Smalley (DD 565) - Naval Cruise Book

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Qi 1, . ki? W 2. f yrs 5 .' :Qi 1 xy ! lllla J 4-be .Jul Q Z E f . XIYA ' 1-if BMA, Y- A371 japan Yokosuka and Tokyo The arrival of the Smalley at Yokosuka, or Yokuskav in the Navy idiom, marked a big event in our cruise because it was the first port in the Far East We visited after a long and tedious voyage across the Pacific. Yokosuka, sometimes called the 'gsecret cityv because it is surrounded by immense hills and mountains, played an important part during World War II as the Annapolis of the Iapanese Navy. Much of the base is underground even today. When the Korean War began some of its facilities were reactivated. The hospital and shipyard are provided With a natural protec- tion against air raids by the hills surrounding the city. The same hills are honeycombed with tunnels, the exact number and location of which still remain unknown. Seemingly, with an eye to the future, the Iapanese are reluctant 15 to disclose any information concerning this maze of grottoes. Getting used to the Oriental Way came almost as a natural adjustment for the crew of XVhat, no ricksliaws?

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LE... f-1 ' -' ,--.-I It works . . . sometimes It was a little discouraging after ten days at sea to find the EM Club closed, and even the familiar coke machine was moth-balled on that hot Sunday morning. However, the Smalley sailors found the Cooney Birds to be natural clowns and excellent entertainers. The padlock on the EM Club was soon forgotten. The more athletic declared swim call in a breakwater on the north-east end of the island . . . and, of course, Chief g'Stew,' fished with his piscatorial students from the fantail. For some the brief stop at Midway brought back memories of a major Naval engagement of World War 11, and for others a realization dl . v .fu J , ' '- a31oRMm of being a link in the long chain of Naval tradition. By 1300 we were underway again and on the last leg of our journey to japan. The next day we crossed the International Date Line and suddenly jumped from 14 to 16 june. For the Smalley there was no 15 june 1953. Our training continued and we became more and more proficient in our duties. On 22 june, sixteen days after leaving the United States, we arrived in Yokosuka, japan. We had traveled nearly 11,000 miles since leaving New- port and looked forward to seeing the sights of what, to many of us, was a new world. Pier at Midway Alongside thc fuel pier 14 4

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the Smalley, though for most of us this was our first time in the liar hast. Even with the broad acceptance of XfVcst1-rn ideas and customs which were seen in Amer- ican style cabarets, stores and clothes, we noticed the difference between Japanese living standards and our own. We were pleased with the quiet leisure and humble politeness of the Japanese people. The houses of paper and wood with straw matting or utatamiv on the floors, the rickshaws gone- modern with motor bicycles, the mysterious and often weird music, all called for attention. In fact, with all of its occidental trappings this country was found to be so entirely different from our own that on the first liberty we were almost at a loss for where to look or what to watch. Souvenir hunters found aYokuska,' a verita- ble gallery for beautiful Japanese paintings, Woodcuts and lacquers. These interpretive art objects are descendants of ancient oriental crafts which have always played an important part in the aesthetic lives of the Japanese people. Every evening we saw the streets crowded with people carrying small wash basins and towels toward the public baths. Some community baths have separate facilities for men and women to conduct their ritualistic ablutions, but in many places both share the same large pool. Those who could tear their eyes away from the brilliant banners and signs that hung on the thousands of small shops filled with curios and oriental gifts found a trip to the outskirts in a rickshaw was one to be remembered. VVe felt a little foolish riding behind such a hard- The Great Buddha at Kaniakura Yokosuka Naval Base pedaling little man, but we realized he was happily, if strenuously, earning a modest liv- ing. In the outskirts we found compact farms with rice and vegetables planted in fields which had been tiered to many levels. Because of the large per capita population we were told it was necessary for the hard-working farmers to cultivate every available piece of land, and we saw throughout the ancient countryside that is just what they had done. One hundred twenty yen and forty-five min- utes north of Yokosuka lies Tokyo. The trip to the big city on an electric train amounted to a series of countryside glimpses. The ride resolved into snapshot-like fiashes of terraced rice fields, thatched-roof huts and little brown figures in rolled up trousers who were planting rice. W7e rattled past Yokohama and the Stocking up for 77