barclay, E. F., Slfc, and Russo, F. F., S2!c. Lt. YV. McBrier reported 9 . . , ' 4 4. Y4- ' -,vl vs - - ' A., 5 . . K THE OL, DOUBLE TROUBLE -V aboard for transportation back to New Orleans as we were sailing that afternoon. Before departing we had to transfer Seaman Fred Berger ashore to have a new set of teeth made. He had lost his set overboard during a sea-sick spell. We arrived back in New Orleans on January 11, 1944 and after a nine day availability, during which we loaded the LCT 596, we sailed for New York City. This voyage was delightful and uneventful except for a vio- lent storm off Cape Hatteras. We were delayed about two days on arrival at New York. Our stay in New York was a happy one, many of our men seeing for the first time the Statue of Liberty and the great city of sky-scraper buildings. The wind was bitter and frosty, and beat against our faces as we made our way to pier 45, Manhattan Island. The pilot had difficulty maneuvering the ship to the proper pier as the current and wind was causing the ship to drift downstream. Our friends, and our sister ship the LST 492 were berthed at the same pier, having arrived a few days ahead of us. The following men were received aboard for duty on February 6 from the Receiving Sta- tion at Pier 92: Church, D. M., GM3!cg Cook, L., GM 3!cg DelVecchio, A. J., Slfcg Edenfield, A. C., Slfci Ervin, W. R., GM3!cg Farris, C. R., GM3!cg Fisher, H. A., Slfcg Harvey, B. F., Slfcg Horvath, E., Slfcg Heathcock, T. R., Slfcg Giedd, R. G., Slfcg Gillespie, I- D-, Slfcs Gray, J. J., Slfcg Illari, P. J., Slfcg Jerffb, J. R., Slfcg Keating, E., Coxwaing King, W. J., SUC- 10 THE SHAICEDOWN And the following day Anderson, K. L., S2!cg Colvin, C., 52fC3 and Little, L. A., S2!c were received aboard. On February 10, we loaded two LCS QSQ boats aboard the LCT. Ensign Frede and Ensign Dause and their crews also reported aboard. The same day we received two Doctors, Lt. W. P. Rogers and Lt. Qjgj H. S. Law- rence, two Chief Pharmacists, Harry Moss and J. A. Arnold, and twenty-seven pharmacists mates. Lewis, H. W., Phm3! c who was received aboard with this group was the only one to remain aboard until the ship was decommissioned. The doctors and corpsmen were to remain aboard to care for future expected casualties in anticipated operations in Europe. Harney, R. J., S2fc, McCaskill, W. S., F2!cg Ahearn, C. J., Slfcg and Woods, T., Slfc reported aboard before we departed for Bay- onne, New Jersey, where we loaded stores and supplies at the Naval Supply Depot. Our last day in New York was a busy one. The Red Cross furnished the ship auto transportation in order that we might complete our many official errands and details. One of the station wagons drove all over New York and made two trips for us to Bayonne, New jersey. lt was a long day for the driver, from nine-thirty in the morning until ten o'clock in the evening. When we expressed our thanks she re- marked that she enjoyed helping us as her husband was in the service, in fact in the Navy, and at that time at sea. Long hours were a daily routine for her. On February ll we left New York in a blinding snow storm and proceeded to Davisville, Rhode Island to load the cargo deck with equipment. The trip was 11 f THE OL, DOUBLE TROUBLE Q t Q an interesting one as we went via Long Island Sound. At Davisville we loaded Seabee equipment and gear. We all had our pictures taken the day Captain Fahnestock was presented the Purple Heart by Captain Lee, the Commanding Officer at Camp Endicott. The Purple Heart was awarded to Lieutenant Fahnestock by the Bureau of Naval Personnel as he had been wounded while serving aboard the U.S.S. Marblehead in the Pa- cific. On February 15 we departed from Davisville, Rhode Island and proceeded to Boston via the Cape Cod Canal. We berthed at the Commonwealth Pier, remaining there only a few days. On February 17 we received Nunes, R., F2!c aboard for duty. On February 18 we left Boston in Convoy for Halifax.' We all en- joyed Bostong the liberty was good is a phrase that was heard from several of the men. And so we were on our way . . . to Halifax . and then on to Europe. Many were leaving their native land for the first time and each was asking himself, I wonder when, and if, I'l1 come back? The trip was uneventful and we made the port of Halifax in about three days. The harbor of Halifax is like a beautiful broad river. It lies between long ranges of hills, guarded by islands wedged into the harbor entrance almost like melons jammed in the mouth of a sack. After proper identification we were permitted to enter the harbor. The water was studded with all types of craft, large and small. There was a bit of confusion on signals between our ship and one of the Canadian Harbor patrol boats. 12 THE SHAKEDOWN The patrol boat rammed our starboard side, and as it had a sharp bow, we had a hole to patch. We remained in Halifax about seven days to await the arrival of addi- tional ships for the convoy. The Smoker held at the Royal Navy Gymnasium was quite a success and an en- joyable evening for all who attended. All of the LST's in the harbor sent groups up to play ,basketball and each ship had several entries in the boxing show. There were a number of excellent boxing bouts. Although our Quartermaster Harold Summers boxed beautifully, he was not awarded the decision in his particular bout. The most exciting bout of the evening was between the 49l's entry, Wes Loudon and a cook from the LST 492. Loudon's opponent rushed at him swinging and slug- ging with all he could give. Loudon started to Hght back and iight hard. In about a minute and a half Wes was declared the winner. His opponent was on the deck. He did not sail with the convoy, but was sent to the hospital. During our stay in Halifax we encountered a terriiic blizzard. Plenty of snow fell and the wind was severe. One of the bitts on which our stern lines were secured to the deck, pulled loose from the deck on our fantail, and, as the decks were covered with snow and water, some of the boys sleeping below received an unexpected shower. 13 A-Gaqhfif 4925 .mwvm 4- Eastward Ho!--Destination U. K. On February 28 we sailed for the United King- dom. It was a large convoy with various types of ships and cargo. The trip was a bit rough at times, but most of our men were now getting used to the sea. We did have some excitement though. We had been sailing about four days in a very thick fog. The ships ahead and astern were sometimes not visible even during the daytime. About seven o'clock one morning we had a collision with a Canadian fishing boat. It was proceed- ing in the opposite direction and hit our port bow, punching a small hole in the skin of the ship. It all hap- pened so fast and the fog was so thick that we could barely see the vessel. We were not permitted to stop or break radio silence, but fortunately, on arrival in Europe, we learned that there had been no casualties and little damage had been done to the vessel. Convoys don't stop for anything or anybody. Too much is at stake and the ships had to get through to their respec- tive destinations. One evening just at dusk we received a signal to change course as the escort had received a submarine contact. We knew that it was a German sub as none of ours were operating along this particular route. About 14 . EASTWARD Ho! - DESTINATION U. K. eleven o'clock that evening the following signal was heard from the escort to the Commodore, Have sighted submarine, request permission to ram. The reply from the Commodore was Permission granted. About one-half hour later the escort again called the Commo- dore and delivered the following message: Submarine destroyed, am picking up survivors. And to that the Commodore replied Well done. The following morn- ing the escort that had sunk the submarine came close aboard our starboard side so that she might properly adjust her anti-submarine gear and devices. The escort was a Corvette of the Royal Navy and she looked mighty proud, her bow, covered with diesel oil, and pitching up and down in the rough sea. Because of the submarine menace off the coast of France and the