Rochester (CA 124) - Naval Cruise Book

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OPERATION KOREA o The Big Mo fupper leftj took over as 7th fleet flagship and we headed for our 80 day tour of con- tinuous action. After 3 weeks of minesweeping we gave our fellow cruiser, the TOLEDO Qupper right, a California, Here ,I Come send- off as she steamed out of Wonsan harbor. A Flight quarters Qmiddlej was to become' an hourly occurance as we operated two helicopters ia search of those big, deadly things whieh had already cost us enough ships and lives. A ' 1

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Harassing fire from the ship's main batteries kept us rolling in our sleep but it kept the enemy from counter-attacking during the night. Perhaps our biggest compliment was from a marine ofhcer who said the troops were greatly impressed by our fire and if he could do anything about it, The ROCHESTER would be called on in the future . Apparently the feeling was unanimous. Spotters in the front lines told us again and again how accurate our fire had become. We rearmed and came back for more. On 26 September we Bred our last mission. All front lines had gotten out of range. Let's not forget that Sunday morning at Inchon, D plus 2 to be exact. Reveille was a little early. At 0555, 2 unidentified planes swooped in low from land-cover and dropped four bombs, landing close astern and close off the port bow. One glanced off our crane on the fantail. Take a look at the purple heart painted on by the 3rd division some time. It was the tirst last and only liberty on Korean soil OPERATION KOREA Rochester crew over the side carrying ammunition delicately. Everyone was worried about its temperature. We figured on a little liberty after we h1t Sasebo but twas not to be We replenished one day shifted the Seventh Fleet flag on the next and took on Cruiser Division 5 We had done our best to accommodate Seventh Fleet s staff but we all agreed that the Mighty Mo could do a better job So we willingly and glad ly pulled alongside MISSOURI to hold moving day. Landing party made up of Rochester crew heads for Pier Charlie lnchon. S'

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Beep, beep . . . Beep beep . . . Beep, beep . . . Crudiv 5 OPERATION KQREA It got colder and colder. The lookouts began wearing parkas, then hoods, and finally facemasks to keep out the bitter cold winds. An urgent fire mission in support of the ROK Capitol Division sent us barrelling Within 140 miles of Vladi- vostok. Our gunfire enabled the South Koreans to stem the enemy drive and after cruising through the icy blasts for a week we returned to the comparative warmth of Wonsan for more minesweeping. The period in Wonsan, each day of which seemed longer than the next, was spent hoping and praying that General Mac- Arthur's Home for Christmas drive would include us. Those who went ashore found a deso- late shell in which only brassware and apples were for sale. Chaplain Carr found that the Wonsan Hospital was completely unequipped and ROCHESTER sent sev- eralboxes of medical supplies to the hos- pital on a Florence Nightingale mission. Windmill pilots plan mine search prior 'co takeoff . . . Look calm? But 'cl1ere's a mine bobbing up and down I