LST (491) - Naval Cruise Book

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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

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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

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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