approaches to the English Carmel and Irish Sea, it was necessary for us to sail north around the Northern part of Ireland and thence down the Irish Sea. And so the first land we sighted of the Old World was that of Northern Ireland, probably the mountains of the Mourne. We received orders to pro- ceed to Milford Haven, Wales, where we anchored in the Bay outside the harbor on March 16, 1944 to await further orders. The country side was beautiful, neatly .kept and peaceful. The sheep and cattle were grazing on the fields and on the hills, but it was not diflicult to observe that this was not an England at peace, but an England at war. Many planes were flying overhead and we could easily identify the Spitfires. There were bar- rage balloons scattered about the town and port area 15 5 fi 'l 'E ' ,dai ....,... -2, EAS .v ' . y THE OL' DOUBLE TROUBLE . for protection against strafing from enemy aircraft. Late in the afternoon we sailed in convoy for Ply- mouth, which later was assigned as our home port. We arrived on March 17 and about an hour after anchor- ing received our first dispatch of mail aboard. Every- body except those on watch below decks came topside to take a look at Plymouth Harbor. As we passed through the harbor nets, a cockney voice from the net tug called out- Welcome to Britain LST 491, pro- ceed to Jenny Cliff Bay and anchor at discretion. We hurriedly looked at the chart to find Jenny Cliif Bay as the harbor was loaded with all types of ships. The following Sunday, March 19, we launched the LCT 596 and Mr. Moody and his crew sailed up to Queen Anne's Battery. We then proceeded to dock in the vicinity of Turnchapel Hard and unload the tank deck. The British dock workers unloaded the tank deck, this was quite a job as the cargo stored there had been packed for a sea trip. Liberty was granted every night so we had our Hrst opportunity to see for Our- selves the damage to Plymouth by the Nazi bombers. The people in Plymouth had suffered severly but seemed to have plenty of courage and spirit. Even those men aboard who didn't like the British any too well .admired the residents of this blasted city. They had come though a hard period, their chins were up, andthey could still smile. Some enjoyed a hot cup of tea and a biscuit while ashore while others preferred their beverage a bit stronger. ' 16 s 2 i f fl, if . J, f - ' 1 I 7 1 l , A-LM-av -- i 9 i .t 'P 1'-l . -J . ' ff:-H iii ' 7 Q53 EASTWARD HO! -Q DESTINATION U. K. J A . f 'L V vb 2 Before leaving the unloading pier, we received our first inspection, personnel and material, by Commander L. F. Teuscher, USN, Commander LST Group 28, Flotilla 10, and his staff. The night before inspection the Captain informed the crew that all men were to have haircuts. Well, it seemed that his orders were strictly obeyed, as the Commander remarked, after com- pleting his inspection, I didn't find any man that re- quired a haircut, but you must have quite a variety of barbers aboard this ship. Our first practice operation or dry run started about a week later. Our ship, the LST 492 and LST 284 sailed for Brixham to load American soldiers and vehicles. Brixham is one of the small towns on the Southern coast of England, which we later learned, was to be one of the important staging centers for landing craft in preparation for the assault on the Normandy coast. Here at Brixham we learned what a hard was, and conducted our business with the Hardmaster in loading the ship. The loading of an LST under beach- ing conditions was a difficult job because of the tides which often ranged as high as 28 feet. The mock inva- sion occurred at Slapton Sands, which is known as the most invaded piece of land in the world. We arrived at H hour, dispatched our infantry waves, and later beached to off load our vehicles. Gur Easter weekend was spent waiting for the Army to finish its operations, and eating our first and C rations. On Easter Sunday afternoon we again loaded the troops from the beach and, after they disembarked at Brixham, we re- 17 THE or! DOUBLE TROUBLE turned to Plymouth. When we returned to Plymouth we received aboard Commander J. C. Guillott, fCommander LST Group 295 USN, and his staff, including the following: Lt. fjgj A. C. Coates QGroup Communications Officerj, and Dr. C. E. Daugherty QMCQ Lt. USNR. Enlisted per- sonnel included: Chief Radioman Van der Tuig, Dick- inson, L. M., SM2!cg Connington, D. H., RM3!cg Hart, J. T., Y2!cg and Meyers, E., STM2!c. The wrecked city of Plymouth was a tragic example of the immorality and destructiveness of war. A great number of the historic old buildings and churches were in shambles. The city was blacked out each night and the air raids were numerous. Our ship was berthed astern of the Amphibious Force Flagship, U.S.S. Ancon. One night, during an attack by the Nazis, all hell seemed to break loose when the British Anti-aircraft land bat- teries opened iire fthe ships were instructed not to fire as they would disclose their positionj. Flak fell on our deck and wesaw a German plane come down in flames. 0ur next practice operation was again scheduled for May in Slapton Sands, the practice invasion area between Dartmouth and Brixham. It was on a much larger scale and many of our men thought that this time it was the real invasion coming off. Before we de- parted from Plymouth we had a new super-conn con- structed. We loaded the Army again at Brixham and the operation went according to plan. One of the LST 18 .......... .,..--.-m---- M..-M-..,.,.,. Q 1 4 if 5 E y EASTWARD Ho! -- DESTINATION U. K convoys did encounter some trouble. An undetermined number of German boats attacked the convoy as it was approaching the practice assault area, and caused considerable damage. When the practice operation was completed we sailed to Dartmouth, England, which is another of the beautiful little towns along the Southern shore of Eng- land. It was difficult to enter this harbor as the ap- proach channel was very narrow. The town seemed to be sandwiched between the hills, and the quaint little brightly painted houses presented a lovely picture. Many of our men visited Dartmouth College, which is located on the top of the hill overlooking the bay where the LST's were nested by two's and moored to buoys. Dartmouth College had been a military college similar to our West Point Military Academy. Now the buildings were being used by the American Navy as a headquarters base. We sailed in a few days for Weymouth, towing a rhino ferry, and remained at anchor there for several days. On May 6 Commander C. Guillott was ordered to report to Plymouth to assume command and duties of Commander LST Flotilla Ten. On May 7 we re- ceived orders to return to Plymouth. On entering Ply- mouth the next day we noticed a great number of new LST's which had recently arrived from the States. The harbor was so crowded that we had to anchor in the vicin- ity of the nets, very close to other ships. The condition of the tide was such that we would not swing and thus there was no danger. 