Princeton (LPH 5) - Naval Cruise Book

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I ll If n I I laq3?,....,....--.,r-,.......,....+...-... WW, , . , A ,, I 1 ' centric circles, trying to accomplish the remarkable feat of sailing .up her Own fantall. Then like an unexpected dispensation from the gods came our repr1eve...orders to Hong Kong Cspelled backward, Gnok Gnohj. With herblue-black bedsheets wavlng gallantly in the breeze, the ol' T.B. set sail for paradise. I I Hong Kong! City of cities! Pearl of the Orient! It defies descr1pt1on. How can the mind bring order out of this chaos of sights, sounds and smells? Here fabulous wealth overlooks abject poverty, and breath-taking beauty mingles with indescribable ugliness and filth. Intrigue, mystery, and romance permeate the atmosphere. We spent a week here, and each in his own way went quietly bankrupt saving money. As she reluctantly sailed away, the TEDDY BEAR fairly split her seams with her booty. Upon leaving Hong Kong we made a momentary diversion to Cubi Pt., where COM SEVENTH FLEET presented THET IS BAY with an award for skillfully maneuvering the ship under 16,000 accident-free helo landings. Enroute to Japan, we detached Campbell's Good Guys for six weeks of hard-earned sun bathing in Okinawa. As an extra-curricular activity, they carried the load in the J ACOX demonstration that was staged for SEATO. In true squadron spirit, these men did an out- standing jobg their accomplishments will go down in history and into the Pacific Ocean indelibly etched into a 3000 lb. block of concrete. For the next four months, the remainder of the squadron settled down in relative com- fort in Japan. It was the first opportunity that Hot Damn's warriors had to become familiar with the native populationgto get with the people-to-people program, as it were. Living conditions in Oppama being what they were, it was necessary to establish various annexes about the countryside, most notably in nearby Yokohama and Yokosuka. We shall never forget the Navy's paramount concern for our welfare. Slowly we began to understand and appreciate the gentle pleasures of the Japanese way of life. We shall not forget meter-metering with the merchants in the Alley de gozaimas, the delights of the honorable bath, inflicting emergencies upon unsuspecting cab drivers, ld fi go sh-eating contests, scaling the walls at Sister's, and of course, the ever-present, ever- enchanting BABY DOLLS. , In December, we took time out fr We broke the existing MAG-16 record for the greatest number of afc hours flown in one month by flying nearly 1200 of those bears. Our missions were numerous and varied, and ou c ld h h y ou ear t e operations phone ringing incessantly and a pleasant voice answering, Dunn's Yellow Cab. You Call, We Haul, Y'all. IH Mafflh, we had to bid Japan a temporary farewell as we boarded the USS PRINCETON CLPH-55 10Ck, St0Ck, and barrel to .participate in operation Blue Star in Taiwan. The PRINCETON is an excellent ship and she made us feel right at home. We even had our own flight surgeon, Ro J. C ' ' . Y Orrea, P.P., V.D., M.D. While on the cruise, Roy completed 21 difiicult two-week correspondence course from Old Sequoia U., which qualified him fOI' brain surgery. Well done, Roy. Quack! Quack! Quack! It was on cruise that we searched for two days for five men lost in a raft. We 2:1150 made the ha1f1eS'f Hlght landing in history, and had some perfectly lovely daisy chains. And who can forget the d th ' ' ' ay at we backloaded the Bn. 111.21 45 kt. gale? It was piercing, om our various outside interests to do a little fiYiI1g- man, piercing. T

