Shannon (DM 25) - Naval Cruise Book

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The next several days were spent in Sasebo, cont-t1'Ul-lilltl UN' sweeping operations and occasionally escorting ships into the harbor, although we returned to Matsu Shima each night to anchor. September 26th provided a considerable departure from the routine of the previous week. Starting early in the niornutg we went hunting for an anchorage for TG 52.3, and particularly for one which would provide a good typhoon shelter. The most likely possibilities were in the coves of the Goto' Retto islands. Our first stop was Fukae Shima, where we investi- gated Tomiye W'an and the waters between some of the out- lying islands and the coast of Fukae. From there we-headed northeast, checking all the possibilities along the chain. Our last stop-Arikawa Xalan, on the northern coast of Nakadort Shima-was the most promising, but still hardly suitable as a typhoon anchorage for the Bay was open to the north. Upon our return to Sasebo Ko in the late afternoon, Lt. Commander Sujiyama, Japanese Imperial Navy, and his staff re- ported aboard for a minesweeping conference with CominDiv Z, which lasted a little more than an hour. ., After a night in Sasebo Harbor, rare for us, we returned to Matsu Shima Anchorage, where we fueled- and then waited for the signal to proceed on a special mission. Most of the 28th was spent in Sasebo while the Commodore made preparations for a conference he was to conduct the following day. Fusan, Korea was our dt-stination when we ot troin Sasclio, jllsl licfore sunset. lit-fore we lefg C51-gglerlYlaY XY. lf Nlicltt-ls, KLTSNR, a mining expert from the Bm-ein er th'dttance, eatin- alniartl to join the staff of CTG 52,3 temgopf 'trilv ' 1 . The morning of St-ptt-1n.ln-r 20, the Shannon arrived off the entrance to lfnsan, intent on a s aerial niissi ' - and investiuatitnt. I on of mspectlon The city ol lfnsan has a long and interesting history in t-tnnn-t.tion with Ktn-4-att-Japanese and Russo-japanese wars and with the struggle for control of the Tsushima Kaikyo mf Korean Strait, a narrow and very important passage betwleen Korea and japan, on which stands the city of Fusan, It was in these Straits that the Russian fleet, in 1905, after steamin from thc. lialtit- Sept through the Atlantic, around the C3135 of Good Hope, and through the Indian Gcean and China Seas, in hopes of basing in Vladivostok and blockading Japan was completely annihilated by the japanese fieet, undef Admiral Tojo. The harbor at lfusan is large and roomy, and has recently become one of ,lapan's large naval bases, The city has a population of over 2Ull,000, although the area it covers is comparatively small. Because of the dangers from mine fields and numerous derelicts in the channel, we did not enter the harbor, The inspection party-Commodore Farrow and his staff-was met bv a YMS and taken ashore for the conference and tour. WELCOME INTO SUNG IUNG p The Shannon sought an anchorage which would be inore suitable and better protected, Cn information from local authorities, we steamed about 15 miles northeast to a small and very picturesque bay, known on the charts as Yoguamupo Wan. There, in the middle of the afternoon, we anchored, In this bay, there were numerous rocks and Small islands Along its shore, at the foot of the mountains, was a village- whose people apparently made their livelihood from fishing and difficult farming on the terraced slopes, The houses were of either stone or wood, and most had thatched roofs. A great many trees covered the land that was not terraced for farm- ing. It was, indeed, a pretty setting. The people on shore were curious about our ship but cautious, and those in .boats kept their distance, at nrst Soon however, when they saw that we made no hostile move their curiosity overcame their fear. People flocked from their homes to look. Boats already in the bay came closer, and manv more started out from shore, As these boats approached the Crew watched in silence, with reserve. They expected tb find the people the same glum, silent japanese as those that had met us in the bum-boats at Nagasaki and Sasebo. But as they approached, much to everyone's surprise, we could see their smiles and hear their laughs and cheers. The word s0011 got around that these people were Koreans, not Japs A happy people they were, too-singing, laughing, and cheer- ing, It hadn't taken them long to discover that we were the long awaited American Navy. i The First few boats that ventured alongside were greeted with a shower of cigarettes and candy. This was a natural and spontaneous reaction for a group of men who had been at for nine months of war and flaming hell, men who, for that long nine months, had received no friendly greeting or smile of ---e- '- 1 welcome, lt was a refreshing experience for all of us. Vile were as glad as they to see a friendly face. Almost immediately, the international jargon of barter began, augmented .by a mixture of English, Korean, several pidgin adaptations, and a variety of very expressive gestures Cigarettes, gum, candy, shoes, hats, and watches were traded for