Smalley (DD 565) - Naval Cruise Book

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lnchon was viewed with international inter- est when we were there. The jeep carrier Poi ut Cruz, participating in Operation Kite, acted as a landing platform for Army and Marine heli- copters which ferried neutral Indian Troops from there to the Truce Zone where they acted as administrators of UN and Communist pris- oners who refused repatriation. These same ,copters were returning to lnchon loaded with released American prisoners. While at anchor, all hands were given a chance to go ashore for a glimpse of shattered Inchon. Two years previously General Mac- Pusan Harbor Arthur had led an amphibious force through the treacherous 35 foot tides in a successful surprise attack behind entrenched Communists lines. The great disparity between high and low tides was evident when ships floating close inshore were resting on visible mud a few hours later. The rubble and poverty of Inchon remained as evidence of the intense battle fought there. Crimy, frightened children and tired, hungry adults plucked out a half-existence in the rutted streets near their collapsing shacks. It seemed to us that these people were so dis- consolate that they would wave the flag of any nation which granted them a cherished bowl of rice each day. 27 hmmm Fifth Avenue, lnchon lnchon was not the only port of call for Smalley in Korea, for Pusan was added to the list when we delivered 108 marines to their units after they had had a recreational visit to Hong Kong. This major South Korean sea- port bristled with activity as Navy and mer- chant ships delivered supplies for use by the Army. Liberty was not possible there because of our operating schedule. Before the truce was signed very few destroyer men had set foot on Korea, so Smal- ley men felt fortunate for their opportunity to see the battleground of the UN-Communist struggle at first hand.

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l l l 4 4 1 il fl il it l I 1 S 2 1 N 1 1 u-.a,.s- M.-4 .......,... .-M. l6'c',v,w1 Beppu-what did that new name hold in store for the Smr1lleyitesP XV hat new tales about this place could be added to their long reper- toire of sea stories? Would it be like Sasebo and would the people be as friendly? Beppu-the strange sounding word kept re-echoing in the windy salt air as the ship completed long days of hard steaming with Task Force 77 and impatiently awaited her detachment on October 2nd. That day came and the Smalley with the rest of Division 302 broke away from the huge screen of tin cans and headed toward Beppu. Finally on the morning of October 4th, the bow of the 565,' nosed its way into the peace- ful haven of Beppu harbor on the southern- most Japanese island of Kyushu. Different from previous stops, this port of call was for the primary purpose of liberty. That's why the men were eager to drop the hook-and per- haps, a bit too eager because that fateful day the Smalley literally dropped her port hook- chain and all-right into 35 fathoms of brine. There at the bottom it lay and subsequent draggings to find it were in vain. At a later date, however, it was recovered for her by a salvage ship. Once the ship was secured in her anchorage, all thoughts were concentrated on liberty. For the next ten days liberty was to commence at 1300 and it wasnlt hard to get an overnight if you wanted it. So this provided ample time during each day for Smalley men to enjoy themselves in the pleasant little japanese resort town. And that is exactly what they did. The warm sunny afternoons were preoccupied with .a series of fast-moving, thrill-a-minute softball games. Ten teams were organized to determine the champions of an Inter-Depart- 5 V... ,,,,,r..,,. S ,..,,, V WNW t Nl ,4 t hs... llow many crossed the landing? O8 l' -A 1 1