Lenawee (APA 195) - Naval Cruise Book

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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.

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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