pipes, chopsticks, money, sandles, books and posters. Each party to a trade thought he got the better of the other. ln relative value to the recipient, the natives undoubtedly fared better than the sailors. In the excitement of greeting and dickering, one bearded old manlgestured so vigorously that he toppled backwardS 0Uf.Of his boat, Amid the howls of American and Korean laugltfer, he was quickly pulled back aboard, drenched bllf happy. Slmffly bfffore sunset, a small coal-burning steamboat RP' Pf03ChCfl fF0H1 the village landing. As it drew near, we could See the 0CPUDHnts and hear their cheers and songs. T116 bfiat was crawling with humanity-people hanging over the glin- Wales, ilftmg' 011 the pilot house, and clinging to the Sfl10ke' Stack. hach man and boy waved a small, rice-paper AmerlC3U of Korean Hilti, which was drawn from a seemingly inexhaust- ftble SUDIQIY. One bespectaclcd young man led the passengelfs in organized' cheering, reminiscent of the most enthusiastic cheering section at a high school football game. Wlien this boat had come alongside, its passengers swarrned over our decks .before they could be stopped-bowing, shaking hands, and shouting greetings to all they met. Each carried some Pflfl to Present to our captain, It is hard to estimate the value of these gifts to these peasant people, but it is sure that the chickens and large bottles of ntilkv-white rice wine yvere f'm0Il-H their most prized possessions, Thev were determlnedi 111 spite of our protests, to show their appreciation with H1939 tokens of friendship and welcome, and insisted that we keep: them. . r i l

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1 The base was informally surrendered by Admiral Ishii and then the principal topics of the conference were discussed. Charts of the harbor defenses, particularly the location of controlled minefields, were turned over and explained. Methods of and arrangements for disposing of the mines were discussed and agreed upon. Other topics of discussion included the number and types of japanese ships available for minesweep- ing outside of the harbor, the facilities of the har.bor and the base which would be available for use by Allied ships and the occupation forces, control of the natives during the early days of occupation, and the disposition and employment of Japanese troops during occupation. This conference by no means settled all of the questions and problems that presented themselves at this time and in the future, but it did lay the foundation for occupation, and arranged preparation of the harbor and station. As soon as the conference was over, Admiral Ishii and his staff left the ship. Shortly afterwards, we returned to Matsu Shima, where we anchored for the night, The visit of the Japanese delegation had an interesting and ironical sidelight. The Japanese Ensign, who was a member of the party to act as interpreter, had been a classmate of Lieutenant Petersen at Pasadena tCaliforniaJ Junior College in 1936. just before the delegation left the ship these two former fellow-students recognized each other and exchanged very formal and somewhat cold greetings. . The following day the Shannon returned to Nagasaki with Commodore Farrow. When the Commodore had reported the results of the Sasebo conference to the Admiral, he re- turned aboard, The Shannon went back to Matsu Shima, only to return to Nagasaki the next day to ride out the typhoon which was approaching and of which we had warning. During the afternoon and evening of September 17, the typhoon reached its full fury, In spite of the protection offered hx by the surrounding mountains, winds in the harbor increased to well over 65 knots. Fortunately, the center of the storm passed about 100 miles to the east of Nagasaki. Our mooring held and no damage was sustained, By midnight the storm had abated, and dawn broke clear and fresh. 1Ve left. Nagasaki at 1400, enroute to Sasebo, where we anchored in the outer harbor three hours later, and remained throughout the night. The following day, Lt. 1180 Ayres and Lt. Cjgl Coffin went ashore to supervise the destruction of the controlled mines which guarded the harbor entrance, After some difficulty, most of the mines were detonated, and arrangements were made for the destruction of those which could not be flred from the control station. Upon their return, in the late after- noon, the Shannon left for Matsu Shima, our anchorage for the night. Ships, by this time, were coming into Sasebo in preparation for the Occupation Forces, which were to follow. When we returned to the harbor on the 20th, we moored alongside the Flusser CDD 3683, in berth 17, remaining over night. The Shannon's duties continued to be varied, some of them becoming menial, others providing considerable interest and excitement. September 21, we met and escorted the Rooks CDD 8045 into Sasebo, and then,went alongside the Cossatot CAO 773 to fuel, After fueling, we moored with the Smith and transferred 25 radar refiector buoys from her tracks to ours. That night, we anchored again in f'Steward's Cove. The occupation troops arrived in the har.bor September 22nd, and landed the same day, Shortly after their arrival, CominDiv 7 ordered the Shannon into Sasebo so that he could call on and confer with the Admiral in command of Occupation Forces. 65

