Shannon (DM 25) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 79 text:

HOMEWARD BCDUND. , ffl im.: , f wg . A x . . L. I A 5-'X 'i g L . M 7. California Here I Come. Bauer and Fraser Standing out of Sasebo Harbor entrance for fall in astern. the last time, Our going homerpennant tluttered in the early morning breeze-256 feet of red and white bunting, a foot for each man, and twenty white stars on a blue field, one for each officer in the ship's company. The envious eyes of less fortunate ships looked on when, at 0754, December 2, we got underway, enroute to Uncle Sugar. After turning at the northern end of the harbor, we were joined by the Bauer and Fraser, who fell in astern. As we approached the Panamint CAGC 135, CominPac's flagship, a loud speaker blared out the songs CaIiforuia Here I Come , and Am'lz0r.r .4fc'ciyl1 . Admiral Struble came out on his flag bridge to give us a send-off. The Palawan K.-XRG 101 and several other ships with which we had worked and been particularly friendly sent us messages of envy and Godspeed. We passed through the entrance to Sasebo Ko at 0846, and took our departure from Kogo Saki light, VVe steamed south along the coast past Nagasaki, to the southern tip of Kyushu, where we turned southeast and headed through Nansei Shoto, between Nakano Shima and Yaku Shima. Eniwetok was to be our first stop. After the first day, which was cold and damp, the weather became very pleasant and increasingly warmer. The sea was calm, except for a fairly heavy swell. In the middle of the third day, we passed about 40 miles south of Iwo Jima, continuing on the same course until beyond Farallon de Pajaros, where we turned slightly to the south. Q The first leg oflthe trip was uneventful, with each day Droken only by drills and ship maneuvers, and every third or fourth day by the exchange of movies. We arrived at Eniwetok at noon December 8, staying only N-. M .M-yr 7, ,. 5' , long enough to fuel, before heading out to sea again, four hours later. XVhile enroute to Pearl, numerous heavy storms and ty- phoons were reported both to the north and south, but the weather remained calm, clear, and hot for us. The Hawaiian Islands were a welcome sight when they loomed out of the early morning mist, December 14. Before we could go into Pearl Harbor, however, we had to shoot an AA practice, For a long hour and a half the main battery and machine guns fired at sleeve, towed by the target plane. XVith the practice finally completed, we got permission to enter the harbor. The sight of real civilization, after a year of coral atolls and lap-infested islands, made nerves tingle, Each familiar land- mark we passed caused more excitement and impatience. YVe steamed around the western side of Ford Island and moored at the fuel docks in berth H-4. Waiting for us were Captain VV. N. XN'ylie, USN, the new Cornmodoreg Commander XY. R. Crenshaw, USN, the new skipper, a large load of mail, and a boy selling newspapers-the first current papers we had seen in eleven months. Perhaps most welcome of all was the sight of pretty, Amer- ican women. That was indeed civilization, and nothing ever looked better. VVe stayed in Pearl for two days, just long enough to give everyone liberty. And there wasn't a man on the ship who didn't take advantage of it-Waikiki Beach, the Moana, P. Y. Chung's, Lau Yee Chai's, Qutrigger Canoe Club, Trader Vic's, the USO dance pavilion near Diamond Head, Officers' Clubs, downtown Honolulu spots, Pearl City, the Pali, and Kailua-not a one was missed. , , . iif, ,C f C f . . aa. pl.. fa I Ag W ., ' ,i ,....,.. ,,,.... W.: Lt. ljgl Montan awarded Letter of Commendation. Comdr. W. R. Crenshaw . . . relieves Comdr. W. T. Ingram as skipper 73

Page 78 text:

