LST (530) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 15 text:

lid fallen off the night before Upon returning from Liberty in New Orleans. At 1604, after form- ally reporting for duty, Ensign Pierce disappeared for further honeymoon activities - not to be found again until New York. On the 26th of March, I9-1-1-, the 530 was ordered out on shakedown after a rather heartbreaking run from New Orleans during which the weather was foul, 9092 of the crew seasick, and everything in general had gone SNAFU. It was evident that invasion plans sudden- ly called for additional ships, for after only 24 hours of trundling fruitlessly around Chesapeake Bay behind Commander f the bearded gentlemenj W7hiteside's haughty flag, US. L.S.T. 530 was declared ready for combat and ordered up to New York to join a large United Kingdom-bound convoy. The run up the East coast to New York gave us more confidence on the Bridge, for the 543, the Flagship, cut inside buoys and went through a mine field while we maintained the proper courses due to Mr. RagIe's constant navigational vigi- lance. r T GENERAL QUARTERS L MR. PIERCE BECOMES A FATHER T GUN CREW J, PAINTING THE HULL KNORMANDYJ ,P , ,,,, 1, 1 If it ,

Page 14 text:

T OLD CON 1 BEACHED AT NORMANDY if IN MID ATLANTIC 1 ful f ' 7 ' ,. M! Xa 'Qi A I ,f , but there was now no doubt in my mind but that I was working with cooperative men, which made me confident that we'd eventually man a good ship . Mid-February saw the comple- ment increasing as all hands reported to Great Lakes for con- centrated anti-aircraft training and some Wfindy City Liberty. At 0800 in Jeffersonville, In- diana, the current crew reported aboard the 530 , the ship that was to take them 70,000 miles and to two wars. There were around- the-town musters later on at such spots as Sealbaclfs Corner and Club Madrid, where the local folk were treated with the presence of many mighty men of LST 530. Un March 6, 1944. in New Or- leans. to the tank-deck-reverberab ing strains of the Star Spangled Banner. I had the honor to assume command at 1000 during the formal commissioning ceremony. I have been proud of it ever since. At 1600 on the same day. Ensign Norman Spooner, USNR. and En- sign Charles Pierce, USSR. fell wp the same gangway which Sizemore

Page 16 text:

tmgsg I 1 .les ,z ire W-.QE f,, O! 1 -Mwqps T LONDON FROM THE CON J, LOADING UP T SECURING LCT ABOARD 1 INSPECTION AT WEYMOKTH In New York, Ensign Geoffrey Bromfield, USNR, and Ensign Cliff fWMackl Sinnett, USSR, reported aboard with the six small boat crews, immediately looting 909 of First Lt. Ed. Mahoney's deck equipment for the fighting YP's. After loading cargo, ammunition- personnel, and saying goodbye to America, the 530 got underway to rendezvous off the coast with IO6 ships including destroyers and British CYE's. Meatballs DeNora was the last man to make the boat. having commandeered a Navy tug to hoist him aboard as his ship gathered speed to clear New York harbor. Several ranking supply Admirals at the Bayonne. New Jersey Depot frenziedly beat their breasts and threatened our trailing wake with air-flailing fists as they cursed Ensign Bob Brown for mak- ing off with some of their person- ally treasured stout hawser. which he had iinagled from under their I'lIIll'l't'fltI9Il6ti snouts while en- deavoring to equip the ship for come-what-may. The Statue of Liberty even winked at us as she came abeam. The voyage across included sev- eral subinarine contacts and a col- lision between two other ships, in the fog. one going down as a re-