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Borneo-bound with our spoils, We made preparations for our first big operation in the 1lf'J'ar.East. Saddle-UP 'i proved to be a huge success and our tour was off to an excellent eginning. Gathering our victory laurels about our shoulders, we struck out for Manila Bay. During our first liberty in several weeks we explored the subtle and sophisticated delights of the cultural center of the Philippeans, beautiful Cavite. All of us made our individual con- tributions to the native folklore and are confident that many weird and wonderful tales of Dunn's Derelicts, the Four Horsemen, and the Mad Dog of Cavite will be handed down by word of mouth from generation to generation. With the innate homing-sense of carrier pigeons, we returned to our nests in Japan. We didn't bother to unpack our bags, however, because in two weeks Hot Damn's Vaga- bonds were to return to the subterrainian catacombs of the TEDDY BEAR for operations in the Fuji training area. The highlight of this particular excursion proved to be our week of R 8z R in the Kobe, Osaka, Kyoto area. We had our first opportunity to view some of the outstanding Japanese cultural achievements. Many of us visited the famed Takarazuka Opera House and took the tour to legendary Kyoto. Others among us investigated the art and architecture of New Japan, e.g., the cultural beauty of the Club Oriental, The Kitano Club, and the Trocadero. In both cases, we departed Kobe with a greater insight into the historical traditions of this talented people. We returned to Numazu for two more short exercises. The weather was typically Japa- nese-wet and overcast. Major Wydner lost his radio altimeter, but being a staunch Marine, he courageously continued his mission. During this same period he also took the lead in the race for the Far Eastern Radio Discipline Award, which was subsequently won by his persistent efforts. Inspired by such sterling leadership, we returned to Oppama and made our triumphant entry into the city. Shortly thereafter, we began deploying small expeditionary forces to investigate the yet unexplored mysteries of the Pearl of the Orient, Hong Kong. Our Marco Polos returned with fabulous tales of treasures hitherto unheard of. We were just beginning to get our feet on the ground and to enjoy some of the pleasures of Japan when we were rudely alerted to help extinguish the political crisis in Southeast Asia. Within forty-eight hours, the squadron was divided into various echelons and spread all over the Far East. Who among the fortunate shall ever forget our luxurious living conditions aboard the THETIS BAY? The meals were a gastronomical delight that would tickle the palate of even the most discerning gourmet. Our living quarters rivalled the sumptuous boudoirs of Cleopatra and Marie Antoinette. On one of the rare evenings when the air-conditioning was malfunctioning, the kindly ship's Exec permitted us to sleep in the gun tubs and on the fiight deck. This arrangement was such a happy success that we were not allowed to do it anymore. And who will forget the unparalleled joy that we derived from the ship's symphonic whistles, bells, gongs, and sirens? And if you listen ever so carefully, you can still hear the Captain's golden-throated announcement: This is the Captain speaking ...... and that's all I know, we remained undaunted, however, true to the finest traditions of the Corps, because we had unwaivering faith that sooner or later THETIS BAY would most certainly launch the white helos! We spent six weeks in the searing sub-tropical heat of the South China Sea. ' It was tedium incarnate. At 5 kts., the THETIS BAY cruised patiently in ever-decreasing con- - Y

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R 8zhR Sasebo recalls a number of things. The Paramount bar caught our fancy. It gills vfiiliyf giilgl Egiisgvqihszaileil H351 Spflllilig was near at hand. Col. Dunn and party pursued China factory. And Capt Ski agd ce. ere were tours to Nagasaki and the Fukagawa We returned t Ok. f - I1 Party returned safely from their famous Odyssey. f , 0 1 of 3 Short 0PC1'H'C10n or two. Maj. John made believers out of a ew crunchies when he shot a successful auto with a belly full of troops a igiiellilnngggagz1SzgnVa1g2US gfgl1FS with the ideosyncrasies of the helo, we departed for the Scenery A Worldg f ng. p.1t-skirts were out 1n force and we thoroughly enjoyed Kitchen the Paramo toL memories shall be forever packed into such names as Jimmy's The G01 d Ph . un ounge, Maxim s, Pa.r1s1enne Grill, The Peninsula, Marco Polo's, I en 0en1X,.The Miramar, The H1-Ball, Gaddi's, and the Carlton. This in the fantastic world of Suzie Wong, and how We loved ity In May, we returned to Japan for a short operation with the 2nd Bn, 1st Marines For many of us this was to be our final glimpse of the beautiful country which now meant so much to us. It was Spring, and Japan, the subtle mistress, was arrayed in her most alluring attire. Lakes Yamanaka and Hakone were breathtakingly beautiful with old Fuji-san standing majestically in the background, surveying his domain. The lakes were alive with small boats and sight-seeing ferries, and the hills around them were dotted with thousands of Japanese enjoying the cool, crisp mountain air. After one last dash into Oppama, we departed for Oki, and although this brought us even closer to our ETD for CONUS, and we were enveloped by the anticipation of returning home, it was with sincere regret that we spoke SAYONARA to Japan. She had been good to us and had taught us a great deal, her finest gift being the art of graceful living. We arrived at Oki in high spirits, happy to be off of the PRINCETON, but we were nearly drowned by torrential rains and buried under a mountain of mud. See beautiful F utema, the pride of Oki-Feenokee, the bottomless quagmire! We were so short, however that even the inconveniences and annoyances of the newly established MCAF did not dampen our enthusiasm. Slowly but surely, our orders began to trickle down from CMC, increasing the excitement of our homecoming. These same orders bore a sad note as well, for they meant the separation of a squadron that had worked successfully together throughout fifteen months of hop-scotching the Far East. Our record was enviable, our experience memorable, and our friendships binding. That We should come to a parting of the ways was inevitable, but HMRQLJ-362, Lt Col. E.P. Dunn, Commanding, would remain forever in our memories. Ernest Hemingdahl F. Scott Fitzgoguen