Lenawee (APA 195) - Naval Cruise Book

Text from Pages 1 - 48 of the 1958 volume:

(p. JAPAN FORMOSA HONG KONG LENAWEE (APA- H =1-- - '  r PHILIPPINES OKINAWA HAWAII COMMANDING OFFICER This cruise book depicts the WestPac cruise of the USS LENAWEE (APA-195) during 1957-58. It is a record of a job well done and it is hoped that with the passing of time each member of the crew, officers and enlisted, can look back on the experiences of the LENA- WEE with pride. It has been a pleasure to have had this command and to each and every- one of you I wish further pleasant cruises and success in your daily tasks. CAPTAIN H. G. KIRKPATRICK, USN EXECUTIVE OFFICER I sincerely hope this cruise book brings as many pleasant memories to you as to me. We have had a few rough days together but you can look back with pride on a job well done. On behalf of my predecessor. Com- mander Carver, and myself may you all have fair weather and smooth sail- ing in all future cruises wheresoever they may take you. COMMANDER B. T. BROWN, USN c t i a t TiSS c Mwcc (APA-f95) LENAWEE was built by Kaiser Company, Van- couver, Washington and launched on 11 September, 1944. She received her official commissioning on 11 October, 1944, at Astoria, Oregon. During World War II she was in a Transport Squad- ron operation in the Pacific taking part in the Okinawa and Iwo Jima invasions. She carried troops of the First Cavalry division to Yokohama and was present in Tokyo Bcry at the time of the Japanese surrender. From November 1945 to March 1946 she participated in op- eration Magic Carpet. LENAWEE went into mothballs after the war and re- mained so until 1950 and the outbreak of the Korean action. While operating in the Korean area she aided in the major evacuation of North Korean partisans to islands below the 38th parallel. During the signing of the final Korean truce on 28 luly 1953, LENAWEE was station ship in Inchon Harbor, Korea. In February of 1955 she took a major part in the evacuation of Chinese Nationalist refugees from the Tachen Islands off the China Coast. On her first trip to Keelung, Formosa, she carried some 3800 civilians and returned to the islands for an- other load of 1200 troops. In 1956 LENAWEE was the recipient of Amphibious Squadron One ' s Battle Readiness award as a result of readiness competition. She also is the proud bearer of the engineering E award. During the recent tour of duty in the Far East, LENA- WEE participated in operations PHIBLINK and STRONGBACK, both held in the Philippine Islands. In November 1957 LENAWEE was station ship in Hong Kong Harbor for a three week period. She completed her Far Eastern tour and arrived in San Diego on 1 April, 1958. I JAPAN ' m AWAY WE GO . . . Our story began on a slightly bleak morning in Aug- ust of 1957. The place was North Island, Coronado, California. The time was about 0900. The lines came in, the pilot took the conn. We were underway for seven months of cruising in the Orient. Behind were depend- ents waving a final farewell. Ahead was a 6,000 mile cruise to Buckner Bcry, Okinawa, and a seven month tour of the Far East. It wasn ' t quite that simple. During maneuvers, the first night at sea, we were involved in a collision with USS WANTUCK {APD-125). Our damages were light, allowing us to steam as far as Hawaii for repairs before continuing on to the Far East. After a week of investigations, repairs and up- keep, we set sail for Yokosuka, Japan. And here our Far