19 THE o1.' nounuz TROUBLE We sailed the following morning to Salcome, tow. ing an LCT as far as Dartmouth. Salcome is a small town with a population of about 3,000 people. Before the war this town was a seaside resort where people came for their vacations. We had to lay to and await high tide as it was impossible to enter the bay at low tide. As we started through this narrow channel our steering mechanism failed and we had to shift to hand steering. It was a difficult situation, but the skipper handled it nicely. After entering, the ship had to be turned with bow down stream and secured to mooring buoys mid- stream. Six LST's were moored in this small channel and occasionally one would go aground at low tide. Our new Group Commander, Commander W. S. Blair, USNR, reported aboard on May 17. We spent our time in Salcome, training, cleaning the ship and going ashore. We all learned a great deal from Doctor Lawrence's lectures on poison gases. It was believed that the Nazis might resort to gas warfare and thus we did not want to be caught unprepared. While at Salcome the follow- ing men were received aboard: Iaggi, G. E., MoMM2!c3 Welge, B. E., Coxwaing Jolly, R. E., MoMM2fcg and Strohmaier, C. E., MoMM Z! c. One evening we received a message from Admiral Kirk, which was addressed to all American Naval personnel. After chow the Captain called all hands to quarters on the tank deck and read Admiral Kirk's message. The ship was then sealed and we knew then that D day was not far away. On May 31, all of the LST's in Salcome sailed for Brixham, Where we proceeded to the hard and loaded the 252nd Airborne Headquarters Company, U. S. Army, and 20 S ' ! an 4 W fo. ff . Ji fc A, if I . ' f -3, 55 u Q A .wi their' equipment and vehicles. We were all set to go on June 4, but because of bad weather D day was moved ahead one day. So we remained at anchor to await the signal to move. On the night of june 4, a group of German bombers attacked the city of Tor- Quay, fthe British Atlantic City Resortl, killing 140 persons. Our anchorage was only live miles from this spot, and it was lucky for us that the jerry Boys didn't see us. We had aboard two Chaplains, a Catholic and a Protestant, and each held divine services before sailing time. The chaplains remarked that some of the tough- est sergeants among the Army passengers aboard came to church that day, and we know that a goodly number of Naval personnel were also there for the first time. 1 EAQSTWARD no! -- DESTINATION U. Kg B .s'fl'w K-15 ,rl 'Q' .11- -nm' N . f . . ln, ,. x V ala 7. yn ' 1 v 1 gf' HQKFWFAHW 5 Gperation Uverlord We sailed in convoy C36 LST'sj on the morning of june 5. It was quite an exciting day for all of us as we knew that the following day would be a bloody one. All of the LST's were loaded to capacity with men and cargo and we proceeded towards the coast of France in perfect formation. That evening a fleet of combatant ships, QBattleships, Cruisers, and Destroyersj was sighted on the horizon astern. They were part of the task force which sailed from Belfast, Ireland, and as they passed the following signal came to Commander Blair from Admiral Kirk, who was aboard the flagship U.S.S. Au- gusta, You look good. As the British Battleship War- spite passed we noticed that everybody seemed to be topside and we heard their famous Three Cheers come our way. It seemed a bit more comforting to have those big boys out ahead leading the way. We knew that their job was to come first in that they would bom- bard the coastal invasion beaches and give protection to the assault ships and boats. Une of their primary tar- gets would be to knock out the coastal guns and pill boxes which housed the famous German 88 and other guns. Cn the morning of June 6 about 1100, we re- ceived the following message by radio from the Supreme Commander, General Eisenhower: 22 Y...-ww--W-W---Y-E..-W, -Q ,.., v..,,,, , W ,c ,,,,,w,,,w A OPERATION OVERLORD Allied landings on the Normandie peninsula have been effectively carried out between the hours of 0600 and 0800 both from the sea and from the air supplied by allied warships and planes. Practically all the coastal guns have been silenced and did not prove to be as diffu- cult to silence as had been expected. Effective airborne landings have been carried out be- hind the enemy lines. More than 4,000 ships and 11,000 aircraft are involved in this morn- ing's and yesterday's attacks. General Mont- gomery is in full command of the troops. Dwight D. Eisenhower This certainly was good news and a big cheer came from the troops who were listening attentively while lounging on their vehicles on the main deck. We arrived at the transport area at 1500 on D day, and found the sea covered with ships, and the sky filled with planes. We dispatched our LCVP boats to the boat control ship and then proceeded to unload at Utah Beach. It was quite difficult to off-load as we had to use a rhino ferry. We were all extremely tired as we remained at Battle Stations for a very long period. The Germans came over that night as they did for several nights thereafter, dropping their bombs Non our forces ashore and laying mines in the transport area, where most of our ships were anchored or 'laying to.' On June 7 we moved to the Omaha Beach area as 23 THE OL' DOUBLE TROUBLE some of our troops and equipment had to be put ashore in that vicinity. This beach we fOl1f1Cl YO be II1UCh more active and the Battle-wagons fthe Nevada and Arkan- sasj, were throwing big shells inland to destroy the Nazis as they retreated from the beach areas. We succeeded in oil-loading the remainder of our vehicles and troops and proceeded to the transport area to await orders. We had not been anchored long when two Coast Guard cutters moored alongside, each loaded with casualties from the Destroyer Escort, USS Rich. The Rich had sunk after striking a mine, and all of the casualties were in serious condition. We also received survivors from the SS Susan B. Anthony, which had been sunk as part of the new breakwater operation which was be- ing constructed to protect the beach. We received about 115 glider pilots who were part of the pre-H Airborne assault forces. They had made their way back to the beach area from the interior of France after accomplish- ing their mission. There were also numerous merchant ship crews taken aboard, as they had scuttled their ships to helps build the port of Mullberry and Gooseberry. Late in the afternoon on June 8, 1944, we sailed for Portland, England. It was good to see the shores of England again. We all rested more comfortably, know- ing that D-Day had come and gone, and that we were still all well and very much alive. We had several pa- tients though on the tank deck who were seriously wounded and in severe pain. One Naval Officer and one enlisted man from the Destroyer Escort Rich died during the night on the way back to England. Our Doc- tors did all they possibly could to try to save the lives 24 , 1 A v, . fb , -. v , , .g 1 , . T A T F '5 1 ,..,.o-.r l I Y The LST 493 - The Enemy Scores - She was There 'roo.' ,M - Saipan D-Day, Normandie, France ,ysxzlwlg ' , , X f fs:438'Z': ,Q . 1 X. X t. , , .QW A ! 1 2 'Q ff . Q,-go'-.,: X . 'j '- , -. s 4 T W, I La, :-2s,,igf,1.1 f4::,z315..1.':f.-.w 1,,?qp6s,5Q ,A Normandie Beach is ours, D-Day, June 6, 1944 4 Q aww.- 'Liffle Sister, LCT She hifs The wafer, 554 readied for and goes her own launching way, Okinawa. 5 I n 1 .I 1 O I 5 3 1. T 8 J w I 1 H 5' W W 1 5 A A , -X msn- . ' ' ' w . .R A ., 'V ,.,, .-, ,,. .fi 4'.'7!4f pn!r,.'215'f-7 Lg., Y 'Y :'v2!9'1l3lIi-41:',,',g '1 Qfiesw 1' . v My ,ff w:'.,,,J. -K , q f,.,.i'Q,f '!-fmizi., Q ,fad zfwyq ' ,M WN? ' Tw, Y, 1 1, Awfw , , '.u-fy ..-gn-,var . fn ff 'gm , ' ,K 'ff A' .-YM, N V4 'QM-w--f.':-7-.?5'.1s.,.M'f A ,, 'V-' ,V rw , , b f-LAL. LCVP's Rendezvous b for Attack. I UQ4 ' SV , y ws'i'ZLeih f lL ' 1n9 Y .1 - MA , .N ly.. 3,1 PV.. 'T .RY -J 1 xr Q x Q , 8 ' K . H wr Q in d k gm, n K , S' I-5 Sknpper Foifmeefoclf Reccivea Pufple l4eort- DuvBvHm, Rhode Idond ,Al K ,fx l i-' .A at Q ' N T1 ., A x f 4 .-' U . 