Smalley (DD 565) - Naval Cruise Book

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t I l . --In-v me... , -dp i 1 i I mental Softball Tournament. For the finals the Commuiiieations Division inet on the dia- mond with their worthy opponents, the Chiefs and Mess Cooks. After some pretty stiff com- petition, the Chiefs and Mess Cooks Team proved they meant business and came out on top as the shipis champs. Early afternoon would witness the motor whaleboats filled to capacity heading toward the liberty landing, the white uniforms of the riders gleaming in the bright sunlight. As they stepped ashore, the men would glance up to read a sign that said, iWVelcome, U.S. Navyu and something about American-japanese rela- tions. Already it felt good to be ashore. The next thing was to find something to do. They wandered afoot through the narrow crowded streets of the city, dodging rickshaws and noisy buses, and rubbing elbows with the natives, some of whom wore kimonos while others wore western style clothes. There were countless shops and stores selling jewelry, lacquer wares, silk goods and the usual souvenirs. Some sailors had gone ashore equipped with camera strapped over the back to take advan- tage of the sight-seeing. There was always the inevitable taxi and so after a certain amount of haggling with the driver over the cost, they would pile into the cab for a tour . , 13 NE Competition increases Ul'X3N ' Cood liberty ahead around the city. The first stop was at the stern and wise old SO-foot Buddha, the largest one in all japan. His dead-pan expression was a fine target for cameras. Next the tourists went for a ride up the not-too-safe-looking cable car. Once at the top of the mountain and breathing easily again, they enjoyed the antics of the animals of the zoo and the amusements offered there. The height of this place pro- vided a big 3-D view of the whole city and harbor. After much waiting in line, they found themselves again at the foot of the cable and their taxi waiting to take them on. A large mountain entirely populated by a clan of monkeys was the final point of interest on the tour of the town. They had seen the sights of Beppu. But every city has two sides and Beppu was no exception to this very nice rule. There has to be night life. The evenings were devoted to several various spots throughout the town. To some, the commercial public baths were a high point. Beppu boasted munerous natural hot springs which made possible this new and different type of relaxation not uncommon in japan. Some will never forget the music and merriment found in the familiar KNO. li' and other places. The Army welcomed the sailors to the NCO Club at their Camp Chicamaugua

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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

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A stern god so the Navy could enjoy some good stateside food and music. This bit of typical Americanese blended together with the Oriental hospitality of the x2 Si f gli A y t OV 5 i. E r l NE I r 1 V - 2 X f v' E K 5 nl' , W7 : Q ,. r ll i ex 4 4 fx UBut they told mc to drop the anchor, Chief! japanese went to make up the proverbial good time had by all in Beppu. So the morning of October 14th saw the close of a happy ten days well spent. Another farewell was said to another friendly town as the Smalley hoisted her one remaining anchor and pulled away to join Task Force 77 for the last time. F, 5 2 1 W J' S I A 3 l E A steep climb to the top OIAHCCIS versus Ov Division f