KLONDIKE Ever since our arrival in the Sasebo-Nagasaki area, C0111- modore Farrow, as CTG 52.3, had been directing all the sweeping operations in the waters north and west of Kyushu. Most of the operations were in confined waters 111iI16C1 190111 by the Japanese with moored mines, and the Allies with mag- netic and accoustic mines, making sweeping dangerous, dihfi- cult, and slow. Of these, Fukuoka Wan and harbor, Iki Shima, and the waters between Hirado Shima and Uku Shima were the largest and most difficult. Direction of these operations was, in itself, a large task, especially with the limited facilities and space offered by a ship of the Shannon's size. In order to accomplish it, the entire ship's company communication de- partment was required to work primarily as a part of the staff. This was possible since the ship was not needed for actual operations in connection with the sweeps. The Klondike area was the last of the open-sea sweeps, since a force from Okinawa was, at that time, finishing Skag- way. The Shannon was needed for this operation to navigate and lay buoys. October 25, CominDiv 7 shifted his pennant temporarily to the Doyle CDMS 345. The staff of CTG 52.3 moved aboard the Monadnock CCM 105, alongside which the Doyle was moored, and set up offices with a greatly increased number of person- nel, taking over complete administrative control of the ships in the task group, in addition to operational control. Lt. Cjg5 Montan was temporarily attached to CominDiv 7's staff during this period. The following day, having received buoys and topped off with fuel from the Gwin CDM 335, the Shannon joined TG 52.4, and assumed duties as OTC and guide of the formation while enroute to Klondike. Captain Freiberghouse in the Scoter CAM 3815 was CTG 52.4 and OTC during actual sweep- ing operations. The Task Group consisted of about 21 AM's an ATA, an ACM, several LSI's, and the Shannon. A Klondike was a 1300-square-mile area, lying 100 miles south- west of Sasebo, with its northeastern limit bordering on the small islands of Danjo Gunto. The mine lines in Klondike were the northernmost group of the chain which had closed off the entire East China Sea, from Formosa to Kyushu. Skag- way lay only a few miles to the south. As at Arcadia, the ease and accuracy with which the operation was conducted was enhanced by the proximity gf land from which visual and radar hxes could be obtained, The operation was considerably hampered, however, by heavy weather and numerous casualties to ships and gear, At the end of the first day, Captain Freiberghouse was ordered to return to Sasebo to conduct another operation, making CominDiv 13 CCommander J. L. Judson, USNR5, in the Revenge CAM 1105, OTC. No mines were swept the first day, but, on the second, the mine line was located, and about 35 mines were cut and destroyed. The night of October 29-30, the wind increased to, about 40 knots, making maneuvering difficult, and sweeping opera- tions hazardous, if not impossible. The smaller ships were ordered to anchor on the leeward side of O Shima in the Danjo Gunto group, reducing the hazard to ships and per- sonnel. By the middle of the next morning, however, the wind and sea had died sufficiently to permit sweeping. Passes normal to the mine line were made each day through November 4, cutting about 30 mines per day. Novem- ber 5, 6, and 7 were spent check-sweeping the area along the established mine line, and exploring the areas north and south of Klondike for any previously undiscovered minefields. The morning of November 6, volcanic activity was noted in Danjo Gunto. For several hours, great palls of smoke and occasional flame could be seen billowing out of the highest peak of one of the islands, even though we were, at the time, 30 miles away. ' VVhen the check and exploratory sweeps had been completed on the afternoon of the 7th, the Task Group headed for Sasebo. The area was considered cleared, having been de- prived of over 200 mines. Upon arrival in port, we fueled from the Elk CIX 1155 and then moored to buoy 3 in the inner harbor of Sasebo Ko. HOW MANY POINTS YA GOT, MAC? Ever since the end of the war, the big question asked by everyone was, VVhen am I going to get out? VVhen the Army point system was announced, unrest among Naval personnel increased. Then, early in September, A1Nav 196 came out. Everyone was anxious to get home, for a leave if not for discharge. But unfortunately, the work that had to be done by the Navy, and the Army, didnot end with the cessation of hostilities. The first group of men from the Shannon to return to the States left September 10th. From that time on, men were transferred each time transportation was available. Since the most deserving men, those with the longest service, were the first to be rehabilitated, the personnel situation in the forward areas became critical. Those men were for the most part the rates upon which the operation of a ship is dependent. To ease this situation as much as possible while waiting for replacements, CominPac put out an order, in the middle of November, stating that low point personnel on ships that were ordered back to the States would be transferred to ships staying in the forward areas as replacements for their point- winnersf' It was not pleasant for a man to have to leave 3 ship on which he had fought, just as that ship was going home, but it was necessary under the circumstances. The last two weeks of November were hectic. Each day men were transferred to other ships or received on board f0l' duty. A few lucky men among those we had transferred were returned to us because the ships to which they had gone were . over complemented in their rates. A The last few days in November, men came aboard for, transportation to the States, for our sailing date had beofli, definitely fixed. 7 ,135 ' if? -- . '- - ' if'-1 : '1.r',r1-5 - ' - ' - 'J 2' 'Z