3, , ...e.,..f., mf -ff' ' vw, ' 7 s wi 2 is ,,, 1 ,X i. x 'ls The LCVP Expeditersn Standing, from left to right: Johnston, Mil- jour, Gerhart, Gillespie, Carey. Seated, left to right: Scott, Anastasi, Welge, Capstick, and Lena. The Black Gang Lovergine Re- ports Manned and Ready X xx l We W Q, -. V 'f ll- OPERATION OVERLORD of these two men, but the wounds were so severe that their efforts came to naught. We all admired the fine work of Doctor Daugherty and Doctor Lawrence, our Pharmacists Mates and corpsmen, and also the Army Doctor and staff that were aboard for the invasion. Early on june 10 we sailed from Portland. We had a heavy load of vehicles, tanks, half-tracks, and trucks and several hundred American soldiers. There was still plenty of action on the French Coast and our passengers all looked mighty serious. They cleaned their guns with diligence and skill as they realized that their guns would be most helpful friends when they would disembark. We arrived late that evening, but could not beach as the tide was low. During the morning of June ll, at about 0400, we had our first real air-raid. The jerries were over-head dropping bombs all around us. All of the ships were making smoke and the heavens were covered with tracer shells from the anti-aircraft batteries ashore. We beached at daylight and off-loaded our troops and vehicles. Before retracting we received about 85 American infantry men who had been wounded in battle. Most of them were ambulatory patients, but were suffering from severe shock. We also received 14 German prisoners who were badly woundedg they were in serious condition and one died before we reached England. We entered the port of Southampton this trip and in eight hours were off-loaded and re-loaded and soon on our way back to France. VVe carried a British Armored unit this time, and many of us saw for the first time the Churchill and Cromwell tanks. On 25- THE OL DOUBLE TROUBLE arrival in Normandy, we were ordered to off-load at Gold Beach, a British Beach which was under the con- trol of the Eastern Task Force. Everything went well, and we unloaded in good time with very little confusion. We sailed on june 16 for Tilbury, which is located on the Thames River about twenty miles South of Lon- don. To get there we had to pass through the Straits of Dover. That night during the 20-24 evening watch we noticed what at first appeared to be aircraft return- ing from the French Coast. These strange looking craft were showing a bright light and made a terrific roar as they passed overhead. We were ordered not to fire on them by our escort, but as they approached the shore of England, all of the British Anti-Aircraft batteries opened fire. They succeeded in knocking one down, but the others proceeded inland devastating the area where they exploded. Mfe learned the next morning from the Thames River pilot that they were the dreaded flying pilot-less V-l bombs and that the great city of London was receiving most of them. The people in Tilbury were calm but much concerned as three of the V-l's had landed in their town during the night causing considerable damage and killing a great number of people. We loaded a unit of the Royal Highlander Engineers, a part of the Royal Air Force. On June 17 we were underway again proceeding to Juno Beach in France. On June 18, about 2245, we proceeded to beach just as an air raid was starting. The area was covered with smoke and it was difficult to see the beach. As we beached we struck the stern anchor of another 26 OPERATION OVERLORD LST, which was already beached, ripping a hole in our bottom and causing the main engine room to take wa- ter. When the tide went down we off-loaded our troops and cargo, and the engineers and ship-litters repaired the hole. We retracted from the beach about 0400, june 19, and sailed for Southampton that day. We were awaiting orders to enter the dry-dock for repairs, but no space was available. After a delay of several days we sailed on june 23 for Newport, Eng- land. The night before a liberty party had gone ashore. A large number of the men could not get back to the ship as the liberty boat developed motor trouble, and thus those left behind had to travel over land from Southampton to Newport. In a few days we arrived in Newport and there entered the dry-dock for repairs. The bottom was repaired, scrapped, and painted and the screws changed. N'Ve all enjoyed our stay in New- port. It was a friendly little town and not damaged by the bombers. On july 3, we moved to Penarth, Wales, where we proceeded to load the gear and equipment of the Amphibious Repair Base for transfer to the Mediterranean Area. We had an extended stay in Penarth and thus it was possible for all hands to receive a 48-hour liberty to visit London and other places of interest. We shall not forget the American Red Cross Station in Penarth. The Red Cross girls were very kind to all of our men. There were a half dozen or so Eng- lish women who came to the Red Cross Station three times a week to sew clothes for the American Sailors. This was their way in saying Thanks to the Yanks, 27 THE OL, DOUBLE TROUBLE and it was much appreciated. The Red Cross sponsored a ball game between the ship and the Repair Base Per- sonnel. The Navy provided a truck and everybody was taken out to the country to play ball. After the game all had hamburgers and Coca-Cola, which the Red Cross girls provided. And Oh-yes, the Repair Base team won the game. 28 l 6 Mediterranean Adventure On july 17 we sailed from Penarth, Wales, for Falmouth, England, where we joined a convoy which was enroute to the Mediterranean. The convoy con- sisted of 28 LST's, 35 LCI's, and the escort- 7 Ameri- can destroyers and the Flag, The Cruiser Marblehead. On July 24, we arrived at Gibraltar. Gibraltar was quite impressive to most of us. We had studied in school about this great fortress, and we realized that the Strength of Gibraltar was now a concern of the United States, as well as that of Great Britain. The third night out from Gibraltar was a hectic one. An emergency turn to port had been ordered by the Convoy Commander to get clear of ships approach- ing ahead. One ship turned to Starboard and collided with the Commodore's ship. fThis was the LST 504, not the USS Marblehead, as the Marblehead had left the convoy to enter the port of Algiers that aftemoonj All ships were under dark ship regulations and soon the convoy lost its neat formation and became some- what scattered. It wasn't until sunrise that we all re- gained our assigned positions. This was the only excite- ment during the trip and on july 27, we arrived at Bizerte, Tunisia. It was a difficult job entering the ' 29 THE OL DOUBLE TROUBLE port as the Germans had scuttled many ships in the channel. Our stay in Bizerte was short. We unloaded our cargo and sailed for Naples on August 1. It was 3 beautiful August 3rd, the day we arrived in Naples, the sun was very hot and rain had not fallen for quite some time. This historic old city looked beautiful from the sea, but on coming closer the scars of battle were distinctly visible. Poverty, filth, and disease were in abundance. G Our first week was a busy one, especially for the LCVP boat crews and davit crews. We were at General Quarters CBatt1e Stationsj and Condition One Tare QStations for lowering of boatsj, several times each day. We all sensed that something was coming oif, but we didn't expect it to come so soon after our arrival. By August 12 we were loaded and ready to go. We had about 36 LST's in our Convoy and Commander W. S. Blair, USNR, who was our Group Commander Qand aboard our shipj, was the Commodore in charge. It was a great surprise to learn that none other than the Secretary of the Navy, Mr. James Forrestal, and Vice- Admiral Hewitt were paying us a call before departure. They took a quick spin about the decks stopping here and there to chat with a few of the sailors and soldiers. They seemed to depart with a feeling satisfied that we were ready and that our mission would be successful. By 1500 that same afternoon, we were formed-up and on our way. As we sailed west towards the setting sun we all looked back to see beautiful Mt. Vesuvius, 30 MEDITERRANEAN ADVENTURE the historic Isle of Capri, Pozzuoli, Nissida and Caste- lellamare. The following day we passed through the Straits of Bonifacio running between the islands of Corsica and Sardinia. This area had recently been swept for mines and the LST 491 was the first ship to enter. It was reported that the Nazis were again laying mines, but the entire convoy proceeded through safely. We arrived off the Southern Coast of France just before dawn. Everybody was tense with excitement, realizing that in two hours the fireworks would begin. We could see through our glasses the silhouettes of other arriving convoys and the battleships, Cruisers, and Destroyers taking their assigned positions for the bom- bardment. Our assignment was to send the first Assault Boat wave to Green Beach, which was located just West of Cap De Drammont. The soldiers were a bit nervous and tight lipped as they hurried down the rope ladders to the boats waiting below. They were well equipped and quite certain that Green Beach would be theirs in a short time. The naval and air bombardment started at sunrise. It