Stevenson (DD 645) - Naval Cruise Book

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LE-E-E-T GO-O-O! This was 8:20 of the morning of September 9th, 1945. This was Sagami Wan, Honshu, IAPAN. The anchor chain rumbling out through the hawse was a reassuring sound, and the mainland, even though hostile country a short time ago, was good to the eyes. Particularly to this ship, for we had just completed 69 days of continuous duty at sea. No group ' 'lors looked to the shore with more expectancy than we on the STEVE of sal . Unfortunately there was no liberty, the rough seas rolling into our open anchor- age would not have permitted small boat traffic. There was sight seeing, however, with every available binocular and long glass in use throughout the day, and the quicker thinking O Division people soon had an interested line of people waiting to view the shore in a close-up from the rangefinder on the main battery director. The surf was piling up on a long, brown. sunny beach which was stacked with small frail-looking fishing vessels, which appeared to be constructed like outrigger canoes. Small groups of people could be seen along the sand, com- pletely busy at their various tasks or at play. Try as we might, we couldn't find the Iapanese equivalent of our bathing beauties. The people we could see were almost oblivious to our ship and her sisters swinging slowly at an- chor. Here all was apparently peace and quiet, and almost a feeling that these people didn't know there had been a war. Almost but not quite-for as we continued our inspection of the high hills and mountains we could see huge cement archways where coastal defense guns were lying unmanned, and fwe hopedl made powerless by the American occupation forces. Rex Lawyer and Mac McClure had been studying the charts of the bay, and presently informed all the curious that the Emperor's Summer Palace was here, and we soon found a few distinctive buildings of Oriental design which set into one of the mountain slopes. Soon everyone was finding the Emperor's Palace -in a new location-until everyone was thoroughly confused, and even yet there are arguments as to who saw the real palace. The long beach was followed by a wide cement road which curved away until it lost its way in the hills. Traffic was meagre, and consisted only of a few bicycle riders moving along slowly. Suddenly, from the village, a small brown car shot along the road. At last here was something we really recog- nized-an American jeep. That little .auto with its white star was our first indi- cation of other Americans besides our task group. Gradually the rangefinder lost its attraction, and we began to speculate on the movies, which tonight would be on the fantail. 7CfLAyG EW Tokyo Bay-the beginning of a new adventure, the final port of a long voyage. And there was adventure a plenty. From the lOth day of September until October 7th at least one member of the Steve could be found wherever some- thing was happening, from Yokosuka Navy. Yard to the northern limits of Tokyo. The first port open for liberty was Yokosuka, and a strange liberty it was, While the bombs of our planes had done relatively little damage, there was much filth and squalor. The one thing which lingers longest is the smell which greeted our nostrils. The hundreds of undress whites of the liberty parties were a grotesque sight midst all the ragged people. 39