Page 80 text:

3 l fl in A-san-i:wn.v-Q ffm Shannon and Jeffers lDMS-271 in Miraflores Locks, Panama Canal. Normally no one would have objected to staying longer, but with the Continental United States. only six days away and Christmas approaching, we were all anxious to leave. We streamed out of Pearl at 0700, December 16, enroute to San Diego, making 17 knots. Except for minor engineering casualties, the trip was uneventful. The weather was poor all the way, making navigation difficult, but Pop Howard kept us right on the track and we hit the landmarks off the coast of California on the button. Captain W. N. Wylie, USN, relieved Captain H. Farrow, USN, as Commander Mine Division Seven at 0800, Decem- ber 18. The following day, with all hands gathered on the boat deck, Commander W. T. Ingram, II, USN, read his orders and made a short speech, after which Commander W. R. Crenshaw, USN, read his orders and made a reply. At exactly 1400 they saluted and Commander Crenshaw assumed all duties as Commanding 'Officer of the Shannon. An unusual coincidence occurred about 200 miles off Cali- fornia. At 1200, December 21, our position was Lat, 32 45' North, Long. 1220 40' West, just 20 miles from where we had been exactly a year before. This year's direction was much more to our liking, however. A heavy fog settled over the sea during the night, so that the shore line of the United States, for which everyone was watching, could not be seen until we passed Point Loma, at 0655, December 22, 1945. At 0835, we moored to the Navy Pier in San Diego. THE SHANNON WAS HOME! Christmas in the States was a much different and more V f! if W, ,. V, 7, .f,7 X 5! Through Empire Reach, Panama Canal Peak on the left is Gold Hilll . i l Approaching Pedro Miguel Loclts, Panama Canal. pleasant experience than Christmas, 1944, had offered. Even though most of us could not be with our families, just being on native soil was home enough. Those four days in San Diego were very pleasant, but most of the crew was anxious to reach the East Coast. December 26, we sailed for Panama, arriving there in the early morning, January 3. New Year's Eve and Day had been spent at sea, but no one cared particularly. Right after our arrival, we started transiting the Canal in company with the Fraser, Bauer, and Jeffers CDMS 271. Traffic and the rain were heavy, making the crossing slow. At 1845, we stood out of Gatun Locks into the Atlantic waters of Limon Bay and on to Coco Solo, where We moored. 1 Everyone got at least a few hours ashore--enough to spend plenty of money on Cristobal night clubs, alligator purses and Tabu perfume. By late afternoon the 4th, we were on our way again, making 25 knots all the way to Norfolk, where we arrived the morning of January 8, and moored alongside pier 22, Convoy Escort Piers. Even Norfolk was a welcome sight. The story of the Shannon does not end here. ' True, most of the plank-owners have said their last good- byes: the men who built her into a fighting ship, who fought her for all they and she had, who earned her reputation, have saluted the Shannon's Quarterdeck for the last time and gone to assume their duties on other ships or in civilian life. But the spirit with which she was endowed lives on. She is a proud ship worthy of her name, of her Navy, of her Country, and ofthe men who have sailed her, May that pride and spirit never die! s .E if si 3 Entering Gatun Locks from Gatun Lalce Limon Bay and the Atlantic can be seen in the distance 9 s- Q p X af wi ' l I , x x t , I . h . . . K 5 f 'f ' H X' -' ' . lg A, , , . A , K 4 , . .1 ,l - ' ft, ... I g . , , ..,.. sf . u , .sywl K . . I . Q . 4 . K . . I I V. l