was a thrilling spectacle to watch. Never before had we been so close to the beach during the bombardment phase of an operation. We all watched with interest the shelling of a large radio and radar station by the Cruiser Marblehead. On the third salvo the tower crumbled. At 0800, H hour, the boats started in, past tiny Ile D'Or they roared, all hitting the right sec- tor of Green Beach and discharging their assault troops. ' 31 g . THE OL, DOUBLE TROUBLE L We all waited anxiously for the first word about opera- tions on the beach and, about 0900, we received the following message from the Beach: FROM THE BEACHMASTER GREEN BEACH X ALL BOATS B E A C H E D SUCCESSFULLY X RESISTANCE LIGHT X PRCGRESSING ACCORDING. TO SCHEDULE. This was good news to hear and in an- other hour four of our boats returned, two staying at the beach to assist the beachmaster. We spent the day awaiting orders to beach, we couldn't anchor as the water was very deep in this particular area. About fl 800 we received orders from the beachmaster to beach and unload our cargo. We had just completed the un- loading when one German plane, a MM 209, came roaring out of nowhere, dropped one bomb which un- fortunately hit the LST 282 amidships as she was ap- proaching the beach to off-load her cargo. The bomb struck the main deck just forward of the deck house, and immediately the ship started to burn. The LST 282 was loaded as were all of the LST's with troops and vehicles, but she also had a large quantity of l55MM ammunition. We were ordered to retract and assist if possible. It was difficult for us to retract from the beach as we were stuck. Two bull-dozers were pushing on the bow to help but to no avail. We had already dispatched our landing boats to pick up survivors, who were float- ing in the water. In a matter of a few moments it was unsafe to go near the ship as it was completely engulfed in flames. By the time we were able to retract from the beach it was dark and thus quite diflicult to navigate. We remained in the area overnight maintaining our 32 NIEDITERRANEAN ADVENTURE position by taking bearings on the burning LST 282, which was now aground on the beach, and the land tangents that we could see through our glasses. As the water was quite deep in the area off the invasion beaches we could not anchor but had to maintain our position by using the engines and the rudder to maneuver. On August 16 we sailed in convoy for Adjaccio, Corsica and from there to the port of Ille Rouse, a small village in Northern Corsica. We made two trips from Ille Rouse, carrying Air Corps personnel and equip- ment. Our next trip was made from Naples, Italy, on August 26, to St. Tropez in Southern France. On Aug- ust 30 we made another trip from Corsica, this time loading at Calvi, and again going to St. Tropez. On September 2 we were back again at Ille Rouse for an- other load. We all will remember the beautiful swim- ming beach at Ille Rouse. All who liked to swim had an opportunity to do so. This time we loaded a unit of the Royal Air Force and sailed, on September 3, for St. Rapheal. On September 4 Commander W. S. Blair our Group Commander fGroup 29, Flotilla Tenj, was relieved and ordered to Naples, Italy, to assume com- mand of Flotilla Ten. We all regretted to see the Com- mander leave us as he was well liked and respected by all aboard. On September 5 we returned to Calvi, Cor- sica. We sailed on September 10 with a load of French Colonial troops. French Officers were in charge of this unit, but all of the soldiers were native Africans. On September 14, we were back in Calvi, Corsica and left the following day for Cagliari, Sardinia. We loaded on 33 THE OL, DOUBLE TROUBLE . the 16th day of September and sailed late that evening, Ensign Danny Buterbaugh left the ship at this port so that he might board a plane for Naples. He was going on official business to pick up some much needed radio and radar spare parts for the ship. He intended tO fly via ATC Service and return to Cagliari and catch the ship on the next trip. We did not realize it at the time, but this was the last time we were to see Danny Buter- baugh. When we returned to Cagliari he did not re- port aboard. On September 29, when We arrived in Naples, Italy, we received the shocking news that the plane on which he was a passenger had crashed on its return trip to Cagliari. There were no survivors re- ported and the plane had not been recovered. On September 18 we arrived in Bastia in North- eastern Corsica. We carried a bomber group of the United States AAF from Cagliari. Un the 20th of Sep- tember we were back in Cagliari, Sardinia to load an- other group for Bastia. On completion of this run We were ordered to Palermo, Sicily for dry-docking, arriv- ing in that port on September 25. Naval Operating Base, Palermo, was a very well run base and our repairs were completed within a four-day period. Palermo was once a very beautiful and romantic city, the show place of the Mediterranean, and the city where the elite of Europe Went to rest and play. But now its beautiful old buildings were in shambles, and the populace were a miserable and suffering lot. The abundance of splen- dor, wealth, fun, and happiness of the past was now re- placed with poverty and disease. 34 MEDITERRANEAN ADVENTURE We sailed shortly for Naples on completion of our repairs, arriving there on September 29. Here we 'loaded half of the tank deck with steel strips for an air- field, and awaited further orders. 0ur next assignment was to proceed to the island of Elba. This trip proved to be most unusual and one to write home about. We were the only LST assigned on this duty and had one PC as our escort. Elba, where Napoleon lived in exile, was used by the Allied Forces to shell Pembennio, Italy, with the Big Toms. The people of Elba were a pathetic sight. Most of them were slowly starving to death. Their homes and villages had been leveled by the fighting when the island was taken from the Germans. Our car- go manifest was an interesting one - 115 mules, 6 horses, 12 goats, 24 sheep, 4 Big Tom guns, numerous ancient motor vehicles that had seen better days, a French Naval Artillery unit and about 300 French Colonial Troops. We had to load at two different places. The mules were loaded first and then because of a storm we had to lay at anchor for three days. The smell of the mules was of course terrific, but fortunately none of them became sea-sick. It was several weeks before we were free of the barn yard atmosphere. We arrived at Marseilles, France, on October 9 and managed to get rid of every- thing but the smell. This was our first trip to the fam- ous seaport which the retreating Nazis had left in ruins, that is, the port area including the docks, cranes, etc. The town itself was in pretty good shape. Many of the men aboard visited the beautiful Cathedral, which was located on top of the hill overlooking the anchorage. 