Eastern cruise began. YOKOSUKA, lAPAN— The first glimpse of Nippon came early on the morning of 18 September. It was Noiima Saki, the entrance to Tokyo Wan. Our initial visit lasted until 28 September when we departed for Keelung, Formosa. We returned to Yokosuka on 8 January for rest, rec- I recrtion and upkeep. The second visit probably went too fast; we left just one day short of two weeks later. I There were too many things to buy, too many good times and probably too much liberty. Highlight of the second visit was the annual ship ' s party given over a period of two nights at the Yokosuka I Enlisted Men ' s Club. Dinner, drinks and a full scale ' floorshow made the evening one to remember. Some of the more ambitious of us ventured up to Tokyo for a weekend to enjoy the brighter lights and the many tourist attractions. Kamakura was only a short trip from Yokosuka; it ' s main attraction was, of course, the Great Buddha. The Navy Exchange facilities were excellent. We could order merchandise from Japanese manufacturers at Navy contract prices. Dishes, cameras, pearls and crystalware were the most popular items. That was Japan. FORMOSA KEELUNG, FORMOSA— On the rainy morning of 2 October we tied up to the buoys in Keelung Harbor. Although it was only a two day visit, most everyone got ashore to sample the liberty. Despite the wet weather, two tours were organized to visit Taipei, the capitol, and surrounding areas. The bus ride to Taipei took a little over two hours. A fair sample of daily life in Formosa was available to those who took the trips. We sow rice fields, patchwork farms and the women washing the weekly laundry in the river. Although Keelung and Taipei lacked the attractions of Japan, they were typical of the modem oriental city. Modern buildings and ancient shrines stood side by side — the old and the new scrambled into one. Probably most remembered of the tours was the full course Chinese dinner. Even the ship ' s Doctor felt sorry for the chicken whose head peeked out of the soup bowl. -V ea; i PHILIPPINES I PHILLIPPINE ISLANDS— Subic Bay was oiir first visit to the Philippines. We made a one day stop to pick up Navy and government dependents for a recreation cruise to Hong Kong. This first visit was short but we made up for it later. I er meaning — four more visits. You might say we got to know the place. Manila was next on the list. We anchored in Manila Boy in October, November and again in February. Manila ' s main attractions were points of historical in- terest, namely those of World War II. The poor ex- change rate of 3-1 made it almost impossible for service personnel to buy anything of much value. Dingolon Boy became rather familiar also. Our two major amphibious operations — Strongback and Phiblink — were held here. The only liberty offered during the two operations was a Sunday afternoon swimming party on the beach. We got a good look at Dingalan Bay, but from a distance. Summing up, you might say that we spent most of this cruise steaming around or anchored about the Philippines. Can ' t complain though — we spent the win- ter months engulfed in sunshine. HONG KONG HONG KONG— This British Crown Colony was the highlight of the cruise. We were in Hong Kong over two periods; first, on a dependents ' recreation cruise, 12 to 18 October, and again as Station Ship from 23 October to 13 November. The best buy in Hong Kong was tailor made clothing. Nearly all of us had something