Lunga Point (CVE 94) - Naval Cruise Book

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fx ll Q.. M mv,-3 li 1 1 i ' I 2 ., s ' Top: just before flooding the dry-dock at Guam, below: In dry- dock. Lieutenant. The Skipper had told us to relax, so that night, all hands turned in their bunks, relaxed from utter exhaustion. And, though we had soon been in the relaxation area for some days, the Field Day went on and on. Little wonder we were all anxious to get orders to a port where we could really relax, and those orders couldn't be coming through too soon for us, because it had been rumored that we would soon be getting underway for our first visit to Guam where we would probably be for ten days or two weeks. VICTORY IN EUROPE Sure enough, we got those orders on 6 May, and immediately got underway from our op- erating area. Nothing of importance occurred en route to port until we got word of the uncon- ditional surrender of Germany. While we had been more or less expecting Germany's com- plete collapse momentarily, it was with a great T Top: Entering dry-dock, below: High and dry. deal of pleasure and satisfaction that we re- ceived word that Germany had officially gone down in ignominious defeat. Aside from the satisfaction derived from any Allied victory, we knew that Germany's surrender meant a quicker termination of the War in the Pacific. We knew that increasing help would soon be coming our way, and that we would all soon be celebrating a real victory-a victory and un- conditional surrender over the most despicable race that ever walked on the face of the earth. With that certain knowledge to console us for all we had been through, we turned again to the business at hand, and on Friday, II May 1945: I2-16 Steaming as before. 1205 passed OrOtC Point and Buoy No. 1 abcam to starboard. 1207 All engines stopped. 1208 Passed Buoy NO. 2 abeam to starboard. 1213 P21SSC'd through anti-subniarine nets. 1215 Starboard

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engine ahead 1,f'3. 1218 Port engine ahead 2 axe stopped. 1223 Maneuvering to take station in Berth 562. 1231 Anchored in Berth 562, Apra Harbor, Guam, in IQ fathoms of water, 75 fathoms of chain out to the star- board anchor, on the following bearings: Range 112OT, Beacon AM 188OT, Beacon HBH 142.8OT, Beacon MDN IOOOT, Beacon UG o99OT. 1243 Secured main enginesf' GUAM Few men on board had ever been to Guam before, and it was, therefore quite a treat to us to have the opportunity of visiting this impor- tant outpost of the United States. As a matter of fact, we would have appreciated an oppor- tunity to set foot on land almost anywhere at that time, because everyone on board was ut- terly exhausted from having been underway on the Okinawa operation for Hfty-one days without stop. In this connection, with the exception of ten days in Ulithi between the Iwo Jima and Gkinawa operations, we had, by this time, been underway on combat operations for exactly ninety days, and that's a long time in anybody's language. Small wonder, then, that we were ready for a rest at this port that was bustling with the business of winning the war. Although, our forces had re-taken Guam from the japs only about nine months before we got there, from the looks of things, you could well imagine that the japs had never been there, because there was little outward evidence of their long oc- cupation of this beautiful, mountainous island. The Army, Navy and Marine activities there were doing a man-sized job in logistics and otherwise preparing our forces for the advance to the Empire. Our installations were tremen- dous and far-Hung. Even Admiral Nimitz had already established his Advance Headquarters there, so that he would be just that much nearer the fighting front. We found that they already had just about every facility necessary for ser- vicing the Fleet, and we found the authorities most cooperative in every respect. The Old Man and the Exec, realizing that we were tired, gave us all the liberty they could. As a matter of fact, during the time we were in dry clock there, when all hands are normally supposed to be over the side, cleaning, scraping and painting the shipis bottom, they let our liberty parties go ashore on schedule just as if we weren't in dry dock. To show their appreci- ation for this uninterrupted liberty, our men scraped, cleaned and painted our bottom in the record time of thirty-two hours. The real treat of our stay in Guam occurred however, when a representative of GomAirPac came aboard and offered to let groups of fifty men and Hve officers at a time spend a 48 hour liberty at a rest camp over in the hills. The rest camp was one that they maintain for the rehabilitation of Squadrons just returning from combat, and you can bet your life we were quick to accept their most gracious invitation. Consequently, a large number of the Ship's Company were able to enjoy the facilities of the rest camp, where they could sleep as late as they wanted and not have to lift their hands, because everything was done for them. turned to on our hull so eagerly that they had Except for the ones who were fortunate enough to go to the rest camp, the rest of us didn't get to see much of Guam. Our liberty parties went to the Gab Gab Recreation Area 72111: Exec bids squadron farewellg below: Squadron c0mmaHdCI' responds to Exec.