35 5 THE OL DOUBLE TROUBLE S. ,We salled from Marseilles on October 15 for zerte, Tunisia, carrying the 8th Beach Battalion anda number of other Naval personnel who were preparing to leave for the United States. We arrived on October 17, discharged part of the personnel, and then pro- ceeded to Oran, Africa for a new assignment. On Octo- ber 25, We departed for Marseilles, France loaded with heavy tanks and Army equipment. We also had aboard 700 former Italian prisoners who were going to France to work for the United States Army Quartermaster Corps. The trip from Oran to Marseilles usually takes about two and one-half days, but on this trip it took us about live daysas the Ol' Med was on a rampage. We arrived on October 30th, unloaded, and the follow- ing day we were on our way again. The ship was loaded during the night with U. S. Army vehicles and equip- ment for delivery to Leghorn, Italy, After oil-loading at Leghorn we proceeded to Bizerte, Tunisia, arriving on November 3. A . Going Home On arrival in Bizerte we were ordered to prepare the ship for return to the United States. This was wel- come news, and all hands became wild-eyed eager beavers. This was the moment we were all waiting for, and everybody turned to in order to bring the ship up to standard so that we might be released to join the other homeward-bound ships. While at Bizerte our skipper, Lt. Commander R. E. Fahnestock was ordered to join the Staff of Comman- der LST Flotilla 10 as Operations Officer. Lieutenant Wylie M. Hemphill, our Executive Oflicer was ordered to take command, and our Engineering Ofiicer, Lieu- tenant Carl E. Stoker, was appointed Executive Ofhcer. Lt. Commander W. McBrier reported aboard as Commander LST Group 29, and shortly thereafter, we departed Bizerte to proceed to Oran. We had in tow an LCT. At Oran we loaded equipment for de- livery to the United States and after our Thanksgiving Turkey dinner we departed for Norfolk, Virginia, in convoy on November 23, 1944. As we passed from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, and the Migh- ty Rock of Gibraltar disappeared on the horizon astern, 37 THE OL DOUBLE TROUBLE we seemed to be relieved. The pressure was now off... the war and all the misery and suffering that goes with war and which we all had seen was now left behind. The future for each of us was uncertain but we could now look forward to seeing our country, our homes, and our loved ones once again. The voyage home was uneventful except one after- noon about midway across the Atlantic, we received aboard a sailor from the LST 284 who had a ruptured appendix. Our Doctors proceeded to operate immedi- ately as the patient was in serious condition. They worked carefully and diligently, but, about an hour after the operation, complications set in and the patient died. Paul Hadley, our signalman, and his gang were busy making a home coming pennant which we would fly from the mainmast when we reached the United States. We were hoping for good weather on arrival, but December ll, 1944 was a rainy, foggy day. We had difficulty entering port because of poor visibility. Re- gardless of the weather, America looked good to us.. It was home to all aboard and we knew it. After what we had experienced and seen abroad, we knew that America really was God's Country. On December 12, 1944, we received the following personnel aboard from the Amphibious Training Base at Camp Bradford: W. Armstrong, James L. Bunton, Howard Burchfield, Robert N. Bursey, Joseph H. Cun- 38 GOING HOME ningham, Theodore Dusak, john Faries, Thomas J. Galvin, Vernon Harvey, Eugene Hayden, Elroy Hefner, Alfred Howard, john Judkins, James Jensen, Murdock Kennedy, Ray Kogut, john Marko, joseph Mertens, Vin- cent Mungovan, Martin Rogoff, Warren Runnals, Sam Scott, Robert Tucker, Ray Setzer, Charlie Vail, and Willie Young, also the following officers: Ensign Walter J. Dugan and Ensign james Edwards. Mr. Dugan later became the Engineering oflicer and Mr. Edwards the Communications officer. We departed for New York the following day and arrived on December 14, thence on to Boston by way of the inland channel where we stayed for a 45-day availability. On December 17th two-thirds of the origi- nal crew were granted a leave of 30 days -the other third remaining aboard along with the new ofhcers and men who reported aboard at Norfolk. Before sailing from Boston on January 31, 1945, thirty enlisted men and three officers QLt. C. E. Stoker, Lt. Qjgj R. M. Dick- inson and Lt. L. Silversteinj were granted a thirty day leave at the expiration of which they were assigned new duties. While at Boston we were designated flagship for Commander LST Group 107, Flotilla 36, and were quite pleased when Commander L. F. Teuscher USN reported aboard with his staff and hoisted his pennant at the mainmast. The Staff included the following officers: Lt. Herbert B. March, Cperationsg Dr. Donald H. Walk- er, Medical, Lt. Richard H. Loring, Engineer, Lt. B 39 THE OL DOUBLE TROUBLE Albert W. Barney, jr., Paymasters Lt. Qjgb 'John W, North, Communications, and Chief Pharmacist Mate Robert Towner. 4 The enlisted men included the following: George W. Anderson, jr., I-Iarlie E. Cooley, Jr., Vito Culicchia, joseph Fasciana, Joseph R. Fay, William Foley, Ern- est G. Galvan, Lucius Green, Donald Hayes, Abra H. Hurtt, Claude Kirk, John Kraentler, Louis Lombardo, Albert L. Mane, George C. Moore, John T. Riley, Tay- lor G. Seal, John H. See, Weldon E. Smith, Karl Solo- mon, Jack Tretheway, Warren Weller, and Raymond E. Wilson. 4 . We arrived at Davisville, Rhode Island on February 4, 1945, after a stormy voyage off Nantucket. We re- quired minor repair work and were loaded with vehicles and general cargo for the Pacific. We also received four pontoons, two being side-loaded, port and star- board. We departed Davisville, Rhode Island, on February 28, 1945, arriving at New York City on March l. L One LCT was loaded on the main deck, and Lt. Dulany Foster reported aboard with 12 enlisted men. - We were delayed in New York live days, awaiting arrival of one new pontoon as one of ours had been damaged in a minor collision in Long Island Sound. We enjoyed our stay in New York City and soon were on our way to Nor- folk, our last stop before leaving the country, arriving on March 6, 1945. The two days we spent at the Navy 40 ,.,.,. ., ... . J bt! 2 . , ,-f 1.0, WW. I V rf:-W' . ' f ',1f'Q,Xi,4 f: ,, L, V . . . , . Lffj:L'fH Q 1470? 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V f -,ff 4. ff, V A . ff'--'f'f,7 W 1 X W7 , , X f ,f f f W 'VV- ?7y! 'ffff 7ZZ2QZQW5ZMfL.i ' Bum-Boot Traders Wishing 10 Do Buai ness, Philippine Is- Icinrie, Doibufsu Lookf, Down an Lf. John North ond Copfoin L. F. Tau SChCr of KC1rm1kiir'fi, Jopnnr X 'A 552 482 ' 4 M W. V A Bomb Alfers Hiroshima ones, last minute jobs being important of all, our oven was at last and we were now satisfied that Joe baker, would be able to continue to bake bread, pies, cakes, and cookies. 8 i On Gur Way Again We departed Norfolk on March 8, 1945, in convoy for the Canal Zone, stopping for one day fMarch 145 at our beautiful Naval Base at Guantamano Bay, Cuba, ar- riving on March 19. We were granted a four-day avail- ability at Panama for minor repairs and the checking of cargo. To most of us the Canal was a thrilling sight as it was our first time to pass through. Lou Anastasi and his committee had organized a softball league and We played a few games While at Panama. We regret- fully took leave of Panama on March 23, 1945 3 destina- tion Island of Eniewtokz estimated time of arrival- April 23. We departed in company with another LST and Without escort. It was a long and tiresome trip. The weather was blistering hot, but the sea was beauti- ful and calm. We used our time wisely, conducting training classes and tending our ship's work. The eve- nings were quiet and calm, and many enjoyed the sing- songs which were held on deck. Doctor Don Walker and Lt. Herb March furnished the music, playing the guitar and accordian respectively. They could play just about any request that was made and some of the sing-songs were really good. Our Coca-Cola machine was working nicely and the 'cool cokes' were enjoyed by all, thanks to Mr. Boston, Chief Chancellor, and 42 I y ON OUR WAY AGAIN Storekeeper Mudd and others. The engineers saw to it that our ice cream production was increased by tap- ping the brine from the refrigerator to the ice cream machine and rigging up a small motor to do the work. Our voyage was uneventful, but we were shocked when we received the radio message on April 12, 1945, stating that our President and Commander-in-Chief, Franklin D. Roosevelt, had passed away. It was hard to believe that this great champion of Democracy and friend of all Navy men was gone. The ensign was lowered io half-mast by order of the Secretary of Navy, for a period of thirty days. On Sunday, April 15, a memorial serv- ice was held on the main deck with all hands attending. Before our arrival at Eniewtok, the first edition of our ship's newspaper was issued. jack 'Frethewey Storekeeper lfc, won 55.00 in the newspaper name con- test, the name being Now Hear This. The news- paper staff was as follows: Chief of Staff, R. Towner, C.Ph.M.3 Editor, R. Criep. Yflciz Reporters--Engiw eering, F. Chancellor, CMOMMQ Supply, R. Wasielew- ski, CCS, Deck, C. Wilson, BM2!cg