Louisville (CA 28) - Naval Cruise Book

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1 F t j , 1 S s jj' LH . r 1 1 1 super cargo-American soldiers. Standing out of Pearl Harbor that day we never once stopped to think that it would be our last peacetime aloha for four long years. We casually noted the khaki-clad men who swarmed over the decks of the transports. Too busy with our daily routine, we were not aware of the signifi- cant role they were to play in history: making days ahead. Ten days of uneventful steaming found us entering Apro Harbor, Guam. Several of our men were natives of the island, and as it had been some time since they had been home, they were overjoyed at the opportunity of visiting their families and friends. While the ships fueled and took on water these men were granted liberty. More uneventful sailing, and at last the low-slung Philippines loomed over the horizon, glistening in the reflection of the morning sun. For many of us that was our first sight of these islands. Nature had woven the colors of the sea, land and sky into a symphony of resplendent beauty. In the distance we could see the dark blue of deep water gradually become lighter until it was green near the shore. Without a break in color our eyes followed the light green of the water as it blended with the darker green of the jungle, the whole framed against pastel shades of the sky. Overhead pure white clouds leisurely drifted. As we slowly wound our way through the treacherous channel of the f if - . I: rv j5-ZZ5fs. ' x LL f ith jj. ' .mimi l ll .3 - ' a-S-A . gt? ,N .5 1 7. !- - P 70'l'l'WtN 'X straits, we could see native villages of thatched huts clustered about a church on the sandy beaches, indicating human life amid this wild effusion of nature. It was a long run before we broke out into the expanse of Manila Bay. Passing close aboard Corregidor, we only bestowed on the Rock', a passing glance, never suspecting that within a short time it would be the scene of heavy fighting and heart- breaking surrender to the laps. Easing across the bay we tied up to the new and spacious Number One Pier. Sightseeing in Manila was new only in that it was a different city this time, a city of perhaps even sharper contrasts than any we had theretofore visited. If there was an appreciable tension in the air, we did notlnotice it. Our Louisville baseball team beat the Asiatic champions of the Black- hawk by a score of six to two. A goodly supply of souvenirs and good times' were acquired by everyone before it came time to start the homeward journey. On November 23 we cast off from our mooring and backed clear of the entire assembly of naval vessels anchored in the harbor. lt seemed like a lot of ships to us that day, but future experience did 'lnot bear out this idle observation. Slowly we passed Bataan and turned southward. Pausing on deck at night, as we wound our way through the quiet island-dotted sea, the tiny twinkling lights of each native village were blinking out a message of tranquillity and peaceful calm. It was easy to forget the troubled, pain- racked world. Yet, this was the very theater in which the Pacific war was to be launched in a few days. Requiring fuel, we pushed on south to the small oil town of Linkus, on the Dutch island of Tarakan. Entering the harbor was circuitous in order to keep to the mine- 1 41

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W WW emeblffe . J Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941 +

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Q Q free channel. Three planes of the Royal Dutch Air Force welcomed us with smartly executed capers. One mess cook still claims they flew under the aviation crane. Meeting these same fliers later, we found them to be capable and sincere beyond all expectation. Why couldn't there have been many more like them? Fueling was completed late that night. The engineers fueled to their usual 1103, the shipis store, tailor shop and mess hall holding the extra ten per cent. War After leaving Borneo, we joined up with our same two charges the next day, and directed our course for Pearl Harbor via the southern route. Down through Makas- sar Straits, across the Banda Sea, through the Araforea Sea, passing hundreds of islands, we approached Australia and Torres Straits. With the pilot aboard from Goode Island, it was a day-long pas- sage through the straits separating Aus- tralia and New Guinea. Out in the clear again, the final leg of the journey was at hand. But the rumbling and grumbling between nations persisted, although the trip of the special Japanese peace envoy to Washington had seemed to ease a little t'he strained international nerves. Then two days out of Torres Straits it happened. Shortly after morning quarters, Decem- ber 8, the first flashes of plain language messages reached us. We were over- whelmed with the tragedy. Try 35 WC might to convince ourselves that we were mentally prepared for this most extreme eventuality, quite plainly and simply, we weren't. We were overwhelmed. Confus- ing reports continued to pour in, and our human imagination was quick to paint the picture even darker than it actually was. For a short time we were even ready to believe the false rumor that the landing of enemy troops had been effected on Barbers Point. Gradually we brought order out of chaos within ourselves, and the unfolding of what happened at Pearl Har- bor seemed to pace this progressive step. ln a short time the true facts were radioed to all the fleet units, and while the picture was most appalling, it wasn't as hopeless as we were all too quick to fear. A general firmness of purpose and awareness of the long road ahead settled over us, as we set to the task of painting over all our decking and bright-work. Initially we were rerouted to Pago Pago in the Samoan Group, but upon the night of our arrival there, with the lights of the island in sight, our orders were again changed to send us directly north to Pearl. Every wave potentially contained a subma- rine, and every cloud a plane. lt was easy to imagine the worst, and frequently a lot of us did. The Scott, about whose peren- nial smoking we had joked all during the cruise, now- became a sore spot indeed. Leaving a trail of smoke from her funnel to the horizon, she was the object of our serious cursing all the way home.. Fre- quently we experienced menacing scares. Once the Coolidge spotted what she thought to be a submarine periscope. We went flying to general quarters, but noth- ing materialized. Pulling safely into Pearl Harbor on the morning of the 16th, just nine days after '6The Day,', our heavy-hearted gaze sought