Sanborn (APA 193) - Naval Cruise Book

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llillllillnlll-lllllllilllilil1JJ!JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJKIIX The Lilneratoins More Against the Philippines communicotion between enemy held islonds, From the bottles of the for South Pocific up through the Morsholls to the Morionos, the pottern of victory wos pointing the woy to Jcipon proper. With eoch ocquisition the need become greoter for more ships, more supplies, cind the supply lines become more extended. Men ond moteriel hod to be rushed to the for- vvcird oreos ond londed on the beoches. The APA wos designed for exoctly thot kind of job. So the Sonborn colmly but swiftly set out to become the kind of ship which wos needed, reolizing thot within o very short time she would be in contoct with the enemy. October l-4th she stood out from the dock. ot Astorio, where only o few hours before the lost of her crew hod come oboord. Mony found themselves ot seo for the first time, but from o nucleus of old honds on orgonizotion begon to grow os the ship mode her vvoy corefully down the Columbio River ond on to Seottle. After thot short houl things be- gon smoothing out ond with o few od- justments to ormoments, composses, ond other equipment, she set course to Son Froncisco. She wos there for only o few hours toking oboord londing croft. lt wos there for the first time thot mony of the men got on insight into the serious- ness of the work oheod when it wos leorned thot there could be no liberty or shore leove. From there to Son Pedro for shokedown tests ond provisioning, then on to Son Diego for intensified troining in omphibious londings. Doys ond nights were spent in moking simuloted ottocks on the beoches off Coronodo. Boot crews ond officers spent long hours in the smoll londing croft co-ordinoting ond timing group moneu- vers. Coxsvvoins become skilled in put- ting their croft onto the beoch through turbulent seos ond leorned how to retroct their boots through mountoinous woves, which sometimes splintered the protec- tive sploshboords. The beoch porties went through invosion proctices leorning

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how to clear the beaches ot underwater obstacles and how to direct the landing ot boats. They learned to dig in and how to care for and evacuate the wounded against that day when the beach would be raked with tire. The ship's crew in the meantime were learning the ropes on deck, becoming more skillful in handling lines and equipment and cut- ting down the time required for getting troops, brought aboard in Pearl l'lOflJOf for a new program of practice landings in the Hawaiian Islands. Equipment and men were tested daily. Errors were made, equipment tailed in many instances. Vicious weather, coral beaches, and un- familiar maneuvers with a newly-formed organization ot ships, operating in strange waters, tested everyone from top to bottom. ff Beachhead Bound! LCVPS 011 the Mow boats into the water and away from the ship. ln November the Sanborn reported fiemm, We at M , ' ' 'f ' l 'I Mrv.H--n-uuQnr M, f-wwf-if t'-vi-...::,..i-Ir-' if M f mfg. W., B-L l 44, ' The twenty-sixth day of December the Sanborn, in company with three other APAS was underway for Kahului Maui for duty, still somewhat new in appear- ance but ready for work. ln Port Hue- neme, California she loaded the Thirty- fourth Special CB. Battalion, took a cargo of cement, lumber and vehicles and set out to sea in company with tive other APAs bound tor Honolulu. Decem- ber tound the Sanborn well on the way to the war. The C.B.s were unloaded at Honolulu to be quickly replaced by Army T. H. to load Landing Team Three, twenty-titth Regiment, Fourth Marine Division, atter having spent Christmas Night returning to Honolulu from a two- day training exercise tor beach parties. These troops were to be her tirst inva- sion-bound passengers. Loading was completed on the twenty-eighth and she returned to Honolulu Harbor, She was now a part ot the Sth Amphibious Force,