Gunnery, VV. Brad- ley, GMl!cg Ship's Control, P. Hadley, SMl!c: LCVP's, R. Capstick, MOMMIXCQ Religious, F. Sweeney, Y2fcg Statistical, W. Runnalls, SKD2!cg Recreation and Sports, L. Anastasi, Slfcg Library, Cunningham, Flfc QMOMMjg Personalities, W. Smith, SMl!cg Make-up Editor, D. Hayes, Ylfcg Copyist, NV. Foley, Y2!cg Fea- ture Writers, W. YV eller, SK3! c and Martin Rogoff, QMSXCQ and Cartoonist, H. Lewis, Phm2! c. 43 THE OL' DOUBLE TROUBLE Our radar picked up the island of Eniewtok long before we could see it, as the island was very small and quite flat. We stayed overnight long enough to pick up our signals and move on to Guam. Not long after our departure, Lt. Herb March became ill and had to be transferred to one of the escorts for return to Eniew- tok for an appendectomy. fHe recovered nicely and was back aboard in a few weeks.j We arrived at Guam on April 28 and found Apra Harbor quite crowded with ships and a bee-hive of port activity. Our Hrst evening in Guam was an enjoyable one, the weather was beauti- ful and the sing-song and show was a corker. Some ships suspected us of having women aboard, but what they saw was Pharmacist's Mate, Harold Lewis, as the Hula-Hula dancer, and Motor Machinist's Mate, Paul Callahan, the mysterious Glamour Girl. Part of our cargo was off loaded here at Guam including our pon- toons, and the remainder on the Island of Tininian. On May 12 we sailed to Saipan where we received aboard several survivors from ships which had been damaged and sunk off Okinawa. On May 16 we were back in Guam and were immediately loaded with 1096 tons of ammunition-destination-Okinawa. 44 Okinawa We departed Guam on May 21 in convoy and ar- rived at Hagushi Beach, Okinawa on May 31. We launched our LCT, the 554, supplying it with fuel, food, and water. Mr. Foster and 12 men went aboard and were soon ready for operations at Hagushi Beach. The Okinawa operation was difficult and bloody for our forces. Here we had all branches of our Armed Forces engaged against the enemy-Army, Navy, Mar- ines, Coast Guard and Air Corps. Our losses were heavy, particularly in the number of ships damaged or destroyed. The screen of American ships protecting the forces ashore certainly earned the name they were later given, The Fleet that Came to Stay. All during the night we could hear the artillery shells exploding as our land forces advanced on the city of Naha, and the booming of the 16-inch guns of the Battleships from sea. The weather was usually unfavorable as it rained during most of our stay in the combat zone. Trucks, jeeps and other vehicles would bog down in the mud. While we were on the beach we would often have tired and weary marines and soldiers come aboard for water or some food and their boots would usually show the mud line above their knees. Many times our entire 45 THE OL' DOUBLE TROUBLE y crew would be at battle stations most of the night as the japs would manage to get some of their bombers through our coastal defense. We would make smoke aboard with the use of smoke generators and have our boats circle the ship with smoke pots. This was done by all ships on signal from the Task Force Commander in order to protect all ships in the anchorage. We returned to Okinawa on july 1 with another load of equipment and men. This group, the 7th Serv- ice Corps, U. S. Marines, was our first detachment of Marines, came from the Island of Saipan. They were neat and tidy and kept their spaces in excellent shape. We arrived at Okinawa on July 28, this time beaching at Nagga Wan Bay on the North Western section of the island. On our return trip to Saipan on August ll, an epi- demic of acute dysentery broke out aboard ship. By noon all aboard except three officers and twelve en- listed men were affected to some degree. The ship was thus disabled and moored to a pier. Dr. Walker and the Pharmacists' Mates really had their hands full, so about half of the patients were sent to hospitals ashore. The same day rumors were flying around that the war would be over in a few days. And when the good news was made oflicial most of us were on our backs, sick aS dogs. We all had a happy feeling though, to know that the war was over and an invasion of the Japanese home- land was not necessary. The question each man IIOW was asking - was When am I going home? 1 46 l ' Q OKINAWA ' A The war was now over as far as actual combat was concerned, but probably our most important task was yet to come-the occupation of the Japanese homeland by which We hoped to lay the foundation for a lasting peace. We again loaded pontoons on each side of the ship and departed on a new assignment to Leyte, Philip- pine Islands, arriving on September 9, 1945. On com- pletion of needed repairs and assignment to the Fifth Fleet we sailed for Batangas, on the Southern end of the Island of Luzon, arriving on September 19, 1945. It was at this port that we were able to arrange trans- portation to the United States for the first group of our men, who were eligible for discharge to inactive duty under the new point system. Dr. Walker and Lt. Herb March received orders to return to the States. We were happy to know they were going home to their families, but we knew we were losing two grand guys, who had played a big part in making our ship a happy ship. We received aboard a new medical officer, Dr. Thomas Stjemholm, who replaced Dr. Walker, and the following day, Dr. Albert Kattus reported aboard for duty with Group Staff 107. 47 ------uni - 10 The Imperial Empire . We loaded aboard an Army port battalion for trans- fer to Yokohama, japan, and departed in convoy on Sep- tember 29, 1945. As we proceeded north along the western coast of Luzon we were ordered to return to Ceubic Bay as a typhoon was approaching the northern coast of Luzon. We departed Ceubic Bay for a second try on October 2, but were ordered to return again from northern Luzon on October 4. We departed forthe third time on October 5, but on October 7, turned and sailed Southward for two days. Finally, on October 9, we were able to proceed North, arriving at Yokohama, Japan, on October 21, 1945. Our stay in Yokohama was short, but We encoun- tered considerable difficulty in getting rid of our port company and the tank deck load of Bailey Bridge. Again we were able to arrange transportation for several en- listed men who were now eligible for return to the United States. The Skipper, Lt. Cmdr. Wylie M. Hemp- hill received transfer orders as did Lt. Dick Loring, the Group 107 Staff Engineering Officer. On October 21, Lt. James W. Knox relieved Lt. Comdr. Wylie M. Hemp- hill of command of the LST 491. Lt. W. T. Baker was appointed the Executive Officer and Lt. R., A- 48 THE IMPERIAL EMPIRE Cannon, First Lieutenant. We departed Yokohama shortly thereafter for Ceubic Bay, arriving on November 2, 1945. Our stay this time in Ceubic Bay was a short but pleasant one. On the evening of November 3rd, an original entertainment production was presented on the tank deck. Martin Rogoff and Warren Weller wrote the script, lyrics, and music score. The production was called Headin' Stateside, something we all had hopes of doing in the very near future. The show lasted about three hours, and we had many visitors aboard from LST's and DE's, which were anchored in the vicinity. The cast worked hard, held many practices, and had many details to iron out. According to the October 13th issue of Now Hear This, the cast included the following men: The Hero, Ray Harney, lNise Guy, Martin Rogoffg the home town girls, joe Ries, john Coffing, Cal Hos- tettler, Charlie Vail, Ted Lainas, Brant Welge, Ben Harvey and Lou Anastasig Specialty numbers and male parts: Warren Weller, Harold Lewis, Weldon Smith. Paul Hadley, Clarence Moiris, Dick Myczek, A, Anderson, Dick Warner, and Bob Lee. The electrical work and stage settings were managed by Harlie Cooley and HJ. C. Norris. The show was a good one and en- joyed by all. During the intermission, Chief Wasie- lewski and his boys served refreshments-delicious mixed fruit ice cream, cokes, and joe Clark, our baker, pro- vided a huge batch of tasty cookies. We were