made up from imported British fabrics and cut to order by a clever Chinese tailor. Sightseeing was popular also. Tiger Balm Gardens stood first on the list. Trips around the island of Hong Kong were inexpensive and most interesting. Backgrounds for such movies as Love is a Many Splendored Thing and Soldier of Fortune became everyday sights. About the biggest twist was the band at a local club. Here we are half way around the world, and a down- town bar is featuring LENAWEE ' s Clemons and Young, our hometown string busters. ' i V T j i OKINAWA OKINAWA — Noha was our usual jumping off place for Philippine operations. Visits to this main port of Okinawa included two stopovers in January, one in February and a final visit in March. Naha was the preferred port in Okinawa. The local exchanges and the city of Naha were easily reached by taxi. Port facilities were efficient and best of all, we were alongside a pier. Buckner Bay was a stopover point before and after Operation Strongback. We didn ' t see much in Buckner — except a lot of bay, since both times we were anchored so far out it was a short cruise in itself to get ashore. Kimmu Wan, just above Buckner Boy, was another stop. Our business there was amphibious only. We wet-netted troops and transferred supplies — no liberty. Okinawa wasn ' t the most popular place we visited, however, after some of the long amphibious operations and the heat of the Philippines, Okinawa was welcome indeed. OKINAWA 13 HAWAII I HAWAII — Pearl Harbor was both the first and the last chapter of our Asian Cruise. It was a good liberty stop enroute to the Far East and a welcome sight on the way home to San Diego. Differing from our first visit, the second stopover was one of relaxation with the long hours and hard work behind us. We had the benefit of a couple of mail calls and a chance to buy some final gifts for which we never seemed to have enough money in Japan. After Pearl Harbor it was a smooth trip until San Diego. Home was a different story. San Diego greeted us with buckets of rain and a 40 knot wind howling straight down the bay. We were the last in line stand- ing into the channel and the five knot entrance speed made it seem like we ' d never make it. But we did get the lines over again in San Diego, shifted colors and watched the dependents storm the ship like no Jar-Head ever could. Sayonara WestPac! DECK DEPARTMENT LT. I. D. HALLARON First Lieutenant ENS. V. P. BONAME Assistant 1st Lt. CWO-3 CHRISTIANSEN Ship ' s Boaswain FIRST DIVISION •fe PELLOM, BMl BRITTON, BMI HOLLOWAY, BM2 b,-- HUGHES, BM2 HAGLE, BM3 ■h; iji ROGERS, SA rNGRAM. SA 17 -M WaLIAMS. SA A] HODGE. SA .: BUSTING. SN SMITH. SA r -J lANGUM. SN SECOND DIVISION -« ENS. STEINER GREEN. BMl BABCENA. BM2 ADAMS, BM2 SLINKER. BM3 Boat Group Commander SEXTON. SN GARZA. SN MERFIELD, BM3 ENGLE, SN LINDSEY. SN SCHIEIER, SN SOMMERS, SN THOMPSON, BM3 SHANE. SN CORIEY. SN THIRD DIVISION DEIAHANTY. BM2 i$. I LI ii Jii WANCOUH, BMI MEAIEY, BM2 ' 1 SINGLETON. SN m y £ IT VELASQUEZ II, SN i r BISKO. BMC x SCEILI, BM2 ALEXANDER, BM2 Mi ROLON, SN 4 %,A TODD, SN BROWN, SA CHASE, SN ALLEN, SN HANSEN, SN OLIVER, SN X FOURTH DIVISION M ENS. McMICHAEL Gunner7 Officer ARMSTRONG. GM2 DAVIS. GM3 GUTHRIE. GM3 CONARD. FT3 CREIGHTON. FTSN BT ' -f ADAMS. GM3 POLICE. GM3 ENGINEERING DEPARTIWENT What! . . . Me go in the engineroom! ' m Jk LT. Mccarty Chief Engineer ENS. SOMMERHALDEH DC Asst. x y R DIVISIO N 4 ft CWO-2 MILLER Ship ' s Carpenter ROGaiS. DCl SPIESMAN. FPl z fl MAPI£S. BM3 McBRIDE, FN BLAYNEY. FPFN MACKEY, DCFN A DIVISION O 144 WILLS. EN2 MORRISON. EN2 il4 FELHERSTON. EN3 DUKE. EN3 FAABORG, EN3 HAWKINS. EN3 CRISCO, ENFN ECCLESTON. FN ANDERSON, FA NEW, FA BOYD. FN BASS. ENFN ACKERMAN. FNFN GREER, ENFN YOUNG. FN BUSH. ENFN SINGLETARY, MM3 ■o- A M AND B DIVISION MULLENIX, BTl BUSHMAN, BTl ESPINOZA, FN FRANKLIN. MM3 BOSTON, MM3 WARREN, MM3 SNOW, MM3 GIORDANO, MM3 HADIEY, BT3 FISHER, MM3 REIN. MMFN JACKSON, FN iliii LOHH, FA GRAY. FN HEISCHBERG, FN AYRES. FN HASEMAN, FN JACKSON, BT3 ROOSA. MMFN ALLEN, MMFA McBRIDE. FN 25 E DIVISION .4 wo DALE Ship ' s Elec ' jicii SWAYZE, EMC J Ji lEPPSON, EM3 A If ■■ Jw iH PETERSON, FN DOWNEN. EMFN A HAGGARD. FA SPRINGER, EMFN NAVIGATION DEPARTMENT Got a cigarelle . . . Got a match? T LT. IG WILLIAMS Navigator ENS. SCHWAHTZ AVANI, QM3 FIELDS, SN MLODZK. QMC SIEBRECHT, QMS WILDER. QMSN AICHLER, QMl SUPPLY DEPARTMENT C X Take it up to the Wardroom. ' 1 LT. KENRICK Supply Oliicer ENS. McINTYRE -Disbursing Ofiicer WO FOUST Commissary Officer STORES PEBALTA. SK3 BOUNDS. SK3 FIELDS, SESN TERREIL, SN GERLACH. SKSN ATWOOD, SESN DISBURSING ELMORE. SA A O ' HARA. DKSN 29 SHIP ' S SERVICE WHITLEY, SH2 TALAO. SH2 m m GALLEY FEDEIES, CSl GARCIA, CS2 ARMSTRONG, CS2 STARNES, CS3 MILLEH, CS3 30 STEWARDS PAMPLONA. SDC LACSINA. SDl McNAIH. SDl OSORIO. SD2 HOGAN. SD2 SCARBROUGH. SD3 HEHNANDE, SD3 TYSON, SD3 f 1 PAGUNTAIAN, TN CONANAN, TN WILLIS, TN OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT Q, LCDR ZENDER 4 ■Who ' s CIC Officer this Week? ' ■■M fk i LTIG ROGERS ITJG LAUGHLIN LTJG ROTH ; LTIG ZIMMERMAN ENS PIERCE ENS OROURKE WO GREGORY RADIOMEN DUNLAP. RMl VANDERYACHT. RMSN SCOTT, RM2 ■r. FISCHER, RMSN ' n i Li, M SLAGLE, RMSN O ! I KELLEHER, TE3 BRADLEY, RMSA GARDONI. SN ELECTRONIC TECHNICIANS 4 PIEART, ETl COTTON, ET3 HERZOG, ET3 SIGNALMEN n Ai CHURCH, SN GUNTHER. SN •. HANSEN, SN MORRIS, SM3 RADARMEN JACKSON, RD3 GOMES, RD3 KENNEY. RD3 STARRET, SN Poslal Clerk FOLSOM. RDSN MEDICAL DEPARTMENT ' .S i LT. VARON, MC Ship ' s Doctor HUGHES, HM3 mi PULLIAM, HM3 PICZNEY, HM2 35 ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT :f y 1ST LT. MOFETT Assislanl LTIG BEEGLE Ship ' s Secretary A ENS FREIDHEIM Legal Officer 36 CAPTAIN ' S OFFICE SHIP ' S OFFICE STANLEY, YNC NIGGEMEYER Q BOCK, PNSN KIRKLAND, PN3 MABE, PN3 DEPARTMENT YEOMEN W r 1 gklk SATREN, SA BACA, SN MICHAELS, YNSA ROGAN, SN ' R,emem %7 Commander M. H. Carver, USN, was detached as Executive Of- ficer in November 1957. As he crossed the brow for the final time he marked the end of a 30-year Naval career. To the LENAWEE, Commander Carver served as an excellent Executive Officer, but for more than that, he served as an example of a leader — a man who performed his military duties with profes- sional skill yet had the warmth and understanding to know his men. To Commander M. H. Carver, now retired, we dedicate this cruise book in hopes that we can tell him that the LENAWEE re- members . . . THE OFFICERS AND MEN Su PHOTOGflAPHY: Ens. McMichael, Ens. Patterson, Lt. JG Hastad Hughes HM3; Starret, SN. BUSINESS: Statren, SA. CARTOONS: Fields, SN. LAYOUT: Lt. JG Williams. Published with the co-operation of the Enlisted Recreation Council, USS LENAWEE (APA-195). y ■f IRRO-GRAPHIC Produced by THE JACK DAVIDSON PUBUSHING CO Box 989 Son Diego )2, Colif. JAPAN FORMOSA HONG KONG N A W E E (APA-195) —APRIL 1958— . t— PHILIPPINES OKINAWA HAWAII