LST (530) - Naval Cruise Book

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Ude to an LST I think that I shall never see A worse ship than an LSTg A ship with graceful lines resemhlin' A mud scow 'fashioned by a gremling A ship whose paint disintegrates n From salt and lesser phosphatesg A ship whose steering engine works With grunts and groans and nervous jerks A ship that doesn't run, but trotsg That labors doing seven knots. Most any ship will try to please, But only GOD loves LST's. ,sa 1 Jw, Q- ME

Page 11 text:

I Faeroe ls UN Famwull LT . . i , GULF 121160 Jamaicaeb Cocos! Gaiapagos is Si., sz4 .ATLANTI - Bar'bados 1 'W Roekall ' . BRI Maddie gy C.Vgrde I5 ,,,, , - Rochedos Sao Paulo 'Fernando Noronha 91: C. Congo R '--- .fi .,:' r- if ' '

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V ADDRESS and dedicate this iip's history lo everyone who wrved aboard her during her life h the U. S. Naval Service. The pleasure of writing it be-falls me IS her ex-Commanding Oflicer and may I add with enthusiasm that as I do so it will involve reliving of days, both good and bad, when it was my fortune to serve at sea with a fine ship's company. On the 14th of December in 1943, the nucleus crew of the 530 was first formed, consisting of Lt. tj.g.l G. E. Ragle, Ensigns E. A. Mahoney, Roy A. Black, and F. D. Sullivan, Jr., Swales, Kitchen, Yarger, Pieczinski, Ray, Varnum, Castori, Van Wformer, Daniels, Harrison, Palm, Krisko and my- self. Wfith the exception of our good friend Mr. Black, we were a pretty green, unknowing hunch, headed for an intangible future aboard an LST as yet unbuilt, but there is no one who could say that we did not do a good job, or that we did not make the 530 perform better than any other LST in the U.S. Navy. On January 17, 1944, training at Solomons, Md., was completed. The short cruises we'd had were lure confusing than anything else,