all proud of the fact that we had men aboard with initiative and with a cooperative spirit. The men in the cast had a 49 THE OL DOUBLE TROUBLE good time working on the show. They presented a full evening of good clean entertainment of joy and laughter and their efforts were conducive to good morale and a happy Ship. On November 4 several men were transferred to the States for discharge. A number of them had been aboard from the time of commissioning and their serv. ices aboard had contributed materially to the successful performance of the mission of the command. We de- parted Ceubic Bay on November 4, arriving at San Fabian, Philippine Islands, on November 6, to load U. S. Army equipment for transfer to japan. While at San Fabian the crew enjoyed several picnics and ball games ashore. The weather at this port was exception- ally good and the recreation program was in full swing. We moved to San Fernando and anchored to await the arrival of another convoy which was sailing from Manila. Lt. W. T. Baker received orders, while at this port, to return to the States. He was transferred to Manila for further transfer to the United States. Lt. W. M. Boston was ordered to assume the office of Executive Officer. On November 11, 1945, we departed for Tokyo Bay, Japan. We had quite a large convoy and the DE Kates as our escort. The voyage was very rougn most of the way and we had our usual number of sea-sick patients. We arrived off the Tokyo Bay area on Novem- ber 18, 1945, but our section of the convoy continued OH to the PON Of Otaru, located on the Sea of japan, OH 50 ' THE IMPERIAL EMPIRE the western coast of the island of Hokkaido, arriving on November 22. The Army unit we had aboard, an av lation engineering corps, was not needed at this base, so we were ordered to Yokohama. Our trip to Otaru was probably the furthest port north We had thus far visited. The people here were taller and huskier than the japanese residing in the Tokyo Bay area and seemed much more friendly. Their city had not been bombed and the port, though small, was in good condition The people looked like hard workers most of them being fishermen, hunters Qfor skin and fursj, and miners The American Army was in command of the port as the Naval Station had been moved to Yokohama As our stay was extended over the Week-end, many of the sol diers and sailors attended church services ashore at the Army chapel. It was quiet and peaceful in this little hard We arrived in Yokohama on November 29 and off loaded our Army equipment and passengers. We were sorry to see our passengers depart as We liked them all very much. They had been aboard for a month. Lt Qgj Dugan our Engineer and Recreation Officer and Lou Anastasi and his committee formed a basketball league and prepared the tank deck for the games. There were four teams in the league. The Ship's Control Di Vision walked off with top honors in the softball league and were anxious to do the same in the basketball league 51 town, but life for the average man looked crude and ,. .,.. ,......,..4.-A-wg. A s THE OL DOUBLE TROUBLE We were moored starboard side to another LST at Yokohama awaiting an LST to moor our port side, As the ship came alongside, we received a hard bump, pushing us against the concrete pier and damaging qm- port bow door. Because of this damage, we could not report ready for sea, thus we were sent to Yokosuka Naval Base for repairs. Much of the ship's work and maintenance was ac- complished during the month of December. The En- gineers, under Mr. Dugan's supervision, completely overhauled both of the main engines, the deck force, under Mr. Cannon, scraped and painted the main deck and planned on painting the sides of the ship. Every- body seemed to be busy and the ship's company was con- tent and happy. When men have something to do, they keep out of trouble. The old proverb- Idle hands are the instruments of the devil, is certainly a true state- ment, and it applies equally in military or civilian life. During the closing days of the life of the Ol' 49l as a commissioned ship in the US Navy, most of the or- iginal crew had been returned to the United States for release to inactive duty. Replacements were necessary to keep the ship going. During this period, events were crowded together and moved rapidly. We received many officers and men aboard-some as passengers and OUTCTS in ship's company. It was a difficult job for our office force to keep the records straight. Yeoman Bob GHCP, who had handled our ship's office in a very ef- THE IMPERIAL EMPIRE hcient manner since our departure from New Orleans, had been transferred to the States, and Yeoman Francis Sweeney was transferred to the Battleship Arkansas. Bill Foley, Yeoman 2! c, was transferred to the ship's company from LST Group 107 Staff, and he too did a splendid job. It was to Bob Griep's credit that we had a ship's newspaper. He suggested it one afternoon to the Captain and Executive Officer and they instructed him to go ahead. The personnel changes were so rapid dur- ing this period that it is impossible to relate any events concerning them here. Of the original crew only the following were aboard: Lt. james Knox, Chief Ray lNasielewski, Chief F. Chancellor, Motor Machinist's Mate Ray Novak, Radioman Marion Adams, Motor Machinist's Mate Ray Winfree, Radioman Ted Manners, Motor Machinist's Mate Bob Lee, Boatswain Mate Thomas Mackey, Quar- termaster Bill Katnik, Gunners Mate Arthur Thomp- son, Gunner's Mate Grant Lee, Gunner's Mate Jow Suey, Fireman Andrew Kolodziej, Coxwain Norbert Dehler, and Motor Machinist's Mate Ted Lainasg and most of these men were soon to be on their way home. The Ca tain and Chief Wasielewski planned a fine din- P ner for the above mentioned men. All had served to- ether from the beginning of the formation of the crew E at Solomons, Maryland. 53 ll Decommissioned We received unexpected news around December 15, that our ship was to be decommissioned in the near future and turned over to Sca-Jap Qthe shipping con- trol authority, japanesej for repatriation purposes. This was unwelcome news as the men had worked so hard to put the ship in A-l shape, and several of our men would have liked to have sailed the Ol' Double Trouble un- der the Golden Gate for her last trip. Captain Teuscher QCommander LST Group 107 5, and his staff were or- dered to transfer aboard the LST 702. We regretted to see him go as we all had great respect for his leader- ship and understanding and enjoyed serving under his command. Christmas had soon rolled around. The interior of the ship, which had been recently painted, was beau- tiful, fresh and clean. We received two Christmas trees aboard, one for the crews' quarters and one for the ward- room. Divine Protestant services were held aboard 011 Christmas Eve 'and men of the Catholic faith were sent ashore for .midnight mass. A Christmas carol sing WHS arranged by Dr. I-lal Kattus around the tree in crews' quarters, and each man received a Christmas gift p2lCk' age from the American Red Cross. We had a mi110f 54 i ! THE OL DOUBLE TROUBLE T icles American British French and Italian A F men aboard had witnessed many trying experiences both IC and Pacific theatres of the War and in every case all had performed their duties and assumed their respect1ve responsibilities in a most outstandmg The hope of every ship s captain is to have a hap We ywere satisfied that ours was a ha y ship although We realized our degree of efficiency could have been rmproved A in the Atlant and efficient ship We like to think of ships in our Navy not just as iron and steel and guns and such but as flesh and blood from which comes a genuine spirit of service to the Nation We all know that our Nation has been grate ful for all we have endured and for all we haveaccom plishcd The cost of the recent world struggle was high terrilically high when We count up the number of men who made the supreme sacrifice To us the living 18 given the difficult task of maintaining a peaceful World Where the dignity of all men can be secure and not re- served just for the few. 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