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. ,fer-f i. 5 iw,-we f - ' i st 1 L 53? . W K fv.,s.v, We welcome the American Sailors. It was indeed a queer sight to see these natives standing on our quarterdeck, dressed in everything from flowing white knee-length kimonas and full trousers wrapped tightly at the ankles, to double-breasted occidental suits, with their arms laden with live chickens and large bottles of liquor, Nor when they left were they empty-handed, for we returned their ges- ture with cartons of cigarettes and candy. Early the next morning, the waters teemed with small boats, manned by happy, curious Koreans. Around the point of the bay to the south sailed a small Heet of boats, apparently from another village to which the word of our arrival already had spread. Trading continued as be- fore, except that it had grown in its fervor. The life of these simple village folk had been disrupted , by .What to them was a great event. lint after the first , excitement, except for those in the boats around the ship, they continued their business as usual, for no mat- ter how great the event they still had to work to eat and live. Farmers went into the fields and fishing craft set out to make their day's catch. On a small rock not far from the ship, half a dozen men and women landed from alboat. Unabashed by our presence they proceeded to disrobe and put on bathing suits. For several hours they swam, searching the coral and sand of the shoal for clams or whatever seafood might be found, Then about HOOD, they again removed their clothes, and, while basking naked in the sun, opened and ate some of the clams they had dug. It was an unusual sight for a group of Americans to behold-an example of a standard of living and code of morals far different from our own, which we deem so perfect. .Shortly after noon, as the Shannon was making all prepara- tions for getting underway, all work in the village and fields Www WN' Q Wyman' , E52 V And the band played on. stopped. lrpople lined the shore and watched the ship, At the same time we could see a long procession of people filing dow-n from-the hills to the village. Everyone was in white, native, holiday dress. At the head of the procession, lll2Ll't'llt'tl two men proudly carrying large American and lxoreaii. flags side .by side. For well over an hour, the lfI'fM'LfsS1oI1 wound its way down the mountain road and through the village, until the people lined the shore and covered the pier, As soon as the gathering was completed, the same steamboat that had once before paid us a visit was loaded, and stood out of the harbor. lielching smoke and strain- ing under the load, it made its way toward the Shannon, As it came near, a twelve piece brass band struck up, and . a chorus of Korean women, robed in immaculate white kimonas, began to sing. From the mast of the boat, fiew 4 large American and Korean flags. In the bow, stood two men holding a wide banner, on the ends of which were painted American and Korean Hags. In the Center of the banner, in large, yellow, block letters was the word t WELCOME and below this, in Hovving script, Our Allied 4- T Forces into Song Jung. A translation into Korean com- pleted tlie banner. The .boat circled the ship three times, as the band played what we assumed to be their national anthem, The Beer Barrel Pollsn, and fluld Lang Sync, The boat then came alongside at the quarterdeck gangway. Time after time, in response to the enthusiasm of the Koreans, the Executive Officer led the crew in three cheers for Korea, for the women, and for the occasion in general. NXfe all happy. All Korea want you. yvhen all Vvag reasonably quiet, their leader stepped for- ward' and' with difficulty in his broken English, delivered this welcoming address: lVc revlmiiie 1110 .dmeriraiz Sailors. life all Koreans wish you happy and lzmlflz. Today we are Kowaiz. To you wglmifiy Iflfv 'wait for you long time. lflf 0 lzofli .-luzericayg 5 . f W . Wi ,Y 2,32 and KIIl'L'Ull today, go T0 flzc cleaflz. If e all happy A It or ea run ll l y 0 11. . - f d The speech was poor in grammar and choice o wor s, but the meaning behind it was unmistakable, VVhatever .it might have lacked was more than compensated for in sincerity and depth of feeling. Captain Ingram then made a gracious f6DlY i9 behalf of the Crew, the Navy, and the United States, which their leader translated in emphatic terms with Howing gestures. At the conclusion of the ceremonies the Captain shook hands with some of the Korean dignitaries, after which they all bowed and we saluted. Our duties elsewhere were pressing, and the Commodore for ns at Fnsan. So, as the Korean fleet from the side, the Shannon got underway, with whistle and siren shrieking, The band played, hats arms wavedg our crew and the Koreans, both afloat was waiting moved away and , and ashore cheered each other. As we moved out into the stream: we broke a small Korean Hag, which had been given us, from our mast, just below our own colors. 67