Shannon (DM 25) - Naval Cruise Book

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AKI Clutter-eel with debris, Most ol' tlie-tlestrnetion visible front the harbor had been catisetl by incendiary and high explogivg bombs dropped .by .Xrmy lieztxty bonilmers and Carrier-based Navy bombers, not .by the :ttontie liontlm, Effects of the atomic bomb were noticeable from the harbor, manifested mostly in at large burn scar on the side of a hill, and somewhat tin the tlestrnetion ot' buildings in the northwestern part ot the city, but not prevalent as one would expect, The main reason for this is that the bomb, dropped through a lteaxy oxercast which limited visibility, missed its target. lt landed somewhat north till the center of the city in one of the valleys which runs off the large valley in which Nagasaki is located, 'l'he hills which form this valley generally limited the moye- ment of precussion waves and heat from the explosion to the direction in which the valley runs, and, therefore, lim- ited the destruction to less than was expected. The atomic .bomb explosion had a much greater effect on the people of Nagasaki than on the physical structure of the City. Many were killed outright, and many more died later from radioactive burns, which generally destroy the blood cells and vital organs of the body, At the time of our arrival, a month after the explosion, there were still about twenty or thirty people dying each day, Doctors working at the local hospital and on board the hospital ship were obtaining much valuable information and perience. A very decided mental effect was evident in those natives who still lived, Every one of them was very apathetic and reticent, They moved about on their busi- ness, but very little was accomplished, A death-pall of silence hung over the city, These people of Nagasaki were completely beaten and submissive. The atomic bombing had not accomplished the com- plete destruction that was expected, but its effect was great and complete enough to achieve one desired purpose: effecting or at least aiding in effecting unconditional sur- render. Late in the morning we moored alongside the Phantom CAM 2735 in Berth C, First District, Nagasaki Harbor. where We remained until l600, while Commodore lfarrow called on the Admiral to discuss future plans and obtain orders. In the late afternoon, we turned to 'tFarrow's Cove, between Matsu Shima and Kakmoura Shima, where we anchored and remained throughout the next day, f ,.,r r ,,f,,, ,V ya t K x fr-. I e - rl 'lj , Nagasaki street scene. Looking across a bridge in the Nagasaki business district In Looking north from the harbor toward the valley ' l Nagasaki commerce canal. which the atomic bomb landed.

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s ang x - J 'l'ht- wtiitl -pitntl igtiritlly when wt- gm underway the lttxl llltlllllllf, lh.tl txt' XNt'It ptilltg tri fxgrgatakihtarget f IIN. stt-.intl Alltitlllt lntilllli, killfltislij' ldlltjll QVC,-V man? iiiintl XXX' wt-it' :ill ttnxittiis It. st-t- tht- results of this foo? til' want griitl tllstllltylillltllll whith hzitl playt-tl 50 great a tttltr iii litisltlllltt' 1-t-gttt 'Xfttr txxti htiitrs tif stt-gming down thtr sWt'lvl t'llLlllllt'l, wt- ztiitttttl till' tht- viitritllfe to Nagagaki llgtihttr, K 'l'ht- ftilllllltaltlt' thttit- is tltttlsugtlly piCIl1rCSque its htrztiity t-nhgtnt-t'tl .hut riigytrtl, wtttttlt-tl :intl pnrtiztllyterfaced iiitttintztins Niiinttittlls xt-rtlztnt islztntls mark the ap- In-.nrt-Irts, whilt- st-iitinxil llyllllIUllSl'5 ht-rrtltl the harbor t-ntrztnt't'. Mitsubishi Aircraft Engine Works. ,,.,,-st ,, '- Skeletal remains ot Mitsubishi attest to the aim ot American bombs. Unly one iiztrrtiw clinnntrl hzttl ht't-n swept through the 1llitit'lit'ltls which gngrrtlt-tl tht- :thin-tizrttli and entrance, so xt YMS lztmiliztr with thztl t'h:innt'l inet us outside and lt-tl thtr vtzty. St-xt-rzil small, lllt'lllI'L'Sqllt' fishing' x'ill2l,Qes on the islands :intl tht- pt-riiiitrttrr til tht- tiritt'r hztrhor, along with the nninurtnis lislllllp htiztts in tht- hay. ht-ltl our attention as wt- rtniiitlttl thtr lirst turn in tht- Chztnnel, hut only briefiy, ttir t'x'itlt'nt't- tit' tlt-strnctitin :intl war was mingled with tht ht':tuty, 'lift tht' It-it lay :t sunken ship, with only part tif its .htiw :intl sniit-rsti'nt-tnrtr showing :thove the surface. Signs tif titrtitlt-nt:il cnltnrt- wt-rtf surprisingly prominent, iiiinglt-tl with tlltrst' of tht' tiritrnt, Un the hillsides stood stxti il tliiistrtn t'hurt'ht's. :1ti1i:tt'e1itly untouched by the ittt ts ttf wztr, Snrpristf :tt set-ing' these was lessened wht-ii wt- lt-:trnt-tl lzttt-r that Nzigzisztlti was one of the - Orient. l'itittttlin, itirthtr into tht- hztrhor we passed a.lQUg flight til stairs, :trtht-tl hy ttrttirii, which led up the hlllS1dC Sliiiiyarrtls :intl snhniztrint' pens were numerous but t-niitty, ways gnttt-tl with htinih critters. steel cranes re- thittifl to XXlil't'lt1lQJt'Q hniltlings, shops :intl factories torn and twistt-tl, or tiivrtrlx' iiiltrs ol' rtthhltk :X nlitlget Sublllaflne fttt tix xx is t slttilttitm tillvtl with nnlinishetl, rusted Grid l72l1lt'l'l'll htillts. wa.-g,Z,.,m 'fm' I , Vf3p1, '1:rEQ 'f'fif -3 lht' Nlitsnhishi lfnuinti Xtorlts, -which made aircraft 'V V 'A' l'llHlllt'S, wats iviwilmlwly tht- hztrtltfst hit ot :ill the f8LtOYl9b- -Af' My 'T' Y , lht- ftrw hniltlings which rt-niziinctl stzuiding were alm0St 4 ' t'tniiplt'tt1ly utttttwl, that' lzirgt-, newly ltllilt cargo Sllilhland fstltllt' NIIl1llll'I' ships, hntl ht't'ti sunk ztltntgsitlc the Mitsu- hishi tltttlts, ftltlitniuli stunt- rvtiziir work llilfl been flonf' tht' streets :intl rnrtls in tht- lztcttirv tlistrict were Silll -, , V, , -FW' Allied POW's processed at Nagasaki Customs House Consolation lAH-I5l. , 12 and on board The Gun e'Y Officer and First Lieutenant take flw EM 'tor a jinriltsha ride in Nagasaki.

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i i 5 SASEBO A SHANNON PRIORITY The Shannon got underway again in the early morning, September 14, and steamed down the swept channel to Nagasaki, where we moored alongside the Phantom tAM 2731 XYhen Commodore Farrow returned from his conference with the .-Xdmiral, he ordered the Shannon to get underway in order to carry out the orders l1e had just received. Two hours later we anchored in the Matsu Shima area. :Xt 1353, we were again underway in accordance with verbal orders from the Naga- saki-Sasebo Area Commander. The Shannon passed through the entrance to Sasebo at 1445. At that moment. she be- came the first U. S. Man-o'-War to enter that harbor. Sasebo, normally a city of l33,000, is one of it the principle naval bases and shipyards in japan, and the largest in Kyushu, The city is built around the harbor, with the residential sections extending well back into the hills. The countryside is not as rugged as that around Nagasaki, although there are a great many large and rather steep hills. Nor is it as picturesque as Nagasaki, but from the harbor the scenery is pretty. The harbor entrance is narrow and the approaches confined -both protected by Well concealed fortifications. At the southern end of the harbor, near the entrance to Omura VVan, lay several new ships, the largest of which were carriers. These were abandoned-some not even completely built. We steamed east for two and a half miles and then turned north to enter the main part of the harbor. Shortly after turn- ing, the installations around the perimeteriof the harbor be- came visible. On the western shore there were fuel storage tanks, coal yards, wharves, and caves presumably used for storage and as air-raid shelters. Along the eastern shore Could be 'seen a' Naval air station, torpedo testing station, a large ammunition dump, a mine base, and numerous smaller instal- lations such as barracks and shops. At the head of the harbor were several large drydocks, piers, shipyards, an outfitting 1 R Standing into Sasebo Harbor - The first Allied Man-O'-War. wharf and arsenal, naval gun factories, machine shops and an aircraft factory. On the highest hills we could see radar and radio antennae. The base was, on the whole, Well equipped and well protected. At 1503, the Shannon anchored close to the western shore, in the First District, Sascbo Harbor. Twenty minutes later a small tugcame alongside with the boarding party. Rear Admiral K, lshii, the Chief of Staff, Sasebo Naval Station, came aboard with his staff. a Captain, Commander, Lieutenant Commander, and an Ensign. The Admiral, after saluting the Quarterdeck, saluted and bowed very formally to Captain Ingram. The others of the Japanese delegation followed suit. Captain Ingram was assisted in receiving them by Lt. Cjgl Coffin, who acted HS interpreter, Lt. Cjgl Berg, l..t. O87 Geyer, and armed g2mg'W9-Y petty officers Allen, BM lc, and Reisinger, QM Sc. The delegation was then escorted to the wardroom, VVIICII all was ready, Commodore Farrow entered and the confer- ence began. 64